Of Skeletons and Celebrations

My kids are so blessed to already be surrounded with a great circle of friends who love them like siblings and whose parents care about them, too.  So Em's birthday celebration extended for almost a week as she had her Easter party, then her actual birthday, and a few days later, her friend party!  Turning one is certainly a big deal up here in this house.

Em was really excited about her party, especially when she woke up to a house decorated in pink and white.

Then she changed into party ensemble #2, complete with kitty shoes, flower headband, and magic wand.

She is undeniably all girl.  Through and through.

 

  

No photoshoot would be complete without The Tongue.  The Tongue means true happiness.  I didn't have to twist her arm to get her dolled up; the girl loves accessories!

Then their friends arrived and we happily moved the party outside due to agreeable weather and sunshine.  The play house was a big hit.  Em even made her presence known by eventually leaping through that window to be included.

Jax and his buddy Harper get along so well and since she's older, she often shows him the ropes and he thinks she is the coolest thing.  

 

The kids were loving the combination of blue skies and bubbles...

...when an unexpected guest crashed the party.

For the love of God, what is that and why do I live here? 

One minute, peaceful playtime; the next, animal cemetary.  Any thoughts on what kind of animal that used to be?  We would soon discover the rest of it, jawbone, ribs, etc., intermingling among the acorns and fallen leaves scattered across my side yard.  My initial thought is that whatever it was moved into the little house to die a peaceful death, and when we dragged the house across the yard, we unknowingly disturbed a little of the circle of life.  Now I just want to bleach the hell out of the house, even though that assumption could be totally wrong and those bones could have been there for months.  All I know is that skeletons do not belong at one-year-old birthday parties!

Luckily, empty bellies rumbled and so the party moved away from skeleton central to the deck where quesadillas and fruit filled the void until it was time for the ugliest-looking cake ever made.

Don't let the icing and sprinkles fool you--it was a very unattractive cake!  But it still tasted great!

Em thinks this week-long celebration thing really has its perks!

The afternoon wrapped up with very thoughtful gifts and a little more energy burned before everyone made their way home for nap. 

The manly way to hold hands.

Jax and Harper, saying goodbye.  I literally heard him say, "I love you, Harper."  Awwww.

Em sure is one lucky girl, for so many reasons, not the least of which is the good luck bones sprinkled around our house!  Please let that be the first and last encounter with extinct wildlife we have this year!

Happy Birthday, baby girl.  We sure did it up this year, but you deserve every second of recognition.  Our lives wouldn't be the same without you.  We love you!