Happy First Birthday!

On Saturday, October 24th, our baby boy turned one year old! We had a great time celebrating our little guy and I have several pictures to share of his special day! This first picture was taken before everyone arrived. I wanted to get a picture of this shirt that my friend Marilyn gave Will for his birthday. I LOVED his special birthday shirt....it was too cute! Thanks to Betsy at Lollidrops for the special design!

I made Will's "smash cake" to match the decorations that I bought.
The cake table! I made a carrot cake for everyone else to enjoy!
I always take a picture of the kids with the birhday flag. That way we can see how much they have grown each year!
Beckett and Helen with the birthday boy!
Me with my sweet birthday boy!
Here comes the cake!
We always wait until our kid's first birthday to give them anything sweet, so we were anticipating that Will would really dig in and go for it! We certainly did not expect the reaction that he had.....not so sure........
Get this thing away from me! He melted down!!!
We gently tried to help him taste it and see how yummy the frosting and cake could be.....but he would have NOTHING to do with it! He was quite unhappy. We didn't force the moment for long. We got him out of his seat and cleaned him up quickly! It might have had something to do with 20-something people standing there staring at him with cameras clicking away! I'm sure it was a tad bit intimidating! Poor guy!
Time for presents! Will really enjoyed this play cell phone that Beckett gave him! He is also wearing the REI vest that Aunt Susi gave him. She works for REI and keeps the kids in great gear all year long! He is also wearing his new pair of shoes that we took him to get last week. We always buy the good Stride Rite shoes for their first pair of shoes. I love these and think they are too cute. They make him look so much older! He hasn't really worn any shoes until now and he just looks so big!

Here he is pushing the walking/riding toy that Nana and Papa gave him. Nana showed him how to use it and within a few minutes he was pushing it and walking all around the room! It won't be long before he is walking on his own!

Just another pic of Will with his phone while Beckett and Helen help him with some other gifts. That is my mom and her sister (Grankaki and Auntie Mame) watching in the background!

Yes, I scheduled the party during the UT/Bama game. Not to worry, the guys were still able to watch! We sat Will right by the TV to open his presents so that everyone could watch both Will and the VOLS! It was an exciting end to the game! (although it was not the ending that the Vol fans were hoping for!) Here are Papa, Sean, Granbob and Mike watching the game!

Grankaki helping Will with one of his new toys!

It was a great day! Thanks to all of our family and friends for coming to celebrate with us! We enjoyed cooking out, sharing a meal and enjoying time spent with family! The kids had so much fun with their cousins and playing with Will! It was a wonderful celebration of our precious little boy!

We couldn't help but think about Will's birth father and siblings on this special day. We pray that they know just how much Will is loved. I'm sure that it was a hard day for them as they have been through so much in the year since Will's birth. We continue to pray for their health, peace and well being in the coming year. They are very special to us!

Will, you are a child of God, His treasured possession. He created you in His own image. He chose the day for you to be born. He has a plan and a purpose for your life. We are so honored that we get to be your parents and help you find this purpose that God has planned for you. No doubt it is going to be awesome!