"Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday to YOU! Happy Birthday dear Charlotte! Happy Birthday to YOU!"

Today is Charlotte's actual birthday. I know, a whole year has passed! How did it happen so quickly???

We celebrated this past Saturday so that friends and family could attend. I won't lie; I have been crafting for this party for weeks...maybe months. I know that Charlotte will not remember this party. However, one of the reasons I decorated the house was because I enjoy it. Her party was excuse to get out the glitter, glue gun, and go to town. The party was also a way to visit with so many people who have prayed for Charlotte and our journey as a family. I have never felt more love or support than when Charlotte was diagnosed. The community that surrounds us is one I am eternally grateful for and it was wonderful to celebrate with so many of them.

But my main reason was to celebrate not only the birth of our daughter, but also the way the God has blessed us. Through God's grace Charlotte has beaten the odds. Over 85% of children with a shunt due to SB have a malfunction in the first year of life. This does not mean that Charlotte won't have a malfunction. It could happen at anytime. And she is going to the doctor in October to schedule eye surgery. There is also the possibility of hip surgery. But those are the future and we are celebrating what God has done right now. I can't think of a better reason to eat cake and have friends over than no brain surgery!
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I will warn you I took zillions of pictures and had a hard time editing :)

The decorations:





It was a butterfly themed affair.




The banner took forever to make and I probably should have used a stencil for the letters.




I had to make Charlotte and her doll matching party hats!



I did a lot of decorating with streamers due to there low cost.




Throughout the house I scattered the verse that that has meant so much to me since Charlotte's diagnosis: Psalm 134.



My most time consuming project by far where Charlotte's initials. I have decided we will put them up every birthday.



This was a take home gift for each of the Grandparents.



Can you tell I love the color pink?!




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The flowers.

I bought a few filler flowers from Wal-Mart and the rest came from my garden.



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The sweet treats.

I baked and I baked and I baked. But it was fun...most of the time.




I don't think I'll be making cake pops from scratch again. Next time boxed cake and canned icing will have to do. That, or else Ben says he's staying away the day I make them!



The cake table.




And the cake.



I have a few recommendations. Make an icing that you have tried before. Martha really messed me up this time. The icing tasted good but did not set up right, hence the sloppy look of the cake. And those butterflies! They were fun to make but I think I broke half of them trying to put them on the cake.



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The people.

We had grandparents, great grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It was so fun visiting with everyone.



We were grateful that everyone had driven so far and interrupted their schedules to celebrate with us.



And my mom!! I couldn't have done it without her. She came Thursday and was a huge help as always.



Charlotte with her doll.




Charlotte's friends.



Charlotte enjoyed her cake.




But I think she also loved her audience. All the kids came up to watch and would help put her hat back on when it started to fall down.




The party came to a close without any major melt downs though Charlotte was exhausted and went to bed early. I doubt I'll go to this much trouble for any other birthdays but it was a lot of fun and we had MUCH reason to celebrate!



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I have written this while Charlotte is napping because my plan for every moment she is awake is to just enjoy being with her. I'm going to try not to cry, though I have shed some tears already about this big day. I'm going to feed her squash and cheese, because it's her favorite. I'm going to leave piles of laundry on the floor so we can play with puzzles. I'm going to take her for a walk around the garden cause she loves being outside. I'm going to be patient when she fusses, because sometimes I'm not. I'm going to pick her whenever she reaches for me, because I know one day she won't. I'm going to skip reading blogs and read to her instead. I'm going to cheer, encourage, and thank God as she rolls around, tries to crawl, and begins to master sitting up, because she has come such a long way!

"To measure the meaning can make you delay. It's time you stopped thinking and wasting the day."

As I said in my first post about Ahmic, I wanted Charlotte to feel all the magic that the lush green land and cool waters had given me every summer, but in my selfishness I also wanted the magic for myself. I worried that having a child on Ahmic would take away from my own peace on the lake. Would Needle Point be nothing but diaper changes and sleepless nights?



There were certainly moments where I longed for a break. Charlotte cut a front tooth while we were there, so sleep was minimal most of the time. There were numerous diaper changes, and bath time was a bit of a struggle with me getting pooped on more than once.

But if anything, the Magic of Ahmic was even more present this year than it ever has been in my entire life.



Mornings were welcoming with hot coffee and the sound of cooing baby girls. I loved coming downstairs every morning to see the faces of Henry or Dana. We would smile, knowing that if it was up to us we’d still be in bed.



We watched the girls as they explored their new temporary home and laughed at their discoveries.



“Ring around the rosy, pockets full of posies.



Ashes, ashes, we all fall down!”



Sometimes the mornings were spent working on meals or taking long walks into town. And then it was meal time again. Did I mention I gained the Ahmic 10 pounds? It happens to me every year. I’m much more active on Ahmic; but the food!!! We have big lunches with desserts, afternoon snacks, crackers and cheese at cocktail hour, delicious dinners always served with dessert, and a plethora of delectable ice creams that I couldn't pass up.

Charlotte even enjoyed the food; not eating it though. We gave her peas that we had shelled, and she went bananas over them. Her hands literally shook with excitement.



And the scenery was just as beautiful as ever this year.





We arrived in warmer weather and the week cooled as the days passed and wind swept in.




Ben spent many afternoons kayaking in search for the best fishing spot.



Charlotte wanted to go too.



Some days the wind picked up and sailing was in order.





I wandered around the grounds of Needle Point showing Charlotte all my favorite spaces and letting her explore them.



She was enticed by the wooded ground and lush mosses. Charlotte is such an observant thing, and being with her always makes me look at the world anew.



I watch her look up at the trees towering above her, and I remember the majesty that surrounds me which I so often overlook.




Though I loved every moment of Charlotte’s exploration, I longed for a break. My parents were always gracious enough to allow me time on my own. Sometimes, I spent my moments of solace reading in the hammock, but I always managed a swim to the island. The island that I speak of is a small unoccupied piece of land about two football fields from Needle Point's dock, and it is a tradition to make the swim. I loved trying to get up the courage to dive into the icy water and then swimming hard to warm up. Usually, there was a group making the trek and we all tried to keep up with my Dad, even though he gave us a vast head start.

We all pitched in for dinner, many times eating rather late when we couldn’t get an oven to work or the grill was acting up. But this is par for the course on Ahmic, and all though there were moments of frustration, there were also a lot of laughs and hard earned delicious meals.

After gorging on food and putting little girls to bed we stayed up talking and listening to the boys play guitar.





We even got out Monopoly. I dominated the first game; my real estate savvy is off the charts. Well, it was for the first game. The next game had me doling out my money and heading for a baby who woke unhappy.

The end of our visit came all too quickly, and I longed for more time, more boat rides and late night games, more chilly swims and hammock rests, more of this place that has enchanted me since childhood.

I had worried that Ahmic would be different. It was, but like so many things in life, the change only made my time on the lake more special. And though the land is lovely, the waters beautiful, the trees enchanting, and the smell nostalgic, I am beginning to see that the real beauty is the people who surround me.



Their friendship and affection gives me comfort.





Their laughter lightens my heart.




Their love for my daughter overwhelms me with gratitude.




Their genuine support through past and present trials has been my strength.



Ahmic will always have its own place in my heart, yet my family is what continues to make it magical.