Happy Birthday to ME!

Everybody SING with me! "Happy Birthday to ABBY! Happy Birthday to ABBY! Happy Birthday dear Abby, Happy birthday to you!" That's right! It was my first birthday last Wednesday. I was a bigger deal than usual!

I got all sorts of presents - so many presents it could overwhelm even a princess like me who is quite accustomed to being showered with gifts.

I received (delicious) fan mail from near and far.

And I was so excited to get a package from my friend Lila (and Emma, Matthew and Johnny!) I was ALL over it.

Turns out one of the best parts of receiving gifts is sampling the paper they are wrapped in. I found that tissue paper could turn your mouth and hands different colors - but a good Hallmark wrapping paper was a savory treat.

A good birthday girl doesn't just rush through her gifts; she takes a moment to enjoy each one. Here I am reading about my role model, Fancy Nancy's latest adventure. That girl is just full of one great idea after another.

Of course a princess always gets some fancy new clothing.

Now here's the thing I didn't know about. On your first birthday they give you this thing called a cupcake. I didn't understand why they insisted on taking off my pretty party shirt before I could have this thing. I mean, really, how embarrassing! Who eats in their diaper? So I picked at the cupcake and was distraught to find it to be a sticky, yucky mess!

Mom and Dad were so busy snapping pictures no one was going to get me a wash cloth to clean up with - so I took matters into my own hands and decided I'd have to lick myself clean. Which is when I made the best discovery of the day...

Cupcakes are DELICIOUS! Sticky? Yucky? Try WONDERFUL! Where the heck have you been hiding THESE all year Mom? Seriously, perhaps I would not have had these weight gain issues back in the day had you introduced THIS stuff. I can't believe you held out on me like that.

Just in case it's a year before I ever see one of these again - I went strong. I brought my "A-Game" and killed that cupcake.

When Mom said "Make a Wish" I think I heard Callie wish to be two inches taller. Dream on, Doggie... come back for those nasty peas or something - I have this cupcake handled.

After I got wiped down - I posed for a picture with my parents. Happy family pic!

Now, here's the best part: we celebrated my birthday AGAIN 3 days later with a heart-themed "What a Year It's Been!" birthday party... and better yet: a WHOLE cake just for me!!!!!!

Let's just get this wax thing off of here... I'm an old pro at this cake thing now... let me at it Mom.

Since this cake was big, I had to put my game face on and really show the cake who was boss. GRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Oh - oops! Forgot about the "hands-covered-in-frosting" bit...

Well, wear it with pride, I always say.

My friends (I swear I have some - it's just that Mom and Dad got all busy chit-chatting with them and they totally forgot that I had assigned them the job of photographing the event... don't worry - I'm checking with my legal team about having them fired.) Anyway, my friends brought me some awesome new toys. They are quite complex as you can see. It takes a highly intelligent baby such as myself to master these things.

I also got a Band in a Box. I am ready to JAM!

When that music touches my soul, I just bang my cymbals...

Later that night Mom told me my birthday was all over for this year. "WHAAAAAAAAAT?" "What you talkin' 'bout Mommy? That's just wrong..."

Fall Fun!

Happy Fall everyone! October was a really busy month for me. We went back to the cabin in West Virginia with my friends Christina and Adam. We did some hiking - and now that I weigh 17 pounds - mom is just about to give up on carrying me around in the Baby Bjorn.

I decided it was high time for me to try out the four-wheeler. I just need my legs and arms to be a little bit longer - then this bad-to-the-bone baby will kick up some dust!

Adam was pretty darn proud of what a natural I was on his four-wheeler. I gave him a high-5. I do that now. I know. I'm impressive.

In October there was a 5 Mile race to raise money for Fairfax Hospital's Pediatric Cardiology program. Since they did such a fantastic job fixing my heart - I decided to recruit a few people to run with my mom. These are my friends Christina, Bethany and Anna Lyn. They're all teachers. (Look at the "after" picture below to see my friend Marni, another teacher, who also did the race - we just couldn't find her in the crowd for this "before" photo.) Please note my adorable heart themed outfit and matching bow chosen especially for this race. I really think of everything when it comes to fashion.

My Aunt Emily made us all matching t-shirts so we could cheer for my team. She's so crafty.

Auntie Em and I watched the race intently.

Tucker came to cheer on his mom - and to spend quality time with me. Here we are discussing what a drag it is to be held by your mom when she stinks after running 5 miles in the nasty, thick humidity.

There's Marni! Yay runners! Everyone did a great job on a very hilly course - and all the money went to buying a new heart and lung bypass machine - which was a pretty critical little piece of machinery - from what I can recall.

I went to the pumpkin patch and worked hard to get the tops off the pumpkins.

Then I did some apple picking. Dad decided it was high time I start to contribute something around here - so he put me in charge of carrying our empty bucket. That lasted about 3 seconds. Princesses DO NOT contribute.

We pose and wave and look beautiful. Duh. I don't see mom carrying a bucket!

When we got home I got to try my first piece of apple. I chewed at it for a while - then I fed it to Callie. That dog can't get enough of me!

One weekend my Uncle Charley came to run the Marine Corps Marathon. All this running has me thinking it's high time for Baby Boot Camp. I started with an intense series of push-ups.
I'm considering this whole crawling thing. I just am really having trouble with the forward motion part of the whole idea.

Then it was time for Halloween! Really, who invented this holiday?! Put on a costume and then everyone throws candy at you?! Genius! I was a bumble bee - I was ADORABLE. Too bad it rained on Halloween or I would have made so many more people happy.

I'm just so gosh-darn good looking. I couldn't resist posting all these.

Here's a nice side-view of my costume where you can see my pretty wings. No stinger though. I'm a sweet bee.

Mom and Dad let me try my first ever piece of candy. A Watermelon airhead. I wasn't quite sure what to make of it all - and just as I got used to sucking on the yummy sugar treat - they deemed that I'd "had enough" and took it away. I am so over those two making all the decisions for me.

Later on I met up with Tucker. He was a Cuddle Bug/ Glow Worm. He was good looking. :) Look at that smiley little flirt!

I think he was a little depressed to hear that I'd gotten to try candy and he hadn't. I gave him a shoulder to cry on and tried to soothe him a bit - I reminded him that I'm older and....

Then I noticed those awesome antennae on top of his costume. I had to have them! Stop your crying Tucker, bring your head over here! Must. Have. Antennae. Mom says I may want to stop yanking on Tucker's head or hair each time we get together for a photo shoot or he may go looking for another woman. Yeah. Right.