It's fun to be one!

Well, we survived Addie's first birthday! She was such a good girl, and really had such a good time! Her party was all such a whirlwind, but I like to think it was pretty successful! I didn't get much opportunity to take pictures, but thanks to Vic for getting these while we opened presents!

I was playing around a little on Photoshop. I think I kind of like this effect for this pic!

She really liked to look at the pictures on her cards. So cute!

She was pretty excited about this one! She wanted to start playing with it right away!

One of us opening presents together. I really feel like I look like such a goober here! Yay! A sand pail!

On to the cake! She did pretty good! She was a bit slow to get into it, but in the end she made enough of a mess to warrant a bath. Her mess paled in comparison to her brothers though!

My first attemp at selective color. It's OK, don't know if I'll do it often.

And just to show how her big brother didn't mess around! Oh, and this pic's quality is horrible! I can only find it saved to my Photobucket and it loses something being saved back again! Obviously, Aidan never had red hair!

A tribute to my Addie Joy

It's going to be a busy week getting everything ready for my little princess's first birthday, so I'm going to post this now, while I have a little time on my hands.

Reflections on this past year....
This was probably the craziest year in my whole life. Even crazier than after Aidan was born...by far! From the moment I found out I was pregnant, it's been a whole rush of feelings and emotions. Excitement, fear, joy, pride, anxiety, love, frustration, tired, depressed, bliss, angry, pensive, tested, amused, overcome. I think that just scratches the surface of the roller coaster that I've experienced. My poor husband! But for all of this craziness, when I sit down and look at my little girl, my heart fills with such love and pride that I can't even put it into words.

From our first days in the hospital, we began our bond. On our third night, Addie was in the nursery so that I could (attempt) a decent night of sleep. About an hour or two after falling asleep, the nurse brought her back into my room because she was fussy and needed a feeding. As the nurse was handing her to me, Addie's eyes lit up once she saw me and stopped crying. It definitely struck me, but when the nurse said "Awww! She loves her mommy!", I knew it wasn't just the pain meds or lack of sleep talking. My little girl loved me, or at least recognized me, and it didn't matter how tired I was. My heart swelled with love at that moment.

Once home, it wasn't easy. No one expects it to be, but I think it took me a bit longer to adjust. There was the colic, then Jim had to switch shifts (which was so very hard for me), and I was diagnosed with a case of post partum depression. Never in my life had I ever felt so alone. Meanwhile, there was Aidan. He did such a good job being a good boy through the chaos. He has his moments, but he really is a good brother and I am so grateful. Then one day, Addie smiled. That smile lit up the room, and my spirits. Looking at her sweet little happy face at that moment made it all worth it.

Through the months, we had our ups and downs. We got through it though. We have all come together as a family and made it work. Addie has become such a fun, sweet, and beautiful girl. She makes me laugh and smile all day long. She is my social butterfly (at least as long as me or Jim are in her sight), my princess, my little monkey and a diva. I'm so proud of her and love her more than I can say.

Now, I'm sitting here on my bed. One year ago I was probably laying on the same bed, so nervous about adding another member to our family. Now we've done it, we made it to the first year and it is the most bittersweet feeling in the world.

Kim's shower

The other day was my little sister's bridal shower! It was a coctail theme and it turned out just beautifully! The weather was beautiful, but a little on the hot side. With all the storms and rain we've been having lately, I'll take it! I can't believe that her wedding is just next month! I had to bring Aidan and Addie with me because Jim had to sleep before work. Luckily Aidan was just awesome. Addie was a bit of a handful, and wouldn't let mommy do much but hold her. Unfortunately, the shower was right smack in the middle of nap time. Needless to say, I didn't get very many pics. Worst of all, I didn't get any of the happy couple! How bad is that? But, I did get a few...

Here is the bride to be with Kristy and Cassie. Kim is the first blond on the left. A good looking group of girls, wouldn't you say?

A nice solo shot of Kim! Isn't she just so pretty?

Mmmmmm...yummy food! I probably should have eaten before posting these, now I'm hungry!

Pretty, pretty party favors. The martini glasses were decorated in Kim's wedding colors. Guests could fill their glass with Margarita or Cosmopolitan, then take their glass home!

Yummy margarita!

Of course we can't forget about the cute kids! This is my nephew, and Kim and Matt's sweet little boy, Elliot. He's such a good little boy, and was just having a blast running around the yard.
I don't know what he was thinking about, but Aidan sure was pondering something! Oh, and look at his hair! Jim had put hair gel in, and styled it nicely. This is what it looked like by the end of the day!
Here is a very tired Addie. This was just before we left, and she slept the whole ride home!

The motor city

On my and Jim's 5th anniversary we went and hung out downtown Detroit. The Red Wings just won the Stanley cup, so there was a parade. I got lots of pics, but we were in a spot that most of them were distracted by the media. I did get these of Nick Lindstrom with the cup!

I also took some random Detroit shots. It's actually something I've been wanting to do for quite a while. Even though Detroit may not be the nicest city, there really is some cool stuff there! I would have loved to take a bunch more, but seeing that it was a day to spend with my hubby, I just took some of the area we were hanging out at. I'm now kicking myself for not taking a pic of the bar that we met at. We actually went in and had a few drinks. I thought it was kind of fitting!