A Party for Mad Dog

Maddux had her first birthday party this afternoon. (More pictures here.) I'd decorated the downstairs and deck with balloons and streamers while the kids took a nap. When she came downstairs she got into the balloons BIG time. Lehr and I stayed up way too late last night blowing up balloons (Lehr) and drawing numerous ladybugs on them (me). It was worth it though when Maddie's face lit up and she cackled with joy. (Her excited laugh really is a cackle.) We opened her family presents (Eli helped a LOT) and then played with the balloons a little more before the short guest list arrived. Of course Eli wanted to eat the cake as soon as he got up from his nap. I explained to him that 1st birthdays are special because the guest of honor is the only one who eats the main cake. But I assured him that I made enough cupcakes for everyone else's consumption. (Little did they all know I used the same, applesauce-and-low-sugar recipe for the cupcakes that I did for Maddux's cake. Sugar police win again!) The kids played with some bubbles while Lehr and I put the finishing touches on dinner. Eli and Cooper sat at the kids' plastic picnic table. They were so funny, talking to each other and eating like little people. Once everyone was done, we cleared the table and brought out the cake. Eli was so intrigued by Maddie's consumption of it. For about fifteen seconds. Then he started chanting, "Cupcake, pweese!!!" Max was very focused on her ladybug cake. I purposely dressed her in her favorite red bandanna dress so the dyed icing wouldn't stain anything. It's a good thing too, because her outfit was covered by the time she was done! She dipped several fingers in before even trying it. Once she did, she went back for more. And more. And more. I forked into the cake at one point to allow her better access to the actual cake (instead of just icing). But she didn't need any help after that! Lehr did try to smash her face in the gooey mess at one point, but Maddie resisted with a pretty strong neck and then looked at him like, "What the heck!?!?" She came close to consuming half of the ladybug before we cut her off....then she happily played with all of the cool new presents she got from her friends. Eli was especially excited about her new 4-wheeler and doll stroller. Go figure... We ended the night by stripping Maddie down to clean her off. What better way to end a Georgia birthday than to hang out in the backyard, in nothing but a diaper, riding an ATV...
(Sorry - the audio on this video is very abrupt, but I am too tired to go back and mess with it any longer.)