Birthday at the Farm

Willow, Adam, and I set out on Sunday morning for Momence. We were excited to visit with Adam's side of the family and for Willow to experience more nature. We were especially curious about how she would respond to her grandparents' dogs, Jake and Elwood. 

When we arrived, we could see that Willow's Grandma and Aunts had been very  busy decorating, cooking, and baking! The theme was black, pink, and white. Willow's birthday party with her Johnson, Koedyker, Hinz, and Grey relatives was scheduled for that afternoon. 

But before the festivities even began, Willow set eyes are a grand gift from her grand due and grandma. A car! It wasn't long before Willow learned what, "Want to take a ride?" meant, or how she could get in and out by herself. 

Willow is obsessed with looking at the view screen of cameras after  her picture is taken. 

Waiting for the party guests to arrive, Willow and her ever--faithful Bunny

Stella: Willow's second cousin! They were born about two weeks apart. 

Obsessed with the pink party cups 

So sweet! These girls played so well together! They are both observers, but as soon as they warmed up to each other, they had to give each other a kiss. 

Kissing Cousins! 

Willow's Great Grandfathers 

Willow's pretty Aunts who spread their decorating and baking magic  for her party

Still suffering a bit from jet lag, already having made a two hour car drive (she screams the whole time because she hates carseats--totally not used to them!), in serious need of a nap....that's when it was cake time! I made the huge mistake of letting go of the chin strap too early when I was putting her hat on. It snapped her in the face. Cue the meltdown.

A little confused by the singing, the candle, and a large group of people staring at her. She tasted the frosting with her finger, decided she liked it and then stuck her face in the cup cake.

yummy! 

Willow has also started to exhibit an interest in using utensils. She ate a few bites with this fork! 

Fingers are still the best though. 

Willow opened gifts...or rather, Adam opened them for her (in a very enthusiastic way), while I held the on-edge one-year-old. She received so many cute clothes, age-appropriate toys/puzzles, Sesame Street toys/dvd, money (including two dollar bills from her Great Grandma, continuing on a tradition between great grandkids/great grandmas in the family), and stuffed animals. Because she needed a nap, in a serious way, Willow was banished from the festivities for a bit.

When she woke up, she was a little happier, and a little less upset about the whole hat episode. She was also very excited about the dogs. In the pictures below, she was running/dancing as fast as she could towards the dogs (on the other side of the sliding door). What a goof!

Thank you family for showing your love to us over and over again! Thank you for coming to Willow's first birthday party, for all the gifts, for the delicious food, and pretty decorations! Thank you especially to Willow's grandparents for hosting, and to her Aunts for helping to make it such a special day!

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Still in denial that she is one...nearly two weeks later. Currently, we are sitting in a hotel in Korea, waiting for our flight to Shenyang. We tried to sleep, but Willow was up at 1am. Not it's 2:35, and she has managed to empty all the carry-ons, break the crib by dismantling it, and emptying a kleenex box. We are a wreck, but she is happy. Adam on the other hand, is feeling sick.


A fun part about this trip is that in this trip is that Emma and Tommy are with us! They are in the room next door, hopefully getting some much deserved rest after flying over the ocean. In a few hours, we will be boarding our plane to Shenyang, heading back to the Other Side where we belong right now.

Our trip to the US was great for so many reasons. I'll be posting more pictures!