A prelude to the party...

My birthday was a blast! I want to say that upfront; however, I don't have pictures for you just yet. They are coming, I promise. For now, I'm going to tell you about the days leading up to my party...then I'll share about my party when I get the pictures ready. 

I went to my first movie recently. It was great. Ryker had told me all about it and he did not lead me astray. I watched the new Winnie the Pooh movie with Ryker and Allison. I really enjoyed it. I sat through the entire thing quietly and did such a good job. Mommy said she was so proud of me and would take me to another one sometime soon. Woohoo!

Mimi came over and spent time with us while Mommy had Bible study over the last few weeks. Ryker and I had such a good time and as you can see by the baseball fort, had a lot of fun!

Then, my official birthday was here. Just Ryker and Mommy and Daddy celebrated my real birthday with me. I had my favorite stuff for dinner. Asparagus! Most people would be surprised that this one year old loves asparagus, but I do. I can't get enough of it! I also had watermelon (again, my favorite) and some pork for good measure. Mommy baked a cake that didn't have any milk in it, so I was able to dig in. Tasty! Though I didn't dive into it I did take several bites and get pretty messy. After a good bath I opened some presents. Ryker got me a bubble machine. I really like it! Mommy and Daddy got me a real baseball bat of my own. It is a little big, but I'll grow into it.

I went to the doctor and I am a healthy growing boy. I've found a new growth curve, so they're not concerned about my weight gain anymore. I weighed in at 19lb 13.5oz (11th percentile) but I am a tall boy at 31.25" (90th percentile). I am long and lean! I got a book about airplanes from Dr. Pedersen, too! As of today I haven't taken any steps yet, but I will stand up by myself for extended moments of time. I am especially fond of standing over my ball machine so that I can feel the air from it blowing in my face. It makes everyone around me laugh!
I am so excited to be one! I hope you will check back soon to see and hear about my birthday party. I'll be back soon!

365

Happy 1st Birthday, Deklan!
It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed since we first welcomed Deklan to our family. We looked back on the last year with lots of smiles tonight talking about all the things we love about Deklan. Ryker said that what he loves most about Deklan is getting to play with him. Daddy noted Deklan's laughter as a favorite thing of his about our little boy, and I couldn't pick a favorite so the first few that came to mind were his bright blue eyes, his adorable smile, and holding Deklan up over my head while he giggles and does his "Mr. Wigglebottoms" squirm. Deklan is such a special little guy. He is so independent and adventurous. He is so laid back most of the time, content to go with the flow. The past year was not without its trials, as well. The most notable was poor Deklan's dairy allergy. It was rough to see him so fussy and upset for what seemed like no reason at all...for days on end...and not sleeping through the night for months and months and months. If we'd only figured out sooner that his system didn't like milk I am sure our whole family would have been much better off. Thankfully, Deklan's belly no longer is uncomfortable which has allowed us to see his true personality (silly us thinking he was just a very irritable baby). What a great little munchkin! We are overjoyed by the blessing that Deklan is to our family!
I am coming to terms with the fact that my kids' birthdays bring me to tears. This birthday is a reminder that he is growing up and for me it is going by all too quickly. It literally seems like yesterday that my belly was bulging and we were anxiously awaiting his arrival. Now he is our big boy, bear crawling around the house, climbing up on furniture, and making dog, monkey, and duck noises. I'll never understand how the time passes by so quickly; more so, I'll never stop wanting it to slow down so I can keep them little just a short while longer.
Deklan is changing daily. The other day I was taking a picture of the boys and I said, "Say cheese!" To my surprise, it wasn't Ryker that replied, but Deklan. What a hoot! He now says "cheese" each time I get the camera. Speaking of cameras, we had Deklan's one year photo shoot and wanted to share the pictures with you. Below are some of our favorites. (Photos courtesy of the amazingly talented Lauren Spillman...www.signaturelime.com)
Happy first birthday, Deklan-d! We love you so much and look forward to seeing what the next 365 days hold for you!

Thanks for following along with Deklan's adventures this year!

Family Fun

What do you get when you take 7 cousins and turn them lose at the Children's Museum and the splash park in one weekend? A whole lot of fun!
Aunt Nessa and Uncle Tyler came down with Cadence, Kyrie, Brayson, Brannen, and Bretton for a weekend of fun with us. Ryker and I decided to take them to our two favorite summer spots: the museum and Mulberry Fields.
The museum was mostly Ryker's realm. I showed my cousins how to climb up the stairs and slide down the slide...over and over again. I left most of the exploring to the bigger kids though. The stroller is pretty comfy, when I'm not sliding or hanging out at the Playscape.

That night, Grandma and Chandler joined us so that Mommy & Daddy could enjoy the symphony with my aunts and uncles.

The next day we hit the splash park. I crawled through the sprinklers and splashed in the stream. It was fantastic! I kept picking up little pebbles and trying to eat them. Mom didn't like that at all, but it did make for a lot of giggling on my part. I really like to laugh at Mommy when she tells me no, and then proceed to do the thing she told me not to do over, and over again!

Most of the week we stayed inside because it was pretty hot outside. In that time I have found a new favorite toy: the Buzz quad. I know, I'm pretty tough stuff (especially without the shirt on). Ryker put the quad through the ringer and it doesn't steer anymore. So, rather than retiring it for good, I started using it as my favorite walker. Then, I figured I was a big enough boy to sit on it. Once I started sitting on it, I thought it wouldn't hurt anything to push the buttons...and that's when I started riding the quad. I only go in short spurts, but it sure is fun!

Thanks for checking in on me...see you soon!