Our Sweet Girl is One!

One year ago, today, the Lord blessed our lives with this sweet little girl...

And what a blessing she is! Life has been so exciting this year, and Mark and I have learned so much about ourselves and have grown closer as a family. It's been wonderful!

Claire's First Birthday "Button" Pajama Party:

We had a family/friend pajama party on Saturday morning for Claire. It was a "button" themed party because we have always called Claire our little "button." We feel so blessed that our family and friends (mostly) are local and could share this special day with us. Everyone has been so supportive and helpful through all of our many ups and a few downs this year, and we felt honored to have so many of our family and friends share in Claire's big day. It was amazing!

I was determined to make Claire's cake... I think it turned out pretty cute. She LOVED It!

I also made "button" cupcakes with the help of Kimberly. Yummy!

I made Claire a "button" bow to match her big girl pjs. I also found these fuzzy slippers for her. She was very snuggly...

Claire loved spending time with all of her guests, including her boyfriend, Kaden. :)

The "after" of the cake...

Nana brought balloons, and they were a hit! Claire lit up every time she saw them!

Claire loved all of her presents!

Love this smile...

These pics were hanging from our windows.

We draped pictures across our fireplace of Claire from the day she was born until now.

Is it naptime, yet?

Rise and Shine Birthday Girl!

I decided it would be a fun tradition to be like "Santa" on Claire's Birthday... have something in her room in the middle of the night so when she woke up on her Birthday, she would be excited to start her day. Claire LOVES balloons, so I tied a balloon to her crib (1 balloon because she's 1!) I may do balloons and add one for every year, or maybe something different, who knows. I have another year to decide! :)

Before church, we took C to breakfast at one of our favorite breakfast places near our house. We've never ordered from the kids menu, and C hasn't had chocolate, so we thought it would be a lot of fun. Boy were right! It was so fun...

Once we got to church, her sugar high wore off. Right before the sermon started, C fell asleep in Daddy's lap. It was precious. A very sweet moment on this special day, I must say...

Church Friends Party

After church and lunch we had our friends from church over for dessert to celebrate C's special day. Our church has been a HUGE part of our lives this year. The day to to day, prayers, watching C for us, sending meals when we've been sick; they have been wonderful.

Mark and I with our 1 year old girl!

Cake! Round 2...

Have you seen anything cuter?

She was still smiling after all that fun!

And that's a wrap! It was a wonderful day. One that we will never forget! We look forward to so many more moments of laughter, tears, and memories with our sweet girl(s). It's hard to believe that she is one, and she is now considered a "toddler." It's going to be a fun ride...

Happy Birthday Button. We love you so much! Love, Mommy and Daddy