First Birthday Party!

Our baby girl is turning one.  Regardless of how I feel, she's getting bigger and reaching a major milestone...her first birthday.  This alone has caused a wave of emotions.  Most of which are happy and proud of the beautiful girl that Matt and I are raising; however, there's a part of me that is sad how quickly time is flying by.  I hope to have many more years as special as this past one.  But I need to take a moment to say how much this past year has meant to me. Words can't describe the way I feel or how grateful I am to be her mother and raise her along side a wonderful man who is a loving father and husband.

I also realized that I am going to be that mom that calls Anne every year on her birthday to tell her the story of her birth.  I'd like her to know that 23 1/2 hours of labor was tough, but it was worth every moment.  

Now, back to the reason for this post, yesterday was Anne's first birthday.  It should not surprise you that the theme was pink.  A friend said that it looked like a pink pinata exploded in our house.  I took that as a compliment that the theme was apparent.

It was a lovely party with our wonderful friends and family.  We had a pink candy buffet, an area where kids could decorate cookies, pink cupcakes and a beautiful pink smash cake.

Sadly, Anne hadn't napped that afternoon and wasn't the happiest baby.  She also has yet to smash her cake.  She broke down after we sang happy birthday and I immediately put her down for a nap.  We are so appreciative to everyone who took the time to celebrate with us and for those of you who couldn't make it, we missed you.  Anne is definitely loved by so many.

Matt also put together a sweet slide show of pictures of Anne over the year.  It was fun to think back on all of those moments.

Happy birthday, Anne.  Your mom and dad love you to the moon and back.  

Halfway Mark

In early January I wrote about resolutions that I set for the year, one of which is successfully completing "I Am Crossfit".  Well, I've completed 4 weeks of more than a 90% paleo diet and 4 workouts per week.  I'm down 9 pounds and am extremely proud of myself.  Matt and my friends have been incredibly supportive throughout and have to admit the first half went by faster than I expected.  I am hopeful that the remaining time goes by just as quickly; however, I do believe I'm developing habits that I plan to sustain.  I can tell a tremendous difference in how I sleep (when Matt's snoring doesn't wake me) and am in another pair of pre-
Anne jeans. 

Yesterday, I attended the "I Am Crossfit" skills workshop.  We worked in groups with coaches in learning how to improve our run, kettlebell form, pullups, handstand push ups and hang power cleans.  Of all of these skills, I am most confident with the kettlebell and owe that to all of the time I spent in kettlebell class with Devon and Randal, our coach.  Randal was incredibly supportive while I was pregnant and affectionately nicknamed Anne the "quarter pood baby" after she was born.  A pood is a Russian unit of measure weighing around 32 pounds, I think. 

During the handstand push up practice, I pulled something in my shoulder/neck area.  It didn't help when I then continued to practice and I was stiff yesterday.  This morning, I had another team workout and immediately could tell I was hurt.  My coaches were great in modifying the workout; however, I pushed myself and now I can't really move my neck.  I'm a mess and am sure it will all be fine after I get to see Dr. Jill.  I'm just hoping that I can see her before I leave for Chicago. 

Perhaps the cold temps will help to ice it down naturally.

Baptism

After Anne was born, Matt and I began looking for a church where we could provide Anne the opportunity to grow up with a church family.  We tried a lot of churches around Austin and couldn't seem to find something that we loved.  I prefer a traditional church service meaning that I want the choir in robes and I don't want people to play the guitar or drums during the service.  I prefer an organ and piano. 

Last summer, Sarah invited us to join them at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church and we immediately liked it.  The children's programs are great and the women who work the nursery have come to know and recognize Anne. 

Early this year, we began the process of joining the church by enrolling in the new member classes.  We are required to complete three classes where we learn about the history of the church and opportunities to  get involved.  We completed the class with other couples and were formally welcomed to the church during the 11:00 am service.  In addition, Matt and Anne were baptized together.  It was an incredibly special day for our little family and we're so fortunate to have found a place where Anne can grow to learn more about God and faith.

Here's a family photo from the baptism:

And if you would like to see the video from the baptism, you can watch it online at https://vimeo.com/58898553.