First Birthday

It's true what they say...

kids grow way too fast!

My baby is one year old!!

Can it be one year ago that we became parents?  

It feels like yesterday we were bringing this tiny baby home and now

we have a big boy full of personality and wonder!

The first year of any baby's life is full of ups and downs.  Especially when 

you are unsure for the first couple weeks whether or not this precious gift is

going to be taken away.  Regardless, the bond we felt when we met him was immediate 

and in our hearts we knew we would always be together.  

So, we had a lot to celebrate this first birthday because 

we passed many hurdles to get this little guy!

First we celebrated with cousins...

then we had a barnyard theme birthday party at the pizza ranch

with friends and family

(special thanks to my friend Sally for taking pics)

and then we had a quiet family party at home on his actual birthday...

What a difference a year can make!

12 month stats:

weight: 19.5 lbs (20%)

length: 29 inches (16%)

First Haircut

It was hard for this mommy to cut his golden locks but

his comb over and long whisping hairs over his ears was 

getting out of hand.

Let's just say the first hair cut was comical.  

Before the hair cut we had a little fun with some accessories...

This is our before pic...

(never quite seen this expression before...haha)

Unfortunately we did not get pics of the actual hair cut.  For safety reasons 

Luke had to hold Tristan and was unable to hold the camera too.  

So this is our after pic...

I collected his hairs in a little baggy...didn't expect him to cry 

when I showed it to him.  :(

But once he got his jammies on he forgot about all the drama.  

I still kept it a little long because i wasn't ready to get rid of his little baby mohawk yet.

Apple Pickin'

We went to the apple orchard and took in the delicious colors, sites, and smells of fall.  

When I was younger if you would have asked me what my favorite time of year is I would not hesitate to say summer with the hot days and hot nights.  

But these days... I have come to appreciate fall so much.  

It is so fun introducing Tristan to new things.

We just love being this little boy's parents.  

Don't know what we did without him.

Pumpkin Festival

We met our favorite friends at the Pumpkin festival

and although it rained and was very cool this morning

it turned out to be a pretty nice fall day!

A perfect day for carnival games, a petting zoo,

horse rides, inflatables, face painting and fun.  

Gotta love autumn!!

our little climber

Tristan has been climbing upstairs for a while now 

but I have not got pics of it yet.  It is just adorable.  

So I wanted to share.  

These days he looks for any opportunity to

get out of his parents arms and make

a b-line to anything that looks dangerous or adventurous

... like an open staircase 

or the small space behind the couch...

But I have a feeling it's just the beginning of what this 

little boy is going to get himself into.

Friday Night Lights

Tristan went to his first high-school football game last night.   

It is still very warm in the evenings so 

it doesn't really feel like "football weather" yet 

but the crowd and the lights just make you ready for some football.  

Of course, it started with the presentation of the colors...

 followed by the band playing the national anthem.

Then it was time for kickoff with us on defense but it didn't take

long for us to take possession of the ball and score a touch down right away!

Go Big Red!!

 Then we had to cheer for the boys as they ran to 

the locker room at half time. 

We weren't able to stay for the end, it was just a little to late for this 

10 1/2 month old, but I think he had a good time.  We sure did!

Our favorite Beach!

Instead of being crabby about it being hot and humid 

we decided to 

'beat the heat'

and go to our favorite 

outdoor eating place...

The Taco House has been one of our favorite pastimes

and we couldn't let summer pass us by without a trip here.

And of coarse we had to stop by our favorite beach 

to watch the boats

and dip our toes in the water.

he lifted his little foot as the wave washed up to him (so sweet)

We are loving these little day trips and laugh with each other

as we drive out of town listening to a little voice in the back seat saying, 

"ba ba" (bye bye) and waving out the back window.