a little crafty

I am embracing my crafty side these days - and I like it! We {um, ok...really just me, since Will is one} made some valentines with our leftover birthday party candy for a playdate on Monday, and they are so fun! I got the idea from Lullaby Lubbock again, and these were super easy! You just print out the design on colorful paper and cut out, then staple {or you can sew if you have a sewing machine} and fill with candy. Then you tear them in half to get to the candy. I love how colorful they turned out!

We also made valentines for Mimi & Duke and Nana. This was Will's first experience with legit fingerpaint, and we were sooo careful not to make a mess. We did one hand at a time, washed off in between, and I moved the papers out of his reach as soon as we were done. Didn't spill a drop. Painting success, right? So as I was cleaning up some other stuff in the kitchen, I noticed that Will was being super quiet on his playmat. If you have a baby, you know what this means. So I looked over to see him playing with the paper plate full of paint. SHOOT! I was concentrating so hard on getting the valentines out of his reach that I forgot about the plate full of paint! Luckily I caught him before things got too out of hand, but let's just say I'm glad I used washable paint.

I also got my craft on yesterday to make some notecards for a friend. I've never done these before, but I like how they turned out. Might be making more soon!

And after all the inside activities, we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and swing in the backyard. Look at Will's adorable SuperWill shirt made by Megan. Check out JoJa Q Boutique to see more fabulous stuff!

Having fun, I think!

And, if you were wondering if Will is getting his top teeth yet, clearly the answer is NOPE!

monkeying around

We celebrated Will's first birthday on Saturday with a monkey party! It was a blast, and we really enjoyed hanging out with family and friends, making monkeys, and eating cake. Here are some pictures of the festivities.

birthday banner

{by Holly Webster, who also did our invitations, timeline, and thank you notes...all awesome!}

We had a "build-a-monkey" station for the kids {big and small}

step one

step two

step three

step four

step five

Here's a close-up of the timeline of Will's monthly pictures. Holly did an awesome job!

And we had lots of yummy food!

fun monkey cupcakes

sandwich wraps

and chocolate chip "1" cookies

Got this idea from Kristen at Lullaby Lubbock {check the blog for awesome craft and party ideas!} - people got to take bananas and a banana bread recipe home after the party.

Will loved playing with all of his friends. Lots of fun with Ben...

...and Sally

...and lovely Lucy {he especially loved her black patent leather boots!}

...and of course, girlfriend Harper, who also celebrated her first birthday this weekend!

We also played some lasso golf.

{thank GOODNESS for beautiful weather!}

and took some wagon rides.

and played a little tickle monster

{Will loves Blair!}

Will loved hanging out with the family too. Here he is with Aunt Ryan.

He loved having ALL of his grandparents at the party!

{wish I had gotten a picture with them all, but we got one with Mimi!}

one of my favs - sweet Ben checking out the bananas

And of course, Will got to have his very own cake! He was skeptical at first...

Then he decided to pat the cake for awhile.

Parker helped with the candle.

I love this one!

Crazy pic, but I like it.

Finally, Will tried a bite...

...and then really went for it!

DELICIOUS!

What a fun first birthday party!

And this is Will the next morning, when I explained the concept of writing thank-you notes. ;)

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate this weekend. It was a blast!

one

William turned one on Friday, February 11th. I can't believe it! This last year has been, without a doubt, the best of our lives. We are so blessed to have a healthy, happy, loving little boy. Watching him grow and learn this year has been such fun.

We had a great day on Friday, celebrating Will and getting ready for his birthday party on Saturday. We started the day by selecting appropriate attire - a birthday shirt and his "birthday boy" bib. You know, in case anyone forgot what day it was.

Then we had some blueberries in the shape of a 1.

And some birthday pancakes.

Then we took Will's monthly pictures with his bear. These pictures get more challenging each month, as Will really has no desire to sit still next to his bear long enough for me to jump far enough back to snap the picture. But I have forced him to keep doing it all year, and I'm so glad I did! We ended up with a bear pic every month, and I have them all in a frame, plus we had an awesome timeline made for his party. {more on that later}

Happy birthday, Will!

I wanted to get one in the chair, because that's where we took his first few monthly pics. I was able to get this one before he realized where he was and immediately tried to launch himself headfirst to the floor.

For perspective, here he is at one month with the bear.

Love this one - making his surprised face.

Happy little guy

{probably because he thinks it is hilarious to pull off his socks}

Here are a few things I want to remember about Will at one year:

• He cracks me up. The new surprise face is just great, and he now does it when I do it first, so I can see it almost anytime I want. :)
• He talks a lot, and he has the sweetest little voice. He has started saying "mamama" a lot more these days, although I am not yet convinced that he knows Matt as dada and me as mama. He talks about us a lot though. I am pretty convinced that his first real word was "duck." We play with his ducks at bathtime, read about ducks in his books, and he also has a little pull toy that has 3 ducks in a row. And several weeks ago at bathtime, he started repeating "duck" pretty clearly - and looking at the duck! Matt is skeptical, but I think he knows duck. He also says a Will version of "uh oh" when I say it after he drops or throws something, and he makes the "k" sound when he sees Ally, our inside cat, or Omar, our outside {street} cat. I love seeing him start to communicate. Can't wait for more!
• Will has really started dancing this month, which I LOVE! Whenever a song plays, he will bob up and down. Cutest. Thing. Ever.
• He loves to wave, and will usually do it anytime you say "hi" or "bye" to him.
• Will points at everything. He loves to point and grunt to tell me that he wants something.
• Still not walking, but he took a step this month! He can stand for awhile by himself, but he definitely has days that he wants to stand, and days that he has zero interest. I get a lot of jello legs when I try to stand him up and he's not interested. I'm OK with not rushing it - it's hard enough to keep up with him now!
• Just this week, Will has moved to just one nap a day. He really never had any transition period - just stopped taking the second nap one day and never turned back! I actually think I'm going to like the new schedule - seems like it will be a little more conducive to out-of-the-house activities, plus he naps much longer for the one nap.
• Still rocking just 2 teeth, but he eats like a man with a full set! He loves food, and we've expanded his menu this month. Mostly, we've added lots of new fruits. His favorites are grapes, blueberries, and melon, and it's hard to get him to eat anything else if there's fruit around. He also loves to share anything that I am eating. Other favorites are cajun deli turkey, yogurt melts {he would eat the whole bag if I'd let him}, tortillas, and baked ziti. Don't worry - I still make him eat his veggies! We just have to eat those first before he notices the good stuff.
• We take baths in the big tub, and bathtime is super fun. Splashing, playing with toys, and getting shampoo mohawks are good times.

Happy birthday, sweet William!! We love you so much, and can't wait to watch you continue to grow.