first birthday party!

Cammy came into town last Wednesday night, ready to hang out with Britton and us, and do this first birthday party right! Thursday and Friday Britton went to daycare even though I was off work, so that Cammy and I could run a million errands and not drag Britton to every store in the greater metropolitan area. But that didn't stop Britton from wooing Cammy with her "I like to be outdoors in 103 degree weather" pout and beach ball skills every morning...




"Maybe I need to pull out Blue Steel?"




Then Saturday morning it was party time! We invited Britton's grandparents, great-grandmother, and friends to hang out for our "Beach Bash" theme birthday party. The hub fired up the grill in this unbearable heat to make hot dogs and hamburgers, and we also made deviled eggs, baked beans, pasta salad, and all the wonderfully yummy cook-out food you can imagine. i made Britton's personal you-can-destroy-it cake, which she didn't really destroy (or even eat) and the adult cake, which was a triple-layer lemon cake. And, of course, what child's 10:30 a.m. birthday party is complete without a margarita maker?







Present time! Britton liked looking at them, but the opening part wasn't her thing, so I opened for her. The Elmo phone we gave her was a hit because it's the toy everyone at daycare fights over. Cammy got her a baby doll with a laugh that becomes maniacal the more you play it (I'll be scaring the hub in the middle of the night with it later this week), along with some adorable clothes. And Grandma and Grandpa got her the Little People Barn & Farm, an easy chair, and a pink piano. And everyone brought such incredible gifts, it was really touching.





Also, this John Deere tractor was the hub's when he was a baby. As a child, he rode the thing 1000 miles, and spent the last couple of weeks stripping it, repainting it, putting it back together, and replacing parts and decals. We purposefully left some parts original (like the outside of the back wheels) to juxtapose the old and the new. We kept it in the laundry room to wheel out as a surprise at the end of present time, but FORGOT! So, we gifted it to her after her afternoon nap...





When it came time for us to sing "Happy Birthday" and for Britton to dive into her cake and cover herself with frosting goodness, she would have none of it. She at least sampled the icing, but wasn't very interested in the process.




Obviously not a fan of mom's cream cheese frosting...


So, we didn't force her to eat the cake and just let her down so everyone else could enjoy cake and ice cream. Britton found the true joy of the party watching everyone from under the table.







A first birthday we will never forget! Good times, good friends, good food, good memories...