Natalie Turns 1 !!!!

My beautiful princess came into this world effortlessly on March 25th, 2008. The induction was started at 8 am and she was born with 3 short pushes at 10:15 am. That was only the beginning of this dream come true. The first year with her has been delightful and exceptionally easy. I am happy to appreciate such a good baby as I definately have my hands full with my firstborn!
So how do you adequately celebrate such a milestone as a first birthday? Nothing I could think of made it feel as if it would be special enough to match the feelings of my heart. We did our best!
We were in L.A. on her actual birthday so we started the morning off in Beverly Hills and had a big cupcake for breakfast at Sprinkles. It was as divine as I had always heard. I think Natalie really enjoyed her very first taste of cake. She ate almost the whole cupcake. I, of course, finished it off even after having eaten a whole one myself already. Our dear friends from L.A., Whitney and Brian, met us there and took the kids to the toy store for a treat. Will has enjoyed his new airplane quite a bit!

We decided to make this birthday difficult to top. We took Natalie to the new American Girl Doll store at the Grove. My cousin just happened to have a gift certificate for four to eat at the cafe, so Voila! We had the perfect plan. A lovely lunch at the cafe spent with a beautiful princess and a darling doll that shared her food. Both Will and Natalie enjoyed feeding their guest at the table. It was pretty hilarious!

For those who have witnessed Natalie's eating habits, you might not be surprised, but even I was shocked at how much food she ate. She devoured each course with glee. Will just picked at his food, but none of it was wasted on Natalie!

The Sunday after we got home we had a cupcake party with some of her little friends to celebrate at home. She loved it and really seemed to know what was going on. Here is her new cozy coupe! Quite the hit for both her and Will. She climbs in it headfirst with tremendous ease. We will have to post a video!

Nonny flew in from Michigan for the occasion! What a lovely day!

The cupcake cake was a little topsy-turvy but cute none-the-less. All in all it turned out to be a great party! And I truly felt we had celebrated enough to satisfy that maternal longing for the "perfect day!"

My dear little Natalie. You are a joy in our home and your little voice is music to my ears. I love your constant jabbering and singing and your delightfully sweet spirit. Thank you for being a part of our family and for all the love you bring to us. We would be lost without you, our sweet angel. May God bless you in the years to come as you grow into a lovely girl. May we always be the parents you need and deserve! We love you.