This year, for Siena's birthday, we toned it way down (as most parents do after they realize the production that goes into a first birthday party). :) Siena loves to swim and be in water. So why not celebrate her in a place she loves - Grandma and Grandpa's pool. The weekend before Siena's birthday was a good time for everyone. With football starting the week of Siena's big day, we wanted to make sure we got a good party in before the busyness really kicked in!! We invited family and a few of Siena's friends (and ours) to swim and play outside. We decided to do simple food - sandwiches, chips and salsa and guac, fruit, salad, frozen yogurt, and drinks. Other than that, there wasn't much of an agenda. We all swam, played on the slip-n-slide, played with bubbles, chatted on the porch, and just spent the day together. We are so thankful for such wonderful family and friends to surround Siena with love. She is one lucky girl!!
A very happy birthday girl, pin and all!
Daddy and his birthday girl - in their favorite spot! (The reason for the "fog" in the picture - it's so blasting hot in Missouri, going from inside to outside is too much of a shock for a camera and it completely fogged up...for quite a while! Wasn't going to wait for it - wanted to capture some moments!!)
The bubble-blowing station...
"Running" down the slip-n-slide...
...and back for round 2.
A very excited little girl, waiting to blow out the candles! Might have been one of her favorite parts of the day. For days after her party, she kept talking about "...more candles on my birthday cake?!"
All of Siena's little friends who joined the party. Bryce, Erick, Laney, and Brady! What sweet, sweet kids! (Bella and Benjamin were there too, we just took the picture too late!)
Inside to open a few presents from the family...I think Auntie Em's more excited about the gift than Siena! :)
A happy day for us!!
An extra bonus to the birthday party? Auntie Em! Em was in town for a wedding reception, so it was perfect timing! She made the party complete. Siena sure does love her Auntie Em! Those two have lots in store for the future...
Oh, and then the cake. We made it tradition last year (ha - tradition...after just a year!) to make Siena's cake each year. Last year, that cake about got the best of us. This year, we again decided to ease up just a little bit. We made a fun swimming pool cake that (we thought) turned out pretty cute! We used teddy grahams as people in the pool and little candies for the toys. It was pretty painless and we got it finished during Siena's nap the day before. :)
The party was a success! Siena had such a great time with her family and friends around her! She loved splashing around in the pool, loved blowing out the candles, loved running down the slip-n-slide (and you can just imagine how that turned out!), and loved being the center of attention. After everyone left and she opened a couple gifts, she was worn out! A good, long nap after a birthday party - sounds like a success to me!!
And then Siena's special day, August 10. Even though we had Siena's birthday party, we still had to celebrate her actual special day! Matt had football for the morning and I actually had to work too. When I woke up Siena in the morning, she right away talked about her birthday cake! She was one excited little girl! She got to spend a few hours with her buddies, "Byce and Brady Boy." I think she loved that gift!!
After Daddy got home from football, we headed straight for the zoo! We have never been to the KC Zoo, so it was high time! What kid doesn't love to look at all the animals?! Her favorite was Nakita, the polar bear. She kept saying she wanted to get in the polar bear water and swim with him. Needless to say, we distracted her from that and moved on to the other animals. It was a pretty hot day but we were able to walk all around and see the animals we really wanted to see. Some of the highlights: the rhinos, giraffes, gorillas, lions, and elephants. On the way out, Siena got to pick out a little animal of her choice. After going through a few contenders, the "red-tailed panda" won out? We certainly didn't see that animal (and still aren't convinced that there is such a thing) but that was her choice. She named him Poomba. (Can you guess what movie she had seen shortly before that?)
Siena checking out the monkeys...
Trying to feed the turtle that popped his head up to say hi.
After the zoo, we went to Spin Pizza for yummy pizza and salads. That MAY have been a decision made my us that Siena just happened to like. I suppose when they can't pick their own place yet, might as well go for something WE like! Speaking of which, we topped that off with Orange Leaf frozen yogurt...my absolute favorite these days. And that is not just me. The very first time the 3 of us went, Siena inhaled all of my yogurt and was licking the inside of the cup with her face. That was our indication that she liked it too...so we thought that would be a fun treat to end the night.
And then, just to add icing to the cake, we stopped by the pet store. Siena got a pet fish. The story starts a little earlier than her birthday, but I'll cover that in another post - this one is all about her birthday. She got to pick out the fish and the home for him. I'm proud to say we have a red and blue Beta fish named...Connie. Yep, Connie. No idea where that name came from. Siena doesn't know anyone named Connie (well enough to want to name a fish after her), I don't think she has seen anything on TV with that name...your guess is as good as mine. I laughed out loud when she said it. And we stuck with it. Siena is very happy with Connie. We have to work on the air hugs and blowing the fish kisses. She feeds her and watches over her. Connie lives in Siena's room and they are the perfect roommates.
Trying to give Connie kisses...bless her little heart.
What a wonderful day to celebrate a wonderful girl. She sure is something special. I can't imagine our life without her. She is the joy in our days and the best part of our life together. We are blessed to be her parents and God has given us a gift that we treasure dearly. Siena Grace, you are a beautiful girl! Momma and Daddy love you more than you'll ever know! God is so very good and what a special miracle you are. Happy Birthday, little love.
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