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November, November, November.....whew...

It's December 5 and I feel like we are just now coming up for air...just in time for Christmas.  But we did have a great time.  Georgia's first birthday was a beautiful day.  For mid-November it was sunny and warm.  We had a party for her and just invited family, which for us is a lot of people, Wade and I both have 3 siblings.  Our house is tiny and was packed to the gills and I'm pretty sure there wasn't enough seating, but we don't have a lot of complainers in our families, so it wasn't a problem.  No, the seating wasn't a problem, the fact that the birthday girl decided on that day that she was going to take a 2 hour nap at 12:30 when the party started at 1:00, that was a little problem.  Wade's dad, Grandpa Benda, had driven all the way from Western KS for the celebration and he was ready to see his granddaughter.  But in the end I think the nap worked out pretty well because all the adults got to visit and Henry got to play soccer with Grandpa Benda and Uncle Sergio.  By 2:00 GB was getting impatient and headed in to her room to watch her sleep.  Then they started taking photos of her sleeping (which I totally get, I take them all the time, here is one from Monday- and I have about 200 more on my phone).

Anyway, she woke up once the paparazzi came in and we decided to open presents rather than jump right in to cake.  Here she is looking tired, confused and happy.  She didn't seems nervous or shy.  She wasn't sure about all the people, some of them she doesn't see very often, but she was up for it.  Henry gave her a small gray cat and she hugged it and said "oh".  that's what she does these days.  She loves to hug stuffed animals (and some people, Grandpa Heiman and Henry are usually the lucky ones) and she points at everything and says "AH" or "OH".  It's the sweetest thing, like she is amazed and interested in everything around her. She got shoes and a car seat from Grandpa and Grandma Heiman. An ASPEN jacket from Grandpa and Grandma Benda.  A stuffed turtle from Aunt Lillie and Uncle Scott.  A fuzzy coat and red hair clips from Uncle John and Aunt Lydia.  (Sorry I am writing all of this out for posterity sake, feel free to skip to the next paragraph.) Mittens and a hat from Aunt Susie and Uncle Ted.  A wooden sorter toy from Aunt Kelly and Cooper. And little gray chucks and a cupcake blanky sleeper from Aunt Annie and Uncle Sergio.

She was funny with the cake, which was to be expected since she hates anything that isn't milk, cheerios or Annie Cheddar Bunnies.  She poked at it, took a few bites and then was ready to be done. After that it was time to play and take photos with the Benda's.  Overall I would say it was a success.  I can't say enough how blessed my children are to have these people in their lives.  Every single one of their relatives brings something unique and special to the relationship and I can't imagine doing this without them.  I love them all and feel their support and generosity every day.  It takes a village to raise children and this is the village I want my children to grow up in.  So lucky.  So so so thankful. 
I will post about Henry's birthday celebration tomorrow.