Little Ladybug

I slept better on Saturday night than I had in a week. We had a party for Madeline’s first birthday on Saturday afternoon at my parents' house. We had a great time, but boy am I glad to have it behind me now. I worked like mad last week – planning, shopping, cake decorating, favor making… Event planning is not a natural gift of mine. But I must say, it turned out pretty well! We had a ladybug theme, and I made ladybug invitations and a lady bug cake. Madeline even had a ladybug dress! We had red and black streamers, balloons, and tableware. We kept the food pretty simple – grilled chicken sandwiches, fruit kabobs, chips, veggies, and bean salad. And, of course, the ladybug cake.

The birthday girl had the time of her life. She loves to be the center of attention (where in the world does she get that???), and she gladly went from one person’s arms to the next, entertaining everyone for hours. She was unimpressed with her first taste of birthday cake. It was her first real experience with sweets, and she wasn’t particularly interested. She even spit out the ice cream that my dad tried to feed her. I was thrilled! Maybe she will keep preferring fruits, veggies, and whole grains the rest of her life…

The ladybug invitation



The ladybug cake



The ladybug cutlery



The ladybug herself!

Party favors



With Grandma (Daniel's mom)



With her grand-grandpa (my dad's dad)



With her great-grandma (my mom's mom) and her very first baby doll - she LOVES it!



With Aunt Barbara



Crawling



Grandma and Grandpa Dubois



The boys grilling



Becca, Brad, Hope, and baby Annie



With Aunt Emily



Mom and Dad and some family friends



Rachel, my sister, and cousin Andrew



The birthday chair



Dinner Time!



Yummy fruit kabobs



Daddy loves his ladybug



Time for cake!



This looks fun to play with...



Not too impressed



Uncle Steve and cousin Annie - almost three months old now!



And if you haven't seen enough birthday pictures yet, here are a few from her actual birthday last Tuesday. We had a picnic in the park and played on the swings. We let her crawl around in the dirt, and she loved it!







Not loving the birthday hat....