Happy First Birthday Helen Claire

We celebrated Helen Claire's first birthday the Sunday before her birthday with a little cake smashing party at Mimi's house.

We were already there for a friend's wedding, so we thought, why not go ahead and have the party when our whole family could attend.





















It was a very pink, girly, sweet first birthday party.








Helen Claire wasn't too sure about her cake to begin with, but she decided she liked it after the first taste or two.





















This is what was left when she was finished...

and this is what she looked like...



We had the two hallway doors decorated with all of her Helen Claire Weekly pictures, and it was fun for everyone to look at each week and see how much she has grown.



We had a frozen yogurt bar: we had strawberry or vanilla yogurt, fruit toppings, pink sugar wafers, iced animal cookies, chocolate chips, sprinkles... plenty of sugar to go with our cupcakes!





We had pink punch and girly drinking jars.








Helen Claire received so many gifts, and we tried to help her learn to be thankful for everything.





After opening gifts, we let pink balloons go to celebrate our little baby growing up into such a big girl.









It was a sweet first birthday party, and we are so grateful to everyone who helped us celebrate.


For Helen Claire's actual birthday (June 10), we were in Asheville for Newt's graduation!!!

We were so excited to be there for Newt. He is like a little brother to me, and I was so happy to watch him walk across stage. I remember going to glitter and glue time in his kindergarten class with Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Lee, so it was extra special to be at his graduation. Thank you Newt, Josh and Laurie for letting us be a part of it. We love you.


I wanted a picture of Helen Claire waking up on her birthday (and I hope to get one every year). Here she is all bright eyed and ready to go,





and here she is taking her nap. I snuck in to take her picture at 1:48 p.m., because that is the time of day she was born. It was a big deal for me, but she slept right on through it :)

She's getting a little big for sink baths :)



Here are a few more pictures from the day.












Helen Claire, we want to remember all the little details of your life, and I hope this blog is serving that very purpose. Your Daddy and I want to remember all the struggles, all the sweet moments... everything that has made you the little sweet, independent, playful, silly, funny, amazing little girl you are. Your personality shines through more and more everyday, and we are so thankful to be your parents and have the chance to watch you grow and change. Since you came into our lives, there have been changes, we have learned so much, and there have been huge areas of growth. You went from a tiny baby to holding your head up, sitting up, babbling, getting your first tooth, scooting, crawling, pulling up, and now trying to walk. You "talk" to us more and more each day. You love music and animals. You would live outside if we would let you. You are not scared of anything, and we joke that you are training to be Evil Kanevil when you grow up. We enjoy the little, everyday moments with you more than anything else. I hate missing your bath time, and Daddy loves coming home in the afternoons to pick you up and take you outside. We get so tickled at you. You do the craziest things like putting your feet all the way out of your stroller and propping them on the tray, or lining up all your babies on the blanket and waking them all up again. You have overcome a lot of challenges this year too. Your ears are your worst enemy, and you have had recurring ear infections this year, but you are one tough girl, and you know exactly what "pink medicine" means. There are some newborn things that I never want to forget about you:

• Your first days home. They were like magic, and it felt like the world stopped spinning for a little while just to give us some time to get to know you. When I think back on walking back and forth with you across the rug, back and forth, back and forth that first night and remember how little you felt and how little room you took up on my chest, it seems like it was just yesterday.


• The way your Daddy used to put you on his shoulder. You were teeny, and he would put you as high as you could get on his shoulder, and you would instantly calm down. You were born a dare-devil.


• Your bouncy-seat. It was our lifesaver and our "third parent" for the first week. Other than being held, it was the only place you would sleep. It calmed you like nothing else. This is probably against the rules, but it sat on our coffee table and continuously beeped and buzzed and vibrated, but no one cared about those little noises one bit. You were content.


• Your bassinet. After the first week, we decided you should probably learn to sleep in the bassinet at night before you were a certified bouncy-seat addict. I will never forget looking over from my side of the bed and watching you sleep. The bassinet is tiny, but you fit just right. I loved watching you and having you so close. When we needed to nurse at night, I could pick you up, feed you and put you back down all from my cozy spot in the bed right next to you. It is one of my favorite and most precious memories.


• Waking up in the mornings with you. When I was on maternity leave with you, we could have slow, easy mornings just the two of us. I would wake up and feed you (you ate at night around midnight, then 3am, then 5:30 or 6 am), then we would rock or you would sleep on my chest while I watched The Duggars. Sometimes, we could get an extra 30 minutes to an hour of sleep that way, and it was so peaceful.


• Daddy coming home from work to see you. Daddy worked outside when you were a newborn, so he would rush home, change his clothes, take a shower, and get his baby girl. He was so excited to see you and hear all about your day.


• Our daily walks. Everyday, I tried to get a little sunshine for us, so we would walk the long driveway to check the mail. You felt so tiny, and now if I try to walk all that way with you, you get so heavy!


• The overall feeling of you being a newborn... I never, ever want to forget it.

Helen Claire, you bring such a sweetness and wholeness to our family. We love you, and this past year is just the beginning. We are so happy that God trusted us with your care, and we love you more than you will ever know.