Happy First Birthday, Alyssa!

Yay! Alyssa turned 1 year old on Saturday, May 24th. The weekend was too crazy to even think about making a post, so here's a recap!

Alyssa and I ran around Raleigh picking up party supplies on Friday and she was such an angel! Everywhere we went, people were talking to her and remarking on how sweet she is. She kept her birthday princess tiara on throughout the stores! Several people commented on that as well... she obviously knew she was the queen of the show!

We had a birthday party for her at the Rolesville Park on Saturday afternoon and lots of friends came and celebrated with us. She wasn't quite sure what to make of the birthday song (kinda like "what are all of you looking at me for?")! We had fun watching her eat her very own puppy dog birthday cake like a little princess... very dainty and pretty tidy! She picked up bits of icing and cake with just the tips of her fingers and barely made a mess! This was very unlike her treatment of the watermelon... she had 4 or 5 wedges and got completely soaked!

Present time was fun. Like most kids, she enjoyed the wrapping and packaging just as much as the gifts! She got the hang of opening her presents in a hurry and can now do some serious damage to a bag with tissue paper. She got lots of adorable clothes and some really cool toys... puzzles, Care Bears!, Cabbage patch dolls, shape sorters, a chatter phone, a See & Say, some really nice books, a trainer shopping cart, tub toys, and lots of other neat things! My parents gave her a really nice Radio Flyer wagon that seats 2 kids with a canopy and a bunch of neat options. She loves it!

We all enjoyed watching her play with Gavin, our neighbors' nephew. She followed him around the picnic table for a while and they sat together in the wagon... check out the pictures below!

Before the party, Alyssa's Uncle Jeff stopped by for a few minutes to visit (he was in town for a bachelor party and was on a time crunch). We were all so glad to see him!

Thanks to everyone who came, and to everyone for all of the wonderful birthday presents. This child is so loved! We just can't believe we've already been able to love her for a whole year already!

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