Birthday Joy

I know Millie won't remember a thing about her birthday party on Saturday, but I will treasure every detail. Here are some things I especially loved:

1. Kids in costumes! From fairies to puppies to kangaroos to lady bugs, the babies were adorable and shockingly content in their dress-up gear.

2. The hum of chaos in the air! Rattles were shaking, tinny nursery rhymes were playing, and my favorite -- shrieks of laughter were bouncing off the walls.

3. Grandparents galore! All four of Millie's grandparents were a part of her special day. And as a super-extra-special treat, her cousin Kaitlin traveled all the way from Connecticut to celebrate with us. This is especially significant since we're never quite sure where the Navy will take us in this life. We can grab on to these moments and memories when we are far away from family.

4. It was a true celebration of life! I made it a point to take deep breaths and really take it all in. I watched the friends and babies from my church moms group who have become like family to me and Millie. I teared up watching Christopher comfort Millie in the mayhem. And I gave thanks that all of this was possible at all -- a dream realized.

Here are a few photos from the big day:

Cheerleader Aliyah, Chicken Millie and Fairy Grace

Beautiful Chaos

Ladybugs Violet and Taylor, Penguin Braden and Fairy Grace

Best in Show

There are a lot of reasons why we really love our neighbors, Greg and Sybil. They are extremely thoughtful (leave us sweet notes in our mail slot), generous (Millie has many wonderful gifts to prove this), and interesting (they're always out making the most of this great city). And here's one reason why all of you will love them too:

These are their three dogs, Marley, Wiley, and Annie dressed as the Three Mutt-keteers. They won "Best in Show" today at the neighborhood Howl-oween costume contest for dogs held at Lincoln Park. Pretty awesome, I think.

Happy Birthday Millie!

Our sweet miracle is one year old today. Millie is truly more than we could have ever hoped for. I know for sure that Millie is the exact child that we had to wait for -- she is the girl that was saved just for us, for just this time.

Here she is...the birthday girl! This photo was taken first thing this morning when I walked in to get her. That sly little look in her eye makes me think that she knows it's going to be a good day for her.

Here's a look back at what was happening at our house a year ago today. I love the reminder of all the hope (and fear) that was present in those first days.

At a triathlon about two weeks before Millie was born:

Just a few hours old:

The Greers on day five:

Pumpkin Patch

Last Sunday we joined families from our church for a great day at a pumpkin patch out in the country in Maryland. I was having flashbacks from our days in San Diego -- pumpkin patching was always an activity done in tank tops and flip flops in 80 degree temperatures. It was warm and sunny on Sunday, but we had an awesome time feeding Marty the goat, checking out the pigs, keeping our distance from the geese (universally known to be mean biters) and going on a hayride.

As you can see, Millie's making progress on her walking skills. She's down to just one hand now.

With the Martin Family:

Playing in the pumpkins with Grace:

Awesome Lake Weekend!

We are home and refreshed from an awesome fall weekend at Deep Creek Lake with all of my family. Julie was in from San Diego and Mike and Matt were here from Colorado -- Millie has never been so adored. In celebration of my Dad's milestone birthday, we spent four great days at a house at the lake.

Wading in the lake with Aunt Julie (and Casey)

Snuggling with Grammy

We all took a ride down the 'haunted coaster' at Wisp Ski Resort. Here's the gang after the ride.

Kicking back with Uncle Matt

Mike and his dog Cede, who now lives with my parents in Maryland.

More Lake Photos

Millie and Cede just LOVE each other.

The family on a coffee outing (without Christopher, who was back at work)

Julie and Millie

Here I am trying to play frisbee golf with Millie on my back. Not pretty.

Hiking at Deep Creek Lake State Park

Mmm...Cream Cheese

Millie and I were "working" in the kitchen last week. I was busy making some soup when I started hearing a lot of smacking noises coming from the refrigerator. Here's what I found when I turned around (press play to see the video).

Fun in Tennesse!

Millie and I took our first solo plane trip this weekend to visit my dear friend Amy and her family in Chatanooga, TN. She's got two AMAZING boys -- Jack is almost 9 and Max is 5 -- who really took great care of little Millie. We did some singing and dancing, lots of playing and walking, and even a little bit of soccer!

Amy and I have been friends for 13 years...since we were bright-eyed interns working on Capitol Hill and living in a questionable housing situation together. And now after all this time and life experiences, it was awesome to see our kids laughing and playing together.