Our sweet little Reesie turned one at the end of July. The kids all got sick right before her birthday and she was basically miserable for most of her big day. Greg was working under a crazy deadline to finish a work project and was out of town. The kids and I were planning on going to meet him and spending the day with him, but their sickness kind of hijacked that plan and we just stayed home. I was ready to just throw in the towel and forgot about her birthday, but my dear mom wouldn't let that happen. She brought home cupcakes and Reese perked up enough to enjoy one for a few minutes.
She was happy enough after that I quickly dressed her in her birthday outfit and snapped a quick picture before she relapsed. It's a good thing she won't remember her first birthday, because it wasn't exactly memorable.
We did have a simple party the next week when she was feeling better. She LOVED her new car (and so did McKall). It plays music and Reese would get in there and just jam out. Watching them play in the car provided some great entertainment for all of us.
She couldn't get into her animal crackers fast enough.
There were lots of helpers for gift-opening.
Time for more cupcakes! I think I had my sister take pictures of this and forgot to get them from her. Oops. Just imagine a sweet little redheaded baby eating cake...or look at the pictures at the beginning of this post and you will get the idea.
Boy cousins are hard to come by in this family! We sure love Owen.
I'm not sure why this picture posted at the bottom, but I had to share it because it is so cute. Garrett got sick at the same time Reese was. (Abby got it, too. Fun times!) Garrett was really nervous his friends would come over and want to play and he didn't want to get any of them sick, so he made this cute little sign and posted it on the bedroom door. (It says "Keep Out" for those of you who don't read the language of 6-year-olds).
Back to Reese...what a sweet joy she has been in our lives. She is her daddy's girl all the way and the two of them absolutely adore each other. It is heartwarming to watch them together. We think she is a mini-me of Greg, so it is only fitting. She loves her brother and sister and they will do anything to make her laugh. I have cherished this first year with her and have tried to love every minute. I guess having Garrett and Abby get older has made me realize how quickly children really do grow, and I feel like I have been more willing to let housework, laundry, and other things slide just a bit so I can snuggle with her while she will still let me.
Reese was a fussy baby at first and developed a bit of a bad reputation, but she flipped a switch and is the sweetest little angel you could ever imagine. Her red hair gets her lots of attention everywhere we go and she has a precious little smile and giggle that I could never get enough of. She is a great little sleeper and loves to eat just about anything. We are so blessed to have her in our family!
