Holy Cow Zyrah Turned One

 

There is nothing more wonderful in life than to see your children reach milestones in their lives. Now that my children are grown and have children of their own, I get to watch those important moments in life happen all over again. I am blessed to now enjoy each beautiful stage with my great granddaughter, Zyrah. Zyrah turned one this week, and celebrate we did!

My granddaughter, Jessee and her husband Brandon invited family and friends to help celebrate the first birthday of beautiful Z. It was a great turnout, with most everyone in the family appearing, plus all the friends that have watched Z go through her stages in life. This is a milestone that is never forgotten. 

Jess chose the pizza parlor that most everyone in the family has chosen for parties throughout the years. Terry and I took the trip to Springfield to attend the gathering. We purchased a Minnie Mouse kitchen to add to the mound of gifts Z received. 

After ordering pizza, there was the hugging and laughing as we all watched Zyrah move through the balloons flying around and the people who were in attendance. She looked adorable as usual. Jess puts Z in the cutest outfits I have seen a child wear. This time, Z was dressed in a black and white cow print shirt, with matching headband and skirt. The skirt had a waistband of cow print, then an adorable pink tule shirt flowing down from that waistband. 

Brandon (dad), and Zyrah posed for some photos. 

After visiting with each other for a while, we got to see Zyrah tear into her cake. Earlier in the week, on her actual birthday, Jess had set up a "smash" cake. She had so much fun tearing into the two tiers of sweet, frosted delight. Now was the time for her second "smash" cake. I captured some photos, but she was burned out on cake I believe, because this time she barely put her hands in it. She had some help from her mom, just for photo's sake. 

Her cake was a cute two-tiered white cake with black cow print all over the top and sides. As Z ripped the fondant off the outer part of the cake, the chocolate cake with white cream filling appeared. The precocious girl dipped her fingers into the luscious cake filling, bringing every bit up to her mouth. She took her time to enjoy it all but remained fairly clean about it all. It's always the wish of every parent to see the child go face first into the cake; however, she was definitely not interested in posing for photos. She wanted to take the time to put all the cake into her mouth, one finger dip at a time. 

Mom grabbed a chunk of cake off the side, ripping into the fondant and cake in one swipe. She handed some off to Zyrah and placed the rest of it alongside what remained of the torn apart dessert. Z finally managed to get some of the cake around her lips. Cameras went wild. 

Jess bringing in the "smash" cake for Zyrah

After hauling in the pressure sprayer (kidding, of course), the birthday girl was clean, refreshed, and ready to tear into gifts. She smiled and even giggled at times over the treasures hidden beneath the paper and bows. It was like Christmas all over again. 

Zyrah did have an amazing birthday. It's beautiful to see her grow a bit taller and move into new adventures in her life. The skills she obtains with each passing day is nothing short of a miracle. The growing child is genuinely a magical thing of nature. I guess I took it for granted when my kids were younger, but I'm definitely seeing the miracle of life happen with every cherished moment with my grandchildren and now great grandchild. She is always laughing, smiling, and enjoying life to the fullest. 

Terry and I shared this moment with the family, and it was amazing. I feel so blessed to have them all in my life. He is considered "grandpa" now by some of the grandkids, like Jess. It genuinely is heartwarming to see the family bond with someone new that I care so deeply about. I adore my clan and don't know how I would react to my partner not being accepted into the tight knit group with open arms. It definitely makes my heart sing to watch them give Terry a hard time, hug him, laugh with him, and begin to love him as I do. I have watched as his personality blends into ours, creating a loving, caring environment for all. 

On the hour-long ride home, my future husband and I discussed how nice it was to be with the family again and to be sharing in Zyrah's party. The play kitchen we got for her traveled with its new user, Zyrah. We were hoping she would love it and get some use out of it before she was older and not interested. 

When we arrived home, we took our fur baby out to go potty and enjoyed the rest of the evening together. Later in the evening, I received a few photos from Jess, showing Z playing with the little kitchen set. She was curious about it, for sure. It made us happy to see her loving it so much. 

Between Christmas and then a party, Zyrah has far too many toys! She is blessed with all sorts of fun playthings. 

Zyrah spent the evening examining all the working parts of the Minnie Mouse play kitchen. Had to explore with the feet too!