Winter ONE-derland

We're only days away from Emma's first birthday, and fair warning I have given myself full permission to have an emotional week. :) Today we celebrated with family, and launched birthday week in high style. Monkey style, that is. Emma has had the nickname "Monkey Bear" since the day she was born, so monkeys were the natural choice for a party theme. I'm not exactly sure what a Monkey Bear is, but she's the Monkiest Bear we know.



Buzzard and I spiffed up the place for the big bash. I made a sign for the front door...

...and Buzz hung birthday streamers from the second story that dangled into the den.

I made paper vines and hung them in our windows. Then, I decorated paper monkeys to represent each guest at the party and sat them in the vines.

I had a lot of fun making these, and I think our guests got a big kick out of finding their monkey likeness. We have a bunch of apes for family and friends, so it all worked out rather well. :) Emma's monkey was pink, and dangled from the chandelier in the dining room.

My monkey had a laundry basket, a camera, and a Magnolia Manor heart.

All the windows in the dining room and kitchen were full of monkey vines.

The birthday girl wore special party duds. My Mom found this outfit at Gymboree months ago, long before we even thought about her birthday. It turned out to be the perfect outfit for the day! The shirt says "Daddy's Little Monkey", and the pants and socks have monkeys on them. She is adorable in pink, and looked especially festive.

Monkey refuses hairbows. Her pink bow stayed in a whopping five minutes, then it was gone! She shared it with Nana, who looked quite fetching.

I served sandwiches with chips and dips for lunch. We kept the menu super simple since everyone came over straight from church. I always feel the need to photograph the food table at every function. I guess I'm worried I'll forget what ham looks like!

This morning Monkey Bear helped Daddy load the coolers with soft drinks. We don't normally have sodas in our house, so the boys were super excited about an entire cooler of pop. They spent all morning talking about what kind they were going to choose to drink with lunch.

Here's a shot of the birthday bunch.

This is Brandon, catching up on some important reading. Isn't he curly headed cuteness? I know I'm not supposed to call teenage boys cute. I can't help it. What a cute kid. Brandon is a senior in high school and is the son of our very good friends. He was a great sport about coming to the monkey party. I'm quite sure he had a better offer for this afternoon, but he showed up anyway. I love being around Brandon because it gives me hope that my own boys can grow into Godly, responsible, and polite young men. I'll take two just like Brandon. With extra curls, please.

A sweet treat...

...and a special wish. She was way more interested in sampling the frosting than in blowing out the candle. By the time we did the cake, she was starting to get a little sleepy. My one regret is that we didn't give her a piece of cake to "play" in. The middle of a big party seemed like an inopportune time to create a huge mess and give a tired baby a bath. Nana did feed her cake from a spoon though, and she loved it!

Our friend Joel and Max both played "Happy Birthday" on the guitar for us. Max takes guitar lessons from Joel, who is a very talented player. I was actually really surprised that Max offered to play in front of everyone because he normally doesn't enjoy being the center of attention. It was a sweet gesture for his baby sister.

Our little Birthday Blessing...

I can't believe how blessed I am. Deep in my heart I've always wanted a fourth child. Here she is, after all these years of patient prayers, and we have an amazing family and dear friends to help us enjoy her. What a special party, and a marvelous memory to mark our Monkey Bear's first year. Sometimes, I dream "big" and try to imagine what life would be like if God would grant a miracle. And sometimes, God works in such a huge and perfect way that I am reminded that HE IS GOD, and my dreams are so very small.

Thank you, God, for Monkey Bears.