Amelia's First Birthday Party: Fun, fun

Did I mention that Amelia had three special last-minute guests? Amelia started her party with the arrival of her special guests: Grandma Carolyn, Aunt Michelle and Cousin Bea. She had a blast with her cousin who is all smiles and just a happy little baby, sweet quiet time with her grandma, and some special bonding time with her Aunt directing her repeatedly to the raspberry bushes. It was a great visit.


Then her friends started to arrive. Cara was sweet enough to bring a HUGE box of toys that she was ready to share with Amelia. Of course, it was the perfect way to start a party and all the kids liked playing with the toys!
She even got a puppet show from Peter and Nathalie! Peter has some experience captivating small children across the West with his puppeteering skills.


Sol brought along his Radio Flyer Walker to help Amelia set herself free. He probably remembers the exhilaration of being on his own and wanted to share that feeling. He started out by demonstrating how much fun it is to give rides and hoped in the seat! The wagon was a hit with all the kids trading off between riding and pushing. So cute! And surprising that Amelia did so well pushing Sol across the lawn.




Turns out that small fruit trees are perfect for two year-old to climb. Leo and Sol were having a ball exploring the limbs and leaves.



Meghan arrived with Eva and little baby Ian.


There was a bit of excitement when the neighbors cat came through the yard looking for some affection (and marking everything like crazy). Sol was determined to catch him, Amelia wanted to join in on the chase, and Eva was policing it. She was pretty uncertain about it and determined to set the other kids straight since she is the oldest!





Just one last moment at the end of the party, before Amelia melted into bed, trying to tell Dave something really important, or maybe trying to get him to keep her secret? It was a wonderful party.

Corn!

Oh my, we haven't finished with the birthday party. I guess that is what happens when you are tracking typhoons and sitting in the open window. The good news is that we have a new camera to play with and took some really nice shots of Amelia this weekend. We are anxious to share them. Amelia has been a very adventurous eater. She seems to try just about everything we give her. Even better she likes most of it. She is constantly surprising me. Like today, we went to Monkey Bridge, this really great Vietnamese restaurant in Ballard, she tried everything we ate (curry, noodles, salad rolls, soup- yum!) and loved it. The woman at the table next to us even commented on how good she was eating. And tonight at dinner, she seemed to have eaten a good portion and only then did we pull out the grilled corn. She goes nuts for corn. Spits food out of her mouth to get the corn in her mouth. It reminded me of this picture we took in early July. One of her first times eating corn on the cob. Now it is her favorite.

These are some of the new pictures. Amelia testing out the shape and feel of the lime, before sinking her teeth in to see if she likes it.

Yesterday we went over to Craig and Joanna's for dinner and to play with Cara. They had a really good time together. Cara was so sweet with Amelia, patiently shared her toys, and showed off all her new gymnastics moves. Amelia is quite a good walker now. It really didn't take much. Not only can she easily walk across the room, she carries things- heavy things. At Cara's she found a baby doll and heavy wooden box that she liked, picked them up and carried them to show Cara. It was fun to see them together.

Amelia - First Birthday Party: The Cake

Amelia's First Birthday Party was a blast. I want to share some of the pictures of Amelia playing with her friends and family, but the cake deserves its very own post. There is something about the First Birthday Cake that leaves a lasting impression, some kids cry, some aren't sure what to do with it, some just love it. From her initial look at the cake, we weren't sure which category she would fall into. She seems hesitant.

But then she sits down close with the cake in front of her and she goes for it. No hesitation. Just "I have to try that" (or "dat"). She shoves it in her mouth. She can always spit it out later if she doesn't like it. Better get it in there fast, before mom pulls it out like the dirt. Two hands! Better to use two hands to get it in faster! Wow! This is the most sugar I think she has ever eaten in one sitting. I think that she loves it. I mean LOVES it. *loves* it. By the time she has one free hand, she wants to play peek-a-boo with her frosting fingers! Here she is savoring the last bite. Maybe even scanning the crowd and looking for more.

I don't know what it says about her that she *loved* her first cake. She devoured it. Took one look at the cake, jumped in, and became a cake lover. I guess it just means that she fits well with us. A family of cake lovers. Do you want milk with that?

Amelia makes the move- on her own!

I have been meaning to post some pics from her birthday party and our vacation, but things have been busy here. I thought we had a big break in teething before the molars arrival, but they are coming in full force. It seems like there may be three all at once. All things considered she is a trooper. But we've had some nights that are tougher than usual. So enjoy this little video of Amelia's mobility in the meantime (while we organize the photos!).