Lauren is One!

We had Lauren's First Birthday Party on Sunday, May 2nd. Aunt Arie, Great Grandma Erma, Grandpa Auxter, Terry, Aunt Ragan, Grandma and Grandpa Power, Aunt Shannon and Lauren's cousin Holly were all in attendance. It was a whirlwind getting ready for it, but totally worth it and we all had such a great time. The weather was GORGEOUS. Here's to May birthdays.

Lauren eats outside with Dad under her Happy Birthday banner.

Everyone digs in: crudites, salad, Happy Gillis soup, pasta salad and curried chicken, egg salad and turkey sandwiches.

Aunt Arie and Great Grandma Erma take in some food on the back deck.

The group cake; Lauren had her own. This was my first foray into baking cakes and making frosting from scratch.

The cake progression. She is curious, excited, and frightened all at once.

Please notice that half of the cake is gone in the photo above.

The inside of the cake, in Lauren's nursery colors.

A very happy Mom after a piece of cake and several mimosas.

All of the excitement wore Lauren out, so she took a nap break with Grandma Power before opening presents.

This was the first time Lauren was really pumped about opening presents.

Golf clubs from Grandpa Auxter? Shocking.

Lauren and Terry take in a mellow moment after all of the festivities.

Sean and I still can't believe that Lauren is a year old. I know everyone says it, but it's so true, the first year flies by. As will the rest of the years, I'm sure. Lauren was an absolute doll at her party, especially considering the fact that we partied right through her normal nap time. It was great to have everyone around celebrating this huge first milestone. The older Lauren gets, the more of a "real" person she becomes, and we are having so much fun getting to know her and introducing her to the world. We had high expectations for parenthood, and it is so much better than we ever thought it could be.

We love you, Lauren Rebecca Power. And we always will. You are the most special gift, and we are so lucky that we get to show you this big crazy world. You are everything we thought you would be, and so so much more.