AZeigler Dailies: Lucky Thirteen

We've made it. Today, Reagan is one year old, & while I am the same age I was yesterday, I feel a good bit older. We continue to work on making a 'one' with our index finger, having so many reasons to need the gesture. How old are you, Reagan? What are the LSU Tigers ranked, Reagan? How many terms will Obama serve, Reagan?

Her party was held this past Saturday. Many thanks to my parents, who opened their home for the party since the original venue was unavailable, & to my sister who served as photographer.

Some highlights . . .

Contemplating her first year of life:

The set-up:

The cake:

Reagan's smash cake. Trey was unfamiliar with the term "smash cake."

The Spode:

When Jessica & I were very young, our Aunt Kathy gave us a plate for Christmas one year. A plate. You can imagine how excited we were as young children to receive a plate. My dad dubbed it "the lone Spode," & at one point there may have been a poem penned about it. Kathy continued giving us pieces of Spode for birthdays & Christmases, as did my aunts Monisa & Lisa & my grandmother. Jessica & I now have quite an impressive collection of Spode's classic Christmas Tree dinnerware, & it was all taken out of boxes, washed, & used for Reagan's party. It took years for me to appreciate the lone Spode, but I am at a point in my life now where collecting china is truly exciting to me, which I choose to interpret as a reflection of my cultured sensibilities, rather than an indication that I am getting really old. Look for blog updates on my search for a suitable home for all of my china.

Reagan, unaware of the Spode she will one day inherit, checking out her gifts: