Happy Birthday Allison!

Yesterday was Allison's 1st birthday. It is so hard to believe an entire year has passed. It sounds so cliche' but it is really true that the older you get, the faster time goes by. What is that about?

It was not so long ago that she was a squishy, soft, fuzzy-headed newborn sleeping on my shoulder. Nowadays, there isn't much squish left - she is a super strong soon-to-be toddler with places to go, people to see, cats, dogs and sisters to torment. Her dad insists she is going to be a linebacker one day.

I'm not so sure I am a big fan of Allison getting older. I think it should work like this: your first child grows up normally so you can experience their childhood to adulthood. The second child should be the one you get to keep small for as long as you like, just so you always have a baby to cuddle without having to have another kid. Then, when you're ready, they go from 5 years old to 21 in about 3 minutes. Skip junior high all together I say. They'll thank you for it.

Anyway, Allison is quickly growing....into a cute, funny one year old. We had a raging party last night for her and invited my parents and Jevan's family. Since we call her our "little monkey" (because she is literally always moving, squirming, climbing and grabbing), I decided to go with a monkey theme for the night. I got her a big purple mylar monkey balloon and even made a cake! I am always so proud when I actually pull off something that involves any kind of domestic prowess. I made a 3 layer chocolate cake (after getting some tips and tricks from my sister-in-law, Andrea, who happens to be a cake decoratoring genius. Let's just say, if there were ninja masters in cake decorating, she would be one...or even the supreme chancellor of all the ninja masters...or someone all-powerful like that). It worked out really well and wasn't nearly as hard as I imagined. Andrea also tutored me on how to decorate it and this is how it turned out. Hooray!

We had hawaiian haystacks for dinner (lots of little finger foods for Allison), opened presents (well, actually Jane and the cousins opened them while Allie attempted to pry the wrapping paper loose with a spoon), and had cake. Jane spent the entire day asking if she could "blow off" the candles from Allie's cake, so while the notes from the final "Happy Birthday to you" were still resonating Jane leaped across the table and blew them off. As is common with one year-old birthday parties, the cake turned messy at the end, with Allie's face and stomach covered in chocolate. Not to be outdone, Jane joined the fun, coating her hands in chocolate frosting and then obeying her aunts when they told her to be a gorilla and pound her chest or play peek-a-boo. The festivities ended with a great ol' celebratory bath. It was a fun night.

So, in honor of my little monkey, here are some fun little stats about Allison at age one that I want to remember:

Favorite food: mandarin oranges (she can eat an entire can in one sitting)

Favorite book: anything with pictures of other babies in it

Favorite toys: toliet water, anything jane is playing with, tupperware, telephones, dog bowls

Favorite activities: taking off her shoes and chewing on her socks, copycat games, bathtime, bouncing up and down, throwing food off her highchair, chasing cats (she would follow them to the ends of the earth...and so is definitely not deterred by a scratch or two), pulling mom's earrings out of her ears, following Jane around, eating crayons....

Things she hates: people not bringing her food fast enough, being overcuddled, shoes (like her dad), having her diaper or clothes changed, being left in the highchair too long, being sat upon by Jane, and currently, being too far away from mom.

Favorite noises: monkey, evil laugh

Funny things: when I'm cleaning, she always goes over to the vacuum and turns it on and then cries hysterically. I turn it off and she calms down, and then goes back and does it again 3 minutes later, again, crying hysterically. Honestly, child, where is that short term memory?

She can: walk with help, clap on command, wave (sort of), do animal noises (monkey, lion and dog sometimes), crawl at mach 5, and woo you with her smile.

Happy Birthday Allers. You are a sweet, funny little character with a smile that melts me every time. We love you!