asher's first birthday

We had the best weekend. Friday night after work we drove up to Virginia to celebrate Asher's first birthday. Asher had so much fun.

Here he is bright and early on his birthday morn.

We decided to get his very first haircut on his birthday. Just in time too. 4 people in the last two weeks had called him a girl.

Those are the before shots.

His first sucker helped him stay still (for the most part).

The after picture.

Daddy and the birthday boy.

His cake survived the journey up from North Carolina. Also, it was my first attempt with fondant and I think it turned out ok for a complete novice. Thanks to the cake master my Aunt Candy who consulted!

Mom and the birthday boy.

Getting ready to blow out the candles.

Not quite sure what to do...

He figured it out.

He received many great presents from everyone!

Asher and Chloe had a great time playing together. Chloe showed him the ropes including the fun that is Grandma's spice cabinet.

After Asher's party we celebrated Cara and Quinn's birthday. I don't have any pictures of that because my camera died, but Cara captured it perfectly on her blog. Check it out here.

Thank you everyone for helping make Asher's first birthday so special!

go go go

There are moments (like this very second) where I feel like I gave birth to the energizer bunny. Asher is non-stop. There are very few still moments with him. One comes first thing in the morning. After we get him out of the crib he will lay with us in bed and drink his bottle. I love this time. As soon as the milk is gone the moment is over. He usually will throw the bottle at his Dad's face to signify he is done and then play time begins. It rarely stops. Getting a diaper and clothes on him is a exercise in distraction. From the moment I put him on the floor to diaper him up he is off and the chase is on. I'm usually exhausted by the time he is finally dressed. And to make matters worse he seems to be resisting his morning nap with all his might. I read in my sleep book bible (Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child) that 17% of 12 month olds have dropped their morning nap. I fear we are going to be part of this statistic. It really wouldn't be so bad except that will mean that I no longer have his morning nap as a time to bathe and dress myself.  I still haven't come up with a good solution to this problem.

Happy Birthday!

My wonderful husband turned 29 years old today. One more year and I will no longer be the lone adult in their thirties in our family. Quinn needed to work late tonight so we celebrated early this morning (hence why I did not pose in any pictures).

Asher was super excited.

Asher also got in some good unwrapping practice for his big day next week!

Happy Birthday Quinn! Asher and I love you!

first "hike"

We took Asher on his first "hike" on  Saturday. Ok, it was really more of a nature walk in a park but he loved it nonetheless. We were going to go for a walk with him in his stroller but then we found this trail and decided to explore.

He spent most of his time on his Dad's shoulders.

In other mischevious Asher news on Sunday he was bound and determined to retrieve the measuring cups from the top level of the dishwasher, but he couldn't reach. Then he figured out that he could stand on the door of the dishwasher and everything was suddenly within reach.

He was pretty proud of himself.

all grown up

Do you remember this post? I remember being so excited when I bought that little suit. Dana had told me that it was so hard to find good church clothes for boys so that if I ever came upon a great deal to snatch it up even if it is too big because eventually they will grow into. So I've had that suit since October 2008 when I was 5 months along and he finally wore it to church yesterday.

Isn't he so handsome? I can't believe how fast time has gone by and that he can wear it I can't believe he is turning 1 this month.

I just smiled everytime I looked at him with his little suit coat on crawling on the floor at church yesterday.