Anna turned one last Sunday! We had her party at Shillito Park on Saturday. We had a great time - perfect weather, great food, family and friends. I made strawberry cupcakes with strawberry cream cheese icing - delicious. The icing is is so good you can eat it with a spoon; it tastes like strawberry ice cream. I used the recipes in Cupcakes from the Cake Mix Doctor. It's a great cookbook. Want a simple way to yum-up your cakes...add a box of instant pudding. We also had fried chicken from Kroger's, fruit, pasta salad, and a green salad. I also made sugar cookies with pink sprinkles. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.
When we got to the presents Anna was really tired. I put her in her stroller and opened all her gifts while she watched and OOOOHHHHed. She's so cute. I would show her what she got and she said "ohhhh." I love her.

We bought her this really cute mini kitchen from Fisher Price. She seems to enjoy it - makes noise, can open/close over and over the refrigerator, and has blocks and balls to bang together.

We went to the doctor today for her 12 month checkup and shots. She screamed, of course, but she's tough. The doctor said she looked good and seems to be developing well. We have to work with her on clapping/playing patty-cake and showing her how to use things trying to encourage her to mimic us. Well, babies are supposed to mimic faces when they are really little, but she has never done that. I practice and play with her, but she'll use things when she's ready. She does other things she's supposed to be doing and is very social and curious. I don't think it's a huge concern, but something to keep our eyes on - oh my, being a parent.

Another big day - Anna took a few steps over and over yesterday! It's really fun to see her accomplish something so major like that. I was so excited for her.

pictures i promised

Here are Anna and Jackson giving hugs and kisses - isn't that so cute. I could hardly breathe I was laughing so hard. Anna eats people's faces a little when she gives kisses. My little sweet pea.

Here's that photo of Jackson I promised. Isn't his little cake face cute???

things to do, people to see

We've been busy, and will continue to be busy for at least another week, if not more...
We cleaned and finished last minute de-cluttering on Friday. Toys R Us was having a sale on Fisher Price toys (buy one more than $25 = get one less than $25 for FREE). We hadn't bought anything for Anna's birthday, so I ran to TRU and Target in the horrible pouring down rain at 7:00 on Friday night.

We met with the realtor on Saturday morning = our house is on the market! I'm kind of sad when I look at the sign in the yard. I like our house, but we're ready to move.

Then, we drove to Cincinnati for my nephew's 1st birthday party. He was cute. We had a good time. It was a little weird bc my sister's mom is my old step mom and there was all this drama in the past. She was a big part of my life even though she hurt a lot of family with her choices. I've moved on, but I don't see her very often. It was ok though. Anna and Jackson, the birthday boy, were so cute together at the very end of the party. We stood them up facing each other. They hugged and kissed! It was so freakin' cute. I'm too lazy to put the pics on the computer right now, but maybe one day I'll post a pic.

Anna was showing off and entertaining everyone at the birthday party, which means she was nice and crabby today for Easter. She only has one day of fun and entertainment in her little system. She only wanted to be with Bryan or me and wanted to be held. She didn't sleep on the way home. I had to sit in the back so she would stop whining and crying. But I love her anyway.

The things to do this week in preparation for Anna's 1st Birthday!!!!!!

• call and see if I can secure another place for the party - so not happy. About three months ago, I scheduled Anna's party at the park with the rain backup being at our house. Family knew the plan. Well, B's dad is super allergic to our dog. He decided over the past week or so that he didn't want to come to our house at all bc he has to be on a lot of medication when he goes home. What the F am I supposed to do about this party if it rains????? B's family lives out of town, they are staying at a hotel for the weekend - I really don't want to have my baby's 1st bday at a hotel. Pray for sun and lots of it on Saturday.
• go to the grocery
• finish the laundry
• try to buy flowers and get them planted
• get an estimate for the car bumper
• go to Sam's and get strawberries, chicken, and chips
• make strawberry cream cheese frosting
• make cookies
• make cupcakes
• order chicken for the party
• wrap presents
• keep the house clean
• maybe go look at a house I might want to live in

I can do it.

I've been feeling sick - a cold - again - and tired. We decided to put our house on the market even though our offer didn't go through on the house we like. We've been looking online at houses in different neighborhoods. I haven't seen anything I love. I don't know what will happen if we sell our house??? We've been busy cleaning and painting; I use the term "we" loosely - B has done all the hard work, but I did the mom work.
We heard from the realtor about that house we liked - she learned that it's going into foreclosure. That means it will probably be tied up in paperwork and legal issues for awhile. It's still weird that they didn't accept our offer, or try to negotiate. Supposedly their lawyer advised them not to accept any offers? We're going to keep our eye on it though. I really like the location, location, location.

Something happy:
A friend from high school and college is getting married in June. He's a good guy - and the few times I've met his fiance, she's a good gal. I got the invite today (it's very fancy and beautiful), and Anna is invited. I'm really excited to see friends I haven't seen in a long time. After college, we all moved to different areas of the country so we don't get together very often. Our friends that will be at this wedding haven't even met Anna; I'm excited for them to meet her. I think they are as excited as people could get about meeting a baby, but I think they are equally excited for the free beer :).

update

Bryan and I thought about the house for a few days, double checked our income vs. expenses, got pre-approved, and decided to make an offer.
So we made an offer on the house, but the sellers rejected it based on the fact we put a contingency to sell our home. It seems a little strange, but either way, we are moving on. We are meeting with a realtor tonight to get an idea about selling our home and discuss the home we like - see what our options are.
Our backyard was a mess, so B had a huge load of dirt delivered yesterday. he worked like a dog and got THE ENTIRE LOAD OF DIRT moved to the backyard. I'm going to a birthday party tomorrow, so while Anna and I are there, he's going to do some paint touch-ups and try to finish the backyard. I can help with the paint while Anna's napping. I'll be trying to declutter some today.
We'll see what happens from here. There are a lot of homes for sale in our neighborhood. Our home is cute - I know, I'm just a little partial!.