Bo is ONE

Wow, it is kind of strange to have a big boy one-year-old in the house.  I used to look rather curiously at moms with their toddlers and wonder how they made it through the first year . . . that was back during the wake-up-to-eat phase.  And now here I am, with a real rootin' tootin' toddler-man.  He's so great.  We just love him.  We feel so blessed that he's in our lives!  

On Friday, the 20th, his actual birthday, he wore his little birthday shirt I whipped up for him.  Matt was off of work and we spent time outside getting ready for his party . . . it was a beautiful day.  He also had his one-year bloodwork done that morning but he's brave and doesn't remember. :) 

And I made him 2 little birthday cakes . . . one for his birthday and one for the party.  I used little pyrex dishes and was pleased with the shape.  This cake went over REALLY well . . . I'll get the video up on here soon.

hands-free.

We wanted to have a little something to celebrate our little guy, but since we don't have family around, his little party kind of grew.  I had fun making these invitations.  Actually, I had fun making about 3 of them and then resented the rest but they turned out cute.  Don't mind my sloppy attempts to blur out the important details.  I'm a real amateur at photoshop.

The night before the party, the weather forecast was grim - thunderstorms from 4-6.  We made some calls and made it come & go from 12-6 so that we could enjoy at least part of it outside.  It turned out to be a gorgeous day, and people came and went all day long. It was perfect!

The little birthday hat I made for him . . . he wasn't really a fan.  It is pretty funny looking.  Matt calls these the 'scary clown' photos. 

I made what felt like a bajillion pennant banners.  They looked pretty cute and dressed up our old house. 

The hobby horse looked more like a warning to all other horses . . . 

A little display of pictures . . . so fun to see how he's grown and changed.

Matt made ladderball out of the rungs of an old crib.  It's a fun game and we've played it together since. He used the short sides to make a chalkboard easel.  That was what I had in mind when I saw the crib on the road and he came up with ladderball all on his own. :) 

For all of the 'quirks' of this house, I do love the meadow that surrounds us and the water peeking through the trees.  We set up badminton for the party, and it would appear that a real live cowboy is enjoying the shade.

It was a special day catching up with friends and some we hadn't seen in a while. Bo's Uncle Adam came out from D.C. and Cousin Amanda came in from the city.  Our friends Meghan and Adam came back to visit from Boston and our friends from Kenya, the Mulandis, drove out from New Jersey.  They spent the night and we had so much fun watching Kyalo and Bo play together!  More adorable pictures coming soon.  It was special to look around at the party at all of these friends.  Our little life here is winding down and there are many we will miss.  

Bo and the garden

The other night after dinner, my parents took us to a community garden where my mom helps with a little plot. The garden belongs to my dad's company, Chesapeake, and I was super impressed with the space they set apart on their campus for growing veggies and flowers. Employees and spouses team up to take care of the beds, and one large section is devoted to the local food pantry. It's also just so pretty! Bo was in heaven with all that dirt.

I'm posting from my phone, which makes it difficult to subtitle specific photos, but I'm sure it is evident that it was tornado weather... Bo's little fluff was blowing in the wind! And one of these pictures reminds us of Frankenstein...

new wheels

I am in Oklahoma for a week just hanging out with my family. Of course my little guy is with me... he's terrorizing the dog, leaving fingerprints on all the windows, and being loud and hilarious. And we're missing his daddy together.

On my second day here I got to participate in a sneaky little surprise! My little sister earned a major scholarship to Messiah College in Pennsylvania. For the last four years, the deal has been that if she got a full ride, she'd get a new car. And she went ahead and did it. As my dad said, "I think your sister is smarter than any of us ever thought!" :) Elyse and Dad had been car shopping and picked one out, but my dad led her to believe she'd be driving the family minivan until the end of the school year. You can imagine how much she's loved driving that...

Of course my dad loves surprises and got the car a month early. I spent a couple hours wrestling 15 yards of tulle into a giant bow and we drove it to school to pick her up.

She was shocked.
It was great!

Resurrection Sunday

Out of all the goodies sent from grandmas and handmade by Mommy, Bo's favorite treat in his little basket were two empty plastic eggs.   

He loves those eggs and has been throwing them all over the house for the past couple weeks.  

I made him a little bunny using a Martha Stewart pattern and out of one of Matt's old shirts, as she recommended.  Bunny is supposed to look homespun but his misshapen head makes him look both homespun and homesick.  Anyway, he got a nod from the baby but couldn't compete with plastic eggs and paper grass.  

 

And Moose just couldn't compete with his bunny ears.  

After church (during which we were in the nursery with three baby girls in their Easter finest and one wild young man who left teethmarks in somebody's mary janes . . . !) we had lunch at someone's house.  The kiddos had an egg hunt and Bo must've known he was missing the fun because protested the nap until we carried him outside.  

our little man.

My camera settings made for some overexposed pics and Bo looks like Mr. Clean . . . but I still like this picture of the three of us!  

Last Easter Bo was only a couple days old.  Oh, my.  Let's just say I was feeling a bit better this year! :) 

 

our little easter egg

Our church does a little Easter egg hunt each year for kiddos in the area.  We were able to bring my nanny kids for the second time and our OWN little kid for the first time!  

Got a couple, "Do you have five kids?"

No. I do not.  

I only have one little fatty.

I mean, seriously, Bo?  Can you slouch any more?  And what's with the "o" on your shirt?
He looks like an Easter egg in this photo.

Fix that shirt, Dad!

That's little better... "B" for Bo!

Thankfully the almost-4-year-old didn't mind/realize he was with the little kids in a room where the eggs weren't even hid, just spread all over the ground.  Perfect for Bo.  He was like an egg sorting machine.

 Egg. In the basket. Egg. In the basket. Egg. In the basket.

 
 Buddies.

We love you, buddy.