claire {one year}

Happy Birthday Baby Girl! Today marks the completion of your first year of life, and though in perspective it hasn't been a long time, I try to look back and cannot imagine my life without you. I believe this past year will always be burned in my memory, for many reasons.
Your arrival marked the beginning of a new journey in parenting for your dad and me. We quickly learned that parenting two children is much different than parenting one child. Sorting out the balances has been a challenge, and has sometimes felt overwhelming. I am thankful for a God who stretches us and allows us to grow into the circumstances in which we find ourselves. I have experienced myself and my brokenness as a human being more this past year than I ever have before. I have also learned a lot about grace and have experienced the unfailing love of my Savior in ways I never have before.

Gratitude

I'm working on the Christmas posts, but reading blogs tonight, I came across a song I love that I had nearly forgotten.

There are a lot of things I want to do in 2011. I want to buy a house. I want to exercise regularly. I want to run my home well and efficiently, and establish routines for myself and my family. I want to put a huge dent in the student loans. I want to see a dear friend marry her perfect match (*wink* *wink* if she is reading this). I want to be intentional with my friendships. I want to read and study the Word daily. I want to be a good "Paul." I want to love my children well. I want a lot more than all that too!

As I thought about these things driving today, the thought occurred to me that many people I treasure have been through some very hard things in the past couple of years. (Though we may not connect outside of the Facebook or blogging world, there are so many wonderful women I think about and keep up with often)

Birthday boy

The morning of his big Superhero 4th Birthday party, this little guy woke up throwing up with two of his five cousins who stayed at Grandma's house the night before.

Pukey Birthday Boy + Pukey birthday guests = Cancelled party

So we threw a little mini party at home.

He loved all of his gifts, but this was about the most excited smile he could muster.

The Pillow Pet was such a hit! There's a long, drawn out story behind him getting the bee, but I won't go into that right now...

These things are probably one of the silliest inventions ever. They flatten like a pillow, and then with a thin strip of velcro, they fold into themselves and become a "pet."

The things we do for our children in the name of love...I never understood it until I became a mommy of a preschooler. I laugh every time I hear him say "Those kids, they love their Pillow Pets!"

This is the cake I made. I have to admit, I was pretty excited about it (until I got the call that the boy was sick).

It was my first ever attempt at fondant, and it's far from perfect. I had bigger plans for it, but when I found out there was to be no party, I had only just colored the fondant, so I skipped the full-on decor and opted for simplicity. It tasted amazing, thanks to some fantastic cake baking, icing, and fondant instructions found here. I can't wait for Baby Girl's birthday so I can try it out again!