One year!!!

A year.  He's a toddler now.  Crazy.

We started today's picture chair photo shoot blankly:

I figured we'd have to wait until after the morning nap to get a smile.  Then I told him that he was ONE, and he decided to shape up :)

Here he is pointing to me...excited he's a big boy!

Keeping him in the chair was impossible.

All he wanted to do was get down and climb back in.

I taunted him with an egg to try and get a smile on camera, however

he decided playing the "uh oh" game (dropping it repeatedly) was way more fun.

Then he got REALLY excited when Bella popped into view.

He always gives the best smiles to the dogs.

He walked away numerous times.  I was sweating by the time

it was over.

Love all of those teeth.  I thought since he was smiling and laughing

I could sit him in his chair again and we could get a smile...

not-so-much.

I couldn't let him cry on his BIRTHDAY, so I let him walk away and chase the dogs.  He is now a total walker.  He doesn't crawl at all...and I love it.  It's so much easier (and right now slower) with him walking.  He loves his independence, and thinks he is a hot-shot walking around the house getting from point A to point B.  He's started climbing and is no longer content pushing his toys around the house...he wants to RIDE them.  It's cute, and I love watching him discover ways to get onto furniture.  Watching him figure out how to get down is even better.  We just love him to pieces and can't remember life before him. 

Loves

Walking

Climbing

Feeding the dogs from his high chair

Swinging outside

Splashing in the bath or on his new water table...kid is obsessed with water

The dogs

Talking...he's babbling from the minute he wakes up

Strawberries and cheese.  If he could have red wine I'd swear he was French

Playing with his toys that move and make a lot of noise

Eating like a big boy (all table food)

His juice

Swinging outside

His new big boy carseat (don't judge...2 years would have made him CRAZY)

Tolerates

Me forcing milk all day (kid would prefer juice or nothing)

My photo shoots

Vegetables mixed with fruit or yogurt

Walking with shoes on

Hates

Missing out on something (if he has to go to bed when people are over)

Vegetables

Diaper changes (they are mostly a two-man job to keep him still)

I love that his "loves" far outweigh his hates.  He's a very easy-going kid, and we can't wait to see what the next year holds!

Happy Birthday, Knox!!

Knox's 1st Birthday Celebration: The Details

This weekend we celebrated Knox's first year of life.  His actual birthday isn't until Wednesday, so stay tuned for his picture chair shot. 

I wanted to do an airplane theme, and since he really can't have a say in it, I ran with it (and Stephen would say ran too far...but it's just semantics).  I made my first stop Etsy, and it ended up being my last stop.  Jennifer, with Nounces, made my brainstorming a reality.  She was amazing start to finish, and provided TOP quality birthday goods and ideas that made his party one that we'll remember forever.  Thanks, Jennifer!

Here are the invitations:  Boarding passes.  Cute, huh?  Click on each picture to enlarge.

As the guests entered, I had a sign greeting them.  Balloons were tied to this awesome

ride-on airplane (borrowed from CG, thanks!!).

I painted this door sign as guests entered as well.

The "baggage claim" was set by the door so guests could grab their "bags" as they left.

In addition, each child received their "wings" (my mom had pilot stickers made) as they came in.

The stickers were adorable: "Thanks for flying with us."

His banner hung over the dining room/living room awning.

The "food court" was anchored with this vintage luggage piece (another borrowed item from sweet CG).  I wrapped napkins in ribbon

and added his luggage tag for effect. 

We served turkey and ham wraps with chips and fruit for the adults, and Chick-fil-A nuggets,

fruit and goldfish for the kiddos.

Each "to-go" container was labeled.

Water bottles also had a personal message.

The dessert table had sugar cookes, cupcakes and Knox's smash cake.

My mom and I made the marbled cupcakes, and she and her friend made the fondant

planes.  I loved them!

I used Crayola modeling foam to make the plane, then painted it with acrylic.

I made the two-tiered smash cake and then added fondant clouds.

We had signs throughout the house, such as Lavatory, Beverage Cart (we served mimosas

and beer for the adults, as well as sodas, water and blue lemonade for the kiddos),

Baggage Claim and Food Court.

Using foam board, I made a plane with the head of the pilot missing, so 

each kid could take a picture as a pilot before leaving (and I can send

those pictures along with their thank you notes). I'll post the pictures

of the kids later, but here's one Stephen making sure it worked.

The adults had small goodie bags filled with yummy treats. 

And the kids goodie bags contained aviators, coloring books with airplane-shaped crayons,

an airplane-shaped bean bag (made by my mom) and a foam airplane with decorative

options.

And, as guests exited the party, they had a farewell message:

I had so much fun planning this event, and am sad it's over already. 

I just love that boy, and am so glad he's ours!

Fort Worth Arts Festival

This past weekend we met our friends Michael and Shannon at the Ft. Worth Arts Festival.  It was so much fun.  They both grew up in FW, so this was their 15th-some-odd year to have gone, and we're thinking it might be a tradition for us as well.  Knox loved looking around, and we had some stellar people watching as well. 

Infamous Stockyards painting

The essentials

Some art

Some sculpture

Some random man's essentials...interesting.

Knox looking around, and teething.

Some wine

Some "Poo Live Crew."  Great cover band.

Some of us

Some of Shannon.

We had a great time.  I highly recommend you check it out next year!

Easter Bunny

He was obsessed with the bunny.  He didn't want to leave and talked to her (it was a she bunny) all the way out.  And wanted to keep pulling it's whiskers.

Crawfish=Spring

I love seafood.  Really, love it.  Now, I'm fully aware crawfish do not come out of the sea, but I don't like to think about where they come from.  Let me pretend, k? 

Our friends invited us to a crawfish boil recently, and I loved snapping a few pics of the critters.  They are so pretty...

Sweet Maren, Crazy Ella!  Love those girls, and how much they love my boy! 

Our friends were dog-sitting for their sister.  How sweet is Rusty?  I'm totally sold on Irish setters :)

And just to close...sweet pics of my men in the sunset.