Birthday Party

We celebrated Shannon's first birthday on Saturday with a soup lunch party. It was lots of fun - and our little house held a record of 23 people! Whew!

The birthday girl was so happy!

The cake. Of course, I am proud.

We were at overflow capacity, so some of the braver souls dined al fresco.

The kids' daycare gal, or "watcher" as Mitch calls her, helped us celebrate. Lorry and her daughters are so sweet to our kids!

A section of the party-goers. We so enjoyed having everyone come help us celebrate!

Shannon claimed her first gift by standing on top of it gleefully! I have no idea where she gets this.

Here's a squeal of delight for her fancy Christmas dress!

Shannon and Avery (7 weeks younger) are interesting to watch together. Shannon is certainly more aggressive at this point!

This shopping cart will be beloved for years. It may also dent the walls, cars, and anything else in its path!

Unlike her brother, Shannon had no trouble diving into her cupcake. She enjoyed the frosting and her cupcake with gusto.

All grins - and who wouldn't be?!

At her 1-year appointment this week, Shannon came in at 20lbs 14oz, 29.5 inches tall. That puts her in the 50th percentile for weight and somewhat higher for height. Not to dwell on the differences, but at 6 months, MBJ weighed 20.5lbs!

Other 1-year milestones: she still has 6 teeth, she says "Mama" (especially late at night or when she's angry), "uh-oh!" and versions of "Dada" and "Baba". She's learning to sign and can do 'please' and 'more' with regularity, and she is masterfully able to scream on cue. We love her!