a party for one

It was a good, good day... as evidenced by the amount of chocolate involved.

A chance to celebrate the life of our precious son... our treasure, our joy, our sweet, sweet boy.

We started off the day with fireworks--well, sort of--and opening pretty packages with Gigi and Gramps over skype and Nanny and Bop in person. How wonderful it was to have all of Levi's grandparents present for... the presents.

And then of course was the party. There were lots of banners... big, floating balloons... party pies and sausage rolls (classic Aussie kids party food)... adorable and animated munchkins under three feet tall... many wonderful friends... brightly wrapped gifts... party hats... and of course cupcakes... many cupcakes. (We are still eating cupcakes.)

There was a make-shift photo booth... for laughs and memories and future blackmail material.

There were squeals of delight... and well-wishes... three generations... and free play... live music performances by the little ones... and "helpers" for Levi when he opened his gifts.

And of course there was chocolate... the first timid tastes of sugar which built to kneading and mashing and stuffing of the face... moments of hilarity... and lots, and lots, and lots of mess.

Oh sweet, sweet chocolate... all over our sweet, sweet boy...

There were impromptu fake beards... and very dirty clothes... and kids sent straight to the tub.

And after our little birthday boy was tucked up into bed... there was more celebration: toasting, laughing, and reminiscing. There were sincere prayers of thanksgiving and a few little tears of joy and gratitude.

It was a good, good day.

It was a great day.

And, although we most likely will not put such time and energy into parties to come, to mark this first year with a bang felt right and appropriate. Levi's life (and our parenthood) seemed worthy of our best effort. We thank the good Lord for the miracle of life and for the ability and means to celebrate well.

Dear friends, near and far, thank you for making our occasion so special.

enjoying the afterglow,


P.S. Just so you know, I did the party for quite cheap... lots of construction paper, ribbon, my laptop, a printer, some felt, a few sticks, brads, magnets, and wooden clothespins, a visit to the dress-up box that lives under my bed... and of course my trusty little glue gun. The most "expensive" thing was getting a few helium balloons. I'm convinced that making something feel extravagant does not have to cost a fortune... but rather some planning and some creativity!! Oh, and I made Levi's cake from a box, set it on a plastic plate that I found in my cupboard, and stuck a couple of handmade pinwheels on there with a candle - simple and cheap and cute! Betty Crocker, I am not my friends. :)

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2011 
do not reproduce without written permission

twelve months

Since Levi's three favorite things right now are his books, his guitar, and walking... I thought it only fitting to mark twelve months accordingly. Although these are not the best photos from a technical perspective I do love them anyway. They show how much fun he is and how cute he is at the moment.

Ah, twelve months...

{he takes story-book reading very seriously these days.}

{this was more of a run than a walk... yikes!}

{i'm swooning over this one.}

{so. much. fun.}

{"are you watching me mama? are you listening?"}

{doing a little jig while playing a tune. love!}

{i adore those chubby feet.}

My how times have changed...

{nine months - all about the standing and cruising.
his personality really began to come out around this age.}

{six months - all about the sitting, "sorting", and examining.
it was nearly impossible to rip his focus away from his toys
and get him to look at me for a photo at this age.}

{three months - all about the pushing up and learning to roll over.
i remember thinking he looked like such a big boy when i took this...
but not so much when i look at it now. just a wee little babe.}

Oh, and a bonus word of advice for other first-time-moms out there: There are certain books you shouldn't read during the lead-up to your firstborn's first birthday... I'll Love You Forever or Oh, the Places You'll Go! or The Giving Tree or The Runaway Bunny. It's all just a little much.

My boy will be one in two days.  T w o  D a y s.

Dear friends, just a photo dump on the memos today. I know you don't mind a dose of cuteness every now and then. And to my mama-photographer mates, a question: How do you keep a very busy little toddler in focus?! I'm having the darndest time taking decent photos lately, *sigh* and it's beyond frustrating!

help?


P.S. If you're the praying type, please pray for my little man. He's been fighting a cold/cough/fever all week and today it really took a turn for the worst... I held him for hours this afternoon as he just cried and cried and went in and out of short bursts of sleep. He's miserable and really needs healing... Not sure if it's teething related (same thing did happen the last two times he cut new teeth) or if it's just a flu. In any case, it's nasty!! Of course we're hoping that we won't have to cancel his birthday party which is happening in two days. Not to mention the fact that we don't want to get his little friends sick either! Oh, and my in-laws arrive tomorrow to stay for a week. Not the best timing for a sick bub! But most of all I want to see him well for his own sake. It's so hard watching your baby suffer. boo. :( Thanks for your prayers! xxo

on saturday...

photo credit: sue stendahl 

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission