Noah's 1st Birthday

I guess I should title this post, "Noah's sort-of 1st birthday". Those of you that know me, know that I like birthdays and like to make a big-to-do for my kid's birthdays. Noah's birthday was July 1st and we left for Ohio on July 2nd at 6 am. So, due to the fact that I was doing laundry and packing the week of his birthday, I didn't have time to plan a party or come up with a cute theme or make a cake or even shop for any presents. Poor Noah, I know. Luckily, a month or two months before, we had bought Noah a toy at Costco and were saving to give it to him when he got a little older. So, we pulled that out and gave it to him on his birthday. It wasn't even gift-wrapped or anything. I know, I'm such a slacker.

Garrett's mom Georgia, offered to make Noah a cake so that we could celebrate when we got to Ohio, which was really nice of her. So, the day after we arrived, we had his birthday cake and sang to him, but unfortuneatly, he didn't like it. AT ALL. All he did was pick it up and flick it off his fingers. Crazy boy.

Starting off pretty excited!!

Looks pretty good...

Ummm...not so sure about this...

Yuck!

We'll just throw it on the ground instead!

It was pretty funny. And just to clarify, the cake wasn't disgusting...it was really yummy!

A couple of days later, Georgia made a chocolate cake and he really liked this one. For some reason, we didn't give him a whole piece of cake and let him dig in. So, I don't have the "really messy cake face" picture.

He sure liked it though!

Giving Grandma Georgia a "high-five"!

When we got home, we opened the present that my mom had sent for him. He liked it at first until he punched it and it came back for him. It took him awhile to get used to it. Garrett's parents gave him a cute outfit, too. So, he did get a few things for his birthday.

And yes I DO know that he doesn't care one way or the other about his birthday, I just feel bad because I didn't really do anything for it. I'm sure he'll ask one day when he's older why he didn't get a big party with lots of balloons and presents. And then again, maybe he won't.

One Year Comparisons

Garrett fixed our printer/scanner so I wanted to post each of our

one year pictures,

just to see a comparison. Sorry about the quality of some of the pictures. I only had small ones and had to enlarge them. It was fun for me to see the similarities and differences between all of us.

Garrett--I think one year. There wasn't anything written on the back of the picture.

Bella

Mindy

Maggie

Lydia

Paige

The Party

Here are some pictures from Garrett's and Bella's party. We didn't do a lot, just went out to eat at Mazatlan (one of Garrett's favorite restaurants) had cake (one for him and one for her) and opened presents. It was fun to have Garrett's parents here to help celebrate!

They came to sing Happy Birthday but thought it not only Garrett's birthday, but mine too, and so brought out two sombrero's. Bella didn't want to wear hers at all though.

Back at home opening presents:

I guess I forgot to take pictures of Garrett opening his presents, because the only one I have is the girls giving Garrett a big birthday hug!

Two birthday cakes!

She had a great time eating her cake!

April 30th

April 30th is a special day because 35 years ago it was the day that my wonderful husband was brought into this world. We love to celebrate him on his special day. Last year, our beautiful Bella was born on this day as well, so now we have two special reasons to celebrate. I think it's kind of fitting that they share a birthday because they look so much a like! :)

I saw someone else do this on their blog, and I really loved it, so I borrowed it. This is a little tribute to Garrett from his girls.

Our Favorite Things About You

Maggie: He gives us lots of love!

Lydia: He makes me laugh!

Paige: His big "juicy" hugs!

Mindy: One of my favorite things about you (because there are so many) is your calming presence and laid-back attitude. You have a way about you that diffuses any tense situation at home and brings peace back. You make me and the girls laugh constantly and are all about having fun and making everyone happy.

One Word that Describes You:

Maggie: Loving

Lydia: Funny

Paige: Love

Mindy: Pretty-darn-near-perfect

Our Favorite Memory with You:

Maggie: Sightseeing in England

Lydia: Going to the Zoo

Paige: Going camping

Mindy: That week that we spent in Alaska before going back to school and getting engaged. You introduced me to your family, showed me your town, took me out on your boat, showed me Dave's cabin, and spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful Alaskan forest. We spent a lot of time together after a long summer apart, and I think that is when I knew that you were the one for me.

Happy Late birthday, Garrett--we love you more than you'll ever know! Thanks for being such a wonderful part of our lives!

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Bella turns ONE!!!

One day old

Two weeks old
Look how much she's grown!!

One Year Old!!

I was going to scan in a picture of Garrett and I when we were each one, but for some reason our printer/scanner is not working. Maybe after we get it fixed, I'll post them. Most of the time I think she looks a lot like Garrett, but there are a few times when I think she looks just like me. Like in the picture right above this paragraph.
We are so glad to have our beautiful Bella in our family and are so excited that she is one. Her personality has just exploded and she keeps us entertained and laughing all the time!