Natalee's 1st Birthday!

****WARNING**** Major picture overload just ahead!!

We had a great time celebrating Natalee's first birthday...and let's face it...I know I had way more fun than she had! After all...we were celebrating our 1st year as a family together! On Tuesday, her actual birthday, we took the day off just to be together as a family...we decided to go down to Rochester and do a little shopping and go out to eat...and since she can't tell us where her favorite place to eat is we chose ours...Hu Hot! After that we shopped the mall and got a few new things for her...and they were on clearance so even better :) We then took her over to Toys R Us and got her a ball and another toy for her birthday...she loves balls! And she's been trying to kick her little ball so Jon got her one of those cheap plastic balls that are a little bigger and let me tell you...it is a hit! This girl lets us get off cheap with a $3 ball! :) We did a little more shopping and got a few more things for her party on Saturday...I decided that her theme for her party was going to be rainbows and cupcakes...rainbows because I kind of took that as my theme of the year (if you couldn't tell by my blog...I love the quote at the top by Dolly Parton) because Natalee is definitely our rainbow at the end of our rain storm :) All the rain was worth the rainbow :) And then cupcakes...because let's face it...who doesn't like cupcakes! I do! ;) After we were done shopping Natee was pooped so Jon and I decided to just get Jimmy John's (which was appropriate because we at it twice on the day that she was born...once while we were just sitting around trying to kill time until they called us and once after a long day at the hospital because that was all that would deliver!) and eat it on the way home. While we were at Sam's Club we saw these little cakes surrounded by cupcakes so we decided to pick one up and let her have a little cake on her birthday...we invited her cousins that lived in town (only 2 could come on such short notice) and we had a little cake for her birthday...it was fun to watch her dive in...she wasn't so sure at first...but soon got the hang of it! On Saturday then we had her big party...we had fun snow activities outside first...Jon and Matt got Matt's snowmobile up and running again and then Jon made a little ramp/sled hill for the kids...I think everyone that was outside had a blast...then it was time to come in and have food, and cupcakes and open presents! :) She got spoiled by the way :) All in all it was a very good first birthday...one that I'm sure she will never remember but one that I will never forget! :) Enjoy the pictures :)

After her first meal at Hu Hot...she liked it :)

Greta, Natalee and Julia...isn't the cake cute?!?!

A girl and her mama :)

mmmm...this is pretty good!

Yep...it's official...she likes cake!

Gotta love it!

This is me going down Jon's sled hill...pretty fun!

Snow much fun!

The Birthday Girl and Boy...Uncle Sam was nice enough to share his birthday with Natee so she could have her party...Happy Birthday Uncle Sam!

Yummy Yummy Cupcakes...wanna see what's inside these little treasures...okay...I'll show you...

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Ta da! Pretty right?!

Wanna know how I made them?!? Okay...I'll tell you...3 boxes of cake mix...divided into 6 bowls...dye each bowl of batter a different color...red, yellow, orange, green, blue and purple...put a little of each colored batter into each cupcake liner...and yes they are putzy...but they have the wow factor so they were worth it! :) I wasn't sure how they would turn out...I didn't know if the batter would mix and turn out brown...but they didn't and I am way happy with how they turned out!

Helping Natee with her candle...there may have been a little frosting fight between Jon and Sam (okay...and me too) but I won't document that with pictures :)

You can't tell that she is loved...can you?!? Aunt Suzi, Natee and Grandma Annie

Levi, Natee and Grandma

Lots of fun presents!!!

And here is Natee's latest trick...fish face! (or fish lips!) But I think what she is really doing here is sealing this blog post with a kiss!