Now that Hadley has made her way around one full calendar year, we are about to kick off her 2nd summer! Yay! Every season is fun, but you really can't beat summertime! Vacations, pools, cute babies in swimsuits, popsicles, fireworks... love it ALL! 

This Memorial Weekend, our good friends Mike & Lezlie were in town hanging out at their parents house (on Lake Lewisville) with their crew Southern, Griffin, & Austyn! It's so funny (and refreshing) to hang out with other people who are living right beside you in the trenches of parenthood. Long gone are the crazy Memorial Day Weekends of our younger years... they've been replaced by early bedtimes and making sure no one poops in the pool... which I suppose is still a little crazy, but in an entirely different way! Ha!

Anyway, we had a great time visiting with them and holding each other's babies! Hadley loved splashing around in the kiddie pool and was mesmerized by the "big" kids! She had the best time and as an added benefit has been sleeping hard all weekend long! Here are a few pictures from the lake!

This girl LOVED the pool! The water was ice cold and she didn't even flinch! She was pretty much diving in head first without even bothering to worry with things like breathing. Don't worry! We kept a tight grip on her! :)

And then as we were winding down our weekend, she decided to add the cherry on top!

She took her first steps! SEVEN in a row, to be exact! 

We have been working on this for a while now! It seems that she will only walk with the balloon in her hand, however. Crazy girl! We officially have a walker, though. Just baby steps for now, but it won't be long before she is taking off. Good thing our baby gate is being shipped in a few days! Let the REAL fun begin!

​Happy Memorial Day!!!

Hadley & Mommy ventured back to the doctor's office last Monday morning, after her birthday party weekend. Party's over - ha! I know it's no fun for her, but I enjoy taking her to her well visit appointments, just for the sake of finding out her measurements and percentiles!

Hadley's 12 Month Stats: 
Height: 29 inches (50th percentile) 
Weight: 18lbs, 5 oz (10th percentile) 
Head circumference: 45.4cm (60th percentile) 

Still such a little girl. Our doctor said that there was nothing to be concerned with regarding her weight since she has gained 3 lbs since her last well visit and her proportions and percentiles have remained consistent. He said she'll probably just continue to be on the smaller end of the scale (weight wise) for a little while. She's healthy and doing great developmentally! All great news!

She did have to have her toe pricked to test for lead and she was also given three vaccination shots. I was the most worried about the shots going into this visit. She is pretty strong now and I wasn't sure if the nurse and I would be able to restrain her, but we did and she actually did pretty well. She didn't cry at all for the toe prick and although she got upset about the shots, she got over that fairly quickly!

Big girl! Another good visit at the doctor's office! So glad that we made it an entire year without any sick visits or illness! :) 

We will go back at 15 months for more shots...yuck! 

Down the stretch she comes!!! Mason and I decided on the theme of Hadley's 1st birthday before she was even born! We even researched what day the Kentucky Derby would fall on in 2016. Hadley's birth date worked out perfectly, lucky us! :) 

I spent many a day pinning ideas and planning decor, months in advance. With even more time spent at my sewing machine making all 10,000 bunting triangles. 

Every detail was carefully thought through and we were so pleased with how it all turned out. 

Now I know many are of the belief that going overboard for a one year old who won't remember the party anyway is extreme, but to that I say... there will always be pictures for us to show her how awesome her party was AND this party is just as much of a celebration for Mason and I, for surviving our first year of parenthood!! :) Bring on the bourbon! ;) 

From the cookies, to the custom step & repeat backdrop, to the pony that Daddy surprised us with.... the day was a huge success and Mommy was so happy to see it all finally come together! 

Here is a video of her cake smash! 

I'll probably take the month of May off, but after that...Time to start planning for her second birthday!!! Haha, kidding! But seriously... :) :) :) 

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebration of our very loved one year old! 

​One last time, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HADLEY!!!

At 10:59pm on May 4, 2015, our lives were forever blessed by the arrival of our first child. 

We could have never predicted how she would look, what she would be like, or how fun our days would become. But we have spent the last year getting to know this sweet girl who came into this world with her own unique look and personality!

Last May 4, Hadley made her grand arrival pretty late in the evening so we didn't get to really spend much time celebrating her actual birthday! This year we made sure to properly ring in her first birthday from start to finish!

We actually kicked things off the night before her birthday with a bubble bath complete with some fun new bath toys (an early birthday present - thanks Melissa!) Gotta be squeaky clean for our birthday!

The next morning, Hadley got to wake up to a balloon surprise! 

Her birthday hurrah also included: : 

• Her first debut on television (with a Fox 4 news birthday shout out)!
• Pink banana pancakes (her favorite breakfast)
  
• Storytime at the Library
• Birthday Nap
• Lunch at Breadwinners  (it was a perfect day, so we ate outside. Many surrounding mother's commented how good Hadley was being!) :) 
• Went to a local bakery to pick out a cupcake for Hadley's 1st sweet treat!
• Playtime at home
• Blowing out her candle

• Dinner at Mi Cocina where our waiter brought the birthday girl a special treat - flan! 

It was a fun day spent together and I had the best time trying to make it special for her! I'm a big birthday celebrator, so I look forward to spoiling and loving on my girl for many years to come, because on May 4 she gave me the greatest gift of all! The privilege of being her mother! 

Happy Birthday Hadley! XOXOXO

​Watch the snapchat video below for a FULL behind the scenes look at Hadley's big day!

Hooray! Today's the day! Hadley is ONE! Big girl!! What a wonderful year it has been! We can hardly remember what life was like without her. It was easier back then, of course, but it was way less fun! Hadley brings so much joy to all that we do! From celebrating holidays to grocery shopping, we love having her by our side to do life with! This past month has been no exception as she continues to grow and learn new things! We really got her out in the world during her twelfth month, starting new things like story time at the library, going on more playdates, and taking her on new adventures (zoo, baseball game, etc)! We definitely tried to pack in the fun during this last month of Hadley's baby days! The good news is that there are plenty more exciting times ahead! 

​Happy 12 Months Hadley!!!!

I remember when I started these monthly pics. Back then I had to prop her up so she wouldn't slide off the chair. 

It is crazy how much they grow in just one years time!!!

These monthly photo shoots have been so much fun, but truthfully I'm not too sad to see them go! They were beginning to be almost impossible. My smiley, perfectly posed model has become a distracted daredevil who just isn't that into picture taking at the moment. Getting one good shot is quite the feet! 

She's sooooo over it! Ha! 

Here are a few of Hadley's favorites this month...

Milestones this Month: 

• Started drinking whole milk 
• She "sings" :) 
• She learned how to pinch (ouch!)
• Has become more interested in tv (but only for very short periods of time)
• Has become VERY interested in books!
• Has enough hair for a "ponytail" on top of her head!
• Can say the word "bird" (which she pronounces as "brrrr")
• I swear she said "llama" yesterday too! (Thanks Peek-a-Boo Barn!) 
• 1st "tummy bug" (was pretty mild, no throwing up)
• 1st trip to the zoo
• 1st time at a baseball game
• Climbing the stairs!

sClothing/Diapers: 
Size 6-12, 9, or 12 depending on the manufacturer. She is starting to catch up with the correct clothes sizing for her age! Growing girl!! Wearing size 3 diapers.

Sleeping: 
Sleeping 11-12 hours a night with a 3 hour nap during the day! Hooray! Mommy has a nice break in the middle of the day to do things around the house! :) She is also completely out of her Merlin Sleepsuit! 

Food: 
She loves everything! I am constantly going to the grocery store to buy things for Hadley to eat - especially fruit, which is a favorite snack! I'm also buying more milk than I probably ever have in my life and I know that will only get more frequent. Hadley still nurses when she wakes up and once before bed but we will slowly continue to wean away from that. My goal is to be done by the end of this month. Breastfeeding has been a long journey, but I'm thankful that we were able to make it this long!

Things Hadley Hates: 
Helium balloon tanks (don't take this girl to Party City on a Saturday...ha!)

Hadley, here are a few things we love best about you this month...

♡♡♡♡ We Love...♡♡♡♡

• Pillow fights before bed time! You think it is HILARIOUS when I whack you in the face with a pillow! haha!
• The "Go to Bed" game we play every night! Daddy says "okay Hadley time for bed" and you will crawl as fast as you can to Mommy, grab on tight, and bury your head on my chest like I will save you from having to go to bed! :)
• Watching you learn how to interact with other children. Sometimes we share, sometimes we snatch something out of someone's hands. You are learning how to be social and it is the cutest thing ever!
• Playing "I'm Gonna Get You" as we chase you around the house! You are a pretty fast crawler these days! You giggle when we get close to "catching you"!
• How you will intently focus in on something as tiny as a strand of hair that you pick up!
• How you learned to comb your hair!
• How you have picked up lots of little things just by watching Mommy & Daddy! You are very observant! 
• Your love for books! Right now you are mainly into turning the pages (at rapid speed), but occasionally you will curl up and actually listen to the story. 
• Your love for snacks! You have figured out that Mommy keeps a container of snacks in her purse sometimes and you will sneak them out if you find them unguarded!
• How you wave "bye bye" when Mommy's on the phone and says "Alright, well I'll talk to you later..."! You know what comes next, smart girl!
• Your infectious smile! You smile at EVERYONE, all the time!

Hadley, 
​
Happy 1st birthday, sweet girl! Twelve months ago we could never have imagined what you would be like, but you are all that we have ever dreamed of in a daughter! You are beautiful, smart, funny, and so very loving. You are stubborn when you don't get your way, you make us work for your laughter, and you are not afraid to let anyone know when you'd rather be with Mommy or Daddy! You are quiet, independent, and curious. But you love to be held, rocked, hugged and kissed! We feel so blessed to be your parents and though we are sad to see this first year go by, we know that each year will continue to be better than the last! We love you so much, birthday girl! We can't wait to celebrate with you tonight and at your birthday party this weekend! 

XOXOXOXOXOXO

It's finally here... the eve of Hadley's first birthday. 

Time has never moved so quickly as it has during this last year of parenthood.

I've been reminiscing on old memories of Hadley's first year all day long, but the memories... there really not that old...

This girl has changed absolutely everything in our world this past year, and we couldn't be happier about it. 

There really is nothing to be sad about. Tomorrow she will only be one day older than she is today! 

But watching her Daddy take her downstairs for bedtime tonight was still a little bittersweet. 

Tomorrow, we will have a one year old. A toddler, A big girl! 

But no matter what, she will always be our baby girl!

Sweet dreams, Hadley! We can't wait to celebrate with you tomorrow! Our beautiful birthday girl!

​XOXOXO

It's here! Hadley's birthday month. And not just her birthday month, her birthday week!!!! She turn's one in THREE days!!!! As bittersweet as this milestone is for me, it is a time for celebration, and I just love a good reason to celebrate. 

Today was a perfectly lovely May Day, sunny skies and temps in the low 70s. A great day to take Hadley on her first outing to the zoo. I have been dying to take Hadley to the zoo! Not sure why... Maybe because there aren't too many activities that she can join in on just yet. This was perfect for her though, because she is just starting to take a real interest in animals. Her newest word is even bird! More like "burr", but close enough! :) 

We got to the zoo right when it opened and went straight to the "Giants of the Savanna" exhibit. 

Daddy was super excited to see the giraffes, mainly because he wanted to feed them! For $5 you can hand feed the giraffes a few pieces of lettuce! Well he can go ahead and scratch that one off his bucket list!

Hadley didn't give us too many smiles today. I think she was just taking it all in. This magical world of animals that she's only seen before in picture books can be a little overwhelming for a first timer. 

She was all smiles during snack time though, don't worry... :) 

We spent about 2 hours wandering around the Savanna exhibit. We then crossed over to the other part of the zoo afterwards and visited the Children's Zoo for a bit. 

We all started getting a little tired though by about noon, so we decided to call it a day. But, the good news is.... Daddy got Hadley & I a family membership to the Zoo so we can go back anytime we want! Yay!!! We are going to wear that place out this summer! Who wants to join us??? 

We had such a fun time today and are excited to officially kick off Hadley's birthday week! It is going to be such a special week, celebrating the very best little girl!

​XOXOXO
​
In case you want more behind the scenes action, here is a little slideshow of our day at the zoo (courtesy of Mommy's snapchat story):