Turning One

I know everyone says it, but it's true.....It's hard to believe that a year has come and gone since the girls came into our world. This past year has been filled with so many unknowns, uncertainties, and then there have been those moments that took our breathe away. Emma and Abigail have come so far, and they continue to amaze us with their remarkable growth and development.

The girls made their first journey to Texas for their first birthday almost two weeks ago. It was so wonderful to cross that border into Texas and breath that air again.

We left a day earlier for Texas than we had planned in order for me to be home to see my grandmother who had become ill earlier in the week and to introduce her to two of her great-granddaughters. We made it in late on Wednesday night, and unfortunately, my grandmother passed away early on Thursday morning. I wasn't able to see her one last time, but for me that was okay. I wanted to remember her the way I had always known her and not as she had become. She was a remarkable woman and lead a wonderful life. She was a woman afraid of nothing, or at least that's how I remember her. I have some fond memories of my grandmother. One of those memories is spending the night at her house where eating as much ice cream as you wanted was a requirement. I know that while she didn't get to meet Emma and Abby, she is up in heaven getting to know her other great-granddaughter, Reagan.

To say the least, the week didn't start out like we had planned, but we were able to continue with the plans we had made for the girls first birthday. The theme for the party was a candy theme, and there was lots of it. We also had a bounce house that the kids and Pat enjoyed very much. The party was supposed to be outside, but as the day drew closer it was apparent that the winds (about 50mph) would put a damper on this detail for the party. My dad and I decide at about 9:30 that morning to somehow put up a wind barrier. We headed to the hardware store, picked up some poles and tarps, and got to work. I have to say the barrier did work, but we still didn't want the girls outside in it. The wind didn't ruin our fun though. We had a wonderful celebration with family and friends. This was the first time that the girls were introduced to most of the guest. I know they enjoyed being the center of attention by so many.

I have to say thank you to so many, but my mom (and dad) deserve a great big one. They hosted the party at their home, and this required yard work, house work, and having many guest in their home. My mom was in charge of the cake, and it was the source of quite a bit of stress trying to make it just what I wanted. Thank you mom! The day was perfect. Another one goes to my sister Traci who was running around at the last minute getting balloons and whatever else I needed her to do. Many thanks to Pat's parents for their help with preparing food for the party, and thank you to them for feeding all of us Branding Iron BBQ later that night. One last thank you goes to Audrey back here in Kansas. She let me borrow her cricket to make all of the invitations, and she dealt with my insanity while trying to make the birthday banner for the party. To everyone that came to the party, we thank you so much for the cards, gifts, and your help celebrating the girls first birthday. It was a wonderful day because you all shared it with us.

I'm trying to put a slide show together of some of the pictures from the party, but for now here are some pictures. The best thing we did was having a photographer there. Kelly Trimble was the best and really did an amazing job. If you need a photographer, I recommend her!