maisie's birthday morning

Maisie got to "help" Mommy make her birthday pie by licking a beater. 

Do you think she enjoyed that?

Her birthday pie was a hit--Strawberry Cream Pie.  It was so good! 

Special one year old birthday pictures with Mommy.  

(I realized it's been months since I've had a picture taken of Maisie and me!)

maisie's birthday crown

Maddie gets a heart added every year.
Caleb gets a star added.
Maisie is going to get a new diamond added.  But for now, here is her crown with ONE diamond for her first birthday! 

maisie + nonna's early birthday

Since Mom and Dad are visiting Jess, Dave and Devin, we celebrated both Mom's and Maisie's birthdays early.  Despite the dead-pan looks on every single person's face at this moment, it was actually a very enjoyable dinner.  :)  

Poor Maisie was getting sleepy fast and was really starting to fuss.  To keep Maisie from melting down, Mom showed Maisie how to stick her finger into the whipped cream on the cake and lick it...several times. This yummy cake was a lemon poppyseed cake with strawberry filling and frosted with whipped cream.

So, Maisie enjoyed her first 1st birthday cake.  (We'll of course be celebrating again on her real birthday!)  On their first birthdays Maddie wailed and Caleb fussed, so Maisie is our first to enjoy and eat her birthday cake. 

maisie + ella

Last Sunday we had a Thank-You party, which was an open house we held for all the many friends who helped us with Maisie's adoption.  There were so many! 

Isaac + Kelly came with their kids, and it was a great opportunity to get a picture of Maisie and Ella.  What pretty little girls they are!!

wrinkle wrinkle

Maisie's famous "wrinkled nose."  She wrinkles her nose when she laughs.  She wrinkles her nose when she gives you a happy smile.  She wrinkles her nose and makes sniffing noises to be funny or to get your attention.  You also get a nice glimpse of that first tooth FINALLY coming in. 

Maddie's songs

Maddie wrote two songs the other night.  Here they are.  (She can sing them to you by the way.)  Very cute!

 In case you can't read it:

GOD IS GOOD
God is nice, God is good
God saved us from our sins
That's why God is good
God is nice, God is good
God was born in a broken down stable
instead of a nice palace
God is very very good
God is nice, God is good
I love Him so much

 JESUS JESUS
I love Jesus, He is good
I can't clean my sin but Jesus can
That's why He's good
Jesus, Jesus died for my sin and rose again
Jesus, Jesus, I love Him so very much
Jesus came down as a baby to save us
Jesus, Jesus died for my sin and rose again
Jesus, Jesus, I love Him so very much

maisie learns to clap

Yesterday Maisie learned to clap.  It was (of course) very cute!  I have been noticing over the past week or so that when she gets excited Maisie puts her hands together, almost like a clap. Early in the day as I was changing her diaper, she was looking intently at each of her hands and then bringing them together, like she was trying to clap.  I clapped for her and helped her clap her hands.

Then after dinner I was changing her diaper and I asked her, "Maisie, can you clap?" And she immediately gave it a try and clapped!  So we had a lot of fun with her around the dining table getting her to clap. She was so pleased with herself.  I love watching my babies literally learn a new skill right before my eyes--so fascinating!  Here she is clapping away.

And here she is clapping upside down, laughing with Daddy, and getting hung upside down.  Maisie really is a fun-loving baby--loves to laugh, be tossed in the air, hung upside down and tickled!

And once more pic...Maisie getting zerberts!