Happy Birthday, Ella!

My beautiful cousin, Ella, turned 1 on Saturday. We went to a party to celebrate.
The party was at Veteran's Park in Redondo Beach. Here is a view looking toward the ocean. It was a lovely summer day...perfect weather for a party.

Ella instantly fell in love with her balloons. Sir was there to help her enjoy them.

I loved the balloons, too. Ooooh, I almost got this one.

Mimi helped me get a closer look at this one.

Then all the party goers started to arrive. Aunt Marisa's Hula Sisters and some of Ella's friends from her playgroup came for some fun in the park, too. So there were LOTS of kids to play with. I made sure to power up with some mac n' cheese and fruit.

Ella made sure to stay hydrated before the fun really got started. I think you have to drink through the straw, Ella.

Of course no park is complete without play equipment! Daddy helped me enjoy the slides.

Wheeeeeee!

Let's do that again!

I decided I could go down the slide by myself. I climbed the stairs...

Daddy showed me where to go...

I was determined to get up there...

Here's a little video of my solo slide...

Once I was at the top, I posed for the paparazzi (Mommy, Tutu and Mimi) on the bridge.

Can't see me now, can you, Pappers! (that's what Regis calls them...Mommy has always thought that was funny).

After the slide, I rode this horse. I especially love it and said "horsey, horsey, neigh, neigh" the whole time.

Then it was time for cake so me and my entourage went back to the party area.

Look at that yummy cake, will ya! And a fitting design for a party by the sea.

Here's Ella, Aunt Marisa and Uncle Mike before the cake. Cute, huh?

Time to sing...

Here's a little video of everyone singing to Ella...

And here's Ella's first bite of cake. Yummy!

I couldn't wait to eat cake, either. I ate this whole piece all by myself. So delicious!

Here I am relaxing in my pirate chair after my cake. Ahhh, sugar coma!

Here I am with Mimi and Pop-Pop. They came to join in the fun, too!

And here's Ella with her grandparents, Tutu and Sir. Hey, Ella, you have your own paparazzi!

And here are Tutu and Sir with all of their treasures. I think we were both more interested in the balloons.

After a few swigs of apple juice, I was ready for more fun!

Daddy, will you take me to the swings please?

Oh, boy, I love the swings! Woohoo!

Ella loved the swings, too!

Here's a little video of the two of us enjoying the swings...

I even got a push from Uncle Phil. He's Aunt Mary's husband and he's been in Dubai for a while working on fountains for the big hotels. So it was a big treat to see him. He's super tall but super kind. I can't wait to hang out more with him in Maui.

After the swings, I found this cool tree to explore.

And some leaves, too.

If I were only a bit taller, I could climb this thing. One day...

As the day wound down, Ella, Maxwell and I decided to take a ride in the wagon. Aunt Marisa pulled us and Sarah pushed. It's tough to live such a pampered life.

Happy 1st Birthday, Cousin Ella! And thanks for having a birthday so we could party, too!