Annett's space

I really didn't want to go overboard. Really. Keep it simple. Don't go crazy. Sure, make some special touches to make it nice, but that's it.

 

So why am I so tired?!  Really. Everything was done. The little decorations I made were created in a day (shocked me too!). All the planning and shopping was done in advance. The night before we took care of as much as we could to avoid any stress in the morning. But boy, did that morning go by fast! Before we knew it it was noon and people were arriving!!! 

 

But eventually I was able to calm down - sort of. The time table to pre-toddlers is quite excellerated. Get to the main points quickly before they all get too tired! All four kids seemed to have a great time. Interestingly enough, Larson seemed to be a bit of a loner. We took down the baby gates and he used the opportunity to explore as much of the house as possible! I lost track of him countless number of times. Mostly he seemed to gravitate toward the men hanging out in the kitchen.

 

I think the highlight of the day was Larson attempting to devour an entire adult-sized cupcake without coming up for air.

 

Highlights are in a photo album on the right. Happy Birthday Larson! I can't believe we've come this far already. You are a great son.

 

So Larson invented a new game: "Feed Mommy/Daddy."   Except sometimes he fakes us out and takes the goody for himself at the last second. :)

 

So Larson and I went to visit Amy and two of her three boys the other day. Josh, the middle son, was busy playing with all his Halloween costumes and wanted to see if Larson could get into character with him. He did!

 

 

I love this photo because mere moments before I took it, when Josh handed Larson his foam sword, Larson was so excited about the sword that he beat me with it.

 

 

I did not make up that title! It's an actual product name!!!  It's what groomers use to comb out the loose undercoat of dogs and cats so they don't shed as much. 

 

I took Coco to the groomer yesterday so she would be sweet smelling and pretty for Larson's birthday party and look at what I witnessed:

 

 

See all that fur?!  THAT was going to be deposited onto my carpet. I say that taking your pet to the groomer is WELL worth the investment!

Larson is coming to the end of his 11th month. Yep, he'll be a year old in a few weeks.

 

I. Can't. Believe. It.

 

It's simply staggering to realize how much a human grows, learns and evolves at this stage. And I'm sure it's pretty much that way for the rest of our lives, but it's so much more visible now.

 

Larson is a very proficient crawler now and is pulling himself up to stand and cruising around from various pieces of furnitures, bodies, whatever to practice his walking. He really likes his walker toys since it gives him more independence, but when faced with an opportunity to take one step without anything to hang on to, he sits himself down and will crawl. 

 

He has developed quite a sense of humor! He knows when he's being silly and can amuse himself with a private joke that will keep him laughing to himself for quite a while. It's hilarious! He is also at the stage where if you take something away from him that he wants, he gets VERY upset. Apparently this is not unusual - most of his friends are going through the same thing.

 

One thing that is really cute that he has started to to is feed Ryan. He's done it with me a couple of times, but he has a lot of fun with Ryan. And it's something he decided to do all on his own! I hope it's a sign that he'll be one of those kids that understands how to share things, but maybe he just thinks it's funny.

 

We spent a fantastic Memorial Day weekend on Whidbey Island with Ryan's parents which was so relaxing! Ryan and I were able to go out to see Star Trek (great movie!) and we were both able to catch up on some reading. Such little luxuries that we haven't been able to afford since having a baby. It made for a very restfull and rejuvinating stay.