Lucy's 1st Birthday!

In this post, I talked about our goals for celebrating birthdays with our kids, and as planned, we wanted to make a big deal for Lucy's first birthday.  However, leading up to our departure date for Indy, we were really beginning to doubt the wisdom of spending the money we were slating for expenses.  At first we wanted to cancel altogether, but we decided (through some strong grand-parental coercion!) to go ahead and make the trip but to also majorly cut back the party.  Like we told Lucy, she'll just have to get her first pony for her second birthday, ha!

Throwing a birthday party, even a small one, in a town where you don't live has its share of challenges, but so many people helped in so many ways.  My sister offered up her home as the venue, and with a hard-working hubby, 4 kids, and an extremely busy schedule, this was no small offering for her to make, and I can't express how much I appreciate her generosity.  My mom made all the food (in addition to a zillion other things), my dad painted the cake topper (quite meticulously), my sister and brother-in-law helped hang decorations -- even my sister's best friend and my grandpa's CNA pitched in!  For a (recovering) perfectionist like me -- i.e., as someone who prefers to do all the work and present a picture-perfect party -- I could have let all of the above wound my silly pride, but I made a conscious decision to just be grateful and roll with things, no matter how they turned out.  And they turned out great!

My grandpa's CNA Carrie on the left, Malissa (sister's BFF), and my sister Katie, a.k.a., very proud auntie!  (Of course I didn't get a picture of my grandparents or my sister Sarah or even halfway decent ones of my parents...big fat photo FAIL!)  This picture shows the girls assembling streamers that I thought were the fold-open kind, and ended up being the carefully-open-and-don't-tear-the-tissue kind -- never again!

Daddy feeding his girl some birthday dinner (I did *not* choose that bib for her -- that was Will's!).

Sweet potatoes, anyone?

The incredibly high-maintenance streamers were at least incredibly pretty!

And Lucy loved 'em!

If you can't tell, Lucy had a "Paris Princess" party and I decorated with black, white, and pink.  I found this amazing gift wrap at Hobby Lobby!

Lucy approves!  (This was her second outfit, owing to a sweet potato mishap befalling the first one and well, a birthday girl is entitled to a couple of wardrobe changes!)

I *loved* the final product with the cake.  I found a little cheap wooden Eiffel Tower at a craft store and my dad sanded it and painted it for me so it would be cake-topper-cute.  The black-and-white damask plates and pink napkins made me so happy!

Don't you love baby's first cake pictures?

She didn't eat much but she really enjoyed taking little tastes of icing...

Can't you just see "YUM!" written on her face?

Birthday girl with her Daddy...

...and with her Mama.

And with her cousin Abby, who is going to be my go-to babysitter one day!

Finally, presents!  Yes, I know, I look more excited than Lucy.  I'm a girl and I was surrounded by pink prettiness, what can I say?