John turned 1 on July 31st, 2013. On August 10th, we had a little birthday party for him in our back yard. He was very excited, especially about his birthday candle.
He really wanted it, but had to wait to blow it out until we sang.
Seth thought he should have a chance to blow it out himself, but really he just wanted to touch the fire, so I had to intervene.
We had some of our favorite friends come! It is so wonderful to have friends that the wives and the husbands all click with each other, and our kids are around the same age!
Sam, William, Emily and Paul Barker (We have been friends with the Barker's ever since we moved to Cleveland, 5 years ago, we were in the Cleveland 3rd ward together, and now in the Shaker Heights Ward together (we moved in on the same day!) We're so glad to continue our friendship.)
Jocelyn, Lacey and Jackson Cope (I am amazed that Lacey came despite a busy day and her husband Austin out of town! She is such a spunky gal! What she does being pregnant and taking care of toddler twins is nothing short of a miracle.)
And of course Bob, Beth and Stella Winder (the best neighbors imaginable! I don't think we could be more blessed in the neighbor department, sharing a duplex with the Winder's is a dream come true! John and Stella are such great pals. They love each other, and we're excited for their next baby to come in Jan!)
John preparing for the big moment.
And he's off!
To me, this face just says, "Ooooooohhhh this is even more awesome than I expected!!!"
"Dada, you've got to try one of these! They are seriously delicious!"
I consider these chocolate chip wholewheat banana cupcakes a sure success! And they are so much healthier than regular cupcakes, yet so tasty!
This contemplative stance demonstrates how John uses his left forefinger to push in food that may be trying to escape, and to guard it to make sure it stays in :)
Instead of presents, we asked our guests to bring their favorite fruit to share. The potluck fruit salad was excellent!! And it went great with the cupcakes. I am excited that we can still share great food together with our friends even though we don't eat some of the things that we used to.
Somehow John got his right sleeve smothered in frosting... but what's a 1st birthday party without messes!
Stella thought it was a good idea!
The more mess the merrier! I was so glad we did cupcakes before the baby pool, so it was so easy to clean the kids off!
Jocelyn lost her party hat somehow, so she came over to me and just pointed at mine until I could understand that she wanted one, she was very happy to have one again!
Paul has such blue eyes. Paul is a few months younger than John, but certainly just as mobile! Maybe because he has a big brother to chase around and imitate.
William is a remarkable little boy. His parents speak Spanish to him at home (their second language), and William can speak in English and Spanish, and he is learning to differentiate people to whom he should speak English or Spanish. Those Barker's are an inspiration to me!
It was cute to see the twins play together. Unfortunately we only had 1 baby swing, which was very popular amongst all the children, and the twins were so sad when it wasn't their turn anymore.
But thankfully, the 1 baby pool had enough room for everyone!
John is our happy little boy, and it was very clear he just loved his party. He loved all the guests and festivities, and I am so glad we had the party! As simple as it was, it was great fun for everyone, and not too much work, just perfect.
John clapped and clapped and clapped for joy!
One of John's birthday presents, the mini-car was a huge hit! Although he can't walk yet, John loved it too!
This picture is a perfect representation of all the fun had in the baby pool, and John was just clapping he was so happy to play with everyone in the water!
William, the oldest child at the party thought the baby exersaucer was very interesting :)
By far, Jackson and Stella swam the most, and that water was soo cold! It was overcast and a bit chilly, but that didn't stop them!
John loves to splash, and enjoyed splashing with Jackson....
But Jackson splashed a little more vigorously than he did, so he couldn't keep up...(love Stella's expression here!)
...so I moved him around and around the pool :)
It was awesome that all the kids had a grand time.
John's hat ripped by the end. It was amazing how all the kids liked wearing their party hats! What a good buy!
Oh John, how we love you! You are such a joy. You light up our lives.
Happy 1st Birthday Son! and so so many more!
Happy Birthday John! We wish we were there to celebrate with him!
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