ramona’s first birthday was last sunday, july 15, in our backyard. i knew i wanted to throw a pink & gold baby bash of sorts. my dear and creative and meticulous friends, nicole and christie of hey! party collective, were just the people for the job. they took my basic idea and had so much fun with it, while still keeping things simple. in this case, pictures speak a whole lot louder than words so i’ll let this photos take it away…
the party was a blast — certainly due in part that i had other people doing most of the stuff for me, so i could just soak it all in. ramona really seemed to get that it was for her and delighted in toddling around the yard saying hello to friends and family. with a bit of coaxing she dove into the chocolate birthday cake (and even shared with the other children!) and just generally, was happy and cheerful in her birthday best. it was so so nice for jp and me to celebrate this big day with all the loved ones that have been such champions and fans and advocates of ramona this past year. this party was also a thank you to them. we are incredibly blessed with an amazing village.
shout outs to my event sponsors:
- hey! party collective — event planners who made this party what it was. (if you live in denver, you need to look them up, for reals. they will take care of it all).
- samm sherman of root down and linger — she used her exec pastry chef expertise to lovingly make those pink & gold macarons (rhubarb buttercream amazingness!).
- lashley rhodes — dear friend and photographer extraordinaire
- banners on the cheap who offered me a credit toward their store (with which i ordered the vinyl banner seen in the first photo) in exchange for a link back to their vinyl banner page. they did not ask for a review, favorable or otherwise, so it is my unsolicited opinion that this is a good and affordable company in the event you may need a vinyl banner. their customer service was efficient and courteous, to boot. thank you for seeking me out!
- my parents — who bought all the food and accouterments after enduring the most obnoxious costco run of their life (their daughter was a combination of sleep-deprived and hungover and, in the scheme of helping them out for a party she was throwing, utterly worthless).
this has been recovery week after the excitement of ramona’s first birthday. we watched ramona let her first balloon go up up and away, caught up on a lot of missed naps, cleaned up the house after the big celebration (some rooms are still disaster zones), tried on new birthday-gift outfits, celebrated four years of marriage, attended the top of the town party, and relished our quiet family time in bed. this weekend, we plan on doing some thrifting, eating some birthday brunch w some local friends, catching up with some out-of-town friends, and just relaxing. you?
denver stuffs:
- don’t be shy! the giveaway is still open! you don’t have to be local or even from colorado. new readers, longtime readers, family, and friends: sign up! mountain vs plains is an incredible little shop.
- my new friend, dan garza, of a small print shop, started writing this really honest and moving prayer and illustration journal, for you when you sleep, on tumblr. i look forward to his daily posts.
other stuffs:
- i’m adding this backyard pool to our list of “home improvements”
- here’s an interesting way to possibly make a little bit of money from all those millions of photos we all take. (via glotalot)
my dear ramona marilyn,
you are now one!
that was the fastest year of my life. it flew by. seriously.
you, of course, are still the same little girl that entered this world one year ago, except now you can walk and talk and feed yourself. it’s quite amazing, actually. and every new day and milestone is more and more fun than the last. i love who you are.
one revolution around the sun. four seasons. 52 weeks. 366 days (it was a leap year this year). my dear, it is strange, the effects of time. i can already imagine you and i talking over coffee when you are in high school; or sharing a cheese plate and a bottle of wine when you are home visiting from college or travels. of course, there are many more revolutions between now and then, but, at times, i canot help myself but fast forward.
sometimes, i think, if only i could slow it all down, would i want to? no. where we are –the pace we are going– this is how it is meant to be. it is so much fun (too much fun!) watching you grow and learn and try and figure out the world around you.
at one point you wouldn’t even open your mouth to applesauce or you would make yourself gag over my purees (i don’t really blame you, i suppose). now you gobble up pretty much everything we put in front of you.
not too long ago you couldn’t walk. overnight, it seems, you are scurrying all over the place. walking. running. climbing. we had to figure out shoes for you and quick!
and talking! before it was a series of blahblahblahs and dahdahdahs. now it’s duck! and dog! and cheese! and shoes! and yes! and oooohhhh! and sometimes you’ll even woof and roar.
you are, undeniably, a happy child. you have the gowiththeflow of your father and the stubborn spunk of your mother. you laugh, giggle, smile, mimic, beam, exclaim, engage, hug, kiss. you seek out and sit on laps and that is, perhaps, what i don’t want to change. i want to be able to hold and protect and envelop you for much longer than i know will be possible, both physically and practically.
one day our conversations will become more than you pointing to your belly, your head, your nose, and your toes (which you do so well). and it will go beyond us teaching you rights and wrongs and goods and bads and all the fun and confusing gray stuff in between the blacks and whites. either way, i’m cherishing these moments now, as they come and as they go. and i look forward to sitting down with you and looking back on it all. just as my mama and i do when her and i visit.
i love you, minka moo. love, mama
*ramona turned one on july 15, 2012. see ramona at other months: eleven, nine, seven, five, three, one, birth. this will be the last monthly letter i publish here for her. i will, however, find other excuses to write her letters and share them with you.*
this past weekend, my parents were staying in our home during their visit for ramona’s birthday. we took advantage of the fact we had in-house babysitters and got away for an early four-year anniversary celebration.
- we started with drinks and small plates at charcoal restaurant
- then moseyed over to the clyfford still museum, where we had the galleries all to ourselves
- afterward we headed to squeaky bean’s new location (go there now!)
- we planned on ending the night at williams & graham (and should have as it was late and i had had plenty to drink)
- but after one drink there, we then went on to a friend’s house warming party
my parents had ramona sleep down with them in the guest room in the basement. technically, it was our first night away from little miss bean! i hurt the next day as going to bed at 1:00 AM and waking up at 6:30 is not my forte. those heavy-drinking, late-nights are not (or should not) be in the cards for this mama. but knowing that ramona can successfully sleep away from us is good news to me! i’m not eager to cart her off every weekend but sometimes, well you know, sometimes parents need a break.
jp and i love to celebrate special occasions by splurging on good dining experiences. here’s where we’ve dined for our previous anniversaries:
1st anniversary: root down (before we worked there!)
2nd anniversary: schwa
3rd anniversary: trattoria stella
from meeting to marriage was a whirlwind. we’ve spent the last four years figuring each other out. i have a sneaking suspicion we’ll be doing that for the rest of our lives. but i like you. i really do. things aren’t always easy but, to anyone who has been married, that’s no surprise. you have blown me away with your loyalty to our little family and your commitment to being the best man you can be, not only to me, but to our daughter, our families, and those around us. i see that every day in the hard and honest work you put forth to make your dreams your livelihood, and to include ramona and i in that. what a partnership we have! what fun we have! i love you, bub. always and forever. happy anniversary.
jp and i married on july 18, 2008 at prairie production in chicago. these beautiful photographs were taken by nancy beale of dwp.
welcome
