One.

Baby girl is one. My baby girl is one. Can't believe it, except I am beginning to see glimmers of tantrum like attitude at times, so she must be. I love the first tantrums, or frustration storms, they are kind of cute. She lays on her back, kicks her feet and yells, then stops- shocked by the feeling of her feet hitting the floor-, she thinks for a second, and repeats. Sweet girl.

I have other clues that she is one too. Her two new choppers on top aged her face at least two months when they poked through. She's standing for prolonged periods of time, beginning to walk on fingers when coaxed. Her sense of humor is rapidly developing and her belly laughs are to die for- Tirfe loves to laugh, cocking one eyebrow in an "are you for real?" sort of way.

She had a fun and relaxing birthday at home. We made cupcackes, played outside, and grilled. It was unseasonably warm- 60 degrees a week into November. I felt like it was the universe bringing T a teensy bit of Ethiopia on her big day. The sun shining on us that day and letting us relish in warmth. It was really a perfect, relaxing day. We wanted to plant two trees on her birthday, one for her (the boys each have their own) and one for her Ethiopian family, but the nursery was closed since it was a Sunday. Hopefully we can still get them planted before the ground freezes, we'll see. Besides the cupcakes, the boys loved helping her open her gifts, and she loved watching!!

Happy Birthday K.T. Love and more love, to infinity and beyond.

The Video Shuffle

Videos are really hard to take of kids. Sheesh. Why can't they continue on doing their cute little buisiness and just act natural? Even though I miss the shot I am going for most of the time, I am commited to catching their cuteness in action regardless of what they are doing. Like, we'd really love to get video of all of Tirfe's hilarious facial expressions, or her manic head shaking when she gets going on a 'no-no' spree, or the lip pucker and nose snort that accompany her feeling of impatience when you repeatedly neglect to provide her with whatever she was hoping for from bottle to chokeable or whatever. We miss some stuff, but all in all, when I look back at what we have, I am thrilled at how my babies have grown. And that's what it's all about, just a moment in time, caught on video to savor in years to come. Enjoy!

Please ignore the messes in progress. It's a fact of life over here.