Turning one is a piece of cake

By K.J. Cardinal

Anna made turning one-year-old yesterday seem like a piece of cake.

Never mind the nearly 20 people in the house, including a handful of little kids.

Never mind her first taste of several foods full of sugar, including cake, ice cream cake and fried dough.

Never mind turning out the lights while 20 people sing "Happy Birthday", including the "Cha, Cha, Cha" version perfected by the Malaquias clan (video below).

Regardless of all those happenings, Anna as a one-year-old continued the theme of the first 365 days of her life...unphased.

Whether going to a bar in Boston for a birthday party or recycling cans with me, Anna just has this relaxed attitude about in her in busy settings that has been a treat to experience.

Yesterday was no different as Anna was just chillin' throughout the day...her day.

Angie and I decided to go small with the birthday bash, inviting just our parents and siblings, and the intimate gathering was great so everyone could get some good QT with Anna. And perhaps more importantly, so Angie and I could get some QT with Andrew, Natalie, Ryan and JuJu too!

Anna got some pretty cool gifts to commemorate the special day too. Everything from gold hoop earrings to nifty new shoes and an awesome new car (pictured above). She also has an LL Bean snowsuit coming her way from Meme and Papa.

A special thanks to everyone for coming (sorry you couldn't make it Aunt Kate!), it was definitely a 1st birthday that we'll never forget. I'll leave you all with this wonderful "Happy Birthday" rendition, performed by the Cardinal and Malaquias families...