365 days old

Kevin and I woke up early, with Eden's laying between us, slobber and all. We just stared at her, waiting for her to feel it and wake up. Today was big day--it was her birthday! When she I finally I woke up, she knew something was different... we were awake too. You could see it on her grin. We sang her happy birthday and gave her all the kisses you could imagine.

Let the celebration begin!

balloons.

The day could only begin one way--with balloons! I brought her out to the front room, she immediately lit up and begged to be put down on the the ground so we could play with them! She hadn't had very many experiences with them before, at least anything she'd remember. She would effortlessly pick them up, only to try and bite them. We all know how that ends...

After her party with the balloons, we had breakfast. 
I told her she could have all the blueberries she wanted--her favorite.
She would've eaten the whole case, so technically I lied, and just gave her more than usual.  

blooming cactus.  
 

Kevin called me crazy. But is it too much to ask for a good picture on her birthday? Does every wife and mother experience this? Maybe my demands were a little outrageous, considering I found the perfect backdrop in a stranger's lawn. I mean come on, it had a blooming cactus!

We wanted her to dig into her cake, but she wasn't too into the whole idea--then again she didn't know what she was missing out on. So, we'd try again later. And, at least we got ONE nice picture.

the park.

We thought we'd change locations, for obvious reasons, and go to the park. Maybe then she'd dig in.

She wouldn't try the cake. She must have known it was healthy. She took one bite of the frosting, and decided she had enough. For now. 

 But she was rather entertained by the dirt. 
That's my girl.

  Don't worry, we stopped her before she made it to the road. I think she was telling us she had had enough of all the pictures. But we couldn't help watching her explore. Just look at her. 

For the rest of the day we napped and played to her heart content.

third times the charm...

We made a special dinner, one I knew she'd love: spaghetti and meatballs. Then came out the cake, with one handful of frosting missing. We ditched the flowers, and sang her happy birthday. Her hands when up in the air and clapped so happily, knowing we were giving her our full attention.

Have at it little girl.

It looks like she demolished the cake, but in reality, she just pretended to eat it and it all ended up on the floor. That girl didn't take a single bite. But you can bet your bottom dollar she did for breakfast the next day.

We video called my family and sang happy birthday again. We opened presents and this girl was in heaven. We would have to distract her and hide the gift she just opened in order to get her to pay attention to the next. She got a beautiful quilt from Mamaw, block shapes from Papaw & Benser, farm toys and a plush whale from Nee Nee, and all the clothes a girl could dream of from Grandma and Grandpa Jensen.

We really had a great day spoiling her. Tears were shed throughout the day. A lot of them.

That night while lying Eden down for bed. I cried. I cried, because she's not as old as she was yesterday. I cried when she crawled. I cried when she began to eat solids. I cried when she rolled over. I cried when she could sit up. I cried when she could support her head. And that night, I cried. My heart is so full, so overwhelmed with love and joy for that little one. I don't want a day to pass by without telling her I love her. Kissing her cheeks or squeezing her tight. 365 days have passed, and I pray she knows how much I love her. And although I don't want her to grow a single day older, I can't wait to see what this tiny babe accomplishes in her days to come.

I love you baby girl.