Birthday Weekend!!

Well, it happened. Our little, tiny, baby boy isn't a baby anymore! We celebrated his first birthday in style, all weekend long! Big Daddy and Grandma Susie flew in Thursday night and stayed until Monday. On Friday we enjoyed a rainy morning at home, then took Alex to get a haircut and went birthday shopping at Toys 'R Us! On Saturday we worked hard all day and put up some the lattice around the underside of our deck (that we bought the materials to do in May!!) with the help of my dad while Grandma Susie took care of Alex (they even went to the playground for swing time!). We were pooped but it was worth it! On Sunday we went to church and then began frantic party-prepping. Alex's party was a huge success on Sunday and he had fun playing with his friends, eating cake, and gnawing on curly ribbon! Needless to say, he took three naps on Monday to catch up on his rest. We are so thankful for his healthy first year of life and we love him so much! We are also thankful for our wonderful families and friends who love Alex dearly and are so supportive of Marc and I when we need their assistance. Happy First Birthday to our little Acorn!


The "cake scene" of the show was fabulous...the sugar high kicked in after 2-3 minutes.

The scene started off nice and innocent, despite the messy/cute ending...

Mom's attempt at his "car" cake...it was a little moist but I'm not used to cooking with silicon bakeware.

Here is Alex playing with his friends Amelie Loomis and Ella & Sam Newsome.

Alex enjoyed tearing off the wrapping paper once we helped him get started.

Alex loves his giant, soft Tonka trucks from Aunt Megan and Uncle Michael. He is one lucky godchild to have such loving Godparents!

Mom and Dad helped Alex read his cards and open presents.

Grandma Susie helped Alex get his second haircut on Friday.

Alex loves his forward-facing car seats. He was VERY cranky in his old one because his legs were squished up against the seat.

While Grandma Susie shopped (for him), my dad and I took Alex to the indoor playland at the mall, after his haircut. He didn't know what to do at first and was just watching the older kids run around like maniacs. He caught on quickly and had so much fun running around and climbing on the toys.

Alex also enjoyed the wall puzzles at the mall playland.

Alex crawled through the log quite a few times and would laugh when he saw us waiting for him on the other end!

Tom, this picture is for you...the pimps in the crib. Hopefully that money came from Big Daddy's wallet, not Marc's. It was difficult for me to stomach the uncleanliness aspect of this.

Alex enjoyed breakfast with Big Daddy this weekend.

Here is Alex enjoying swinging at the playground. Grandma Susie helped him practice sitting back and holding on tight!

Here is Alex's new G-ride. He loves his little car and if we stop pushing him he rocks back and forth, as if to tell us, "Keep going, keep going!"

Alex is a HUGE help with laundry...NOT. He can't quite unfold as fast as we fold but we're getting close.

Outside Playtime!

Last weekend we took the Alex, Rummy, and Willow down to a neighborhood park/cookout area for some fun. Rummy and Willow had fun playing in the woods and chasing their ball 1,000 times (probably literally) and Alex played with his soccer ball on the basketball court!

Mommy and Alex at the park
I bought this cute hat for Alex this winter and he modeled it while I was folding the rest of his clothes I washed. It turns out that it made a good "helmet" for soft bumps on the table while Alex crawled through/around it.
This is at the playground Wednesday afternoon
Having a snack and juice on the bench at the playground
Chowing down!
Alex might be a future bronc rider or steer wrestler...we have it narrowed down to those two. Since I recently bought him his first pair of Wrangler jeans for this winter, he'll make an excellent cowboy.
Believe it or not he actually, somehow, got himself into this predicament last weekend.
Alex was helping me (see screwdriver in hand) as I put together a new toy shelf for his room.
Check out the froggie socks...they have treads on the bottom so his feet stay snuggly while he safely (no slipping!) roams the kitchen and entry way floors. I also love the "Mr. Mischief" T-shirt he is wearing!

Alex and I went to a neighborhood playground on Wednesday afternoon, after his trip to the doctor's office on Wednesday morning. He enjoyed swinging, sliding, playing in the grass, and a snack on the bench! He is finally feeling much better today after a hearty dinner and a good night's sleep last night.

Exploring at the park...

Alex has been continually going after his birthday present from Grandpa Chuck and CC...he LOVES the curly ribbon!!

Alex this week...

Alex is now officially, 100% mobile, and he loves it! He is very proud of himself and likes to walk everywhere now, except maybe at the end of the day when he's really tired! Today at daycare Alex got to enjoy a clown show and his teachers said that he sat and watched the whole show with a look of amazement on his face, and then got upset after she was all done. Too funny! Today he came home sick from daycare with a slight fever but he took a three hour nap after we got home, ate a big dinner, had a warm & fun bath, and feels much better! He went to bed around 8pm and is sleeping great so far. He and I will be home tomorrow since he can't return to daycare!

Here is Alex this past weekend...he really likes throwing his soccer ball to us and usually will throw it back and forth with me 5 or 6 times...like playing catch. He just gets very happy when you roll it back to him.

This was Monday after daycare. Alex went out the doggie door so I took that as him wanting to play outside. He walked around on the deck for a while, then he walked around out in the grass by himself (no help!) while he and I were visiting with our neighbors. He is getting pretty steady!

Alex is very dedicate and determined when it comes to his climbing these days.

pictures pictures pictures

Okay, I was finally able to upload pictures today and not just videos! Alex has been a busy little bee! Here are two from Sunday's swim time...
Monday at home after daycare
Practicing squatting...he's strong!
Post-swim, cooling off in the A/C...
Into mischief of course....

This is Alex's Astros shirt from Big Daddy
Pre-haircut...check out the cool kiddie smock with animals on it! It was so cute!
Alex chewed on his favorite squeaker mouse while Karena started trimming.
Ready for his close-up!
TA-DA!!! What a handsome boy there was under that hair!

I'm up...they see me...I'm down.

Alex enjoys climbing the stairs on his own after dinner, as we head to bathtime! Lately, though, he does get distracted by the banister columns/rail.

swim time yesterday

Alex and I went to the pool yesterday where we enjoyed the weather and cool water. These videos were taken on my camera so they're not as good as the ones from the video camera. We also got into the big pool for a good half hour and I pushed him around the whole time. He had lots of fun!

Cute Videos

Yummers!

The giggle monster came out when the tickle monster got him!

Alex took some good steps this past weekend and then walked across the room at day care today. I'll post the video from daycare after they email it to me. This video was on Sunday afternoon!