Julia was ready to go. She was the first person to put on the party hat and dig into dinner. She already knew the routine - the faster she ate, the sooner the cupcakes and the presents would come. Here she is showing us how old she will be on her next birthday. Before we sat down to eat, she put her party hat on backwards. I had to tell her that it was on backwards and she needed to turn it around, to which she asked, "Why? Is the number one not in the front?" She's so smart it's scary.
Jonathan actually kept his hat on for awhile - at least plenty of time to get a handful of good pictures and videos. Considering his size, nickname, and the shape of the birthday hats, I couldn't help but call him "Buddy the Elf". SANTA!!!!! He was his usual smiling self when Stacey brought out his cupcake and candle.
Surprisingly (or not, when you stop to think about his eating skills), he didn't really eat much of the cupcake. Julia chowed down, but he preferred to mash and squeeze the cupcake in his hands. I think he absorbed more of it through his skin then he actually ate. It's funny the difference between the two - one daintily ate while the other played with and obliterated the cupcake. I bet you can't tell which one was the girl and which one the boy.
After everyone cleaned up we headed to the basement to open presents. Julia "assisted" with the opening of the presents. She and Jonathan both liked the school bus and workbench toys that they were given. They were a big hit, only slightly more then the boxes they came in and the balloons from the party though. A few times I had to pull Julia back so that Jonathan could play with his own toys and so we could get a few pictures. Her enthusiasm was pretty funny to watch. I love the concentration in these shots - so serious.
After everyone had left for the night we realized it was all over. I guess if we don't have another child then we're through with our first birthday parties. We're still eating from the extra paper plates and napkins from the party - you know, only because it would be wasteful to just throw them away...