First Birthday Party

Anna's first ever birthday party was so much fun!

My sister Nickie and her husband Ryan were huge in getting this event off the ground...Nickie did nearly all the food prep, and Ryan manned the grill.  We ended up serving a full burger/hotdog dinner and had WAY too much food (but better too much than too little, eh?).

The kids had a good time playing: the littles at the water table (chewing on the fishes)...

...and the bigs in the pool with the hose (and the bigger bigs (teens) opted for the cool of the house).

And the adults lounged in the heat, watching the kids play and chatting.

This party was basically unstructured hang-out-time without any big games or events besides singing "Happy Birthday" and watching Anna eat cake.  I had made a pull-string pinata...

...but that turned out to be an abject failure.  I didn't make the false bottom correctly, I guess, because no matter how little stuff I put in there, it wouldn't hold.

So it ended up just being a nice decoration, which was fine.  It was free, anyway, made of shipping boxes and leftover dyed coffee filters from the church Ladies' Tea two years ago (why yes I do hoard craft supplies it's a side hobby and it's going rather well thanks for asking!)
Anyway, we just passed the pinata loot around in a bowl.  The mini-slinkies, washi tape, and twirly ribbons were the biggest hits (notes for next time).

Dave made two cakes for the guests: Tunnel of Fudge and Lemon Lovers, from Cook's Country and America's Test Kitchen, respectively.

Jean and Anna catching a little overspray from big kids playing with the hose

The lemon cake is the same one Dave made a year ago, just hours after Anna made her fresh air debut.  I don't know how long it will be a tradition to serve this on her birthday, but it was special to us for this year.

And for the birthday girl, I made the French Apple Cake from Milk Street and subbed in almond flour for the white flour.  It's a dense, moist cake that's heavy on the apples and decently light on the sugar...and Anna gobbled up the whole thing.

I was a little nervous about the whole sugar rush/crash for my little one who isn't used to getting any refined sugar (and right before bed, too), but I think this cake was a good choice.  No tears, no tantrums, business as usual, A+.

Anyhoos...to those who have been part of our journey to this milestone of Surviving a Whole Year, our deepest gratitude and love.  Thanks for following along, offering encouragement, bringing us food and coffee, folding our laundry, watching the videos and looking at all the pictures, and confirming that our little nugget is definitely the cutest baby ever; you are our family, our village.  We are blessed by each and every one of you.

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Happy Birthday, Anna!