Ivy Turns One!

With each consecutive child, the time flies faster. I could not believe how quickly Ivy's first birthday approached and I desperately tried to slow time down!

As we go through the motions each day, it's easy to forget to treasure each milestone and moment.

But here we were, Ivy turning one-year-old!

Ivy loves her brother and her shy personality slips away when she's comfortable with family.

I took lots of pictures of Ivy in her birthday shirt and I adore all her different faces.

Those cute little pig-tails and big blue eyes...I adore this birthday girl!

We had her actual birthday party with the family and friends the Saturday after she turned one.

A simple lunch at my parents with cake and presents.

I made Ivy a giant cupcake for her cake-smash. We stripped off her dress, sang her happy birthday, and put the cupcake in front of her to watch her dig in.

I love how she starts to cry out of anxiety while we are singing and then we distract. I can watch this video over and over again.

In true Ivy fashion, she sort of just poked at the cupcake and decided she wasn't really into cake or performing for anyone.

Her timid cake-poke cracked me up and, eventually, we just let her enjoy more cheese and oranges.

My heart cried that she was already one and also burst with pride at this beautiful baby girl. It's not easy being a mom :)

Things I want to remember about Ivy at this age:

• She's super picky about her food and throws anything she doesn't want on the floor.
• She may not want food, but she will eat any speck on the floor and paper and foam are her favorite forbidden treats.
• She doesn't listen to "no" at all.
• She loves to point.
• She pulls off her socks any chance she gets and also likes to suck on them so I don't want to put them back on her.
• She has an awesome glare and gives it to anyone she mistrusts.
• She is crawling and pulling herself to her knees and is good at getting into stuff.
• She's a master waver and anything having to do with hand-dexterity, she's awesome at.
• She has a spunk and is also really sweet and good.
• She crosses her legs in her car seat like a little lady.
• She adores her siblings.
• Her one-year-old shots threw her off big time and might have contributed to her grumpiness at cake time.

Happy birthday, baby girl. You light up our lives with that little being that you are. Love you!