Tea Party

She was a one-eyed, one-horse, flying...

How about the birthday outfit? Purple boots (compliments of gj). Purple velour super-star shirt. Belly paunch straining the middle. Rock-star, rhinestone kitty. Tongue hanging out, new Corinne move. Don't you love the tongue? This is a new thing. We think she just realized that she has a tongue and can make it go everywhere.



We've been having such a good time with Corinne as she comes more and more into herself. In leiu of a party we just relaxed with a few of Corinne's 'play dates', Ceily, Maxine, and Stella. The young girls socialized while the older girls slurped coffee drinks and devoured Anna's dark chocolate fondue. Whose party was it?!




The girls discuss the upcoming primaries while expressing their distrust of the toy industry. Ceily's voting for the candidate who will improve toy quality and monitor Chinese exports. Maxine is more concerned with wireless connections as her conversation on the Dora cell met with yet another dropped call. (Sigh).

Hey, Bridget, I'd like another muffin, please!

Michelle and Ceily light up the room.

What a great afternoon! The following Tuesday we headed to the doctor's office for the official one-year checkup. Corinne is in the 97% for her height/age and 75% for weight. Must be the bean and cheese quesadillas she's been inhaling during mealtimes.

We'd also like to welcome the newest addition to the extended family, Maren Benedict. My cousin, Jane Layton, just adopted a Guatemalan girl who is merely a month older than Corinne. I'm waiting for gj to send photos. Send photos, gj! :-) Jane Layton has been waiting patiently for months to finalize the adoption and her waiting finally paid off this past Wednesday when she and Maren met. Congratulations, JL, we can't wait to meet your little one! We love her already.

She's ONE!!!

Yep, One Year...One long beautiful year

The Birthday Cupcake

Some for me!

Some for Daddy...

And some for Mama...

Corinne has access to one cupboard in the house...

Can you guess what we keep in there?

She is very big about taking things out and putting things into containers. Many of her toys require placing blocks and shapes into appropriate spots. When she's not banging the crap out of them on the ground, smacking them together, or stomping on them, she gets them in the right spot.

Walking is definitely the transportation of choice now. Belly straight out and bum ready to squat, she toddles all over the house, very pleased with herself. We decided no better time than to train her early in womanly duties. hahahaha

She's a natural, isn't she? Look out Molly Maids! Actually, folks, we have the cutest video of Corinne on her birthday morning walking into the living room to find her new birthday gift: the scooter. We got a little carried away, and the video is too long to upload and post to the blog. Oops. That's why you are being entertained by the Molly Maid clip.

Corinne first met a scooter while playing with her cousings in Raleigh. It wasn't too difficult to decide what to do for her on her birthday! She couldn't wait to get the keys and be on her way! Anybody up for a Sunday drive this weekend?

Finally, this was the scene crossing the bridge from downtown onto James Island the other day. The storm front in the background had moved through earlier and offered this image. Looks like mountains in the distance. Hey look, Ranier's out!!!!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts. You all have kept Corinne well equipped and continue to do so. We appreciate everything!!!