Party Prep

It seems only yesterday I was snuggling this sweet infant in my arms:

And now we find ourselves a mere 10 days away from her first birthday.

Next Saturday will be Makenna's big birthday celebration. I am SO EXCITED! We cannot wait to make a huge fuss over this sweet little girl who has brought joy to so many lives.

I have to admit, I've been going absolutely project-crazy over here. It's a good thing my seasonal work has finished up a few weeks ago because I cannot imagine having enough time to accomplish all I've been doing and working at the same time.

I also had to admit to Matt that I have several motivations in throwing a big 1st birthday party for Makenna. Of course first and foremost, I am giddy to celebrate this monumental birthday of Makenna's. I know that she won't have a single memory of the party, but I do plan to make a memory album of this event as a future keepsake for her. I decided to throw myself into the details and make things "fancy", purely because I enjoy crafting and adding lots of special touches.

Secondly, we've lived here in our first house for just over one year now and we have lots of friends and family who still haven't seen it. So this event has become the perfect excuse for me to take on a marathon of house projects I've been dying to accomplish over the past year. I'd rather hit it hard all at once and feel like I can enjoy my hard work much more quickly!

Finally, this is a real chance for me to entertain. I've always wanted to entertain a large group in our home but since we've previously only ever lived in apartments, we never could accommodate such an event. Now that we finally can, I am utterly thrilled at the chance to entertain a gathering of loved ones in our home for what is really my first time ever to play the hostess.

Despite the myriad of house projects happening, I've become very nostalgic lately with the approach of Makenna's first birthday. I've been reflecting upon our move into this house when I was 36 weeks pregnant, all we accomplished in the 3 weeks before our first baby's arrival, and of course the biggest, most wonderful life change we ever could have prayed for in the birth of our precious Makenna Rose.

These reflections will end up in posts here as we lead up to the party and Makenna's actual birthday on the eleventh of February. Pregnancy, childbirth, and becoming a first-time-mom are such cherished things and I  look forward to sharing some remembrances with you.