Happy Birthday, Owyn!

So, my little baby turned one last Wednesday. Ah, time really does fly.

I debated and debated (with myself) whether or not I should have a party for her. In the end I decided that it is a good tradition to start early and it is a really good thing to have friends come over and celebrate whenever possible. Thinking back on it now, I feel that I would have regretted it if I didn't have a party for her.

I decided it didn't have to be anything big. Mostly I wanted to make a cake because I was excited for her to get her own little "smash" cake. Also, I wanted to stretch my old cake decorating skills a little bit. In the process of making this greatly anticipated cake, I realized that cake decorating skills aren't very much like bike riding skills (i.e. maybe I should have given myself a couple of days instead of a couple of hours). And, I also realized that store-bought frosting doesn't always keep the best consistency (yeah, I probably should have taken the time to make my own). And, cake doesn't always cooperate; sometimes it just falls apart as soon as the frosting touches it (I think I should have frozen it first).

Still, I don't think it turned out too bad; especially when you look at it from this angle. You can't see all the bald spots on the top cake or the big hole in the corner that I filled in with frosting.

(P.S. I have to thank Jett for giving the frosting a good thorough tasting before we cut the cake.)

Of course, now when you look at the cake from this angle, you start saying to yourself, "'Hey, Luce, is that cake bothering you?' 'No, thank you.' 'Are you sure, because it looks like it's...leaning.'"

Yeah, maybe I should have leveled the tops of the cakes first. Oh, well...in the end I decided I was being overly critical of myself. Nobody seemed offended by it, and I think Owyn liked it, which was all that mattered to me.

(Really, she was smiling and laughing right up to the point when I took the picture!)

When I first put her little cake in front of her, she looked at me like she wasn't sure if I really meant for her to eat it. But, she gave it a try and, despite some interruptions...

...like random balloons floating by...

(This picture makes me giggle.)

...lots of kids laughing and playing...

...and Daddy taking so many pictures...

...she seemed to manage just fine.

We played some games (Owyn trivia and Pin the Tail on the Donkey) and opened presents (with lots and lots of help from those excited, sugar-filled kids!).
Owyn really seemed to like pulling toys out of boxes and bags. What a great idea!

In the end, it was a really fun party and I was so grateful for all the friends who came. It wasn't a huge gala by any means, but I've decided that doesn't matter. What really matters is showing people that you are happy they were born (even if they aren't going to remember the first few).

This picture alone makes the whole thing worth it to me.

Happy Birthday, Little Beauty!