Party fit for a squid princess!

So Saturday March 13, 2009 was a big day for the Larsen-Benveniste family. Olivia Marie turned one year old on Tuesday March 9th and Saturday was the day of the big party! We traveled under the sea for our princess Squidlivia! Who was there you ask? What did we do you ask? What was there to eat you might say? Were there presents? Were there kids? What kind of cake did we eat? Did everyone have fun? Where the decorations fabulous, they must have been you decide...well take a look for yourself?

Squid/Octopus Cake made by Mama Emily!

Our Fishy friends



The Cake and favors



Happy birthday!



Candles all lit and looking fabulous!


Nana amid the decor





Mama Emily


Nautical masks painted by Gma Sparkle and Aunties Megs and Ash



Hanging coral


Lovely food



Fishy cookies



Gummy fish and sharks





Just a part of the great fruit Nana brought



Presents


Of course Finding Nemo was playing



New bike from Gma Sparkle and Gpa Tony



Uncle Mike has high hopes for his Olivia and his alma mater



Toy plane


So many presents, she was a bit overwhelmed


Playing with uncle Mike

Stacking blocks from Nana and Gpa Larsen

Toys, toys TOYS!!!!!!!!!!!


Where to begin?


Kisses from Mama


Loud obnoxious toys from Auntie Ash...who else?

Poor baby was so tired!


Rachel and Connor
Tam came too!


Auntie Ally


Great Uncle Wes




Uncle Mike


Great Auntie Sarena




Auntie Ally, Rachel and Tam



Auntie Zoe :)



Uncle Bogie :)


Mama and her two BFFs



Connor



Great Grandma Anita


Gpa Larsen and Nana

I think Ash liked the pasta salad

Rachel and Gma Sparkle like the wings


Tam and Aunties Megs and Ally



Great Auntie Michelle, GG Anita, Great Auntie Sarena and Uncle Mike



Birthday Girl all changed and ready for cake!

Squidlivia and Mama

Nana and Liv

Everyone sang Happy Birthday!


Singing, singing!


Olivia wondering why Mama is crying! Shhhhh I don't think anyone knew I choked up!



I blew out the candles for her!


She didn't know what to think! She just wanted the sea animal toys!



Trying to get her to attack the cake!



Again only wanted to play with the toys



Sea horsey! Untouched cupcake :(


I'm supposed to eat this?



Little lady keeping it tidy



?


Auntie Ash trying to inspire some eating...



This is as messy as it got!

The end! Happy Birthday baby!

So that was the day! We all had a great time and Olivia was as per usual spoiled with gifts by everyone who came and even those who couldn't come sent gifts! She is well loved little Squidey and I cannot believe I am a mother of a 1 year old!

I know the anticipation is killing you....

So I am pretty well wiped out after the past week of steady purchasing, organizing, baking, frosting etc etc ad nauseam....

So here is a preview of the best part of the party....



More pictures will follow when I regain some strength....

you will have to wait...too tired to blog-bleh!

Exactly one year ago today...

Well minus a few hours...

Here is Olivia on day one

And here is Miss Baby on day 365

She really loved her breakfast today....

And if you got one of these ladies in the mail...we'll see you saturday for her birthday party....

Patience is a virtue...

A virtue I feel like I have when it comes to some things...my child Olivia as well as my much bigger and a hell of a lot more stubborn older child...Mitchell. I feel like I am generally a pretty patient person when it comes to everyday life things...lines at the grocery store, traffic as well as stupid drivers and rude employees at places such as Walmart. But my patience pretty much ends there. I am not very patient with my mother, I hate waiting for results when it comes to weight loss and exercise, not to mention having to be pregnant for 9 whole months felt like torture. My mother, much to my annoyance, likes to say that having Olivia was the only thing I never quit and followed through on and that was ONLY because I didn't have a choice. WHATEVER!

So what is testing my patience today? Other than Olivia screaming her protests to her late afternoon nap? Urghhhhhh my hair. I feel like I have been trying to grow it out for a hundred years! Okay so it was really short...and I have not cut it too much since it was this short...

Which was like 3 years ago? Okay it did get rather long when I was pregnant but I had to cut it about three months post partum. Why is that you ask?

Well what nobody really ever talks about and what I didn't believe even though my sister in law told me it would happen...your hair falls out 3 or 4 months after giving birth. Or starts to fall out rather and steadily just gets worse until about after 3 months of steady hairloss it slows down and then you just lose the normal pre-pregnant amount of hair daily. Which even that feels weird. For 9 months of pregnancy you don't lose any hair...none! Your hair is thick and lovely and then you have the baby and it all falls out until it works itself out and then you back to losing hair here and there in the shower. I don't know it's just gross and then the weird regrowth of hair is odd and sticks up and it's annoying.

But anyways when my hair started falling out I cut off quite a bit of hair...I regret that now. But long hair falling out is much worse than shorter hair falling out...so there you go I cut it off. And Mitch's sister cut it for me and thought I was hip and cool enough to pull off an asymmetrical hairdo. I am not cool and hip enough for alot of things...but especially not cool enough for uneven hair. I hated it and made her cut it so it was even and more blunt and there I was again with a bob and wanting to grow my hair out. So since then I have been at it again....growing it out and it is at that disgustingly annoying length right now....right at the shoulders, not past them, just resting above. Which makes me feel like this...
Which is not a good look outside the animal kingdom. It looks good on a lion but I have broad enough shoulders without my hair drawing attention to it! Urghhhhhh I HATE IT!!!!!!!!!!! I want to cut it so bad!!!!!!! I am also pretty over the darker hair and there is no way back to blonde without a significant hair cut.....

Oh be calm and carry on Emily...don't get impatient!!!!!! It is just driving me insane!!!!!!!