A Big Day for Our Big Boy!

I'm definitely in post-overload right now but I don't want to forget one single moment of these days! Even now, having a one-year-old, I find that I am surprised when I look at photos and videos from this last year. How tiny Charlie was...how could I have forgotten? But I have. Days have gone by and times have changed. I've gotten caught up in the todays and forget what all the yesterdays were like, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. Much like his entry into our lives though, I want to capture every single moment of Charlie's first birthday so that I never, ever forget how sweet these times truly are.

We had a great day today. We both had the day off and spent it happily enjoying time with our son. His actual birthday party with family and friends is yet to come, this Saturday but today we had lots of fun practicing for the big event. This morning had us opening up and breaking in a couple of new toys, which included a square foot garden kit for Mommy that will certainly appear in future blog entries! After that we went to lunch, where Charlie got a balloon and his first-ever restaurant birthday serenade, along with dessert that was bigger than he was. Next it was off to our favorite Scottish bakery about half and hour away, where we picked up some treats that we save for special occasions. To finish off the afternoon, we took a trip to the park where Charlie enjoyed some time on the slide and swing. Finally, we went over to my parent's house where we had dinner and sang "Happy Birthday" to Charlie as we (well, the wind) helped him blow out his candle. It was a lovely day and without further ado, here is a photographic synopsis of our celebrations:

Early morning snuggles with Daddy, on the deck.

Showing off his snazzy socks and birthday shirt.

Dessert that's bigger than you are, nice...

...and delicious!
Special time with Mommy...

...and Daddy!
Checking out his cool blue balloon...

...and of course, showing it off!

Daddy, helping Charlie practice his new walking skills.

Sliding and smiling!

Swinging in the sunshine!

Yes that's a pickle he's sharing with Daddy, yum!

Mama and Baby.

Brown eyes and birthday cake

What a beautiful mess!