Tap Dance Lessons + Morse Code = Ingenious Combination

We spent the weekend in Antlers, Oklahoma at Alan's brother, Patrick's, and our sister-in-law, Sarah's, house for our niece, Mattie May's, first birthday celebration.  It was a lot of fun, and a snapshot of what we have to look forward to once Baby Ward makes his appearance.  I'm usually more of a wordy person, but I figure the old adage about a picture saying a thousand words is quite apt in this instance, so I'll just let these pictures do the talking.

Mattie opening her gifts - Alan and I gave her nothing but clothes.  I just can't resist all of the cute little girl clothes that are out there, and I know it'll come a time pretty soon when we have to buy toys instead of clothes!

Pulling on the ribbon - kids this age enjoy the unwrapping more than the present inside, I think.



"Cool sweater!"  I love the expression on her face in this one.



A turtle that lights up and sings (you can pull it along the floor too) from her cousin Jonah.

A drum from Grandma and Grandpa (Patrick and Sarah say, "Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa.")

Singing the Happy Birthday Song

 

Getting a big handful of her first birthday cupcake

Mostly icing on the first bite

Yum!  Mattie destroyed her birthday cupcake, she ate pretty much the whole thing, icing and all ... I think all that was left was the wrapper.

Alan and Jonah (our nephew, Alan's oldest brother Ricky's son).  Jonah is demonstrating how you say, "Cheese!" in order to take a proper photograph.

Jonah is telling Alan about his favorite movie, Cars (or, he could have been talking about Noah and the Ark or Jonah and the Whale ... he talks a lot, and he told Alan about all of those things at one point or another).

Alan blowing up birthday balloons for the kiddos to play with

The balloons were a big hit - they had a lot of fun chasing them around, throwing them up in the air, etc.

Alan, with balloons in his shirt ... he always likes to add a bit of levity to the occasion (he kept yelling, "Jonah, that's inappropriate!" when Jonah would try to get the balloons out from under his shirt ... it made me think of that episode of Family Guy:  "I need an adult, I need an adult!")

Uncle Alan, Aunt Jill, and Mattie May