A Very Merry Early Birthday, To You!

Charlie Penn is nearly a year old, and this Friday, we celebrated with family and friends. We decided to have the train-themed party two weeks early because my Mom was in town and Brandon and I will be busy with school on Penn's real birthday, which is still August 12.

Mom and I spent several hours Thursday night and several hours Friday making the cake. According to the Betty Crocker video we watched, it would be as easy as throwing some batter into the pan, baking, frosting...badabing, badaboom = train birthday cake. Needless to say, it was trickier than we first thought. I had to throw a few curve balls by trying to save money and cut out high fructose corn syrup by making everything from scratch. By party time, however, we had a pretty darn cute cake, cupcakes, and a demolition cake to boot:

I couldn't help myself. I dressed Penn in a little engineer's hat. Brandon just walked by and apologized to our son. Anyhow, the hat stayed on only as long as the photo shoot:

Several babies were in attendance. Hank Scanlan came, sporting a Thomas t-shirt. Harper Slaughter came singing "Happy Birthday" and "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Little Cousin Declan Eli enjoyed the party from his Mommy and Grandma's arms, and sweet Luke Renfro, a mere two-weeks old, came with his brave parents. Penn got a little carried away with Sydney's lemonade, and dumped the cup on his shorts. I know you're thinking, yeah right. Poor baby.

When it came time for the cake, everyone sang Happy Birthday and crowded around. Penn danced, and then picked off the pretzel sticks and m&m's one-by-one. He wasn't interested in tearing into the cake, despite egging on from the crowd. He maintained his integrity and enjoyed the party on his own terms.

We had a great time, and after the guests went on their way, Penn opened a few gifts and went to town on the paper. Our out of town family was there in spirit, with cards and gifts from Aunt Jenny, Cousin Carson, Great-Grandma Frantom, and Great-Aunt Sylvia.

I'm so thankful for my son, for the blessings of his health, for his sweet, inquisitive personality, and for a great first year as a parent. All the cliche's are true. This year has flown by, and every stage has been the best stage. I pray for wisdom, patience, and joy in the years and milestones to come in the life of this beautiful boy.