Ellie's big weekend

We went big and decided to do Ellie's first birthday party and baptism in the same weekend. It was hectic, but so much fun! Mom and Dad came into town, as well as Evan (resident photographer) and Josh, and Claire.

Birthday was up first on Saturday. I got very into the party planning (not surprising) and all the details looked just perfect! I probably won't go this nuts for subsequent birthdays, but the 1st just seemed to require something special :)
I decided on a hot air balloon theme, and got most of my decor from Etsy. Mom even made a gorgeous fabric banner that we used to display Ellie's monthly photos. All in all we had about 20 people here which turned out to be perfect. Beanbag toss was set up in the back, and so the kiddos were able to run around and play (with some of the bigger "kiddos"). It was low key and full of love, just how I'd hoped it would be.
When the big moment came, Ellie was hysterical with her cake. She was SO delicate, gently touching it, very unsure of what she was supposed to do with it/if she was allowed to mess it up. She was also very big into trying to share bites with anyone who came over to say hello. After about 5 minutes of watching her sweetly poke at it, Brad shoved her whole hand right into the middle of it. She looked stunned, but immediately VERY happy. It was all bets off then, and she gladly dug right in, grabbing chunks and snarfing them down. I think she liked making a mess more than eating it, but either way, she was having fun. Cake success!
The party goers left and we were back down to our little posse of grandparents, uncles, and Aunt Claire, and we had a wonderful rest of the afternoon/evening.

The baptism was on Sunday and what a beautiful day. Even though Grammy and Grampy couldn't be with us, we felt like they were as Ellie was wearing a baptism gown that we had made from Martha's wedding dress. What a special family keepsake that we will continue to use and pass down.
We attended Mass at 10:30 am, and after had the private ceremony. Claire and Evan stood with us as Ellie's godparents, as Mom and Dad watched along with Lindsay, Brenton and Beckett. Ellie was fidgety but good - she did as well as we could expect for a 12 month old. We received a bottle of holy water from the font she was baptized from as well as a candle from Blessed Sacrament.

We headed back to our house for long, leisurely brunch of egg casserole, green salad, fruit salad, and cinnamon rolls. We even brought in the outdoor table (which matches up with our dining room table PERFECTLY) so all 9 of us could sit down to brunch together.

We continue to be grateful to our family and friends who make these big moments in our lives so unbelievably special. We are lucky, lucky people.
A link to all the photos is here.  Fair warning - there are about 200. Oops :)