Hip Hip Hooray it's Kate's 1st Birthday!

We had Kate's big birthday celebration this past weekend and it was every bit girly. Our bright and cheery, full of life little girl needed a bright and cheery party that was sprinkled with love. We had lots of fun celebrating with friends and family.

I couldn't resist getting a 'little' carried away with decorating. Making it a brunch gave me a lot of fun and easy food ideas {ice cream cone yogurt parfaits and sprinkled donuts, being the favorites}. The sand box was a last minute idea and thank goodness, it was a huge hit for the toddlers.

Luke was really excited about the big day. He talked about it for several weeks, always mentioning the cupcakes of course;). I enjoyed watching him be a huge helper the night before. He helped with the party favors and setting up the utensils, plates and napkins. I could tell he was really proud of his work.

Katelyn greeted a lot of her guests with open mouth kisses, it's one of her favorite things to do. She had her first taste of cake. This is always the moment that most wonder if the kid will just dive in head first. Well, her reaction was just the same as Luke's first cake, no interest at all. It took me putting some on her lips for her to do a double take and go back for more. She only had a couple nibbles. Luke, on the other hand enjoyed smashing it for her;). She had a lot of fun opening presents and has been having so much fun playing with all of them.

Katelyn, you are spunky, sweet yet feisty, silly and giggly. You brighten each and every day. Our prayer for you is that you grow in God's truths and know that your true beauty and 'self worth' comes from Him and Him alone. That your rescuer is Jesus Christ. That you will shine so much light into this world that others will see the love of Christ in you. We pray the "truth will set you free" John 8:32 and that you will walk in delight and dignity in Him. That you will know you are perfect the way you are, in all your beauty and femininity, for that is how your Creator made you, in His Image. And most importantly, that you know how much we love you but how much more your heavenly Father loves you.

Kate is 12 Months Old!

This was a whirlwind of a year! It feels like only yesterday when we met this sweet little girl for the first time in the hospital. Our hearts grew bigger, which was hard to believe after we felt so much love with our first born. It’s hard to believe it’s been one year since we wondered what she’d look like and what she would BE like. Never would I have imagined THIS. We love her so much and she filled a spot in this family no one will ever be able to fill. It’s filled perfectly for her. With her being born we’ve seen our son become an amazing big brother. He has filled those shoes with such pride. Her smile and outgoing personality lights up every room she enters. Your Daddy said it well, "Today I wish you beauty like the moon on a warm southern evening reflecting the light and warmth of the sun wherever it is among the stars! It's God alone that makes us beautiful by reflecting himself off us if we let Him. My wish for you is that you find your true beauty in Him alone." We love you so much Katelyn, Happy Birthday!

Here is what you’ve been up to this month

• You had three more teeth come in this month! 
• You love to talk and squeal. I say this every month but it’s true!
• You are getting stronger with walking and standing alone. Maybe in the next month or two you’ll start walking.
• You love to sort and put toys in buckets. You even help put toys away.
• You get feisty. When toys are taken from you or I pick you up when you’re not ready you pull or scratch and make protesting noises.
• You love to be chased and you’ll quickly find something to hide into, usually a blanket or your chair.
• You love bath time. In fact, sometimes I just want to skip it at the end of the day and as we walk upstairs you say, “Ba.” That’s of course too hard to resist, so you get your bath:).
• You give the best hugs and kisses
• You’ve been very cuddly lately
• You wave and say, ‘buh-bye’
• When you wake up in the morning Luke says, ‘Good morning little princess!’
• You are spunky
• You have been a great traveler. We took another trip to Florida and you were pretty content in your carseat. 
• You loved playing in the sand at the beach. Playing with the buckets, sand and water was keeping you busy for hours!
• You like to crawl into pillows and roll around.
• You love stuffed animals and you like to eat their faces:)

And lastly, our final monthly photo session {tear}. Can't believe it's been a year!

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