Yes, Elijah turned 1 this past Friday, and we had a weekend full of fun celebrating! Friday night we had dinner with our great friends, Lauren & Ray. Nothing says central PA like a Friday night at Hoss’s! All joking aside, it was a really fun evening! We informed them that we were celebrating a very special 1st birthday, and at the end of our meal the servers came by singing and clapping “happy birthday” (their version) and delivered a yummy confetti cake! Elijah wasn’t scared a bit, and he just clapped right along with them. He LOVED the cake…this kid has some kind of sweet tooth! It was just a warm-up for the party the next day (please don't judge too harshly on the crazy hair...I am secretly in love with it!)
Saturday we planned a drop-in party for Elijah so our friends could all come and celebrate with us. It was great, and over the course of the day there were 50 people in and out of the house (this kid is a superstar and VERY loved)! The cake was delicious (shout-out to Danielle for her cake making skills!) and way cute. She even put a green anaconda (please YouTube “green anaconda song” to see E’s favorite video) winding around the cake layers….it was awesome! Perhaps the biggest “gift” of the weekend was Grandma D’s SURPRISE visit! Yep, the party started around 1pm, and at about 1:30 the doorbell rang only to find Kathy there with her carry-on! My immediate response, “Shut-up! What are you doing here!?” Luke then turned the corner with wide eyes and a gaping mouth! It was priceless!
It came time for cake, and we thought he’d just devour it (going by his reaction with dessert the night before!). Nope. He was very tidy and proper, and he wanted to use a spoon! I even tried to initiate a disaster by putting his hand in the icing, but he wanted nothing to do with that! It was pretty funny, and he was even so kind to share a few bite with mom and dad.
In lieu of gifts, we asked everyone to bring a letter of their “account” of Elijah’s adoption story. We wanted this for ourselves (selfishly), but we also knew it would be something that Elijah would appreciate and cherish someday. It has been so great to read through everyone’s “stories” of how E came into our lives, and how they participated in all of the excitement. Thank you to everyone who took the time to write down their thoughts and memories! And, for those of you who are lagging behind in writing (like yours truly), it isn’t too late! We would love to hear from any of you! It’s been so neat to read over and remind ourselves of the details that got lost in all of the chaos that week!
While Grandma D was here, we also had Elijah’s 1 year check-up. He measured in at 24lbs 10oz and 31 ¾ inches (94th percentile). What a big guy! At the doc's office, he was WILD....something about being naked makes him as crazy as his hair!
Alright, now what you’ve been waiting for, pictures! Here are a few of my favorite from the weekend! Enjoy!
Luke went out and purchased this precious baseball "tee" for Elijah for his birthday! He is bound and determined to make this kid an athlete!
A few of the awesome cake! Chocolate cake soaked in raspberry with a vanilla cream filling! Ahh-mazing! Plus, a smash cake for Elijah to have for himself!
Our "Hershey Clan" came out in full force! In fact, our entire crew (PLUS husbands) was there! Slightly miraculous to have all of our guys there! Fun times!
And, our surprise guest with E and Aunt Lauren
Our super-special friends, The Coopers!
Cute little Sadie!
Our "Fairy God-Family"! :-)
Our "Hershey Clan" came out in full force! In fact, our entire crew (PLUS husbands) was there! Slightly miraculous to have all of our guys there! Fun times!
And, our surprise guest with E and Aunt Lauren
Our super-special friends, The Coopers!
Cute little Sadie!
Our "Fairy God-Family"! :-)
