Celebrating Bethany

Life is Sweet as Pie 

with our Bethie girl,

or so the invitation read!

We invited both families and two of our close-as-family friends over to celebrate as Bethany turned one!  The day was a little crazy, but celebrating our Bethie girl is easy!

Pies were on the menu!

Chicken Pie, Beef Pot Pie, Tamale Pie, Egg Pie (aka quiche)

Plus, the dessert table!

Chocolate Chess Pie, Apple Pie, and Chocolate Honey Tart Pie

This apple pie was the prettiest! and soooo tasty!

The chocolate chess pie had two bites left in the pie plate, so I'll take that as a good sign!

You watched your cupcake with your sweet, big, curious eyes while we all sang to you

You tentatively took a bite of the icing

But, it didn't take long for you to decide you loved it!

Aunt Ashley took some great pictures of you enjoying your cupcake!

Now, that is a birthday cupcake well enjoyed!

You got to open presents...with lots of willing helpers!

                                      

This was the only picture I got of you with an opened present, which works out okay, because it has proven to be your favorite by far!  You meeting your "buh-ba"!

One birthday down, can't wait to celebrate many more!

The birthday back story....

I was so excited.  I had done as much advance work on all the pies as I could.  Froze some things in advance.  Had a multi-day baking schedule leading up to the party.  I was relaxed and ready with a plan as we went to bed the night before.  Then Dad woke up sick in the middle of the night.  He did not leave his room for the next 12 hours!  

So, I got up Sat morning and worked on baking pies, and then sanitize the house.  Then, finish baking the pies, and then sanitize again.  Then make sure the kids are ready, the table is set, and sanitize one final time!  Not having your dad there was no.fun.  We are a team and best when together.  He hated to miss the fun, and we hated not sharing it with him!  Definitely a birthday back story to be remembered.  (I blame that for the lack of good pictures of the food especially.  I was so proud of your birthday spread.) 

Spring Break happenings

Spring break this year was so nice.  It was so nice to not have to be any where by a certain time, get a little preview of summer's attractions.  We did lots of the normal things:  TV time, sibling fun and sibling fights, a few chores, procrastinate on a few more chores, ... you know, normal life.

But, we also had some other really fun moments.  We did 2/3 of Anna-Kate's dress over spring break.  

We made a robot.

A robot with baking utensils.

With many requests from these two, we went to the park!

It was fun watching Bethie girl get in on the action.  

This was her first slide ride!

a little unsure

whoa mom

I love it!

I think she'll be ready to go back to the park any time!  

Anna-Kate and I just finished reading the American Girl Grace books.  She was 2015 Girl of the Year.  And, Grace was about all things French and all things baking.  With that inspiration, Anna-Kate has been ready to bake macarons!

I was so impressed with Anna-Kate's stick-with-it-ness!  This project took 3 hours, start to finish.  She never tired out and wanted in on every step!

Her first finished macaron.

We shared some with Sue from church who helped with AK's dress.  We were sad to share because then they disappeared way too quickly!

Part of our comedic relief...

Benjamin is a sleeper!  One morning, he came downstairs before we did.  So, this.

Sound asleep, with his head and body wrapped in his blanket.

I am looking forward to summer break now!

Fashion Designer

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A fashion designer!

For at least two years now, that has been Anna-Kate's answer with no hesitation and lots of enthusiasm.  In the last 3 months or so, she will sometimes add a baker into the possibility for her future.  Regardless of what her future holds, she does enjoy fashion!  She thinks through her clothes choice each day and loves to shop with me (even browse!).

Well, this love of fashion led to this!

My sister gave Anna-Kate a pattern and money for a Christmas present.  We headed to JoAnn's to pick out Anna-Kate's favorite fabric for the pattern.  I realized we were in over my head.  A friend from church came to the rescue!  Sue came over 3 times (about 11 hours of helping us logged)!  

At the end, Anna-Kate has a dress that fits and that she is so proud of!  (And I learned some new sewing skills, ha!)

Seriously proud grin

So fun doing such a big project with my girl!

Bethany is 1!

Our sweet Bethie girl has turned one.  

One year and we could not love you more!

Weight:  18lbs, 12oz, 31%ile

Height: 28.75in, 29%ile

At one...

You took your last bottle a couple days after your birthday.  You started drinking your formula in your sippy cup while we see which milk is going to sit well with you.  You enjoy eating.  Carbs are by far your favorite.  Bread, crackers, cheerios, and more bread and crackers.  You don't like much of anything that is green.  You love butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots, and you eat meats well.  You have decided you don't want anything pureed; you only want what you can pick up. 

You have tested negative for allergies!!  Yay!  So, now we sslloowwllyy test foods, mainly soy and dairy, to see if those are still an issue.  

You are quite mobile!  You have been crawling for a long time and you are fast.  You love to climb.  You climbed the stairs for the first time the day after your birthday.  You love to pull up, love it.  You will use a push toy to practice walking, but so far you don't want to hold my fingers to work on it.  I am sure it won't be long.  

You sleep 12 hours at night, take a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.  You take about a 30 min nap in the morning when I offer it to you, but you power through the morning well when we can't fit in the morning nap.  

You are starting to talk.  You can say mama, dada, woof, dog, yeah, and baby.  Baby is the cutest because it sounds more like "buba."

You are in a stage where toys aren't your favorite.  You love a little baby doll you were given for your birthday.  You love one particular puzzle.  But, after that, you cycle through the downstairs touching everything.  Pulling things out of cabinets.  Putting superheroes or Barbies in your mouth.  Climbing the stairs over and over again.  

Your personality is quite content.  You can play by yourself most of the time.  We have heard the most fussing in the last two weeks as your molars are starting to pop through.  (You had 6 teeth on your birthday.  The 7th popped through right as you turned 13 months.  Your molars have also started slowly breaking through.)

Anna-Kate, Benjamin, and Gladys love watching you and seeing what you find to get into next.  Your dad is so smitten.  His face lights up when you smile in his direction.  Me, well, I am head over heels daughter of mine.  As much as I have loved your baby snuggles, I can't wait to see all that God has in store for you!

She will bite the dishwasher, try to take things out, and crawl on it.

Your first stair climb documented.

And, you did it with a hairbrush.  Way to go girl!

Your content personality proven,

and your fur-granny at her post.

I folded clothes for a while upstairs and you simply played with your sisters ponies.  

I came downstairs and you were happy to show off your finds!

You throwing your head back laughing.  I can hear this picture!

Sorry mom, photo shoot over.  Off again....probably to climb the stairs

Sisters!

When moments like this happen,

they absolutely melt my heart!

Sweetly Sleepy

I love that this has been captured.  When Bethany is sleepy, she assumes this position.  When she first wakes up in the morning, she immediately does this and readies herself to lay her head on my shoulder.  This absolutely represents the sweet, sleepy Bethie girl I know.  (Sometimes when she is feeling shy, she does this too!) 

 Thumb in mouth, stroking hair, ... our precious girl

Last Day with Baby

I really do love my big kids.

Every age has its wonderful.

But, oh, knowing this is our last baby, ...

I definitely enjoyed some snuggles the day before her first birthday!

We got her a night stand for her bedroom.  Thinking of her reading by the lamp that will eventually be on it was a sweet thought but solidified her getting older.  

Love you so much baby girl!