happy first birthday, baby sawyer!
on saturday, we attended the sweetest little shindig to celebrate sawyer may's first birthday. i can't believe this little lady is already a whole year old! she isn't even mine and i am freaking out about it.
my sister put out the yummiest spread and decorated with the sweetest touches to make the day extra festive. cheese and crackers, plenty of chemex coffee, and a tasty assortment of sprinkles cupcakes. and of course, an adorable smash cake for the birthday girl.
while the adults mingled. the little ones got to it. elinor visited the chickens in the backyard. ridley was passed around the room so he could flirt with everyone before his nap time. sawyer waved and said "hi" to her guests. and the cousins played a bit and gave us some perfect photo-opps.
once we had enjoyed some snacking and sawyer was sufficiently excited, she dove into her gifts. and elinor was ready and willing to act as "helper". she got in on some of it but we did restrain her a few times so it wasn't "the elinor show".
being an exuberant three-year-old at another child's party is tough stuff. elinor skipped her nap and was in full-throttle mode in the afternoon plus she had been looking forward to giving a gift to sawyer for such a long time plus she is a natural little miss in charge pants and wants to direct and help plus she feeds off the energy of others and attention from others. so, as you can imagine, that's a recipe for a wild time. thanks for putting up with her malarkey and shenanigans and volume, everyone.
sawyer opened the coolest toys and prettiest books and even received a squeezable baby doll (or, gigi, as she calls them). it was so cute. and she was such a gracious birthday girl. taking her time with each gift and smiling and just being all-around darling.
and then, the main event. cake time. bree made a teeny little cake and sawyer really went for it. she kept trying to push it onto the floor and between her little bites she would smear the frosting and squish the cake between her fingers and let out happy "ooooh" sounds. and clapping. yay for sawyer! or, baby sawyer as elinor says. won't it be fun when elinor still calls her that even though her "baby" cousin is a good foot taller than her?
and i didn't get a picture of the really messy stuff. the good stuff. the money shot. nor did i get one of sawyer assuming her official eating position with her foot propped up on the high chair tray, which was awesome.
however, i did manage to capture this wilting glare. awesome right? that look was for elinor, who was probably eyeing that smash cake (even though she had her own cupcake in front of her). "don't even think about it, elinor."
and, in other moments that i didn't capture: sawyer received a YBike and she and elinor were taking turns racing around the house. chasing each other and running and crawling and scooting and squealing. it was hilarious.
it is such fun to watch these little ones grow and learn and interact and entertain. it was the best afternoon. exhausting and wonderful and loud. just as any childhood party should be.
happy birthday, sawyer may elenius! you are bright and sweet and lovely and curious and strong. we can't wait to see what God has in store for your life. and we are honored to be a part of the ride...
and to further commemorate the occasion, here are a few sawyer-related posts. enjoy!