Sarah's Birthday - 6/11

Sarah is exactly 3 months younger then Holly. A few weeks ago we joined her and her family to celebrate her first Birthday.Here is our little host. She had a few friends over, so we started off playing in her room with the other babies.Hollis is a little boy that I met from Swim class a while back. He was in attendance with his mom whom I had not met before. They started going to swimming on Saturdays, so it had been a while since I had seen him.Holly was the oldest and Most Mobile baby, so she was able to commandeer the fun red balloon from the others, mostly though she wanted it because it was attached to Isabel's keys.I love the festive orange dress she is wearing. We had a lot of fun playing, while Richard her dad was in the front yard starting up the grill. Some of the other Dad's went down to join him and keep him company, and he also popped up to visit us as well.I love the adorable outfit Sarah is wearing, teal is a great color on her. Her shoes are really cute also. I think her mom got them in Spain. Isabel was telling me how all babies in Spain always wear shoes, which is different from how it is here.I think she is posing for the camera here. She was a great hostess playing and smiling and having so much fun. I think she really enjoyed seeing all the other babies in her room.Here Holly is reading a book. It is amazing she didn't take all of Sarah's books off of her bookcase, I think she was just distracted by all the people. I forgot the name of the little boy to the left, he was just learning to walk. He was very sweet.This bucket was a popular item, the kids liked to clang on it and it made cool sounds. Holly also enjoyed taking things in and out, one of her favorite games.Here Holly is making a new friend, or depending on how you spin it, stealing a toy away from another baby. Really she is just sharing it, she is always intrigued with what other's are playing with, and sometimes just wants to show them How to play with a toy.This is Gabriella, she was dressed so adorably. It was the most precious little white dress. Her mom I think is also from Spain. She has the cutest little pearl earrings also. She is just learning how to pull up and was very intrigued with my skirt.Here Holly is getting into Mommy's bag, but soon helps Sarah dump out the contents of her drawers.She was also very curious about the gate. it is different from the ones we have at home. Isabel put it up mostly for her benefit, being the one who could most easily escape, but it was so much nicer then having to close the door.She is back to trying to figure out a new toy. it is always fun going to someone else's house and letting her try out new toys and seeing what catches her eye.I thought this was such a great picture of Isabel. On the wall behind her is a picture of Richard when he was a little boy. There is also one of Isabel on the other wall. I thought that was such a neat idea for art to decorate Sarah's room. Sarah looks a lot like he did as a baby.Here Isabel is keeping Holly out of trouble. Somehow it always seems to find her.. She is much like her mommy in that way.I thought this was so cute. This is Sarah asking Joel for more Cheerios's.. That girl had him wrapped around his little finger, she just had to grunt and point and another appeared, but she was persistent too.Here Holly is sharing her Puff's with Sarah. We like this container most of the time because it doesn't dump out, at least not unless holly pulls the lid off with her teeth.After lots of playing, we all made our way downstairs with the allure of burgers and yummy food. Holly is playing in the front yard under Daddy's watchful eye. This is Sophia, She arrived just when we were wrapping up playtime in Sarah's room. She is just two and lives in San Francisco. She was quite adorable, even though she was being shy most of the time. Holly had fun following her around.Isabel and Richard had spent the morning baby proofing the downstairs, since Sarah isn't too mobile yet they hadn't really needed to do it, but the party was an excuse to get it done. I was amazed at what a good job they did, Holly hardly got into anything at all.Sarah had some strawberries for a snack, she is such an enthusiastic eater. It was so adorable the mess she made and refreshing that her mom let her explore and fully enjoy her food, even if it did leave a stain here or there.Holly was NOT a fan on the Birthday hat. I made an attempt to put it on her, but it made her mad. I tried with the band in front and behind, but in either case she was having none of it. Holly does great on play dates but she has issue with a few birthday rituals.The other is singing Happy Birthday, I am not sure what it is, but she cries when it happens. This happened at Chloe's and so I was prepared this time. I stood by the front door, just around the corner in case she got upset. Everyone began to sing and she started to cry. SO I slipped out and she was OK once she was away from the group.

Here is a Video of the Birthday Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8l9RKKJZPw


Sarah loved being the center of attention, and even tried to blow out her cancel, but mom and dad helped her. The cake was delicious as was the Turkey burger I had for Dinner.Here are some more shots of the other guests. There is a great group shot that has everyone which was really fun. I wish I had thought to do that at Holly's party.I thought this was such a cute little laugh and smile. It looks like Holly is wearing a hat, and Happy about it, but she isn't. The hat is on the head of the little boy behind her.I love this little skirt on Sarah, It is wonderful to see her starting to crawl. She is chasing after a fun ball in this picture here.Later a few of the babies left, and the group was small. So we convinced Isabel and Sarah to open a few of her Birthday Presents.This is a little Ukulele that Sarah's parent's got for her. Holly really liked that. She is very into the Guitar these days, and this was one just her size.Sarah got several very cute outfits for her birthday. I think that Holly enjoyed playing with the bags, boxes, and paper, more then anything.This is a box from Joel, Holly and I. We were so excited for Sarah to open it up. She is just starting to move around, so we thought this would be such a fun present for her. Its a cart she can push and use to pull up on that is filled with little fruits and veggies. There are some foods that are like shapes that fit into a puzzle. You can play with it flat, or on its wheels. Once she starts to cruise, she will be able to push this around, and she will be able to get around. We had such a blast at Sarah's party. It was fun to celebrate with her. Holly and Sarah are such good friends, they recognize each other and are so interactive. We love hanging out with Sarah and her family.