Carter's First Birthday Party!

The reason we planned to be in central Oklahoma during spring storm season is to attend a very special celebration. That would be the first birthday of our first granddaughter. Here's Granddad and Carter practicing their happy-birthday-surprise faces before the party started.

Even though they live near Kansas City now, our son and daughter-in-law decided to have this momentous birthday party in Oklahoma so more family and friends could attend.

We got there early in the morning to help make treats and set up for the party. A goodie table for all kinds of appetites was set up in the dining room.

That would include decorated cookies,

six kinds of fruit, chips and dips, appetizers, gluten-free cupcakes,

and dipped pretzel sticks with coarse sugar "spines" to follow the cactus theme.

Carter timed her afternoon nap perfectly, waking up rested and refreshed to greet her guests. Those guests would include her parents and her Uncle Blake and Aunt Claire. (See how we tied that in so we could include a picture of all our kids together!)

A total of 69 friends and relatives made a special trip to wish her a happy first birthday. What a special day it was! When it came time for her personal smash cake, Carter politely picked at the butter cream frosting. Even though most of it stayed on her face and hands, some of it went into her mouth. This was her first experience with something so sweet, and she seemed to have an affinity for eating sweet things. She must take after her grandparents.

Then Mom helped by cutting into the cake, and Carter got to really experience her "smash cake."

Carter was completely clue-less that she was the center of attention. She had no idea that all these presents had been specially selected just for her.

After a week of storms and rain, we were blessed with perfect weather for the party. That's a good thing, because even a sizable home would seem crowded with 69 guests. So it was good that we could spill into the back yard. We took lots of pictures, including a family portrait with our two sons and daughter-in-laws, and of course the guest of honor.

Denisa wanted lots of pictures on the blog so she can look back at them and smile. We hope they make you smile as well.

The one thing in common in each picture was our sweet Carter. We can't believe this little bundle of sunshine is already one year old. We love her so much!

Happy birthday sweet Carter!