Our little monster turns 1

Megan doesn't actually turn 1 until July 4th, but we got some celebrating done yesterday before we go on vacation.

 Annie suggested monster cupcakes for our little monster. I thought it was appropriate, and went with the patriotic colors, since she's our Freedom Baby. :)

 We went swimming with cousins until the lightening got a little too close, then came home and had dinner and cake with the Tucson family.

 Megan wasn't a big cake smasher, but did make a big enough mess with her feet in the frosting that she got a good bath before continuing on to presents. Which she wasn't at all interested in.

 The other kids unwrapped her presents for her since she couldn't be persuaded to touch the paper most of the time, let alone tear it off.

 She was a fan of her stroller, but prefers sitting in it to pushing it. Though she does like to push it when the whim hits her.

 Bubbles were Annie's idea and Megan got a kick out of those.

As Megan turns one she is just starting to walk. She signs and says water (wa-wa), more, all done (dah duh), and says Mom, Dad, hi, and boo. She might say Ry-Ry (Ryan) and Nannie (Annie). Or she might say the same thing for all 3 of her favorite siblings. I can't quite tell sometimes.

She's got a sense of humor and likes to make us laugh, and likes to laugh with everyone else for no reason whatsoever. She LOVES the stairs and can go down them pretty well on her own. She will stand at the baby gates by the stairs and wail when she wants to climb on them. She loves watching the kids play, but especially Ryan. He may be her favorite person, even though he is getting more territorial about his toys every day and isn't always all that nice to her. She loves him anyway.

She likes phones and remotes and the ipad and the computer. Anything forbidden is a must-have item. She is not a picky eater, but prefers to eat off the table rather than her high chair. We call her high chair and her car seat both "the chair of cheer." She cries almost every time we put her in one. Usually it only lasts until there is food in front of her or the car starts moving, but neither one is her favorite place. And the car happiness only lasts about 20 minutes and then she is DONE. Unless there is some creative entertainment going on. Or food.

Megan can bring a smile to everyone's face and gives awesome hugs. We're glad to have her in our family. Happy birthday, little one!