It’s hard to believe that a year ago we were in the hospital holding a 5 and a half pound little girl. The uncertainty, fear, and amazement were all overwhelming. The 7.5 months of pregnancy were filled with surprises and scares. We had spent so much time worrying of our little Emma Kate would make it into this world that I believe we didn’t really let ourselves think about what we would do with her once she arrived. 12 months later those thoughts and feelings are so foreign. Sure, there are scary times and uncertain moments, but what was just a small dot on the ultrasound, and what was a crying baby who slept very little, is now a beautiful one-year old with a perfect personality. She’s cute and funny and couldn’t make me any happier. I never dreamed of a more perfect daughter.

To celebrate her birthday we knew we wanted to be surrounded by family and friends. These are the people who helped us through the pregnancy, visited us in the hospital, and gave us love and support during these first months. Due to the size of the group, we knew we couldn’t have the party in our house. Finding a venue that was affordable and appropriate was not easy. We ended up renting out Mack Crawford’s farm, which gave us lots of room for the kids to run around and just be kids. Other than the humidity, it was wonderful day. Emma Kate was showered with gifts and with love. The cake turned out perfect. Alison, Kaye, and Ashley Brookshaw made everything look great. And our friends and family made the atmosphere fun. Thanks to all of you who shared this experience with us. We are grateful. Emma Kate will be able to look back at these photos and know that she has always been supported and loved by many people.

After the party, we quickly cleaned up and went to see the Braves game. You’ll see some of the photos near the end of this post.

The first few photos are actually on her birthday – August 15. We had left our camera in Knoxville, so we had to use our phones! I apologize for the quality.

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