Happy Birthday to Jackson!

Well, "Bubbles and Ice Cream in the Park" became "Bubbles and Ice Cream at MawMaw's House" due to the terrible thunderstorms that passed through Trophy Club about an hour before party time yesterday. But, the party really was a success despite this setback. We'd made Plan B on Friday night when the weather girl (J Lo on NBC) told us that storms were heading our way for Saturday afternoon. We hoped for the best all day but when the sky turned black about 2pm we knew our plans for the park were doomed. So, we pitched the tent up on MawMaw's driveway and let all the party invitees know that we would be at 612 Indian Creek instead. I thought this might discourage some but thankfully they all showed up ready to celebrate Jackson's big day. All in all, we had over thirty people, including 13 kids! The rain did give us a break and stopped right as everyone was showing up. So, the kids played inside with all the toys before David cranked up the bubble machines outside and they were pulled away like magnets outside to enjoy the fun. With bubbles floating everywhere, we enjoyed the cupcake cones and ice cream sundaes. Jackson couldn't get enough of those cupcake cones - he had two! We sang happy birthday to him and let him blow out the candle (the wind actually did most of the work). He looked around trying to figure out why everyone was singing and looking at him... We then went back inside for presents and a little more playtime. Though we didn't have the same amount of room we would have had at the park, everyone really enjoyed the chance to catch up and visit in a more intimate setting. The kids just went wild with all the toys and the bubbles - it was like one really big playdate.

So, a BIG thank you to MawMaw and PawPaw Little for letting us use their home as our Plan B backup. It was a wonderful day and one we all won't soon forget. Like Grandma Little said after everyone left, "Whew, I'm tired!" In fact, it might take me a few days to recover but I would do it all over again every week just to celebrate our little boy coming into this world.

I also have to admit how thankful I am that so we have so many wonderful family members, friends and playgroup buddies here. Only a few months ago, I was devastated to leave Baton Rouge and start all over again here in Texas. One of the most daunting things for me was finding new friends for myself and for Jackson (especially knowing how much he loves other children). Well, last night as I lay in bed with my back throbbing from all the intense activity of the day, I felt "my cup runneth over" with all the things we've been blessed with here. I can't even tell you how happy this makes me! We've seen family members we saw only once or twice a year now on a daily basis, we've made the most wonderful of friends and Jackson has the best playgroup buddies a kid could ask for! I really do mean that...

So, happy first birthday to Jackson David Little! A year ago today, we were all in our room at Woman's Hospital with this tiny little one day old and scared to death about being parents. We had no idea what to expect and could only hope we would develop the skills to be the best parents we could be. Now that we've made it past this year, I actually feel like an "experienced" mother. As we begin this second year, I still have apprehension about what to expect but I know we can do it and that every day will be a blast.