Birthday Emotions

I didn't expect to experience so many emotions surrounding Sadie's first birthday... For me the excitement began weeks ago as I started to dream and plan. I loved making her invitations and buying supplies for her party. I love pink (and hope to pass this love on to my daughter), so getting ready for her party involved LOTS of pink! I experienced much excitement as I began to anticiapte the big day.

Also, along the way to b-day party time, I experienced some frustration--when things didn't work as I planned or when I couldn't find what I needed. Some of the frustration happened the day of her party as I finished decorating her cakes! (Luckily I had friends and family here to keep me calm!)

As we began setting up and getting things ready, I was visited by some last minute worries... Thankfully, I didn't have much time to worry about anything. As guests began to arrive, I was overwhelmed and extremely thankful that my daughter is loved and cherished by such wonderful people.

I love watching Sadie. I had a blast yesterday watching her interact with people, explore new things, and especially dig into her cake (sweets are a rare treat!) I was filled with such Joy watching her smile and squeal with excitement. After her party ended, Marc and I were filled with such satisfaction that we were able to celebrate such a wonderful milestone with our precious daughter.

Now, as I reflect I am experiencing some sadness. I'm sad to leave the "Baby" days behind, but joyful to enter the next stage of her life. It is hard to recognize that my baby is a little girl.

Princess Pancakes and Fish

Today was Sadie's 1st birthday! We feel so blessed to have such an amazing daughter. Marc took the day off so we could all celebrate together! We started the day with her "Birthday Breakfast"--eggs and princess pancakes (blueberry-lemon pancakes cut in the shape of a tiara!)

Marc and I decided to take Sadie to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. We guessed that it might be busy because of spring break. Busy turned out to be an understatement. We parked our car and began the hike to the aquarium. As we got closer, we started seeing crowds of people. I asked Marc, "Are those people waiting to get inside?" They sure were, and we sure did wait with them. We waited in the rain/snow for about 45 minutes to get inside! (Fortunately, Sadie and I were only outside for about 20 minutes when an aquarium lady started letting people with small children wait inside.) After we finally got in, it really didn't seem too crowded. We saw dolphins, beluga whales, penguins, turtles, snakes, sharks, otters, and LOTS of FISH! Saide loved it. She loves watching people and she really enjoyed checking out the animals. She loved being so close to the tanks and trying to "touch" the fish. What a great day!

Easter Traditions

I loved growing up in a home with traditions! We had lots of holiday traditions that helped me to create fond memories of my childhood. I love knowing that my parents really cared about making special memories for us! Now that I'm a parent, I get to pass those traditions on to my children (and add some of my own!)

This is Sadie's 2nd Easter. She did get an Easter basket and dyed eggs last Easter, but she pretty much slept through it all! This year was alot more fun for her. We got to take her on her first Easter egg hunt at my parent's church--she was more interested in the muddy grass than the eggs. She got to dye Easter eggs with two of her cousins--she was more interested in licking the sparkles off the eggs. And of course, she got to hunt for an Easter basket. It was so much fun to watch her pull each new treasure out of her basket and explore it. I completely understand why parents invest so much time and effort into creating traditions. Seeing your child's eyes light up with excitment is absolutely amazing. As Sadie continues to grow, Marc and I look forward to teaching her the true meaning of Easter and enjoying many more tradition filled seasons!

My 1st Blog!

Well... Here's my attempt to stay more connected to all of you! I will try to give you update accounts with what's going on in our life. This week is much less busy for me because I'm on spring break (and very much enjoying it!)

This is also a great week for me to start this--I've been doing a lot of reflecting because my baby is turning 1! Tomorrow actually is Sadie's birthday. I can't count the number of people who told me "Enjoy each day because they grow up so fast." It's hard to actually appreciate that comment until you experience it! I really can't believe it's been a year and I look at her baby picture and can't believe how much she's changed.

Being a parent hasn't always been easy, but I've done my best to ENJOY each day! This is my way of inviting you to enjoy it with me!