1 Year Old

 I tried to do Trae’s 1 year pictures on my own and, needless to say, we had a bit of a struggle:

 When he fell on his face, I realized I should probably get some help next time…

Hopefully there will be some really cute pictures posted in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned J

Since this is Trae’s post, I need to write down some of his milestones so I won’t forget them.

·        Trae took his first steps at 10½ mos. but didn’t take off walk-ing until 12½ mos. (One of those “mind over matter” things.)  

·        First words (where he actually knew what he was saying): “Dadda,” “Mama,” & “Ball” Since before he could talk or walk, Trae has been quite the little baller- Anytime he sees a ball he can’t get to, ya better watch out!

·        Trae loves to grab my finger and pull me to whatever or wherever he wants to do or go. He has also figured out he can throw a huge fit to get whatever he wants. He is my earliest throw-yourself-down-on-the-ground-flailing-arms-kicking-feet-and-throwing-head-back-screaming-at-top-of-lungs-fit-throw-er! (You wouldn't know it with this charming smile...)



St. George Family Fun!

In May, we took a break from packing up the house, and headed down to St. George to visit Brett’s parents while they serve their mission. 

We had a great time

hiking Snow Canyon,

 

swimming,

playing ball,

and playing with baby lambs in a petting zoo on the way back!

As always, we ate well (enjoying Chuck-o-Rama's finest) and had a great time with the family! Can't wait to do it again!

One Little, Two Little, Three Little...

ELEVEN LITTLE KIDDOS!

we took another break from packing up the house when our friends invited the fam to their cabin!

 We had a blast playing games, watching movies, hiking, having a giant sleepover, and the guys even built this awesome teepee:

It’s so nice to have fun family friends where all the kids, AND the ladies, AND the hubbies all get along! We met all of these guys in the neighborhood and many of our “first home memories” involve them- which would make me incredibly sad about moving, except that time has shown we’ll stay in touch no matter what!   Thank goodness we’ll still have these life-long friends, even after we move!! I refuse to say goodbye guys ;)

Ch-ch-changes

Didn't I just barely post about Hunter's FIRST day of FIRST grade?

It sure feels that way. Well, here I am posting about his LAST day(s) of FIRST grade...

Hunters sweet teacher held a class talent show the last week of school:

Hunter showed off his mad sword-swingin skills:

He even did a little song and dance all for his dear old mom (or so she'd like to think):

Another fun part of his last week, was field day. Here he is with his teacher:

His best friend Cole:

And here we both are going down the giant slide:

LOL I challenged the principal to go down and he challenged me back. After that, all the helper moms were sliding like a bunch of hooligans ;)

On the very last day of school, we hosted a fire-pit party in the backyard. The kids had lots of fun celebrating:

And it later turned into a boys-only event:

That circle full of boys will be greatly missed!

Here's what Hunter told me about FIRST grade:
Me: "Tell me about your first grade teacher?"
Hunter: "She's the best teacher ever, umm and she always got mad at [boy in class]."
Me: "What's your favorite thing that happened to you in first grade?"
Hunter: "I got to go to PE a lot, I can't really remember everything."
Me: "Who were some of your first grade friends?"
Hunter: "Cole, Gage, Mason, Carter, Brock, Brinea, Rachel, Emily, Zoe, Matthew, Paris, it's still nice to say their names..."
Me: "Do you want me to write how Zoe had a crush on you?"
Hunter: "NOOO! I don't even want to remember that! Why did you remind me?"
Me: "What was your favorite thing to eat for school lunch?"
Hunter: "Potatoes. My favorite treat: a fortune cookie, it was awesome, I liked my fortune."
Me: "Is there anything else you'd like to say about first grade?"
Hunter: "I like reading."

It All Started With THE CAR SEAT!!

Trae’s first birthday came whether I wanted it or not!

  I remember when the older boys were babies and I would be stopped in the store by admiring elders who would smile and say “They don’t stay little very long so make sure you enjoy every moment!” Back then, that kind of talk just went over my head, but from my current “older, more-experienced-mother” perspective, I do wish I could squeeze every millisecond of his babyhood into a bottle and savor every moment!

It all started with his car seat- When Trae was about 11 months old, he started turning into Houdini when it came to his backward-facing car seat.  No matter how hard I tightened him in, he was able to wriggle around to his belly, trying to climb out and “free” himself. After the third time that this happened while I was driving on the freeway, I decided it would probably just be safer for all of us if I just put him forward facing. So, here he is feeling ultra big at 11 and a half months old (sorry so blurry, third child gets most pictures taken with phone:

We celebrated with the family a week early, since his birthday fell on Mother’s Day and I wanted him to have his own special day!  

He definitely knows he’s special!

Time for cake:

Trae LOVES balls- bouncy balls, basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls, gumballs, you show him anything that resembles a ball and he's hooked!

SO that made my job super easy- cupcakes all the way! 

Trae loved his cake! He didn't go crazy and down it in one gulp (like we thought he would), but poked at it nicely before monster mashing himself in birthday delicious-ness!

Everyone enjoyed the cake!

And the spiderman piñata

Trae especially loved wacking away at spiderman!

When all was said and done, Trae was lookin mighty big!

Whether we want it or not, our baby is growing up :(