Happy Birthday, James Eugene!

Did you know that one-year-olds sleep in until 8:30?  They do, or at least James did to kick off his birthday!  He played, went to church, napped, just like any other day, but after waking up from his nap, he went outside to find family and friends!  The look on his face was of pure shock, and I'm fairly sure he thought he was still dreaming.  It was truly a surprise party.  After the initial shock wore off, we played passed the baby toddler.

chillin' with the elder Bachmanns

playing 'so big' with his babysitter Annie

No dog party would be complete without a game of pin the tail on the doxie.  This game was a lot of fun as long as you drank an adult beverage before hand.

Almost, Aunt Jessica!

Go, Grandma, Go!

I hope I'm as cool as James's Great Grandpa when I'm older...

After the game, it was time to sing "Happy Birthday."  I felt so many emotions during this time- wonder, awe, excitement, but mostly I wished the moment could always last.  My son surrounded by friends and family, all eyes on him, the center of the world for that fleeting moment in time.  If life only had a 'pause' button, I would have spent hours on this.

 Of course it only lasted a few minutes before we turned to cake eating.  James started off skeptical.

However, his attitude quickly changed and the rest of the cake eating looked like this....

Chocolaty icing perfection.  Thanks to Mimi for photographing the cake domination!

This was undoubtedly the most sugar James has ever had.  He was a totally different kid when it came time to open presents.  For one thing, he was much more daring.  He let go over people's hands and stood on his own (normally he would be too scared and plop onto the ground).  Then, there was the climbing.  Holy monkeys, this boy was everywhere.  He couldn't sit still for .5 seconds.  The funniest thing he did was stand up in front of his reading chair and fall face down into it.

 It was funny, but I much prefer my subdued sweet boy to this wild child.

Thanks to everyone who made the trek to Columbia (or just over to our house).  We appreciated everyone who was there in spirit as well.  Thank you for helping us raise such a wonderful little boy!

I'll leave you with this... my favorite family portrait to date.

Happy 1st birthday, James Eugene!

Obsession: For Babies

Little J has had a plethora of obsessions in his short 11.75 months.  First there was peeing all over his outfits.  Then we moved on to staring at lights.  Soon followed watching the dogs play.  Shortly after, the book Jazz Baby changed James' life for the better.  Now that fall has arrived, his obsession has turned towards the pumpkins.

It all started a few weeks ago while shopping at the Farmer's Market.  There little man spotted pumpkins and let out an "Ah!" From that moment forward, whenever James has seen a pumpkin, he's exclaimed "Ah ya ya!" and put his hands out towards them.  No longer can we simply walk quietly into a grocery store.  Nay, for there must be happy utterances made towards pumpkins.  The orange orbes must be acknowledged for the trip to continue.  All of this leads us to today and the journey to mecca: the pumpkin patch.

Our family drove west from Columbia to Peach Tree Farms where we were greeted by a smiling face and amazing news.  Not only were there pumpkins to see, but also bunnies, catfish, a baby donkey, and ["you don't want to miss"] a chicken raising ducklings.  At this point, I was grinning ear to ear and wanted to race over to that compassionate hen and give her the Humanitarian Nobel Peace Prize.

I contained my excitement, but James couldn't keep his under control.  As soon as we got out of the car, J caught sight of the pumpkins and began speaking in tongues so that all were able to understand that no one knew what he was saying.  However, it was clear from his enthusiasm: he was thrilled to be around so many pumpkins.  Here are a few pictures from the day which our cheap-o selves are also calling his one year photos. 

We had a great evening at the pumpkin patch. James is asleep now, no doubt dreaming about the big orange squash.  Oh, and I almost forgot- a hen raising ducklings, and I thought I'd seen just about everything.

P.S. I love living in the country.

First Vacation

Saturday, June 2 was a day I had been looking forward to and yet dreading for months.  It was the day I was to take James on a plane ride.  Solo.

It's not that terrible scenarios were playing out in my head- instead it was a big question mark.  Basically, what was going to go wrong?  Would his ears bother him?  Would he get a poopy diaper?  Would I be comfortable enough to nurse on the plane?  How would I hold the baby, collapse the stroller, AND cover it?  What illness would James contract during our flight?  A simple cold?  Tuberculosis?  Would I need to hand my baby to a stranger?  Annoying, right?  These questions haunted me whenever I thought about our flight.  But, surprisingly, the plane ride was uneventful; to answer my questions- nothing, no, no, yes, a kind stranger would cover the stroller, none, nope, nope, no.  All of that worrying for nothing!

We landed in Atlanta ready to spend time with my friend Beth and her 3 month old son Christopher.

 It was the boys' first time meeting. They hit it off right away- talking about bugs, dirt, and trucks.

They  had a lot of fun swimming together, listening to books and songs, going to the library, shopping with their moms, and chilling at the Farmer's Market. 

The trip was much different from last year, but it was fun to hang out as moms and watch our little babes become best friends!  All in all, a nice relaxing vacation!

 Thanks for hosting us, Beth, Ben, Christopher, and Bentley!