Mother's Day Dinner

For Mother's Day dinner we headed to GG's. Here GG and Sidney Kate are in the backyard exploring.

Here Sidney Kate is learning 'not' to pick flowers, but to smell them. Little smelling going on here, but lots of picking!

No words are even needed here...but I'll use some anyway, "Adorable" "Precious" "Sweet"...you get the idea.
Rylan has really moved from not liking Sidney Kate (because she's a girl of course) to wanting her around. He wanted her to chase him around the yard, slide down the slide with him and sit next to him on the couch. I think we have some buddies here!

He strolled her to and from the playground, what a great friend he is!

Mother's Day Lunch

My Mother's Day began with some Sidney Kate snuggling followed by some waffles by Kevin. What a way to start the day!
After church, Momma, Deddy and UB (UB=Uncle Brady) came up for lunch...again, by Kevin.

Here is a family shot of the girls...oh wait...Brady too-so yeah, 'The Girls." (hehe)

Here is Brady being a sissy...really, having this blog means I can take picking on him to a whole new level!
I know I'll get a phone call from Momma.

Another family shot...

Grandparents and Sidney Kate

Saturday's Events

Look who knows how to escape her Bumbo! Yes, she has finally learned that she doesn't need us to get out of confined spaces. Seeing this made for a sad day! Kevin and I are going to have to get smarter in our methods of containing her madness...all ideas are appreciated!

Saturday was also the day she decided being an Interior Designer might be a fun career choice. After she pushed the end table out of the way she sat on her book basket to see if she liked the view from that spot...I received this wave when I asked her what she was doing.

Sidney Kate's new fascination is with my hair brushes. Maybe it's because she's had her hair brushed for 12 months and she wants to do it herself now. We often catch her finding her way to our bathroom to retrieve the brushes. Saturday was the first day she combed her pigtails out...I don't know how she didn't get the brushes tangled in her hair!

While we were in the kitchen, I watched in amazement as she scaled the dishwasher door. After she attempted climbing up from the front she walked to the side and got up with ease. Then her dress was soaked and we had to change, but who cares! That was too funny to watch!

I would call this another "Venable Fit", but I'm pretty sure it's an "Aunt Jill" fit. I've never seen anyone duplicate the "Aunt Jill" fit...at least not this good of an impression!

This so reminds me of a baby calf drinking out of a bottle...

Hello

Sidney Kate has become quite the expert at button pushing. She has figured out remote controls, Mama V's TV (ask Uncle Keith) and she has mastered the phone. She has called Kevin at work a few times as well as left it on for hours at a time (if you can't reach us we're blaming her-haha).

I was able to catch her having a wonderful conversation with someone.

Birthday Cake for Papa Bill

My caterpillars were so impressive (haha) that Cindy asked me to make Papa Bill (Clarence) a birthday cake. She had no preference with theme or color, so Kevin recommended Wake Forest. It turned out pretty good! The black and white on the sides and top were streamers-totally got that idea from Google images! Love me some internet!
So GG came over and did some wagon rides and outside time with Sidney Kate as I decorated...

New Discoveries!

Sunday evening Aunt Sharon, Uncle Chad, Derek and Carter came to visit. We explored new toys and ate a small portion of the cookout leftovers. Aunt Sharon also read one of Derek's favorite books The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
I'm enjoying Sidney Kate's new found interest in books, they're great chew toys (can you tell I have dogs?) at times, but she's figuring out they do more than soak slobber!

What a face!

Aunt Patti and Crazy Crystal gave Sidney Kate this way cool piano/musical toy. For some reason she thinks you must be ON top of it to play it. Here she is making the climb.

New discovery...if I act like I'm trying to get in the toy box and I can't...Momma will put me in it.
Watching her try to figure out how to get those legs up and over was too funny, I had to help the girl out.

Poor Daddy

Poor Kevin, he lives with a woman that is constantly taking pictures or recording videos and emailing them to friends and family so they can laugh at him...I mean share in the joy of them... (snicker snicker)

Background: I had already recorded one video of Sidney Kate playing and bouncing to the music of her new toy, which Kevin apparently didn't notice. So when he was "living it up" in this video I was sure he knew I was recording. You can listen and tell when he figures it out.

This video was shot after I stopped the previous one. He really pays me no mind, otherwise he would know what I was doing. You can tell he had no clue, again! But it's really too funny not to share...sorry Kevin. I do love you-really!

Party of the Year!

What a BIRTHDAY PARTY!!! Kevin and I couldn't have dreamed a more perfect first birthday party for Sidney Kate! The weather was questionable all week, which worried him to death, but it ended up being ideal! The playground wasn't packed and it wasn't hot...or rainy (at least under the shelter)! So all of the worrying was for nothing.
Fifty plus friends and family joined us in celebrating her 1st birthday. We hope they had as much fun as we did.
Sidney Kate welcomed her guests with open arms, but I think Brett got the biggest hello! ;-D

When everyone broke into the song of "Happy Birthday" she got rather embarrassed. She did raise up and smile at one point though.

She is her parents child, sweet tooth and all! But, like a lady, she ate her cake delicately...

hahaha!!!

She had many 'practice' cakes and not once did she do this! It was hilarious!

Birthday Party Morning

It's Party Day!! To start off the day right, Sidney Kate enjoyed some oatmeal. Daddy decided to let her feed herself...it ended up being a pretty funny moment!

Birthday Party Eve

Tomorrow is the BIG day and I'm already exhausted! After getting home from work I began the hours of decorating that awaited me. This is all after Kevin had baked several cakes and made tons of icing. I still have to decorate her 'smash' cake tomorrow, but that is nothing compared to these monsters...er, caterpillars. Here are my creations...

I added a little tongue to the guy on the left...

Writing on a cake is not easy...but it's legible!

You wonder where the birthday girl was during all of this...hanging with GG...see video.

After she played outside and wore herself out she took her after daycare nap...her bedhead is beautiful!

One Year Pictures

The time has arrived...the final picture of Sidney Kate's first year! I never thought pictures could be so stressful, but they totally stress me out! I expect perfection every time! This time we went with the "less is more" theory. I made her smash cake (see previous post) and dressed her in baby pink. The other 12 pictures (I'm including her newborn shots) were with her hair down. I decided it was time to get those long locks into ponytails, show off her more playful side-haha! I think she looks adorable in these pictures and hopefully her professional ones will turn out just as cute.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday Sidney Kate...Happy Birthday to you!
And what a birthday it was!
Sidney Kate had a GREAT birthday-it all began with decorations and singing from Momma and Daddy. (She played the shy game as we sang to her-I'm sure she was embarrassed by the singing!)
After a cupcake-filled day at daycare she played the afternoon away with GG.

I stayed inside and worked on her 'smash' cake for tomorrow's "One Year" pictures.
(We still can't get over this day! One whole year later...)

We all know how tiny SKV is, but this picture looks otherwise.

She also got visits from Barbara, Aunt Sharon, Derek and Carter. While she was eating her favorite meal, spaghetti, Grandma and Grandpa Hauser stopped by. We all enjoyed watching her eat her tiny cake.

While opening presents, Mama V., Papa, Grandma Mary and Rylan stopped by. Rylan and Sidney Kate had fun playing...don't tell Rylan he was playing with a "girl!!!"

I've taken 'bear rug' pictures every month on her birthday. Here is her final month's picture...

...my how she's grown!