I'll Take What I Can Get

Today was a big day for our family. We've been planning and organizing for months. Today we celebrated SIX birthdays:

Avery, 10 (my niece)
Reid, 7 (my nephew)
Taryn, 6 (my cousin)
Julia and Adyson, 1 (my twin nieces)
Alayna, 1 (my baby girl)

Did I mention there were 65 of our friends and family there to celebrate? And that it was NINETY-FIVE DEGREES outside? Well, we wouldn't have it any other way. We partied with those we love and we perspired with those we love. HEAVILY.

It started out way back when my sister and I were pregnant together. We couldn't wait for all the things our three girls would get to do together. And we've had some great times! We dress them alike, we swap clothes, we had them baptized together, and almost had their ears pierced together. (Remember the virgin ears? Yeah, we know who's boss...)

Anyway, we started planning this party almost a year ago-tossing around ideas about where to have it, what to serve for food, who to invite, etc. THEN we had the idea to throw Avery, Reid and Taryn into the mix and have an all-out bash. After all, there would have to be parties for them as well this summer, with Reid's official birthday in June, and Avery and Taryn's in August.

So, after a year of planning and organizing and shopping and inviting and all the food preparations and decoration details, and cake making, today was the day. And although this IS Michigan, and weather cannot be assumed, I am happy to announce that there was NO snow, NO rain. It was a perfect day. Perfect for everyone-a huge water slide for the kiddos, ice cold beer for the rest of us, and cake.

If you celebrated your birthday today, you had your very own choice of cake.

For Avery and Reid, that meant cupcakes.


For Taryn, a pretty little tiny cake.


For the babies: smash cakes, of course!

Julia dove in face-first.


Adyson used her hands, but still had a good mess going on.


Alayna was not interested at all, and had to have HELP to get her hands dirty.


Yeah, so my girl didn't want to give us the first birthday cake messy show. She had some cake later with Daddy and didn't have to touch it once. That's just a part of the unique, dainty, reserved, wonderful, beautiful, perfect girl that she is.



And I'll take it.