G-Baby is getting a whole new view on life! After her weigh-in and the the thumbs-up from her pediatrician, we flipped Gwyneth’s car seat around. She loves facing forward and being able to see where she’s going – instead of where she’s been! It’s given Gwyneth a whole new perspective on life and we welcome her to the world of optimism.

Annabelle loves being able to see her sister and they can now throw toys more easily between seats. Granted, they tried before but the angle was a little harder to perfect. She can hardly believe her little eyes. Yes, that’s the back of Dadda’s head!! Ah, the new sites to behold.

As much as I enjoy taking pictures of the girls milestones, I didn’t just load them in the car for the picture opportunity. We were headed to meet Sarah & Doug for dinner at Gordon Biersch. Sarah was out of town for GG’s birthday so of course we had to have a belated celebration! Sarah brought the girls Stanford stuffed animals and GG received books and a Stanford Tee for her birthday. I can’t wait for her to wear it! The girls were really well behaved at dinner and they scarfed down an entire bowl of spaghetti. My girls can eat some pasta!

After putting the girls to bed, I met Noelia at the Cinebarre theatre for a movie. We saw “The Ugly Truth” which was entertaining and I like Gerard Butler, but I’m really not a fan of Katherine Heigl. Just something about her that I don’t care for – I don’t really care for most of the Grey’s Anatomy cast so that’s probably the hang-up. It was great to catch up with Noelia – they have been traveling a lot this summer and I have not seen her much. Plus, you just can’t go wrong with having a beer while you watch a movie in the theatre (well, without having to sneak them in….remember those days???)

Gwyneth had her 1 year doctors appointment today and is really measuring up:

It wouldn’t be a Paz birthday without a celebration at Morton’s. Poppy was able to get us a private room and we enjoyed a feast of great food and great company! It was a long meal for the little kids (3 hours!) but they were so good. There was plenty of lovin‘ and attention for all of them.

We were joined by Poppy, Melissa, Auntie Becky, Madison, YaYa, Grandma and Grandpa Meyer, Aunt Chriss, Uncle Paul, Nathan, Jocelyn, Consuelo and Gus. It was quite a party and everyone had a blast.
The cousins!
Jocelyn cracked us up by eating her weight in crab. I’ve never seen anything like it!

Gwyneth and her GodfatherGG has Consuelo wrapped around her little finger & the feeling is definitely reciprocated.

Annabelle made her Poppy proud – she feasted on steak. The next morning I asked her what she wanted for breakfast and she said “Morton’s”. Oh no – Poppy may have created a monster!

We couldn’t have asked for a better evening. With my family out of town it’s very rare we can all get together. What a great opportunity to catch up, laugh, and celebrate Gwyneth’s big day!

Poppy & Melissa arrived Friday evening to kick off Gwyneth’s birthday extravanganza. Some little ones have a first birthday party, but with the help of her friends and family, GG got an entire weekend of celebration! We ordered take-out from Village Tavern and had a nice quiet meal at home. The girls enjoyed some special time with Poppy & Melissa.

Gwyneth’s first birthday is quickly approaching! We are having a ladybug themed birthday party for our sweet little lady, her friends, and her family Saturday morning. YaYa, Poppy, Melissa, Auntie Becky, and Madison are flying in to celebrate with her. It’s going to be an exciting weekend.

I enjoy putting together the party favors for the guests and got creative with GG’s take-aways. In ladybug bags, B loaded potting soil while I hand painted ladybugs and each child’s name on a flower pot. We attached an envelope of flower seeds so each little one can plant a flower to take home with them to remember Gwyneth’s first birthday!

Ladybugs and flower pots for allAnnabelle and GG got their very own pots too.A sea of red and black polka dots

I can hardly wait for my family to arrive and to kick off Gwyneth’s birthday weekend extravaganza. Annabelle hopped out of bed this morning, walked right up to Gwyneth, and said “Happy Birthday, GG!”. Annabelle is usually a sourpuss in the morning so this is a great indication of what is in store. I hope Gwyneth has a very special visit with her family and a wonderful time at her party with her buds! We are so grateful to have such a sweet and funny little girl. I just can’t believe she’s going to be one already…

We finally got a little relief from the crazy wind, hail, and thunderstorms and the girls had some much needed outdoor play time. About 10 minutes into dinner time Annabelle starts requesting “outside, please” and luckily tonight we were able to appease her.

Gwyneth is more of a dunker. She doesn’t mess around.
Air-GG!!
Expect to see this girl in the next slam-dunk contest. Look for Gwyneth’s first line of her own Nike tennis shoes this fall.

Annabelle is the queen of the rebound and will wrestle you to the ground for the ball. She’s our own Dennis Rodman minus the tats, green hair, and all-around bizarre behavior. She may not win the jump-ball, but you can count on her to be quick and sassy – don’t take your eye off this girl!

Annabelle rules the playground (at least at the Meyer house) and is quickly teaching her sister the ropes. Gwyneth seems to catch on to everything very quickly and is doing her very best to keep up with her big sister.

“Follow me, GG“.

A cautious GG is wondering if she is being led into a trap.

Yep, once GG climbs into the tunnel, Annabelle climbs out and takes off running.

Oh well, GG is happy and has the playhouse to herself – if only briefly!

“C’mon, GG – this is how you run and shriek!”.

The girls were pretty worn out so we threw on pj’s and watched an episode of “Wipeout“. When the contestants fall, which they always do and it’s never pretty, Annabelle will say “oh, wipeout“, put her hand on her forehead, shake her head with disgust, and then laugh and laugh. GG laughs too but I’m pretty sure it’s just at her sister’s reaction. Now that’s good family entertainment!

Gwyneth Grace’s first birthday! I can’t believe it’s already been a year since we welcomed this sweet girl into our family. GG received her first birthday gift, from Grandma Wade, today. She received a belly button lift tab book and loves it! Annabelle really seems to like it too but GG crawled under the kitchen table with her new book and hid from her sister. Although Annabelle may have some trouble sharing at times she is always eager to sing Happy Birthday to her sister. We sing the song many, many times each evening and my favorite part is when Annabelle sings “Happy Birthday, dear GG”. GG is so use to being sung to its going to be old hat on Saturday at the party.

GG’s first birthday gift Taking her book and making a run for it.
GG is such a good eater. I never have to worry about her fighting meal time. Tonight she polished off fruit, lasagna, puffs, and even tried some sauerkraut.

Big bites for a little girl

Showing off her dirty face.

Auntie Becky shared some of her pictures from Gwyneth’s visit. They went to Six Flags, Madison’s swim meet, and ate lots of ice cream. Gwyneth has even learned to call Madison “LaLa” just like her big sister. We can’t wait to see everyone next weekend for Gwyneth’s first birthday.

GG’s first trip to Six Flags.

This face cracks me up.Madison is such a good cousin

Does this seem wrong to anyone else???

And we thought YaYa was the responsible one… Poor GG is not a fan of Scooby!