The PPP

It's that time of year.  You know, where everyone has the obligatory "Pumpkin Patch Post".  I didn't want to be left out, so here is mine!



A few weeks ago, we decided to take Hadley to Denver Downs, a really awesome farm not far from us.  David and I have gone a few times since we've been together and they have really spruced the place up!  It has changed so much since we started going there and I was thrilled to get to take Hadley!  If you ever get a chance, you really should go!  They have a cute little produce stand throughout the year, but the fall attractions are just plain amazing.  Each year the corn maze is cut into some crazy design.  This year it's the history of John Deere! 



They have a lot of fun stuff for big kids like a hay climbing wall, corn maze, in-the-ground bounce zone, hay rides, animals, slides, zip lines, and of course pumpkins.



I was really impressed that they had areas for little tykes, too.  They set up hay bales for a miniature maze and I can't describe how much fun Hadley had running through that maze.  She was in hog-heaven!  Speaking of hogs, she also really enjoyed the animals.  She got into a staring contest with a baby goat that was pretty comical for us adults.



We took a trip on the hay ride that Hadley was interested in exactly 0%.  She sat with her Daddy and ate some puffs.  The hay ride was a little long for a one year old, but still fun (for me at least, I wasn't trying to wrangle a toddler!)



They had the cutest little wagons to put pumpkins in, so when we went to pick ours out, we put Hadley and her sweet friend in and pulled them through.  I'm sure I'm biased, but they were the cutest pumpkins in the patch!




(a year ago)

I loved this time last year: home with my 2 week old, staring at her beautiful face and in such disbelief that she was actually, finally here!  But let me tell you, I have had such joy getting to make such sweet memories with her now that she's a little older and able to enjoy our outings!  I have a feeling the holidays are going to be crazy fun this year!

Hadley's First Birthday

This weekend was fantastic.  The culmination of three months of planning (yes, three months!), crafting, and a week of putting it all together gave us the best birthday any one year old could dream of.

We hosted Hadley's party at our house Saturday afternoon.  Y'all, this girl is LOVED.  We had around 50 people show up--FIFTY!  To help celebrate our girl.  David and I can't even tell you what that means to us.  The theme was "shabby chic" and it was perfect.  

The mantle had our "Happy Birthday" sign as well as the shadow box I made with Hadley's outfit she came home from the hospital in.



We covered our entertainment system in burlap and hung Hadley's monthly banner across.




The table where the cake sat had the picture album of Hadley's first month of life, her "first year" calendar, and her baby book ready for people to look through. (And no, those are not baked potatoes on the counter in the back.  They are mini banana and pumpkin breads!)


I made Hadley a ribbon banner for her high chair!  This was "pre-cake".  The banner now has pink icing on it that I'm trying desperately to get out.  I guess it's a good thing she only turns one once! ;)


Somehow, I was busy enjoying the party instead of taking pictures of my girl, but Hadley's great-grandmother and Aunt Susan were taking pictures.  I'll have to snag some of those so you can see just how much she enjoyed being the center of attention!  (She's not like her mom at all...cough, cough.)  Here are just a few:

 She wasn't a fan of the cake!  If I hadn't carried her myself for 9 months (and the fact that she's basically my twin), I would think she wasn't mine! No worries, though.  She devoured a piece on Sunday after the crowd had gone.  Whew...

 This is where I wanted her to sit to open her presents.  I forgot she is one year old and has a mind of her own.  One going on fifteen.  She walked around while I opened her presents for her.  She's got the life, I tell ya.

Enjoying some puzzle fun with Uncle Scott!

Sunday was her actual birthday and we spent it at home, as a family of three.  We played with all of her new toys and even took a walk in her little red wagon.  (You've got to be kidding me...she's old enough to sit in a wagon!)  I actually went into her room at 2:02 am Sunday morning--the exact time she was born-- so I could look at her.  Every detail of her birth is etched into my memory, it feels like just yesterday.

This girl has brought such joy to our lives in just one year.  I can't imagine how much joy she will bring in the years to come!  I know God has great things planned for her and I can't wait to watch her grow!  But seriously, time can slow down just a little bit.

The Returned

I'm back!  I took a much needed break from blogging the last few months.  It wasn't planned, I didn't keep up with Hadley's monthly statistics (well, I did.  Just not on the blog.), and I really, really enjoyed it.  But, I've also missed documenting our little world and now felt like the right time to jump back in.  (It's literally 4 days before Hadley's birthday party and I am up to my elbows in lists...and now I decide it's the right time?!  I might need to be tested!)

The last time you saw her, she looked like this:



Now, she looks like this:



This girl has done some growing!  She is smart as a whip, too.  I mean, she says "ba" for ball.  I'm pretty sure that's genius status right there.

I'm not promising to update my blog everyday.  I'm hopeful it will get updated once a week right now!  We've got more going on now that she's a bit older and isn't just laying on the floor, which should make for more interesting reads than, "Here is Hadley laying on the floor...almost rolling over!  Here's another picture of Hadley, this time she's facing the other way!"

(Although, I so miss those days!  Wasn't it just yesterday that she was born?  Someone asked me the other day if I was excited about her upcoming birthday party.  I said on one hand, YES!! Absolutely! Any chance to celebrate my girl!  On the other hand, my heart is just breaking because...wasn't it just yesterday that she was born????!)

I hope you'll still join me and I'm looking forward to catching up on what I've missed while I've been away!