As hard as it is to believe, my sweet Annabelle is a year old today.
We had a small family party for her on Sunday. I disobeyed the cardinal rule of first birthday parties:
Nap first, party later.
This was the closest thing to a smile that we got in most of her pictures. She wasn't unhappy at all, just SLEEPY. She was a good sport, and loved her cake, but was more than ready for her nap well before we opened presents. :)
Another little "slip-up" was her super duper cute birthday outfit. Yes, I let her wear it while she ate cake. She only turns one once, and I'd learned from Sadie that it would probably wash beautifully (it did). The only problem was that her tights made her slide all over the table! I was hoping to get all these super cute smash cake pics, but as soon as we sat her on top of the table she slid right into the cake! Oh well. Lesson learned (and I still love her outfit!).
This is her "fancy" cake that we ordered from the incredibly talented Lawanna Gilmore (it was also her Daddy's cake...luckily he's accepted that he'll probably have to suffer through many girly cakes in the upcoming years). Every time I watch "Challenge" on the Food Network, I think she could be serious competition for those people (and it was just as delicious as it was beautiful).
Sweet Annabelle, this year has flown by. I can't believe how many things have changed (for the better) since you came along! You are my little over-achiever...you crawled early, walked early, said "mama" first (and for that, I thank you!)... You are also going to be the cause of many more gray hairs for me. When Jackson was a year old, we didn't even put up a baby gate because he never tested his boundaries. Sadie would crawl up to the gate but never tested the latch. You not only test the latch, if you can't open it, you go around it. Lucky for us, your Daddy is a handyman, but I have a feeling you're going to keep us on our toes. :) You are our little drama queen who charms everyone with her little smiles and sweet looks, yet can turn on the tears at the drop of a hat--or when someone tells you "no." We all love you so much (especially your brother who was sooo certain he needed a baby brother) and have so much fun making you laugh.
Happy birthday, baby girl!
