Today we celebrated Mac’s first birthday with a small, family party. She was first apprehensive, then loved being the center of attention, and then was too tired to function. So it was a great party.

For Christmas, Andrew got a green screen stand that we have since used a few times as a party background. It worked great to hang a “Happy Birthday” banner on. We also served sandwiches, veggies and dip, buffalo chicken dip with tortilla chips, and Ikea veggie balls (for us vegetarians and vegans.)

Here’s the birthday girl! This was during the apprehensive stage, so we didn’t get a good smiley picture.

Here is Mac at the beginning of opening presents. She could’ve cared less about opening presents and Christmas and she was only a smidgen more enthused this time around.

This was her general feeling about opening presents.

“Hey, I like that Daniel Tiger shirt!”

She just had to stop and read one of the Daniel Tiger books she got. Mac LOVES to read!

The more I look at this picture, the more it looks like my mom and I were doing a catalog shoot and Mac wandered in.

Opening presents with her mommy.

We told her it was time for “DEAR.” (Drop Everything And Read for all of you non-90s kids.)

Auntie Molly and Uncle Mason helped Mac open presents.

Auntie Jo helped Mac read a Daniel Tiger book.

Opening more presents together with a cameo from the back of Ralph’s overly-furry head.

I feel like the best phrase for her feeling in this picture is “stupidly excited.” Andrew and I found her a Daniel Tiger playset with all of the characters in it. Obviously she was excited.

You can’t quite tell in this picture, but she was much more interested in using the wrapped present as a climbing toy instead of actually opening it.

What do you do when you forget to buy birthday candles? Just have the baby blow out her favorite jar candle.

I already apologized to Andrew for including this picture, but I couldn’t stop laughing because he looks like he has a hunchback. Maybe this is how he really feels when he is the Igor to my Doctor Frankenstein.

She was not afraid to pick up the entire piece of cake and devour it. I knew she was my daughter.

And here’s the aftermath. Not too bad, but she did think it would help to smash some in her hair.

Poor girl. We basically gave her a bath in her high chair.

Here is Mac and her Auntie Pamanda. As you can see, she has entered the tired phase here.

Mason decided to join in the photo. Molly was not happy after she found out. We did take more pictures, but not on my phone.

Things not shown:

Lots of hugs and kisses for the birthday girl

Lots of making her point to various things like her nose, her tongue, Daniel Tiger, etc.

My sister and I hurriedly wrapping Mac’s gifts upstairs in my bedroom while everyone else ate lunch. Amanda helped too.

My brother walked in with a garbage bag full of movies for us to keep while he is in Germany. And a bag of beef jerky. For himself.

Mac loved stealing my dad’s reading glasses and walking around with them. But no, she didn’t want to wear them and no, she didn’t want anyone else to wear them either.

Molly got a juggling lesson from Andrew that was mostly her throwing oranges at the wall and the rest of us trying to make sure she didn’t hit Mac or anything else breakable with them.