Eliza turned 1 on December 29th! We discovered that having a birthday right after Christmas is not ideal.....it is a busy time of year! We headed down to Portland the night before her birthday, and Aunt Molly made sure she had a celebration when we arrived-even though it was 9:30 at night!
Molly had cookies, frosting, and sprinkles ready for decorating. Molly's birthday is just one week after Eliza's, so she understood that it is still important to celebrate, even if everyone is exhausted from Christmas:)
Two big sisters working hard on the cookies
The morning of Eliza's birthday, Molly and I took the girls to the Children's Museum. We tried this a few weeks ago when we were visiting, and Clara threw up just as we walked in the door. They were excited to get to stay this time and play!
Tunnels are one of Eliza's favorite things!!
The Clifford exhibit was a hit!
They had this great stage and dress-up clothes to dress like Clifford, T-Bone, and Cleo and put on a show
Hannah didn't take her Clifford costume off until it was time to leave!
We continued on to Bend that afternoon, arriving just before a snowstorm hit to spend New Years with family.
Nana had strawberries and chocolate fondue for dessert!
Eliza LOVED it, of course!!
She finished off this entire huge strawberry taking bite after bite!
My sweet birthday girl!
Eliza's sisters and cousins helped with blowing out the candle and eating the brownie cake
I wish we would have had the video camera because Eliza LOVED having Happy Birthday sung to her and swayed back and forth "dancing" in the high chair. It was so cute that we sang it more than a few times!
One of Eliza's favorite things is her apple juice!
So sweet and clean after her bath to wash all the chocolate off!
Eliza spent most of her first year sweet, calm, happy and pretty much going along with whatever her sister were up to. Just within the past few weeks, though, she has learned to yell for what she wants, and if that doesn't work, she knows to just yell louder! She continues to be sweet and full of joy, but now if you tell her "no" she will throw her head back, force a cry, and cover her face with her hands! She doesn't want to miss a thing and loves to be in the middle of whatever her sisters are doing. Often that means disrupting their play, so it is usually short-lived and she ends up crying. It is so sad to watch, but we know she will soon be able to play right alongside them. When they do include her in a game, she just beams and is delighted to be part of the fun! Some of her favorite things are taking a bath (always with all 3 girls in the tub!), eating, eating some more, climbing, bouncing on the couch or bed, being held (constantly!), playing peek-a-boo and being chased through her tunnel or tent, and being outside in the backpack. She is full of energy and laughter and the entire year has truly been a joy with this little girl!!!
