A few weeks ago it was Lily's 1st birthday!! This year has flown by! It is hard to remember a time before we had our sweet little girl but also feels like it has been the blink of an eye too, it's crazy how that is. She is so fun & keeps us laughing with her little personality that is really starting to show now!



Here are some of my favorite things about Lily:
-She wakes up so happy every morning & from every nap. She just lies there making cute little noises & then when I come to get her, she has the cutest smile! She just lays there smiling for a few seconds & then pushes herself up to a seat to be picked up.
-Her smiles is the cutest with her 6 little teeth & wide mouth open. She is smiling almost all of the day. (She has thrown a few little fits though & it is hard not to just laugh, she lets out a loud cry, lies on the ground & stomps her little feet. )
-She loooves to walk around with help. She would be walked around the house nonstop all day if our backs could take it! She will hold up her little hands, grab your hands with them, & then position herself around so that she can walk around the house at full speed! She knows exactly where she wants to go & will steer you in whatever directions that is!
-She makes the cutest little sounds. Her first word was mama & most of the time she will just be playing with toys or in the car saying mamamamama. She has also said dada! She babbles a lot & I love her little high pitched noises.
-Whenever Nate gets home, she hears the garage open & makes the cutest little high pitched sounds. Then she grabs my hands & I walk her down the hall where she greets Nate with the happiest little noises! I love that she is so attached to both of us!
- She loves the water & loves playing in the bathtub.
-She loves going to story time, playing with the other little babies, singing songs, & playing with bubbles.
- She is my little buddy & loves going on walks in the stroller, going on the swing at the park, & going on errands with me.
-She is very interested in Blitzen. She is constantly trying to pet him & get close to him & he is always trying to dash away!
-She isn't a very big eater but loves her carbs! She loves Nate's homemade bread, apples, & smoothies the best!
-She likes having Nate walk her around while I chase her to tickle her, one of her favorite games!
-She just barely started walking with a little walker & can zoom around pretty fast with it!
-One of my favorite things is how she is such a cuddler. In the mornings she will cuddle in bed with us & just nuzzle her little head back & forth, it is so cute! She also loves to climb on me & cuddle her head next to mine when I read her books. She will give open mouth kisses too that are usually sweet but once in awhile can turn into a painful bite, haha!

We love our little girl & feel so blessed to be her parents! She makes everything so much fun!!

For her birthday Derek, Julie, & Meagan were visiting so we had a fun day with them! When Lily woke up we went on a walk around the neighborhood & then had mango smoothies & toast for breakfast. Lily napped & then we went to the wildlife zoo! It was Nate's first time going to the zoo with her, so that was fun! We did the Lorikeet feeding & Lily loved looking at all of the birds & trying to pet them! She did get a little peck from one of the birds but didn't mind! We walked through the zoo part first & then went through the aquarium. After the zoo Lily took an afternoon nap & we got Cafe Rio for lunch. When Lily woke up, she opened her presents. It was so cute seeing her tear open the wrapping paper & tissue paper. She got such sweet gifts from family! Nate & I got here a little set of plastic keys (probably her favorite thing we got her), a few books (Mrs. Peanuckle's Flower Alphabet & Fruit Alphabet, If All of the Animals Came Inside, & an animal flap book), & a cute little outfit.



In the evening, we had family come over for a birthday party/dinner for Lily! We did a Hawaiian themse, so we had Kalua pork, coconut rice, fruit kebabs, vegetables, & pina coladas. Then I had made a little vanilla cake for Lily. I tried to make it healthier by using blended fruit instead of sugar & then frosted it with whipped cream & topped with fruit. She was not really interested in it & just kind of poked it with her finger. Then she picked the whole cake up with her hands & I thought she was going to either stuff it in her face or throw it. We all kind of laughed & she just dropped it back down & was a little scared. I had made German Chocolate cake for the rest of us & when I was eating some, Lily kept reaching for it, so I actually gave her her own piece of the chocolate cake. She grabbed it in her hand & stuffed it all in her mouth & would not move her hand or open her mouth until she had eaten it all, it was so funny! I should have known she would love chocolate cake, she is my daughter!!! It was such a fun day & Lily was so sweet & happy all day!!



Not impressed with the healthier cake...

Digging into the chocolate cake!