this past weekend was very relaxing because we didn’t have a lot of plans. the only thing scheduled was a very special event for our little friend josh: his first birthday party! we had some gorgeous weather on saturday, too, especially out in livermore, so it was a great day for friends, cake and presents.

the party was construction-themed, so josh’s mommy stefany made an amazing chocolate cake that looked just like a construction site. not only did it have all the details, from chocolate rocks to sugary sand, but it tasted delicious, too :)

ellie and i sat in the shade and enjoyed several slices of french bread (our favorite, mmm) while ryan went around snapping pictures. he really captured the joy and chill vibe of the day in all the photos he took, and i know he was happy to help so chris and stef could focus on the birthday boy.

the kids played on the grass for awhile and then it was time for presents! josh got all kinds of new toys to play with. after presents, everyone went inside to sing happy birthday and eat cake. the birthday boy was in heaven :)

great party, moenich family! thank you for including us in josh’s special day <3

happiest of birthday wishes to our good friends josh and riette!

josh is my wonderful friend stefany’s son. we both got married in 2007 and had our first babies in 2009. we’ve known each other since the mid-90s (OLD!) when we worked at bath & body works together as teenagers. memorieeeees! josh is the perfect mix of his mom and his dad chris. he has an AWESOME head of full, brown hair (even AFTER his first haircut, which he happened to get today), and he weighed more than 30 pounds at his last weigh-in. he’s tall, too, towering over ellie’s average 2’6″ :) and you should see his hands — they’re almost as big as mine, no joke. happy birthday, handsome boy! we can’t wait to see you at your party on saturday, where ryan will have the great honor of being the official photographer <3

riette is the youngest of our friend summur's two beautiful daughters. they live in the valley, so we haven't had a chance to meet miss riette yet, but we're planning a playdate on the 21st and we're looking very forward to it! riette's birthday party was a couple of weeks ago. it was an owl-themed family occasion at a park where summur and her sister kori used to play when they were little. from the pictures we could tell it was a lovely time :) happy birthday, pretty riette! we can't wait to meet you next week!

it's also worth noting that both josh and riette's families will be moving to the great state of texas within the next month. isn't it ironic? oh, and one more special note:

one of stefany’s best friends had her baby girl today! christy, aaron and landon welcomed little payton victoria just after four o’clock this morning. you picked a great day to make your entrance, miss payton! big congratulations to the getreu family from the lacks <3

happy birthday, everyone!

it was about two months ago that i decided we should throw my dad a party for his 60th birthday. he doesn’t actually TURN 60 until march 24th, but there are tons of things going on in the next few weeks that prevented us from planning the party then, so we had it this past saturday, the 13th.

ellie and i both came home from texas with bad coughs, so i was stressed to the MAX about the pending celebration with all there was to prepare. luckily my mom came out on wednesday and made a great big costco run with me where we took care of most of the food and drinks. the next day i ordered the cake and the balloons, and after that pretty much everything was … done! imagine that.

saturday morning came quickly and both ellie and i were feeling MUCH better. everything was ready by the time guests started arriving at 3 o’clock and the only thing i continued to stress about was not having enough food for everyone (or enough beer)! turns out we had plenty of everything and even have leftovers upon leftovers still in the fridge. score.

besides the good conversation and seeing all the wonderful people who showed up to celebrate my dad, the best part of saturday was seeing him so happy. a celebration in honor of him was a long, long time coming, and he deserved it more than anyone. happy 60th, daddy-o!

great-grandparents and grandparents are in unique positions, especially when grandchildren get introduced into the family. they have the opportunity to shape the memories and experiences of the kids with their extensive knowledge and life experiences, as well as their love.

i’m glad that ellie has people around her, like my grandmother, who seem determined to leave an impression, even if it isn’t understood or appreciated until long after they’re gone.

grandma sent ellie some really nice gifts for christmas and her first birthday, but we just received them yesterday. it’s like christmas all over! she also sent a really cute and thoughtful poem along with the gifts.

these are the things that ellie will discover later in life and hopefully they will make her realize how much she was loved, even by people she didn’t get to see very often.

ellie dear, it’s your special day
12 whole months have flown away
you’re not a little baby anymore
but a sweet little girl for us to adore
we eagerly await your first baby word
will it be mama or dada we hear?
whichever it is will be sweet to our ear
your future awaits you to enjoy your life through
together we send all our love to you
the world awaits you with open arms
you’ll take it by storm with all your charms
just remember, dear, our dreams go with you
we know you’ll protect them
and make them come true

all my love,
great-grandma joan

saturday, january 16th, was ellie’s first birthday party ever, and it went off without a hitch :)

we started the morning off with errands to pick up the cake (winnie the pooh themed), the balloons (two dozen of them with helium and about 30 with air from my LUNGS), and the fruit bouquet (which was beautiful, albeit expensive, and totally worth the money).

we wanted it to be a big celebration, but we didn’t want there to be so many people that ellie (or we) felt overwhelmed, so the guest list included only family, close friends and a few of ellie’s favorite fellow babies.

…but it still turned out to be quite a packed house!

so many people contributed such wonderful food, too. grandma shirley made her delicious deviled eggs, auntie lolo made the coveted cheeseball, auntie margie brought taquitos and homemade salsa (ryan’s favorite!), grandma rodi brought meatballs and bacon-wrapped chicken, and my mom brought the best homemade guacamole i’ve ever tasted. we also had the fruit bouquet from edible arrangements and, of course, cake and ice cream!

and despite the fact that it was *just* christmas a few weeks ago, the birthday girl was showered in presents yet again :) i don’t want to hear any complaints when she’s older about her birthday and christmas being so close together – she has enough new toys to last year the whole year!

cake time was also nap time, so ellie was a little grumpy when we brought her to the table. the ice cream was enough to keep her going, though! she listened intently as everyone gathered around and sang to her, and sat perfectly still as we helped her blow out the candle. i think she made a wish :)

it really was a perfect afternoon. thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us, and extra special thanks to our good friend jon, who so generously took the photographs we’ll cherish for a lifetime. we are so very lucky to know all of you <3

ellie and i attended our first gymboree class last tuesday, her first birthday, and we had SO MUCH FUN! mr. rob was so nice and paid special attention to ellie to make her feel comfortable, and she really seemed to enjoy herself.

she would scoot over to me for comfort every now and then, but she was intrigued and involved with the other babies the whole time. i was so proud of her.

special thanks to pop for joining us and taking pictures!

dear ellie,

today you turn one year old. that means one year of your life is already behind you, and that is even more amazing to me than when you turned three months, six months, even nine months old. so often lately i’ve found myself wondering where the time goes, marveling at how fast a year has flown by. what a joyous milestone you’ve reached today.

i can remember this day one year ago. i woke up on a monday morning with plans to organize all the gifts and baby gear we received at the shower just two days before, to put everything in its place and have your nursery ready for you to come home to. i was going to be prepared – as i am for most things – and you, my gorgeous bundle of joy, weren’t due to arrive for another four weeks.

but arrive you did, just four hours after i checked into the hospital. arrive you did into a fluorescent light-filled operation room surrounded by the kindest of doctors and nurses, into the arms of the happiest mommy and the proudest daddy in the whole wide world, welcomed by one great big family who could not possibly love you more.

this year i’ve watched you evolve from a mostly stationary, bald pooping machine to a nearly-walking little princess with a sparkling personality all your own. hair covers (most of) your head, your neck is finally visible and seven of your teeth have emerged. you have the longest lashes and the most piercing blue eyes of anyone i know. in fact, your eyes are the feature you receive the most compliments on … well, those and your chubby cheeks.

you’re still on a solid sleep schedule of twelve hours a night and you take two naps during the day – one in the morning and one in the afternoon – for approximately an hour each. in general you’re a happy baby. you’re far less serious than you were in the early months of your life, and much, much sillier. your laugh is music to my ears.

you understand a lot more than we sometimes give you credit for, too, which has become especially apparent over the last week. when i say “where’s daddy?” you look toward the door in anticipation of seeing him walk through it. when i say “go kiss bunny,” you hustle over to your pink bunny chair and plow into it face-first. that is how you kiss stuffed animals, but you are much more gentle when giving kisses to mommy and daddy. you lower your eyes and slowly bend your face toward ours, simultaneously melting our hearts with each kiss.

and today? today i asked you where your bellybutton is, and you lifted your shirt to show me. then i asked you where mine is, and you did the same to me. this is only one of many reasons i am convinced that you are a genius.

i will never be able to express in words the depth of my love for you, miss elinor isabel. i love you to the moon and back – every hair on your head, every expression you make, every tear you cry. i love you in a way you won’t understand until you have a child of your own. i hope you feel the love i have for you every day of your life.

happy 1st birthday, my little lady <3

love,
mommy