The Birthdays....

Because like a lot of bloggers, I use my blog to document (scrapbook) our family, I'm going to do a few posts to catch up on the past couple weeks. I have a feeling they will be lengthy. Mainly because the last 2 weeks involve lots of people who I love a whole bunch. I'm not sure I'd sit and read a post as long as these are going to be, so you may want to skip them! But I don't want to leave these 2 weeks out because at the end of the year I really want to do what I've read on some other blogs and have my posts printed and bound to serve as our 2009 scrapbook...

Anyway, back to the catching up....

Last Saturday, we started out on the 2 hour trek to a very special little girl's first birthday party! Allie Claire's first birthday was everything I expected and more... It was the "event of the season" for sure!

It's hard to believe that a year has passed since we were anxiously waiting on Miss Allie Claire to make her grand entrance into our lives. It's tradition in my family to tell the "birth story" on our birthdays. So I'll share a little of Allie's.... Allie's birth story from my perspective involves lots of waiting, lots of thinking that my best friend was the strongest girl I've ever met, lots of being thankful for both Adam & Carrie's sweet families and what they will mean in Allie's precious little life, more waiting...lots more waiting...and then finally, my favorite part of the whole day--- the moment when Allie's Daddy came through the double doors announcing that his sweet baby girl was here! Adam was beside himself, giving us all the details, and telling us that she was "just perfect"...What a moment to share with a few people whom I love dearly. After a little more (but what felt like a lot more) waiting, we got to see how perfect Allie Claire was! That head full of jet black wavy hair that just screamed, "Put a hairbow in me!" and those curious little eyes that wanted to take in every little detail. What a doll! I am sure my BFF, Carrie's version of Allie Claire's birth story is quite different. Lucky for me, my version did not include contractions, IV's or epidurals... ha...

Here we are a year later. It's still hard to believe.

We arrived at the party a few minutes early. I hate to be early to a party...mainly because I get stressed when I am the one throwing it and there's 10 last minute things to do, and I've not even finished getting ready and guests show up 20 minutes before party time! It just stresses me to the max. We kept driving past the driveway. I needed to potty terribly, so I asked DW if we could turn around and stop at the service station that's about a mile from Carrie & Adam's house. I don't use public restrooms, unless it's an absolute emergency. I have been that way since I was a kid. My mom used to have to literally take me home so I could potty. I know, I'll be paid back one day for all my aggravating ways... ha... Anyway, this was an emergency, and since I hated to be 20 minutes early to Carrie's, it was imperative that we stop somewhere! I walked in and immediately walked out. I just couldn't bring myself to go there....it was so dirty and just gross. I got back in the truck, and DW didn't act surprised at all... he knows me... ha... I decided that Carrie wouldn't be too ill with us for getting there so early, so we went on to their house. When we got there, she happened to be in the yard, and said she's seen us driving by and wondered what the heck we were doing.... ha...

After a quick trip inside, we headed out to the party spot... Carrie had created the perfect outdoor party area. It was absolutely adorable. You can see Carrie's post about the party here. She's got lots more pictures and tells the snake story, too.

Every little detail of Allie's special day was just perfect.

There were big orange paper lanterns hanging from a line across each side, hay bales and pumpkins, a burlap banner, pictures highlighting Allie Claire's 12 months hanging on a wood fence, & delicious food...

We ate off of real china and silverware, and sipped sweet tea out of pint sized mason jars. The tables were covered with cloths and burlap runners, and topped with bouquets of fresh flowers displayed in real pumpkins (that Carrie arranged herself)...

There were carved pumpkins that spelled Allie's name on the food table and pumpkins grouped in different spots around the party area. It was all just so cute! Check out the appetizer table... a pumpkin shaped cheese ball.

SO CUTE, and so yummy! Carrie was the perfect party planner and hostess! Everything was just right... even the snake visitor... (what a fun story to tell Allie one day!) Carrie's got me nervous about preparing for my girl's special day in December! I better get busy!

Allie opened her presents and was so cute! She would go, "oooohhhh" and get all excited when opening something.

She was such a gracious little birthday girl!

Allie's, Ma'am, who has mad cooking & party planning skills ("the apple and the tree") made the birthday cake, and oh my goodness was it adorable. Cute is only half of the cake though--- the other half is does it taste good?!?!? Of course it did! I've never had anything that Carrie's Mom made that wasn't! Mrs. Cindy Jo made a hummingbird cake with cream cheese icing. Oh my. A perfect fall flavor!

Allie is a blessed little girl with lots of people who love her so much.

I love this picture... it's Allie's Ma'am & Pap & Aunt Lyndsay & Uncle J. trying to get a picture of she and Gus together... too cute, that all 4 adults are doing whatever would work to make the babies look at the camera and smile!

Allie, we hope to get to celebrate every birthday with you, sweet girl!

Allie shares her birthday with a VERY important person in our family! My dad! We didn't get to celebrated with him on his actual birthday this year because he's in Africa for work this month. We did have a little birthday/goodbye dinner for him on the night before he left, though. He comes home next Tuesday and we're all ready to see him!!! I don't have a perspective of his birth story, since I obviously wasn't there, except for I am glad he has one, and I am here! I am thankful that God chose him for my Dad. He's taught me a lot. He's taught me to stand up for what's right, to tell the truth, to forgive people, to live up to your responsibilities and obligations, to be respectful, to be respectable, that you can choose to be different, and when you're wrong to say you're sorry. My Daddy can do anything. He's that kind of guy. Doesn't matter what any of us are doing--- laying wood floors, hanging wall paper, making props for VBS, or trying to level a cake---we always look to him to figure it out. And he always does. He can build anything---from a house to a potato and light bulb science project. He can fix anything---from a washing machine to a car to my hurt feelings. My dad has little patience and can be as stubborn as a mule. He and I understand each other...when nobody else "gets it," he does and when he seems impossible to understand, I can see his point...He's far from perfect and he'd never claim to be. I'm sure glad he's mine.

Last week, some of our Georgia family stayed for a few days after our family reunion. Gabe's birthday happened to fall during their Florida visit. Amy wanted to cook him a big birthday supper, so the big girls helped and the little girls hung balloons and made cards! It feels like Gabe's been a part of our family for forever. Being married to him, I bet Amy feels the same way. Ha ha... Gabe is just Gabe and we all love him. In the words of my middle school pre-algebra teacher, "he's one of the good guys." Gabe, we loved getting to celebrate with you this year. And it's not just because we got to enjoy some of Aunt Kay's sour cream pound cake! You're a good sport to wear the birthday hat, too! ha...

FINALLY, this afternoon, we got together with DW's family to celebrate our niece and nephew's birthdays a little early. Their actual birthdays are 4 days apart, but it's easier to do them together for the family celebration. We all met up at Devin's mom's house for the party at lunch. She'd gotten each kid their own cake, and had set them up their own table, which I thought was so sweet. We celebrated Warren turning 3 and Taylor turning 10.

I don't know where the past 7 years has gone. Taylor had just turned 3 when I met her. I fell fast for she and her big brother, Elliot, and felt like I was their aunt long before their uncle even popped the question! It's been so fun to get to see them grow and change these past 7 (almost 8 years!). And to think that their little brother is 3 blows my mind, too. But not as much as the fact that he wears a size 4T clothes. I am thinking he's going to be taller than me by 2nd grade! Ha... He's growing and changing so fast, too. It seems he learns something new everytime we see him.

I'm glad to see that the time flying thing doesn't discriminate, and it happens to all of us. I thought for a while, it was just me. Then I see how fast everyone's getting older---from the babies to the big guys!

I hope all of our October birthday peeps had great ones...

~annie~