Birthdays. . .

They are inevitable; they are fun; they are exciting; they are everywhere.

This is a busy time of year for our friend's & family's children's birthdays. I take enjoyment watching these kids grow from the moment they are born, to their first birthday and, this year, to their 10th. This past weekend, my friend Sarah and her husband Adam came 'home' from their home in northern Minnesota with their daughter, Katie, to celebrate her 1st birthday milestone (1 on May 7th). Sarah is the older sister of my very dear friend, Julia. The three of us are all about a year and a half apart, so we've grown very close throughout the past 12 or more years; this family is like my 2nd family and I love them dearly. Julia's daughter, Brooke, recently turned 1 yr old on March 27th, so she and her cousin Katie are a mere weeks apart in age. It's so exciting to watch these little girls grow and play together.

Although the weather was a little grim and damp, we had a fabulous time chatting, playing and catching up on times with everyone. Of course I brought my camera to catch the action, and boy was it some action! Katie had a blast digging into the cake, she could hardly wait for seconds. Her frosting face and little hands packed full of cake proved her enjoyment of the special first birthday moment. Brooke, I think, really got a kick out of watching her cousin make a frosting mess of herself. Brooke prefered to keep it a tad cleaner than Katie. Perhaps, setting an elder-cousin example for the younger cousin. :)

After being cleaned up from cake, we proceeded indoors for some present opening. I also got some other cute shots of my goddaughter, Natalie, who turned 5 on March 15th, and her older brother Taylor, who turned 10 on May 1st. (Nat and Tate are both Julia's kids).

Brooke Alexis, 1

Natalie Paige, 5

Taylor Jordan, 10

with Josh Stevens (Julia's fiance)

I had a fun time Saturday at the birthday party, and I look forward to many more birthdays with these kids. As I said in the beginning, Birthdays are inevitable. We all have them, so we should all ENJOY them! :)