Emilie's party

We celebrated Emilie's first birthday today and it was a blast! Friends, family, cookout, cake, ice cream, what more could anyone ask for? It was a scorcher so we got the kiddie pool out and all the kids had fun playing in the water. All in all, it couldn't have gone any better.

I made her a butter cake with strawberry icing. I used the juice from some macerated strawberries to flavor and color the icing and was very pleased with the results. I initially was going to make the cake in the shape of a strawberry, but due to some time constraints I had to make a change of plans and Ang suggested I put a big red "1" on the cake, so that's what a did. I think it turned out well. I threw on a couple of strawberries for good measure. Here is a picture of it along with a nice bouquet of flowers Emilie got from Aunt Sue & Uncle Steve & family. Aren't they beautiful! Emilie had fun opening her presents, but she lost interest rather quickly because it was so hot out. She received many nice toys, clothes, and lots of other girly stuff. She really didn't want to put down a My Little Pony she got from Diana and Lucas. It was a hit!

The biggest surprise of the day came from Emilie herself. She took her first steps! She decided to really be the star of the show and walk for the first time. Show off! I am really proud of her and she is pretty good already. I knew she had it in her, she just needed to let go of that walker. Today was the day and she was loving every minute of it. Way to go Emilie!