Daily Fess Up

Do you like laughing? Do you like seeing if others are at all like you? Do you dare to confess your inner-most secrets? Check out the new blog: www.dailyfessup.blogspot.com (make sure you leave a comment).

You'll love it. I confess that I do.

It's Fun To Be One!

Adalyn's 1st birthday came and went very quickly. It was such a fun day and it was great celebrating the first year of her life. She is such a blessing to us and has brought so much happiness to our family. Although I can't believe how fast it has gone, it has been such a joy watching her grow and learn new things. She is an incredible daughter and we love her so much.

Right after waking up Adalyn got to open some presents:















Later that evening we had a Family Party for her...































Time for Cake:















She was skeptical of the cake at first and only wanted to play with the polka-dots















Then she realized, "Wow, this is good!" and dove right in















The end result















PRESENTS!














It was a little hard to keep her focused on opening the presents, but it was fun nonetheless.































Thanks to everyone who celebrated with us (even if it was just over the phone!). We appreciate all of your love for our little 1 year old!


We also had a doctor's appointment during the day. Her current stats are 19 lbs. (17%) and 28.5 in. long (25%). They found that she is slightly anemic and they recommended giving her more green vegetables... anyone have some sneaky ideas on how to get a 1 year old to eat more veggies?

A Pre-Birthday Party!

In an effort to not overwhelm Adalyn we decided to have two separate parties: one for the kids she knows, and one for family. On Saturday we held the 'Kid Party' and it was so much fun! The kids played, ate cupcakes, and had a great time with each other. Adalyn absolutely loved having so many kids to play with and even refused to take naps so that she wouldn't miss any of the action. Here are several pictures of the day...

Bethany and Olivia
















Aunt Shannon, Natalee, and Carson

















Cupcakes!!






























Jessica and Jonas
















Heather, Jay, and Gwen (being held by someone else)















Adalyn even had her first sleepover with her cousins Natalee and Carson! She had so much fun with them and we loved having them over.














Thanks everyone!!

Egg Hunt

Last night Adalyn participated in her first ever Egg Hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Payne's. It was fun watching her, Natalee, and Carson searching for the eggs and then seeing the look of satisfaction on their faces as they found them. It was a fun night.


On your mark.... Get set....
















GO!!































All the kids with the spoils of their search...






























We also celebrated Papa Payne's birthday last night! Happy Birthday Buddy! You are an amazing man and we love you!

Happy Easter!

Tonight, as I was putting Adalyn to bed, I had the chance to really reflect on what today is really all about. After a very eventful day, Adalyn and I had quiet moment where I sang "I Am A Child Of God" to her. In that moment, looking at Adalyn, I recognized how much was given for our sake. God gave His son... His SON...I couldn't imagine giving up my child, knowing that so many would reject Him. Christ gave His life, after feeling the weight of all of our sins, He died that we might live. We have all that we do because Christ, our brother, so willingly laid down His life and because God, our Father, loves us so much to give us the opportunity to be Resurrected. Not only are we given the chance of living this life and receiving all the blessings that we do, but we are also promised to Rise Again. The promise of an Eternal life...being not only with our families here but our Heavenly Family as well... is such an incredible blessing that I don't think we fully understand right now. I feel so grateful that we have a special day set aside to honor the amazing gift that was given to us.

Here are some pics of our eventful Easter:











































My mom made this Easter dress for Adalyn... Isn't it so cute? She did a great job with it... Thanks Mom!
















Happy Easter everyone!