Happy Birthday, Mandy!

So my sweet, adorable niece, Mandy, is one of the cutest babies I've ever seen! She is pensive, and thoughtful, and gentle in spirit. And thanks to my precious husband, I was able to be in Maryland when she first came home from the hospital, and again this year to celebrate her first birthday.

Of course I had to bring my new appendage toy camera! I took a lot of pictures, as I am currently in the "spray and pray" phase of photography: you know, take a bajillion shots and pray that a few of them turn out. And then study those that turned out to figure out what I managed to do correctly. And for those that didn't turn out quite as I had hoped, play with them in Photoshop to see if I can make them better.

My sister and brother-in-law have seen the originals of these pictures, and I think they can vouch for the fact that I have made them better. Unfortunately I didn't do as well as I had hoped in capturing this event. But I learned a lot, and that's important too.

And one of the things I learned? My sister is an awesome baker! The cupcakes and giant cupcakes she made (from scratch!) were moist and delicious, and the frosting was some of the best I've ever tasted. Go Beth!