Julie's Boggle

For Jessica’s first birthday we weren’t looking for anything too complicated in the way of celebrations, so a little afternoon tea party seemed like the ideal setting to mark the occasion.

We invited all of our neighbour-friends from “the Thill” (our complex) along with other parents of little ones in the college community and it all worked out remarkably easily.

The main feature at the tea party were the birthday cupcakes made to order by one of our lovely friends.  (I’d had the idea for cupcakes after seeing a photo somewhere online and it struck me as an excellent and convenient alternative to the usual birthday cake. Especially given that Jess wasn’t going to be putting in requests for a specially-shaped cake this year! )

Jessica seemed to enjoy all the people and attention and was definitely very interested in the cupcake that came her way. Yum!  And then as an enjoyable ending to a lovely sunny day, we had an impromptu barbecue for whoever wanted to join in.

All in all, a lovely relaxing day with friends and our little family – not a bad way to celebrate being one!

(More first birthday-related photos can be found here.)

To our precious little girl.

Looking back over the past year, it’s amazing how easily you have slotted into our lives and our hearts. In that time we’ve watched you develop some very clear thoughts on likes and dislikes but for the most part your gift to us has been fitting in beautifully.

We love watching your responses to the world.  You seem to miss very little, and now that you’re moving yourself around we’re seeing that you’ve come with a supply of determination enough for a person ten times your size!

Your quiet joy in the fresh air and the outdoors, your giggles for Jonathan (especially when he’s doing loud and crazy things) and your deep interest in the minutest things you find on the floor, are subtle and wonderful reminders that there is so much more to simply being than what the adults want to focus on.

So on this day, which is far more of a special milestone to us than to you at this moment, I wish you a very Happy Birthday.  Whatever the next year brings, I’m sure you will add plenty of delight and surprises to it for all of us.