Oden Adventures

On the afternoon of April 14th (following her dedication at church), we hosted a party for Vianne's first birthday with our California family & friends.  To save time, energy, and my sanity, we re-used continued the Winnie the Pooh theme, with a few embellishments and modifications for an afternoon open-house style gathering.  Regretfully, I did not get as many photos as I would have liked, but I was busy being hostess and having a grand time with our beloved girl and our beloved guests.

Signs on the entry gates :-D

This time I picked out some Pooh games & puzzles & toys for the kiddos to take home (thanks again, Dollar Tree!)...

 

...and in lieu of party games (due to the open-house format), we had an activity table.

I used many of the same snack ideas (and re-used my signs!) for our table o' food, with the addition of "Piglets in Blankets" - lil' smokies wrapped in crescent rolls...

...and took advantage of some of V's Pooh toys for decorations.

 

The party was held out on our front porch, which is very long...and in the living room...because it wasn't as warm & sunny as the weathermen had originally predicted.  Better cool than sweating hot, though, right?

We had Rabbit's Carrot Cake for Vianne's first official birthday cake...

 

...and Patrick made the most scrumptious homemade Pooh's Hunny Ice Cream to go with it!

Our friend Gracelyn decided that Vianne needed some help with her slice!

Vianne's expression below cracks me up!  "Hey!  That's my piece!"

Hooray for cake & ice cream!

Sharing frowns with Grandpa :-)

Jill and Blake making pictures (we have a lot of cement to draw on!)

Even the pack n' play was Pooh-themed :-).  Joel & Jesse enjoying the party from inside.  So glad they could come! 

Their Mama Rachelle with the birthday girl

Party guests: Granma & Grandpa, Great Aunt Pat & Great Uncle Lynn, and cousin Sarah (and family)

Despite the lack of photos showing ALL our wonderful guests, we were so thankful to have such dear people come to celebrate our sweet girl with us!  It was a wonderful time together and when everyone had gone home, my heart was so full of thanksgiving for the people God has given to our family to help us care for Vianne.  They have made all the difference during this first year!

After the party, we opened some of Vianne's gifts (including her purple hat).  She got so many great things from our family & friends and has been playing with them/wearing them/reading them constantly since!