Ethan's First Birthday

Well, it really happened. Ethan turned one! My baby's officially a toddler.

I stressed about his upcoming birthday at least three months in advance. I know it seems kind of silly, but it was a really big deal to me. I didn't want to do the smash cake thing, and I wanted a meaningful tradition that would last all of our kids to replace it. But I was having a hard time deciding what to do. I never did settle on anything really meaningful, but in spite of my worries, we were able to complete almost all the preparations I hoped for and just have a really enjoyable day celebrating our wonderful boy.

Grandparents Henke and Fox were there, and the Downwards and Halls were too. Once everyone was assembled, Ethan got to open his gifts. He had practice at Christmas, so he knew right what to do.

Paper sure is fun! I'm sure he would have been perfectly happy to play with that the whole time, but we kept taking it so he could find his gifts.

After gifts, we took a break to enjoy the food. Ethan loved the hummus, especially the olive pesto flavor.

The ladybug crackers were some inspiration from Christmas Eve (thanks Laura!), and I think they are so fun, not to mention tasty.

Then it was time for some fun. I made a peek-a-boo game out of a big cardboard box. It was a big hit with the kids.

The adults got in on the action too.

We all played around, visited, and just had a good time. Then everyone left except the Downwards, and we took a little trip to the park. This was the first chance Ethan had to navigate the play equipment by himself. He loved the slide and playing with his cousins!

Even after everyone left, we still kept celebrating. We couldn't help but dance during dinner.

And the play continued right on into bath time, where he got to try out some toys from his cousins.

A fun day for our fun boy! Happy Birthday, little man! We love you heaps and heaps.