Happy 1st Birthday Mattilee

Mattilee had a butterfly birthday party! I know this picture is blurry, but I loved her invitations and wanted to remember them.

I made her birthday outfit. I felt kinda silly making her an outfit to wear one time but I was reminded that most birthday outfits run for $30 or so; that made the $4.39 I spent on fabric seem pretty reasonable :)

My big one year old!!!

I was so pleased with her cake! I thought they did a great job decorating it and it was yummy! Delicious Bakery in Alabaster made it. I'd highly recommend them.

Her smash cake!

Butterfly Birthday Decorations:)

A "timeline" of her year. It was so neat to see how she changed from month to month.

Butterflies everywhere!

A sweet friend gave me this Special Birthday Knife to use to cut her cake at every birthday and then she will also use it to cut the cake at her wedding. It came with a sweet little poem. Such a thoughtful gift!

Digging in!

Yum!

Mattilee and cousin Addie Brown. I wish I had gotten better pictures of Mattilee and the sweet kiddos at the party.

Matti, Addie, and Jackson in the tunnel! They had so much fun with this gift from Kit Kat.

Matti laughing at Jackson following her through the tunnel.

This is the only picture I have in her birthday hat. I forgot to put it on her while she ate her cake.

I officially have a one year old. It just doesn't seem right! Where did this last year go?? This week I came to the realization that her precious life is never going to slow down. In fact, it might seem like it's flying by even faster when we become busy with little brothers and/or sisters and with extra- curricular activities, etc. So I just have to continue to enjoy every minute I'm given with this little angel and get as much as I can on video. :) This past year has definitely been a major highlight in the slide show of our lives. We've changed. She's changed us. The Lord has changed us through our precious angel. Since we found out we were expecting a year and about 8 months ago, we've prayed that the Lord would mold us into the parents He wants us to be. We're not there yet; He's still molding of course, and will be throughout her life. But I've fallen more in love with my husband by watching his heart just overflow with love for our daughter. I've also come to admire and respect him even more as my helpmate and our provider; he works so hard and he never complains. His selfless, serving heart is constantly encouraging me to consider other's needs above my own. We've grown as individuals and as a couple by sharing in this precious journey together. I'm excited to see the Lord continue to work in our lives through this sweet experience.

As we've been celebrating over our little angel's life I can't help but think of how much more the Lord rejoices and celebrates over us. After all, He is love. He's the giver of all sweet gifts including children and the ability to love. So when I look at my child and think my heart will just explode with love, how much more is His love abounding for me and all His children?!?While spending the last week celebrating Matti and the year we've been given with her, this verse keeps running over and over in my mind:

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17