Addison J. Barat: Addison's big 1st birthday bash!

Saturday, July 11th was Addison's big 1-year birthday party in our back yard and it went off without a hitch! We couldn't have scripted it better ourselves - from the perfect weather, the wonderful friends and neighbors, Addison's fantastic mood all day and even the Zeman's bouncy castle, a huge surprise and big bonus for all the kids!

DJ and I both took Friday off of work, and with Grammie Pam in town, we had some extra help running around that day tying up all the loose ends with the food, party favors, cakes (yes, plural - Addison had her own personal cake, and the rest of us got a sheet cake) and decorations. Saturday morning was perfect and clear and we got an early start in setting everything up. Our yard was slowly transformed into a balloon filled oasis!

We had about 45 guests (adults, kids, babies) who gathered for a casual and festive BBQ, with cake and presents that followed. We were kind of worried that Addison would be overwhelmed by all the excitement and people, but she had an absolute blast! She loved every minute if it and didn't even show signs of wanting to go down for a nap. The sugar from the cake likey helped propel her through the day. All the older kids catered to her, so DJ and I were able to socialize with our guests. The kids had a ball juping in the bouncy castle (we are SO getting one) and recieved gift bags before they left.

All in all it was a great day, and we are so thankful for the friends, family and neighbors who helped us celebrate Addison's big bash. As we look around at all our neighbors' backyards, we can still see random balloons tied here and there on people's decks that the kids took home, a nice reminder of a special day.

Funny moment on Friday at the pediatrician's

for her 12 month check-up - this was right before 4 shots :(

She is doing great!

Addison's first spaghetti dinner. She also switched from

breastmilk to whole milk without a hitch - such a trooper!