Coloring eggs.

Due to all of the birthday hoopla, I'm a little behind on blogging some recent pics.

The following are from our egg coloring session.

The kids getting into the spirit...

Birthday Party: The Party People.

We had a full house for Gav's party and it was great! He's a lucky little boy to have such a big cheering section in his life!

Matt made a 1 year montage DVD set to music that played on the TV throughout the party. It was so sweet and very neat to see the little stud on the big screen!

The guys grilling...

Grandma Pat playing with the kids.

Sydney (seems like just yesterday that we celebrated her 1st birthday... I'll never forgot it, she was just toddling around and talking up a storm!)

Leo and Sara

Grandma Lori and JJ

Gavin and his great grandpa Sam.

JJ gettin' more snuggles from gram.

Everyone gathered in the basement to watch the gift-opening.

And that's all, folks!

"Thanks for making my 1st birthday so special!! I'll never forget it. Well, maybe I will but my mom is kinda crazy and took a few hundred pictures, so I'm sure I'll be able to re-live it over and over again!" :)

Birthday Party: The Boy.

More birthday party pics. This is a long post (and there may be even more to come) but it isn't everyday that your baby turns one so bear with me!

Thank you to everyone for all of the wonderful toys, books, and adorable summer clothes/shoes!

If you can't tell, he was pretty excited about the tennis balls!
Kylie's big sister present from Gma Pat and Gpa Tim:

Although, I think she made out pretty well, too. She has had a blast playing with all of his new toys this week. Boy toys are so different and fun!

Next, came the most anticipated part of a first birthday party... the ceremonial cake eating!

Besides a few spoonfuls of ice cream here and there, this was Gav's first real experience with "dessert" and the lovely world of sweets.

I think he is a fan of this new world.

He began by just slowly dragging his fingers through the frosting. It wasn't until big sister came to the rescue that he realized that this ooey, gooey blob was meant to be eaten. Kylie walked up to his chair and said, "Like this, Bud!" and sticks her finger into the side of the cake and then into her mouth. That's all it took. He immediately grapped a handful of delicious cake and smashed it into his mouth! Monkey see, monkey do! Gotta love having an older sibling to show you all the ropes in life.

Getting a little help from sissy... even though I think he was managing just fine! :)

That was FUN!

Speaking of details...

I just have to showcase this UH-mazing photo book that Stacey made for Gavin for his birthday. I am absolutely in awe of the detail and workmanship that went into this gift.

It is full of little nooks and crannies to display your photos which makes it a real story-telling experience to flip through.

These shots are all "pre-pictures"... I have started adding pictures to it and it is so fun!

Thank you, Stacey! We love it!

Be sure to check out her craft site!

Birthday Party: details

Gavin's 1st birthday party was celebrated a few days early (on the 3rd) amid a flurry of family and dump trucks. What else could a little boy ask for?!

This post is dedicated to the details.... his momma loves a good detail. :)

Photos of the birthday boy coming soon!

Giant Eagle did a great job with the cake... all mommy had to do was stick on a couple street signs and trucks and voila!

There was definitely not a shortage of sweets at the party... cake, smash cake, cupcakes, dirt cake and chocolate trucks. In the words of Kenny, "there is cake evweewhere at this pawty!"

Monthly photo banner:

Thanks to the above average temps we were able to have our first bbq of the season. And thanks to grandma Pat for making some yummy salads.

Thanks to everyone who came for helping us celebrate our little man's first year!

And just like that... He's ONE!

Gavin Matthew...

On April 6th, 2009 at 7:23 am, you came into our lives and from the minute we first laid eyes on you we knew that you were what we needed to complete our little family.

Your dimples were the first thing that we noticed and still to this day the first thing we notice when we see you in the morning. You are our happy, laid-back, cuddly little man. You are your sister's pride and joy... the perfect little brother. You are your mommy's boy and I like to think that you always will be. You are your daddy's main man.

You are ONE today and it is so hard to believe that our little baby boy is growing up so quickly.

Happy 1st Birthday, Gavie!

April 6, 2009

April 6, 2010