Very First Birthday Party!

Kate had her very first birthday party today!

Her great-grandparents (Nana and Great Pop) hosted a

family picnic in honor of Kate's first birthday!

We had so much fun celebrating with

the NoVA Gleasons,

Grandma and Papa George,

and it was EXTRA special that

Gran and Pop Gleason could join us from Mississippi!

Here are some of the highlights...

First tastes of cake!

First sportscar -
a SUPER fun present from Gran and Pop!

Grandma protecting Kate's new koala bear

from the vicious poodle, Toby!

Kate with her parents, two sets of grandparents,

and great-grandparents!

Great Pop's Garden

Great Pop has a gorgeous garden complete with a goldfish pond!

Kate had so much fun exploring the garden

and spending special bonding time with her great grandfather this afternoon.

We love you, Great Pop!

Ladybug Invasion!

Grandma George made the most adorable ladybug sugar cookies

for Kate's birthday party!

(The theme is ladybugs, of course!)

So, on Saturday night we had Grandma and Papa George

and Gran and Pop Gleason

over to ice the cookies and assemble some birthday presents

(because all kid toys, as you know, require assembly!)

We had a ton of fun and worked late into the night decorating these cookies!
I can't believe my baby is turning 1 this week!

Walking with Daddy

Kate surprised us with her first steps on Thursday, July 2nd!

It's been really fun to watch her gain more confidence

and embrace her new independence.

These photos were taken 2 weekends ago when she still

preferred to hold onto Daddy's fingers when she walked outside.

How precious?!?

Road Trip

Elmo was willing to sacrifice life and limb to keep Kate entertained

during the 14 hours we spent in the car

traveling to Charlotte and back this weekend.

We love you, Elmo!

All things considered, Kate is a good little travel companion...

Fun with Cousins

We had a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend in Charlotte

with Grandma, Papa, Uncle Ted, Aunt Annie,

Abby and Barrett!

Kate loves playing with her cousins!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Kate and Daddy had fun playing in Uncle Ted's backyard...

at least until Daddy had an allergic reaction to the grass,

accidentally took too much Benadryl,

and slept for pretty much the rest of the afternoon!