Happy Birthday Briella!

Briella is 1 year old!!!   I can't believe it!  Time is flying by.   Yesterday, July 15th, Briella had a fun but simple birthday.  Matt stayed home with the kids because Connor wasn't feeling to well, so Briella started her day with a nap, as usual.  :)  Then I got home from church and she took another nap - such an exciting life.  :)   After that the festivities began.  We opened presents as a family (which included our dear friend Linda Kuck, from church).  Briella wasn't quite sure what to think or do with the presents but good thing she has a big brother to show her the ropes.  He helped open all her presents (and even got a couple of his own from family and friends - so nice!).   Then we had dinner and the best part - birthday cake!   I made a Jello poke cake with cool whip as the frosting.  Connor helped frost the cake and get everything ready.  Briella loved it when we sang to her - you'll see from the video below.   She was so cute!!  She dug right into the frosting but wasn't quite sure how to eat the cake, I think it was too big.  She figured it out though.

It was so fun watching her and remembering this past year.  She is growing up so much and changing everyday.  I love her and we're so grateful she is in our family!  Her smile is contagious and just lights up a room!  We love you Briella!

Here are her accomplishments for the year and some of her likes (just a few, there are many more!):

- Crawling (army crawl sort of - her own twist on it!)
- Smiling  (big cheesy smiles!)
- 7 teeth (4 on top and 3 on bottom)
- Trying to keep up with her brother
- No more baby food, only big people food
- Says, 'Mama', 'OH' (as 'Uh-Oh), 'Dada' and many other sounds/words we have yet to understand
- Loves books about baby animals
- Loves to eat pasta, broccoli, potatoes, and most all fruits (blueberries and watermelon are her favorite)
- Hates peas (just like her mama!)
- Her favorite toy is her caterpillar that has her pacifier attached to it (WubbaNub pacifiers - love them!)
- She loves Uncle Joe (Katelin's hubby) - they became best friends this past June while we were all in Oregon.
- Nicknames:  'Baby Girl' and 'Bright Eyes'

Happy Birthday Briella!

 This is the card Connor got for her.  It was an Angelina Ballerina card - very cute! 

 Making sure all the toys worked well!  :)

 Connor was such a good helper!

 'What do I do with this cake?'

'Oh, I got it!!'

Here's a video of the birthday celebration!