1 Year Photo Shoot

Here are a few photos from Alivia'a 1 year photo shoot. It was a fun afternoon (as always) with my friend Shawn. None of these have been edited yet. Just wait until you see some of the others, they are amazing!

Princess Alivia

Alivia's best friend, Porky

Time-out for a mini melt down

Birthday Girl!

Ready for my close-up

Alivia's babies

First there was Evelyn, the doll that Brian bought Alivia. I admit I would make sure Evelyn went everywhere with us (including errands), hoping that Alivia would like playing with dolls as she got older. JACKPOT! She now has a few new dollies in her collection and she loves them all (Evelyn is still by far her favorite though).

On her birthday with her first gift--twin sister dolls that talk to each other. They're twice the size of Evelyn and are a lot heavier, yet Alivia is determined to carry them both at the same time.

We haven't discussed the need to support a baby's head yet. She'll learn...

No, I'm not the Octomom, I only have 5 babies in my lap=)

Showing Addison and Maria Sophia her new puzzle.

Skol Vikings!

Alivia didn't waste anytime putting this birthday gift to good use.

Birthday Cake: Take 2

I think Alivia was a little confused by the birthday cake we tried to feed her at her party. Mom and Dad couldn't possibly be letting me eat this, could they?

After dinner we let her attack the cake again. This time she stayed cleaner than at her party, but discovered how to get her hands dirty. Enjoy.

Happy 1st Birthday Alivia!

I can't believe this day as already come.

Our beautiful baby girl has reached yet another milestone, the biggest yet. The first birthday.

For her party it was only fitting to have an "Olivia the Pig" theme. Alivia reminded me of this yesterday at Barnes and Noble. We went to purchase a couple new board books with a gift card she got for her birthday. We were walking hand in hand to the children's section when we turned the corner and my little one went, "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"

Low and behold, there was an entire display of Olivia books. My kid freaked. It was pretty cool to know she understand who Olivia is just from the books we read at night.

Here are some pictures from her party. What a great day. We only had two quick moments of tears. One when I took away a toy and the other when she bumped her head.

Chili bar


Family photo


Hmm, Cake?


Hmmmm


Yaaaay!


Princess crown from Grandma and Grandpa Sprafka


Kitchen from Grammy and Grampy


Olivia the Pig cupcakes


Our Alivia


Squish, Squish

CiCi you later!

One of the best (and cheapest) places we like to go for dinner is CiCi's Pizza. It's a buffet so we can all get whatever we like. Alivia is all about the pasta and bread sticks so we took her there for her birthday.

The manager stopped by our booth to ask how everything was and noticed her birthday shirt. Before we knew it he made an announcement to the entire restaurant about the birthday girl and everyone sang "Happy Birthday."


From giggling to crying when "Happy Birthday" was sung.


Best birthday gift a 1 year old could ask for

Boom, Boom, Pow!

Alivia starting walking! It only took a week to learn the valuable lesson that no one warned me about. Once kids start walking, they start getting "bumps" and "bruises." Because this story wouldn't be believable without proof, I've attached photos.

1-4-10 Alivia had been walking about a week and was quite comfortable with the concept. She and I were playing downstairs while Brian was working. On this night she was content circling the room over and over, because she could. It was very adorable until.....while doing her laps, Alivia picked up a burp rag and covered her head. Not able to see, she trip and landed SMACK into the front of the entertainment center. It wasn't even a corner or an edge, but the goose egg was immediate.

Alivia cried for 10 seconds and then pushed her way out of my lap so she could continue walking in circles. Mommy, on the other hand, cried the whole night. I also snuck into her room several times during the night to make sure she was OK.

The next few days Brian and I were apprehensive about taking her out in public. Yes, she's still gorgeous, but it was quite the distraction. I will never again judge moms of 1+ year olds who have random bruises on their heads. It is not their fault.

Day 1: Minutes after the fall

Day 2: Swelling down, bruising up

Dog: Girl's Best Friend

They say dogs mouths are cleaner than humans. Does that make this ok?