Stockton's Birthday

June 25-26

Yes, it's hard to believe, but my baby is one. His birthday was on the 25th and we tried to celebrate how a one-year-old would like, not like he really gets it. When they turn one, it's probably more for the mom than the baby, right?

His birthday was on a Friday so with Justin at work all day I tried to make it fun. He still takes two naps (and on this day they were both about 2.5-3 hours) but in between I took the kids to a puppet show at the library. This was really probably more for Molly than Stockton, but at least it was something different than normal. Truthfully, the puppet show was pretty lame, but there were lots of bubbles which is always a kid-pleaser.

When Justin got home, we gave Stockton his presents. He mostly got the Radio Flyer wagon/walker. It's in hopes that he will walk soon! I know I shouldn't wish my kids through stages, rather just enjoy where they are at, but I am so ready for him to walk. He's been crawling forever (5 1/2 months) so I guess I've had plenty of that stage. Plus, going outside is hard. He puts rocks, bark, and anything else he can find in his mouth. It seems like once they're walking they don't do that so much. So, he likes his walker and I take him outside almost daily to walk behind it. He's getting closer but I imagine he still has a few more weeks.I tried to think of a fun activity to do that a baby would enjoy. I can think of plenty of things that Molly would love, but Stockton's a little harder. We ended up going to a pond and feeding the ducks. Perfect for a one-year-old. Actually perfect for both of them. They loved it! The ducks were super friendly and, unlike some very overfed ducks (like the ducks at Wheeler Farm), these ducks gobbled up our bread very quickly. There were even huge fish that would eat our bread. We fed the ducks/fish for a while, walked around the pond, and then went home.Of course Stocky found the one little bit of mud that was there.We had Stockton's party on Saturday. It wasn't much, just dinner with the grandparents and then cake and ice cream with a few friends. His cake doesn't look that impressive from the outside. Actually, it doesn't look that great since I'm a horrible cake-decorator. I can't even frost a cake and make it look smooth. But it was pretty cool once we cut into the cake. I didn't get a good picture, but this is what it looked like when it came out of the oven. I loved the bright colors.
These layers got stacked together and frosted, obviously. I also made 24 cupcakes that looked the same, but on a smaller scale. And it tasted delicious, which is really the most important part, right? Stockton really liked it.

Blowing out the candle...Hmm, what's that?Mmm, that's good.Dad, you want some?Now he's really enjoying himself.He had to get a bath before we could continue the party.

He opened a few more presents, with lots of help from Molly, Gavin, and some neighbors.Then we all gathered outside and played and visited until bedtime. All the kids loved the wagon and they took turns pushing and being pushed!Well, that's it. We officially have a one-year-old and I'm having a hard time believing it. We sure do love him. Right now as I'm trying to type this, his little fingers are reaching up, typing his own message. So I'll end with his contribution:

2ht t bb['/ bdxjrfo.ezujb j, gc o.j n
(I think it says, "I love you Mommy. Please get off the computer and come play with me.")