Ellie's birthday in the park

First, a HUGE thank you to those to helped to make this happen! We really couldn't have done it without you!

It was wonderful to see all our wonderful friends and family surrounding Ellie for her first birthday. It's still a little hard to believe it's already been a year! Just one year ago, this little girl was plotting her big (early) debut.

We had a blast at Brand Library Park, just up the street from us. We were able to snag a great spot right next to the playground under some big trees. After setting everything up, we had 2 food tables and 3 large tables to sit around. We ordered food from a local Mediterranean restaurant that was delicious!

There were about 35 people total including kids: our coworkers and life group (Josh, Lauren, Sophi & Shiloh, you were missed!) and 1 dog. Ellie had a great time playing with Oliver. He was being the "good citizen" that he is and allowed Ellie to pet him. We think she thought he was a big stuffed animal or something because every time he moved she was a little surprised.

Ellie being very gentle patting Oliver

The cake moment was great. Ellie was teasing us all by going in slow motion picking up the cake and bringing it to her mouth. Seriously, if you watch the video, it's in real time - it just looks like it's in slow motion! First she licked off all the frosting, then started nibbling at the cake itself. Thanks to DaDa, the cupcakes turned out beautifully.

Thank you to Aunt Meiya and Uncle Yoav for the beautiful pictures! We can't wait to see more!