The conclusion of birthday week

Saturday was a big day for Hadleigh. She had her 1st birthday party (in Arkansas) with friends and family. It was lots of fun and we appreciate all our family and friends making the day so special for her. Below are a few pictures from the day. Sadly, I did not get as many as I would have liked to. Hadleigh was extremely clingy during the festivities which made taking photos near impossible.
I took this one when Hadleigh woke up. Check out her hair. She is the queen of bed head sometimes.

Cake time...

We went to the Square on Sunday after church to get a few pictures in her new dress from Scarlett. We were having so much fun until Christian stepped in dog poo!

From this...to this.

That's right...our little angel is the big 01 today! I can't believe it has been a year already. This has by far been the best year of our lives. Hadleigh has been such a blessing to us and has brought so much joy to our lives. Her smile is contagious and her giggle melts your heart.
What a fun year it has been and quite the learning experience, to say the least. We are looking forward to watching our little angel continue to grow into a sweet little girl (but not too fast!). Below are some pictures from today. She loves her new ride that we got her for her birthday. It plays some fun music which she likes to bounce along with as she rides. Maybe it won't be raining tomorrow so we can ride around the block and show off her new wheels.

Hadleigh's fun weekend

So while Christian and I were enjoying the wedding festivities, Hadleigh was spending a fun-filled weekend at Gammy and Pops. They threw a little birthday party for her since they won't be able to be here next weekend. Kristen made the birthday cake which Hadleigh, after a little hesitation, dove in to. One of my oldest friends, Stacy, brought her daughter, Reece, over to meet Hadleigh and play for a bit at the party. Hadleigh was exhausted on the plane ride home...a true sign of an exciting weekend.

Opening gifts with Kristen and Gammy

Stacy and Reece

The girls playing for the first time

She loved driving around in this car. She probably would have driven it all the way back to Arkansas if she could.Bubbles with Pops
Always a big fan of swinging

Wedding pics

We made a trip back to Virginia to go to Rob and Catherine's wedding in Va Beach. Rob went to UVA with us and was a fraternity brother of Christian's. We have loved getting to know Catherine over the past couple of years and are so happy they "made it official". It was such a beautiful wedding and the whole weekend was so much fun. It's always great to catch up with old friends!

The beautiful bride and handsome groom

Christian, Rob, and David

The stars of the next big wedding, Marc and Emily

Christian and Kevin (after a few drinks)

David, Marc, and Christian

Katy and David

Sigma Nu Boys

Allison and Allison

Pre-Pre Birthday Party

Christian's family from Dallas is in town for the weekend (Joey has a baseball camp at the UofA this weekend-- maybe he'll get recruited!). However, tonight was the last night we will be with them since we are headed to Virginia tomorrow for a wedding and another Pre-Bday Bash with my family, so Hadleigh got to open some birthday presents early. She did not hesitate diving into the gift bags and loved pulling out the toys. She got so frustrated at us when we took them away to get them out of the box. We'll have to work on her patience. She loves her new toys and clothes...thanks Helen and Joey!

Taking a peak. "This looks like it could be fun"

"You check it out, Daisy, but don't touch"

"I've almost got it!"

"I've got its nose and it's talking to me...cool."

"I'm not letting go of either. Daisy might think one is hers."

Thanks so much Grandma Helen and Joey!

Tutu cute

My friend Casey and I made matching tutus for Scarlett and Hadleigh so we could get some pictures taken of the two of them together with them. Here are some pictures I snapped of Hadleigh trying on her tutu for the first time. It is not quite done, but I wanted to make sure the size was right before I finished. She was a little confused by it at first and didn't think she could crawl while wearing it. After a little help though, she was off (as you can see from the last shot). Hopefully she'll continue to enjoy wearing her tutus because we are planning on making a whole wardrobe of them! I'll be sure to post the portraits we take of the girls when we get them done.

Big girl car seat and Olympic fun

After much research (thanks to all the moms who gave me great advice), I went on and purchased Hadleigh's next car seat. Though she still enjoyed her infant seat, she had exceeded the height limit for it and she was no longer able to stretch out in it. Our choice...the Britax Marathon. Everyone I spoke to gave it rave reviews and it ranked very high safety-wise. Plus, it will last her until she is 65lbs (will she ever be that big?!). I found this UVA one on sale online. It is bright Orange but very soft. I may get a cover for it later on, but for now she is representing the Cavs amongst all these Hogs--WAHOO! She loves being able to see out the windows and has had no problem falling asleep in it. So far it is a winner!

8.8.08--What an exciting day for the world--the start of the 2008 Summer Olympics!
And another reason to have a party!
We had some friends over to watch the Opening Ceremony and everyone brought food from around the world. We had so much food, everything from McD's cheeseburgers to sushi and pot stickers. It was the greatest potluck ever! People were supposed to dress up as well, but of course Christian and I were the only ones who did (except for the Gabel's who brought McDonald's and an apple pie who were decked out in Red, White, and Blue--thanks guys for playing along!). Anyways, we had a blast and can't wait for August 2012. Mark your calendars now!

Just a snapshot of some of the food...there was sooo much.

The final Gulley Park concert for the summer. Hadleigh clapped along with the music and enjoyed the unusually cool summer night.