One.

How did this happen so fast? My son... is one.

How have 365 days passed by when it seems I was just folding tiny little blue blankets and tucking away itty bitty socks into drawers getting ready for your arrival? One year ago today (1/24) I was welcoming your precious soul into this world with "I love you"s and kissing your wrinkled newborn skin while breathing you in. How is it possible we have made it through a year already? Witnessing so many firsts....first holidays, first crawl/walk, first words, first foods, etc. We have already gotten rid of some of the "baby" items in the house (e.g. - swing, bouncy seats, baby bathtubs, etc), it is bittersweet. I love watching you grow and develope your personality, yet at the same time if I could only figure out a way to freeze time and slow it down. I want you to keep that delicious baby smell, ultra soft plump cheeks and sweet innocence for just a bit longer.

So 1st birthday it is then. Yes, time to celebrate the little guy who has docked ship in our sea of life and stolen our hearts like a tiny little pirate. So exciting!

Ahoy there me hearties... Pirate Josh set sail Saturday, January 22nd, on a swashbuckling birthday adventure. Shipmates mom and dad swabbed the decks and gathered up booty to get the ship in order and fit fer Captain Josh's special day...

Sweet grub cooked up by land lubber mom.... okay, fine... in non-pirate terms, they're cupcakes. Cute heh? I found an old childhood candy, "Sixlets" (little malted chocolate tasting pea sized balls), now come in bags of solid "designer" colors. I found some silver ones that kind of looked like pearls... pair that with some gold gel decorator icing, and me gold booty... errrr, some plastic gold pirate coins, and voila' you have cupcakes fit for a tiny pirate boy's birthday.



The captains special cupcake... (Note, the tiny plastic pirate - I dug through a box of them at the party store to find the perfect one. Leave it to me, as usual, to find one that had no price tag when I got to the register. The young man's face at the register told me he wasnt keen on the idea of having to price check this seemingly insignificant little piece of plastic. He said "Ma'am, I really want to give you this little man, but I do not want to get into trouble." Meaning, "I am trying to be nice here, but I really do not want to have to walk across the store to price check this".  I said "I am not leaving the store without that little rubber man." ....and I didnt.  Thats right, mom on a mission.)                                   



Opening gifts...





Poor Middle Little, I felt bad because she kept saying "It's my birthday too!" when we would talk about what we were going to do for Josh's special day. I didnt want her to feel like he was being treated special or more important... she just does not understand at two, that everyone gets their own special day when its time. So I did what any good sucker momma would do, and I bought her a couple gifts to open for doing so good at potty training. ;-)

Apparently I was not the only sucker either, cause Grandma did the same thing and bought her a toy camera to open. Which she used to assist me in taking pics of brother's birthday. As you can see, she is still in training mode. She loves the bathtub tea set I found... heck, if your going to drink the tub water anyways (yuck!), why not do it in style eh?

Check out his solid gold couch... big pimpin'! Okay, not really... but he had a blast with it before he even got it opened.

Two tired Littles. Opening gifts is a lot of work.

Didnt take him long to figure out what to do with the couch. I can picture a remote in his hand already. My little couch potatoe tater tot. 

Me lil' bucaneer beauty...

Stripped down to a diaper and pirate hat, ready for cake...

It's at this moment I want to cry. The lighting of the 1st birthday candle. This is it, no going back, no re-doing. He is growing up. Now officially counting the years.


He was not sure why we were all looking at him and singing...

And that little rubber man, the one I refused to leave the store without... he loves him. (He ate most of his cupcake by dipping the pirates legs into it and eating it off the pirate.)

Middle Little is much more proper in her cupcake etiquette.

The aftermath.

Silly Grandma

"Got cupcake?"

Because sometimes our maturity level drops by half our age.

Once a food fight ensues, it cannot end until everyone is wearing some.

After a nice warm bath with every speck of cupcake removed, a good little refreshing nap, it was time to PLAY. Arrrrrgh matey!

At exactly 3:44 p.m. today, my heart swelled up at the memory

 of your entrance into this world. It was beautiful.

You are loved.