Lizzie is ONE! I can't believe a year has gone by already. She’s not my little baby anymore. Part of me was dreading her birthday because being one sounded so grown up, but I was also excited. We invited a bunch of friends over for a BBQ including my dad (my mom was at David and Lauren’s house because Frieda was just born), Rachel Bailey, Heather and George Glass, The Garcias, The Vedomskys, Chad LuAnne and Emma Miller, Naomi and Polly Sloan and the Browns (Stephanie, Chip, and Cash).
I made Lizzie a special cake that looked like a cow. It was just for her. Everyone else had a separate cake. I was so excited for Lizzie to dig in and make a mess of the cake, but she wasn’t interested. When we tried to stick her hands in it she just looked at us like we were crazy. And she wasn’t interested in eating it either. The one thing I actually want her to destroy is the only thing she’s not interested in. Figures. =)
She loved opening presents though. All the other kids gathered around and helped her tear off the wrapping. She got a little toy piano, a play doctor’s set, a quiet book, hair clips, and a beautiful custom made tutu from her friends. But her favorite toy was a large box that her new car seat came in. As for the present from us, we wanted to give her a little baby doll because she was starting to show interest in babies and we wanted to help her get ready for her future siblings. I just wanted a simple doll. I searched every store, but most of them were hard plastic and made annoying noises. Some of them were even advertised as being able to cry like a real baby. Why anyone would pay to listen to more crying baby is beyond me. I finally found the perfect doll at Walmart. It was a soft bean bag, just the right size, and it only cost $5. The only thing was that the white babies were out of stock. Lizzie didn’t mind. She gave the little black baby a big hug and walked off with it, so I decided to get it. After spending lots of time with
Mary, Kenya, and Jackie (three incredible black Young Women at church who are particularly good with Lizzie) Lizzie lights up every time she sees a black person. So, I guess it’s perfect that her fist baby doll is black. I also got her a toy stroller to go with it, but I think she spends more time in the stroller than the baby.
This has been Lizzie's first real Halloween. We didn't do anything last year since she was only a few weeks old, but this year we've been partying all week long. There was the ward trunk-or-treat, trick-or-treating on the lawn, and a couple of big parties. These pictures are from trick-or-treating on the lawn. The Lawn is the central part of UVA grounds right in front of the rotunda. It's lined by apartments reserved for honors students, apartments made famous by the former resident Edgar Allan Poe. The students pass out tons of candy, and just about every kid in Charlottesville goes to the lawn for the big event. We rode the bus from our apartment to the lawn, which Lizzie loved, and made our way through the crouds to get the loot. Lizzie was content with her first two pieces of candy but John and I quickly recognized the potential... a cute baby who could accept generous amounts of candy and not care a bit if her parents ate it all. So we made her press on, cutting in line and sweetly inserting comments like, "Ooo Lizzie, get the swedish fish. You're going to love those!" We had a really good time, and hopefully our little chicken didn't think it was too bad either. 
