Happy 1st Birthday to our Miracles!

Dear Sydney & Olivia-

I cannot even believe that it's been a year, and what a year it's been. Your Daddy and I thought we loved you before you came and we thought we loved each other as well. But let me tell you, I now know that I have never loved someone so much as I love the both of you, and I never even thought that how much I love you was possible. You two are the best things that have ever happened to your Daddy and I and we just wanted to share with you how much we love you.

From the 13 seemingly endless weeks at Children's Hospital in the NICU to FINALLY bringing you home on Sept 27 to meeting all our family and friends, holidays, photo shoots (and lots of them), 2 and 3 am feedings, you smiling for the first time, sitting up, giggling, going for walks, bathtime, cuddling, learning to crawl to watching you discover the Boxers and new exciting things around our home, it's been quite a year.

After that, I have a question, it's the same question I posed to my friend Laurie's triplets 2 weeks ago...WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU COULD GET BIG?????????????????????????? You are so big now..what happened to my babies? Don't get me wrong, I don't miss all the pumping and frustrations from trying to convince you to eat, but dang, you're big. I miss my small little cuddle bugs. The most cuddling I get now is in the middle of the night when you wake up upset (and even that, thankfully while sad at the same time), doesn't happen all that often. :( Oh well, I guess I have pictures to remember how cute and adorable you little stinkers were.

Your first birthday was AMAZING. I hope you two had a great day... I know Mommy and Daddy did. All in all it was a MUCH better day for ME (and I'm sure your Dad), than your actual birthday was. NO worring about if you'd be okay and how long of a NICU stay we were looking at, and for me, no constant throwing up and all the other fun stuff that being a new mommy brought with it! WE went out to breakfast and got you pancakes along with strawberries and bananas for your birthday. I'm positive that the people at First Watch remembered us for awhile after we left..or at least you two with all the food you donated to the floor!

Eating our Breakfast at First Watch....

A family picture before you Birthday Dinner!

We had a great time playing and just enjoying you guys! Then we had all the grandparents over for dinner. I know you had a great time being spoiled by all of your Grandmas and Papas and your crazy Uncle Mike...and you know that they love you of course! You are so spoiled and I hope that some day you don't turn into unmanageable brats! :) I do however know that you two are going to be MAJOR clothing divas...which is fine by me! :) As long as the grandmas continue to help out!

Sitting in your new chairs from Grandpa Gale and Grandma Vicki

Those darned Grandpas...they get you into trouble everytime! Whose in charge of them and making sure THEY behave????????

Livi Hanging on the Patio table!

Sydney watching us eat from her Pack N Play!

YOu certainly seemed to enjoy your birthday cakes...it was so cute watching you explore these new interesting foods and the textures found in the cake. Sydney, you much preferred to eat the icing and cake, where as Livi wanted to play in the icing and get her hands all messy. I especially enjoyed when Livi shared some of her cake with Sugar...just what we need a sick dog and a large vet bill! :) NOt that sharing our food with the dogs is a new trick for you guys by any means...you've been doing it for awhile...but turkey and sweet potatoes/bananas/raspberries/strawberries, etc. are MUCH better for the dogs than icing and cake! I suspect you'll be doing this OFTEN over the coming years!

hum.....let's taste this stuff...

Olivia...

Sydney....

On Saturday we had your First Birthday party, and man was it a party. 65 fun fabulous people all invited to come see you (note that 65 does not include children under the age of 5, so in actuality it was more like 87 fun fabulous people all invited to see you! :) It was so fun to see all of our friends (well, not really all of them b/c our house isn't THAT big) and family and to see all the kids interacting and playing with each other. YOur Aunt Nancy predicted that you guys were going to learn LOTS of new trickes from the other kids and boy was she right. WIthin 2 days Livi was actually pulling up and cruising our couches, which Miss. Sydney has been doing for about 2 weeks now! I doubt it will be long before we are actually walking! You guys got so many cool presents that you have been playing with for the last week and many of them that Mommy has to clean up at the end of each day so that you can continue to enjoy them fully the next day!

HEre's some of the food that we served (I took a picture for Aunt Nozomi, since she's in Japan and missed it!).

Playing around at our Birthday Party.....

Olivia..

Nikki and Sydney

Gage and Sydney

Gage & Sydney & Olivia


Olivia trying to eat Gage's new toy!
Aunt Amy & Caroline & Aunt Julie and Baby Kara...

Miss Caroline....love those eyes!

Aunt Amy, Caroline, and Olivia


Uncle Drew, Aunt Nancy, Stephanie, and Sydney...

Aunt Laura & Uncle Brent, Collin, Cameron, Brandon, and Kyra....

My favorite girls! (By the way...who told you 3 could get big too?)

Alyssa, Olivia, Peyton, Taylor, and Sydney (listed in the order pictured)!

The girls are big sisters to Baby Brendan.... note how cute he looks in his hat! :) Can you guess who bought it for him? His mama is my friend Laurie!

Mommy & Daddy with the girls after their 1st Birthday Party!

After Our Party...for dinner...wearing our 1st Birthday Bibs from the Birkenmeier triplets!

Bed and Bath time was not too long after this picture!

As I said before, it's been a great year. I have more than enjoyed all my time off with you guys this summer and I look forward to all of our adventures during the summers to come (vacations, parks, play groups, little gym, visiting friends and family, the zoo, you name it), and I fully intend to be sad each summer when my vacation is over, but know that I am a MUCH better mommy to you when I am working and helping other kids at work. I love you girls and I cannot wait for all the new and exciting things that you are going to learn this year! Now, do you think that the 2 of you could get some teeth?

Happy FIRST Birthday....

Love,

Mommy & Daddy