Isabella's Playroom: I'm 1 Year Old!!!

Boy, it seems like it was just yesterday that we brought Isabella home for the first time. Time flies and before we knew it, her birthday was already here. We celebrated her big "1" on July 15 in our backyard. Isabella loves animals, so we thought it would be a great idea to do a "Barnyard Animal" themed party. We had a petting zoo with pigs, chickens, rabbits, a goat and a sheep. The kids had a blast petting the baby animals! Isabella was so excited, she kept running in circles trying to catch one of the bunnies. We also had other activities like finger-painting, bubble-blowing, a sand/water table and a huge ball-pit for the little ones. Unfortunately the temperature was record-breaking...probably like 100 degrees, but everyone stayed cool in the shade (plus the little battery-powered fans we passed out were a big help as well). After a while, the babies went upstairs to the playroom to cool off before singing happy birthday to Isabella. A lot of Isabella's friends from her playgroup came (Finn & Gus, Garrett, Lucas, Briana & Brando, Liam, Dillon, Zoey, Kaylee) plus many other friends from our neighborhood, from work, etc. In total, we had approximately 45 adults and kids, including Abi and Camila (from Puerto Rico), Papa Joe and G-ma (from New Jersey) and cousin Mayra (from Georgia).

Isabella had her own little smash cake so she could have some fun with her first birthday cake. She lit up when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and while she was a little hesitant at first, she finally dug in and obliterated her smash cake within seconds. She received a lot of wonderful gifts - toys, clothes, books, Lenox candle-holders, a jewelry box and some very special jewelry from her grandparents, great-grandmother and great-grandparents. It was an amazing day and it was wonderful to celebrate Bella's 1st birthday with so many loving friends and family. Isabella has been such a blessing to us...we couldn't have wished for a more wonderful day to celebrate her birthday! Thanks to all of you who came to her birthday and also to everyone else who sent your good-wishes, cards and gifts.

The house decorations..."Barnyard Animals".