I Get it Now

When we bought our house (three years ago this past weekend actually!), the basketball court in the backyard was a bone of contention. Brian thought it was awesome, and I thought it was a serious eyesore. I still think it is ugly, but now I get why it's a good thing to have.

First Birthday Party

The song "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to" kept ringing through my head during the hectic days leading up to Collins' first birthday party. I just knew we were going to these great lengths to give her a cool party, and she might hate it. Thank goodness in the end there was no crying at the party- in fact I think a great time was had by all.

The party concept started out with me wanting to bake a giant cupcake and Brian wanting to smoke a pig. If only it was that easy...cut to fondant-dying, house cleaning, sign-making, lantern-hanging, multiple-grocery store-tripping, late-night cupcake-making, Party City-stalking, and all night pig-smoking. It was kinda exhasuting, I'm not going to lie. The good news is that my event planning withdrawls were satisfied, and Brian's dream to cater BBQ to the masses came true. Also- we haven't had that much fun in a long time...

Here are all the polka-dotty details...

Friday night, approximately 9:00 p.m.

Cake decorating begins. How lucky are we that my sister used to work at a bakery? She wasn't a pastry chef, rather in sales, but she must have soaked up a lot of good knowledge/technique in her time there because look what she made! The perfect smash-cake!

11:30 p.m. (warning graphic photo)

The pig smoking commences. Look at the cool head gear Brian is rocking thanks to Dad and Heather. Guess who the lucky helper was to put that thing on the smoker?

Saturday, 12:00 p.m.

The birthday girl looked so cute in her polka-dotty pj's we just let her wear them all day long. Here she is keeping her eyes peeled for party guests...

5:00 p.m. Party time (and many, many thanks to Carrie who got some incredible photos!)

and the guest of honor welcomes her friends...

then dinner is served (warning- graphic photo #2)

Collins and Charlie weren't the only two fascinated by Brian's presentation of the pig. It sparked lots of conversation like:

"Mommy- why did Mr. Brian plop the pig on the table?"

"Look somebody cooked a dog!"

"Nothing says little girl's first birthday like a large pig carcass."

We had some good laughs over it, but that pig was tasty! Brian did a great job with it.

6:30 p.m. Cake-smashing time

This picture pretty much sums it up- Collins was a little overwhelmed by the large cupcake she was actually encouraged to eat, the fire coming out of the sparkler candle that we lit, forty people singing happy birthday to her, and all the camera flashes going off. It was pretty hysterical watching her just be really confused.

My favorite thing about the party was all the people who came to show their love for Collins. My family came from Hickory and my dear friends Carrie and Jen came all the way from Charlotte with their families. Having them and everyone else there made the celebration very special!

8:00 p.m. After the party was over, we got to play some more. It doesn't get much cuter than Will in pirate pajamas...

Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Libby fascinated Collins (and us). She also impressed us with her smarts- she insisted that baby Collins start having a lovey in her "cradle" and came up with the most genius birthday present- boxes of mac n' cheese.

Many thanks to everyone who pitched in to make it such a fun party. When Collins is old enough, we'll share all the photos, video footage and special memories we made when we celebrated her turning big number one!

Question

Who is leading who here?



Collins had so much fun attending her first birthday party last week. Her friend Bennett turned one, and the pink piggy theme was too adorable. Throw in a bouncy house, piggy cupcakes, and an outdoor flatscreen TV and everybody was happy. I'm thinking this one set the standard pretty high for all the kids birthday parties we will attend in the future!

Bring on Spring

Collins and I are over winter. We've decided that if it's not going to snow, we'd like to just move on to Spring and all the happy smells, colors and warmth it brings. We had a nice day this past week, and I got a sneak peek of what fun the outdoors holds for us this year. Have to say I got a little excited about the possibilities- bring on Spring!

A New Ballgame

We went for our 12-month check-up this week, and thankfully Collins got a clean bill of health. The three shots and finger prick did not go well, and the doctor heard an earful when he tried to check out her teeth (4 on top and 1 below are almost here). But she did impress him with her walking skills and her general level of busy-ness.

Here are her stats for 12 months:

Weight- 20 lbs (54th percentile)
Height- 28 3/4" (35th percentile- Brian was disappointed in this- he was hoping she would overcome our shortness)

We were sent on our way with two pieces of homework- wean her off the paci and the bottle. Not a tall order at all... Yes, I realize we should have already done both of these things, but we were trying to put them off as long as possible.

So the weaning process is not going very well.

Collins always uses her paci in the car and to go to sleep. We decided to take it away from her in the car first and then eventually take it out of the crib. Let's just say she has been a lot more vocal in the car lately- don't expect any phone calls from me when we are out and about.

She is moving from formula to cow's milk just fine- we are mixing the two and she doesn't seem to notice- but the regular people food is what is throwing me. I'm not sure how much to feed her, considering about 1/4 of what I feed her actually goes in her mouth. The rest ends up in her hair, in her lap, on the floor, or on me. It's not pretty. See below.

Happy birthday baby!

A year ago today, little Collins Fork came into our lives changing everything for the better. Here she is adjusting to the world around her at approximately 9 a.m. on February 13, 2011.

Here she is at approximately 9 a.m. on February 13, 2012, enjoying her first pancake breakfast.

What a difference a year makes...and what a huge blessing she has been each and every day of this past year. Happy birthday sweet Collins! You are very loved!

Birthday Bash Preview

What a big time we had last night celebrating Collins' first birthday. Here's some cute footage Tee got of the birthday girl getting her first taste of birthday cake. I know it seems like she's a little unsure of the chocolate, but trust me, she's already hooked. Many thanks to everyone who came and made it such a special night...more photos to come soon!

The Countdown Begins

We are one week away from the big milestone- Collins turns 1 YEAR OLD! It is a little ridiculous how excited I am about this occasion (don't ask Brian about my excessive party planning). I know she won't remember her first birthday, but trust me it will be well-documented for her to enjoy down the road.

I was reminded yesterday of the extreme changes and unique stages that make up that first year. I got to meet my friend Sarah's new precious baby boy, Mazen. He is about two weeks old and was wearing the tiniest pair of overalls I have ever seen. How amazing it is to watch and hold something so small and new to this world.

Then I got to play with Mandy's adorable little mini-me, Emma, who is 8 months old. I remember that stage- how thrilling it is when their little personalities start emerging and they are alert and happy at all times.

Then we got home, and Brian and Collins came out to meet us. My little one starts excitedly walking down the driveway, and gives Mandy a big grin and starts babbling. Then she examines Mandy's car tires. She could not be more curious or fun at this stage.

The first year whizzes by in a blur of cool new accomplishments, and you get to where we are now- the end of being a baby. I feel like I should be sad that this first chapter is over, but I'm not. I'm just excited to see what Miss Collins has in store for us next.