Marley it's your birthday! Happy birthday, Marley!

Marley's birthday party was so much fun! We had a bunch of family and friends come over to celebrate with a monkey cake, pink & brown frosted cupcakes & ice cream! Thanks to everyone who came and gave such wonderful, thoughtful gifts. A big thanks to my sister-in-law, Tina, who made all the delicious desserts possible!! She even made and decorated the monkey cake and did a fabulous job even though she'd never done it before!!!
We are so excited, yet still in utter disbelief, that our little baby girl is now actually a whole year old!! As with everyone who's a mom or a dad, we have had an immensely wonderful time being able to observe Marley change, evolve, and develop her own little personality. Marley is a fantastic blessing in our home and we strive hard every day to enjoy every single moment of her life with her because the time we are granted slips away so rapidly! The post below shows a slide show of Marley during her first year and it's a tad long because I had a hard time (as usual) deciding what pictures to use...so I had to trim it somewhat to make it a bit shorter!!
Here are a few things that she is able to do now:
*She is now able to walk and walk well (except she did a ‘banana-peel’ type slip on a slippery spot on the floor the other day!).
*She can climb up stairs but has not mastered climbing down as of yet.
*She uses a ‘reach’ with her arm as a gesture for asking for things she wants.
*She’s horribly addicted to her Binky (thanks to mom!)
*She loves books.
*She loves to open & close anything that will open & close.
*She can say ‘Mama’ & ‘Dada’ & a plethora of jibber-jabber.
*She loves little kids.
*She attempts to eat everything—even though she still has no teeth!!
*She gives beautiful hugs & kisses.
*She loves to dance, especially when we turn on music.
*She smiles at herself every time she looks in the mirror.
*She loves her family!
*She's a wonderfully sweet and good-natured child!
*There is so much more….but there’s not enough room!!