happy birthday!

We celebrated Eliza's birthday on Saturday! 

All I wanted was a party in the park, with colors, balloons, food, a perfect cake, and friends- I mean, that's all Eliza wanted for her birthday.... HA! So, I might have let the party get away from me. The morning was pretty stressful, and it seemed like nothing was going right. But, after I finally cooled off, I realized that the only thing that mattered were our amazing friends, and our beautiful baby girl. 

It was a great day for a party- bright and breezy. We had a cookout at Cedar Rose Park, here in Berkeley. The kids played with bubbles and ran around the playscape. We had a piñata and confetti filled cascarones. And, Eliza had a ball. She was all smiles, and only just slightly overwhelmed by all of the excitement. She was just lovin' it!

My mom made her the cutest birthday romper to match her party. I couldn't get enough of it. My friend, Amanda, took a huge load off me by making that beautiful cake for Eliza. Surprisingly, Eliza wasn't into her smash cake! She was a bit nervous about the audience, and when I stuck her hand in the frosting she got upset. But, she had no problem eating every animal cracker that fell on the ground, busting open a box of nerds  from the piñata when I wasn't looking, and sucking on a cascarone that dyed her mouth red. Whoops.

Our friends were so generous and kind, and showered her with nice gifts. We were incredibly overwhelmed with gratitude by all who came. I can't believe how much love we feel for all of our friends. When everyone started showing up, I could immediately feel myself calm down and just start to enjoy the party. It's hard throwing a party for someone you love so much. I wanted it to be special, and I was really upset when things were not working out. I can't believe how patient my husband and mom were. They were both by my side when Eliza was born, and I couldn't have been happier to have them here to celebrate this first beautiful year. We love you so much, Baby Girl. This day was for you!

My favorite part of the day was when we pulled out her new scoot bike, and she just lit up like crazy. She was so excited and happy and wanted us to push her around the park all afternoon. That smile just kills...