Saturday, the day began for me at 6:10 am. Kimber had 12 month pictures at 8. A good friend of mine from school, Lindsey McAlpine agreed to take the pictures since her family was going to be in town visiting her parents for the long weekend. In hindsight, 8 am was not the best time to select. We needed good natural light, so it was either early morning or evening. For some reason, I figured Kimber would be happy in the morning and we could get the pictures done and then spend the rest of the day getting ready for her party. Not so much. Poor Lindsey, poor Kimber, poor me. UGH. It was so hot and sultry it was miserable. Kimber was not at all pleased to be in a long ruffly outfit and I can't say I blame her. She got sleepy and was hot and it was the worst combination ever when you're trying to take pictures. Needless to say, it was super frustrating (for me at least) and we agreed to meet again Saturday evening at 6 to try again. Lindsey was so patient and understanding. I was so annoyed haha. Not necessarily with Kimber, just in general. I don't know why it's been a year and I still have a hard time handling when things don't go according to my plan. Hello Kaysie, they never do. It's called motherhood. Get over it! Anyway.....I spent the day prepping for the party. Clayton had to work all day on 4 hours of sleep...not that I got much more, but still. The culmination of the fun was a screaming fit (Kimber's that is) at 3:00 because she didn't want to take a nap. I'm sure I forced the issue because I was super concerned about getting some smiles for pictures and no nappy = no happy. So, I put her in the car and went to pick up some party items that I had to get before 4. I drove around a little hoping Kimber would fall asleep and she did. So, I drove around Brazoria County for an hour in the rain with flower arrangements in the front seat and a sleeping almost one year old in the back. I probably honestly needed that hour of quiet time for my sanity at that point. Note to self and to readers: it is somewhat hard to plan and prepare for a one year old's birthday bash when you are 5+ months pregnant with a one year old and your husband is a football coach and therefore gone ALL THE TIME. But, these are the moments that not only make you stronger, but they make life more fun, whether it seems like it at the time or not. Plus, I think I did an okay job of putting everything into perspective. The weekend was about Kimber. So, we put on our smiles and kept going.
At 6, when we met back for pictures, Kimber was better. Still kind of iffy about the ruffly outfit (because at 6 it was still like 1,000 degrees) but when we changed her clothes into a cooler outfit, we got some great smiles that showed her sweet little personality. Then, it was home for a bath and bed for Kimber and the house shifted into party mode (for me and Clayton).
Sunday, Kimber's actual birthday, was a much better day than Saturday. The party was at 4. I told myself that I was going to spend the morning playing with Kimber and doing only that because it was a special day. I didn't feel the need to stress myself and her out when really she deserved a fun relaxing birthday. Perspective. So, she toddled around the house in her diaper and pink crocs. She likes her birthday suit the best, so that's what she got to wear. We played and watched Mickey. At noon, my mom picked her up so that I could make some final preparations for the party and take a shower. My friend Lindsey and her sweet family came over and helped me pull everything together in a little over an hour. They brought dishes, helped cover tables, arranged decorations, picked up balloons and cookies for me, and were all in all a huge part of the party. I could not have done it without them. While we worked, Kimber got to charm Grammy and Uncle Koko with her naptime antics (she fought sleep and naps ALL weekend). Lately when she's trying to fight sleep, she practices all the words she knows, but she adds a lot of "Mama" and "Dada". The girl is no fool. She'll melt your heart with a tiny grin and a sweet soft "mama". Works on me every time. She showed off her skills to my mom, but did eventually go to sleep. Major thanks to my mom for all of her help and for keeping K for the early part of the afternoon so that I could get everything ready!
The party was great. We had so many friends and family come, several from out of town, so it was really special. Kimber wasn't sure what to make of all of it. She's a total ham, but even the total ham was a little overwhelmed. She got numerous and wonderful gifts - so many that we immediately realized that we needed a playroom. That conversion began yesterday. Our house will no longer have an "office". Anyway, she dove into her cake without hesitation and I'm still finding red icing on the bath mats in my bathroom. We had hot dogs and cake of course. We also had some snacks made by friends and family, and some other treats that I made. There were strawberry shortcake skewers and brownie strawberry shortcakes (both compliments of Pinterest). Lindsey's future sister-in-law Haley made white chocolate covered strawberries with pink and green sugar. They were delicious and it was so sweet of her to make them. The food definitely added to the presentation. And, the cake, made by Christie Lostracco, was beautiful!! Not only that, but it was one of the most delicious cakes I've ever tasted. Big thanks to Christie too!!! My cousin Allison and her family drove in from RoundRock for the party, so they stayed the night with us and Kimber got to play with her cousins. :)) Super fun day. Second note to readers and to self: Set aside a reserve of food for after the party. Neither Lindsey, nor Clayton, nor my mom, nor me really even got to eat. Seems like it always happens that way. A food reserve will serve you well. You'll have something to eat once all the guests are gone and you realize you're STARVING!
Here's a video of K eating her cake.
Yesterday was reserved for some serious playtime for Kimber. My mom got her a cozy coupe, which is of course in the middle of our living room, and she must've gotten in and out of that thing 100 times yesterday. She loaded up her baby and cell phone, along with some eating utensils from her new tea set, and went to town. I even caught her carrying on a conversation on her cell phone. The car was sitting still (she just sits in it at the moment) but it was still hilarious.
All in all, although exhausting, the weekend was a success. I can't believe it's been a year since I met the most perfect little girl I've ever known. She's beautiful, sweet, funny and so smart and I am so blessed to be her mommy. Clayton and I are richly blessed and you just can't ignore how cool it is when God weaves together all the details of your life. Kimber is truly a gift from Him!
What could be better than not having to wear clothes and being able to watch Mickey on your birthday?
Spending her birthday in her birthday suit. :))
About to try the cake
This is yummy!!
Toys galore
:))
Cousins pic. Karly (2.5), Mary Nell (6), and Kimber (1)
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