Celebrating a Perfect Gift!

Today I got to help my friend K., who teaches at the same high school I do, celebrate her daughter's first birthday! It has been a long time since I have been to a child's birthday party, given that our own sons are 13 and 16 years old. So I didn't mind driving an hour each way to help her large extended family and circle of friends celebrate Joy's first year on the planet.

I took my husband and our 13 year old along for the ride...

 

Here is the birthday girl. Isn't she delicious? It was so sweet to watch her being passed around from grandmother, to aunt, to uncle, to grandfather and on and on.

 “He loved us personally…centuries before we were born.” St. Peter Julian Eymard

Birthday cards for Joy and her daddy.

Shoes of all sizes by the front door.

Joy, learning to walk, with one of her aunts.

There was more than enough food for the 50 or so folks who gathered.

Flowers on the back deck.

The happy couple's first baby photos.

Their cat upstairs, sleeping while we partied downstairs.

K. baked these beautiful birthday cupcakes.

"all good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.."