The Ballard Bunch

Well, the birthday has come and gone. We've partied hard and this mamma is glad it's over with. :)

On Saturday, her actual birthday, Beau, the girls and I spent the day together. We took the girls to IHOP (they LOVE pancakes) and then swimming for a bit before going home to open presents and have cupcakes and ice cream. Tatum was a great helper, but often "mistook" the toys as her own. It will be our ongoing battle, I'm sure. Luckily, Hayden is still pretty good about sharing. When she wants to.












Today we had our family party with Beau's siblings, spouses and kids. Karen, Scott and the girls also came over to celebrate. Hayden had a great time and received some fun (and useful) gifts. Shay and Tiffany got her a new sipper cup (the good kind, her favorite), a touchy book and a cute summer outfit. Shanna and Travis got her a cute animal print dress with leggings and a baby doll. Grandma and Grandpa got her a new Disney Princess ride toy that she absolutely loves. My mom got her a cute graphic t-shirt ("Faries Rock!") and the Little People school bus. Brie and Sam got her a huge assortment of Little People animals (notice a trend here, she loves them!). And Karen and Scott got her a totally classic red wagon. I can already think of the pictures we'll take in that thing! She got lots of other toys and clothes from us, but I won't bore you with the details. Thanks to everyone!




After opening presents, we were attacked by a swarm of bees. Tatum and B both were stung twice and Beau had to kill a nest and do some major clean up. Hopefully we're bee free now.

And now, the pièce de résistance. I am in love with the cake I made. I know it's not cool to brag, but this thing turned out better than I'd expected. We went with the farm animal theme - all centered around this sheep cake that I stumbled across. I'm not a huge marshmallow fan, so that was the only downside for me. But Hayden is addicted, so it was totally appropriate.





We had a great time spending time with everyone and celebrating our cute newly one year older babe. She's such a sweet little part of our life and we couldn't imagine anything without her around.

Happy Birthday Hayden!