We celebrated Colton's 1st birthday with family this past weekend. Uncle Jimmy was able to come up for Memorial Day weekend, so Colton got to celebrate with all the Kenney's. He loved his Elmo cake and his face showed it - he had red icing on every inch of his face before we called bath time. He looks forward to birthday #3 next weekend in Pittsburgh. While we wish we lived closer, there are perks to living far away when you get to celebrate your birthday more than once.
We got Colton a water stand to help him stay cool in the Summer months. Once we put it together, we called over Thomas to join in the fun. They played for a long time, which resulted in a nice long nap. Thank you little tikes.
Colton's birthday was 5/23. We sang at 6:47 AM, and after that we realized this boy probably has another ear infection, so we kept him home and went to the pediatrician and found out he had a double ear infection. Poor guy, but he still had a smile on his face throughout the day as you can see. What a year! It is kind of a blur when I look back on it. While it seems like it went by so fast, it also feels like a year ago today was actually 5 years ago. I can't even remember what it was like to have a 5 lb 15 oz baby. Everyday has gotten better and better. Every new trick gets more exciting and more amazing. Colton is talking lots, pulling himself up on his own, and walking with assistance (and is working up the courage to take a step on his own). He loves real food and enjoys eating it on his own. He shakes his head when you say, "No, no, no." He loves playing with Val, feeding her his food, and playing with her dog tags. He loves his Daddy's funny faces and when his beard tickles his feet. He could live on my chest and is most comfortable there - my little love lump. He loves all things Elmo, taking walks outside, and his bath. He loves all of you and thanks you for being a part of his 1st year. I have captured almost every single day of it. I made his wish on his birthday before we blew out the candle. I wished him the best life ever and at least 100 more years ahead of him.
On the same day as Thomas' party, Caroline had her birthday party too. They stuck with the playground theme as well. Caroline is Brian's Goddaughter and she is a doll.
Thomas put 10 fingers up, but he is only 3 this year. Thomas is our neighbor and his parents tell us all the time how much he talks about Colton and can't wait to get to play with him. His party was at a local playground and it was so much fun to have all the swings, slides, and toys around to keep all the kids happy.
This year was my very first Mother's Day. I won't lie, I was really looking forward to this special day now that I officially wear the badge of motherhood. It was a gorgeous day and Colton and I went on a really long walk around Glenside. All these strangers said, "Happy Mother's Day!" and I couldn't hold back my smile. It just feels good to be a mom.
Angelina is Colton's second cousin. She is the blond with the pig tails in the top picture. She had her 4th birthday at Bounce U. She was so excited and screamed all her friends' names as they entered the place. Colton was a bit of a Momma's boy for the first hour. All the different faces scared him. But eventually we hit the slide, bouncy rooms, and he seemed to finally enjoy himself. Bob, Colton and I went down the super high slide. I can't tell if Colton is happy or in shock in this picture.
I was able to take advantage of one of my Friday days off and visited with my friend Christina. She had arranged a play date with one of her local mommy friends. We watched the boys play in the ship filled with water. Colton loved splashing. We went on a little walk in a wagon around the neighborhood and we played with toys. It really is a necessity to get together with friends and other kids. Makes the day so much more fun.
We traveled into the Burgh for the Easter weekend to celebrate my Gram's 90th birthday. My dad's side of the family came in from all over - my cousin Ryan even flew in from Oregon. It goes to show how much our Gram means to all of us. Her influence has kept us all together so closely. Pictured above are her kids (my dad, Aunt Charlene, and Aunt Marilyn) and her niece Pam (in the middle).
It really wasn't chaos, but it was a mess. All the cousins joined in on the fun as we colored eggs before all the weekend festivities.
Since we were going to be in the Burgh for the holiday, Mary & Bob invited us to their Easter celebration with Mary's family the week prior to Easter. It was fun to watch the kids play games like we used to play. Pictured above is the egg race on the spoon. Later they searched all over the house for the eggs. Next year Colton will be right up there with them.
Lauren Cohen AKA LC (pictured in the middle) will be getting married on May 21st and Brian and I are looking forward to a fun evening out with just the two of us. It was great to get to see former colleagues Melanie and LC. We had lots of fun working together for many years. Come back at the end of May to see how gorgeous she will look on her special day.
