Tu Tu Cute

From start to finish this first Birthday was so much fun! Picking out the cupcakes, decorating...and getting to play with Kehnley the whole day... pay close attention to the kiss attach from Lyndz and Keri at the end! Kehnley was a good sport, but not a fan :)

"Pretty in Pink" was the flavor...she wasn't so pretty when it was over!

Kehnley had her very first birthday and there was a crowd. We had some friends and family over and we opened presents and ate cupcakes. Kehnley was a good sport for all the pics and cards and presents. It went by so fast we didn't even have time to swim until later that night. mom made her a birthday banner for us to hang, I was so impressed I loved it!! it's something she will be able to keep for ever.

On her birthday we did have a few firsts...

Bry & Kehnley and me, she's eating something a little more tasty than dog food:)

FIRST time to eat dog food, she had a bite of lilly's food when I was setting up for the party and appeared to like it, she was smiling with bits running down the chin and smelled like lilly's breath! ew...

FIRST temper tantrum thrown when she thought that I was taking the grocery cart away, when all I was trying to do was cut off the plastic netting for better use!

FIRST time to ever experience the birthday song sung not only once but 4 times! By me when she woke up in the morning, by Papa when he saw her, then twice at the party because dad missed it on camera lol, so we made everyone do it again. (it was the kind of effect of the fake bouquet toss at a wedding)

*kehnley's favorite gift was the grocery cart from aunt Nicole

*kehnley's favorite snack was all the envelopes from the cards

*kehnley's newest favorite thing to throw are the wooden blocks Nate bought her

It's hard to believe that at 11:43 only 12 short months prior I had seen her for the first time and thought "she doesn't look like us!" Then after the swelling went down and the cone formed a nice round shape instead, and she opened those baby blues... I could see how so many women before me would claim to forget all the pain of labor, uncomfortable nights of pregnancy, all the meals lost to nausea, and the fear of all the things that "could" go wrong and mean every word once they embraced the miracle laying in their arms.

"There's only one thing more wide eyes and helpless than a new born baby, and that's a new mom." - Anonymous.

I love that quote because it's so true that even if you have the most natural nurturing character in the world, a mother is made through becoming, not just being. I am so grateful for so many things about Kehnley...

Her laugh, her 4 toothed grin
Her soft baby hair she sometimes lets me brush my hands through, others she pulls my hands away
Her head when it rests on my shoulder
Her lip twitch when she's falling asleep
Her clapping hands even with food all over them
Her crossed leg sitting position looking up at her favorite video
Her run and smash into the beanbag seat when she thinks you are chasing her
Her concentrated look as she tries to pull the top off the sippy cup
Her upside own grin as she looks up at me through the stroller cover on our walks
Her voice in the morning talking baby lingo to her stuffed animals in her bed
Her fingers grabbing for the page to turn it so quickly
Her legs kicking and splashing in the tub
Her squeal of delight when she sees her daddy and blood curling cry when he steps out of the room to get a drink.
Her leaning down to look out the front window to see the ducks
Her fast paced walk to get to the pool, just to turn around and reach for me once she 's at the edge
Her tiny fingers can pick up a snack, but she uses her whole hand, front and back, to get it in her mouth
Her squinting eyes when the sun is out
Her funny way of trying to put everything in my mouth after her mouth has touched it
Her passionate hatred for shoes, hats and anything that confines her
Her special laugh reserved for anything that the dogs do or we do with them.
Her bottom in the air as she pushes off to go on another adventure

But most of all the feeling that she gives me that God made me for this... I was totally meant to be a mom, and I am being convinced of that more and more every day.

So here is the Birthday girl... and yes that's a tutu you see :)