Happy FIRST Blake!

Blake Denver - ONE YEAR OLD

One year ago Jason and my hearts were stolen by a tiny little man,
who has grown into such a sweet, smiley and happy little boy.
It is impossible to imagine life without him in it.
The moment he was placed in my arms I was in love.
It has been such a wonderful year, and we feel blessed each day to get to be Blake's mom and dad.
So thankful for his happy smiles and all that he is learning.

• He is ONE YEAR OLD! Amazing.
• He is now over 22lbs...we will know more exact after his 12 month doctor appointment.
• He has TWO teeth now; both on the bottom...so cute! He is working on the top ones now.
• He has many new tricks like: pointing his finger when asked, "How old are you?", raising his arms when asked, "How big is Blake?", learned the sign for "more"...used when he wants food ;) and dances to music.
• His favorite toys this month: WHEELS! Anything from cars to the vacuum cleaner, his music toys and the cats... ;)
• His NEW foods tried this month: TONS of "real" people food like pears, lunch meat, bread and jelly and lasagna. :) All hits!
• He is loving practicing walking...he smiles the whole time, unless he falls down.
• He "dances" to music when it comes on all on his own...even has started "singing" along.
• He LOVES the pool...whether that's his little backyard pool or the pool at swim lessons...water baby.
• He rode on the back of a bike with mom for the first time, and loved it!
• He celebrated father's day...so thankful for his daddy and the wonderful grandpas and great-grandpas in Blake's life. :) 
• He has learned how to go from laying down to sitting up all on his own...and pulls up, but only when he wants to, which is often times in the bathtub...
• He discovered the stairs...only went up a couple...and may have gone down a couple too...
• He celebrated his dad completing his Master's in Special Education. YEAH!
• He is starting to feed himself with a fork...he was very proud of himself with that feat.
• He had his first official swim lesson...and LOVED it! Went underwater and everything! :)

Playing at Riverfront Park.

Clapping for silly daddy :)

"DaDa"

Loving on his "Mama."

ELEVEN months Old.

Blake Denver - ELEVEN Months

• He is now over  22 lbs....although eating is not that interesting to him...he is diffidently a marathon eater...he gets it done, it just takes FOREVER.
• He got his first tooth! We weren't sure if/when this would happen for him ;)
• He is wearing size 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• He has many new tricks like: waving "hi," clapping your hands and giving high-fives.
• He is officially sleeping through the night more often than not..."YEAH!" says mom. Proud of my "big" boy.
• He got to watch aunt Kinsey graduate from college...although he slept through most of it in dad's arms.
• He celebrated dad's 26th birthday, mom's first mother's day and mom and dad's 5th wedding anniversary this last month.
• His favorite toys this month: ANYTHING he can get his hands on...bath-time is his favorite time though...he gets excited when he even hears the water running.
• His NEW foods tried this month: kiwi, Ritz crackers, cottage cheese, beef, avocado(didn't like it) and pickles...which he loved...whose kid is this? ;)
• He had a friend, Ella, spend two whole days with us. They sure enjoyed playing with each other and "talking" back and forth.
• He shakes his head "no" when getting tickled or snuck up on.
• He has learned how to go from sitting to crawling...still doing army crawling...he just thinks it is funny when dad puts him up on his knees.
• He LOVES his two cats, Calli and Hobbes...he gets really excited, and is working on "gently" petting them when they let him get close enough.
• He spent his first 'all-day' time with Grandpa and Grandma Nolz so mom and dad could celebrate their anniversary...he had so much fun with them.
• He went on his first vacation to Sisters, Oregon with just mom and dad...it was such an awesome and relaxing trip for everyone.

Our little family :)

Blake in a Box #2

Kitchen Themed Wedding Shower

 Celebrating my sister's upcoming wedding has to have been one of the highlights of the last month. Amazing that in less than 100 days now my sweet sister will be getting married to such an awesome man. It has been a blessing getting to watch their relationship grow, and see how perfect they truly are for one another.

To start off the celebration, my mom and I threw her a wedding shower with close friends and family. I've always wanted to do a themed shower, so this time we did a kitchen themed wedding shower; which was so much fun to put together.

The invitation for the shower.

Some of the fun things that we planned for the shower was that each guest brought a recipe that they love to share with the bride-to-be. After reading through them, it was clear that she got some tasty dishes to make. My favorite 'game,' was the one where I got to ask the groom, Gary, questions about Kinsey and their future life together. Loved that he said they would have "1,000 kids," when I asked him how many they would have...needless to say, Kinsey didn't come up with that same number. My favorite response of the groom was when I asked him to complete the sentence, "I knew I loved Kinsey when...," and he said, "I realized that no other girl could ever make me as happy as she does."

Guest Book I made on Shutterfly.com

My mom and I had a lot of fun putting together the decor for the shower. Here are some of the specific decorations of our vintage/kitchen theme:

The part that I was most excited about though, was getting to share my heart behind the shower with Kinsey and our guests. She is such an amazing woman, and I am so thankful that I get to call her my sister. I shared pictures of us growing up through the years...knowing that so soon she will be making new memories with a new important person in her life. The verse that I think defines my sister is,

"She is clothed in STRENGTH and DIGNITY 

and she laughs without fear of the future."

Proverbs 31:25

Her strength is a moral and mental power, but I have seen it in the courage she has had to face big trials in her life, and not to give in. Her dignity is respectable and she is worthy to be celebrated...she is my hero if you haven't noticed that yet. When she faces trials, she does with a "pure joy," one unexplained other than giving thanks to God that He has a plan. Part of His plan is her future husband, Gary. He has walked through trials with her, and never once wavered in his love of her...it has been a blessing to my sister heart to see how much Gary loves and takes care of my baby sister. Thankful that God "knows the plans," for their life, and that He brought the two of them together (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Beautiful bride to be. :)

After we all shed some happy tears, it was time for the opening of the presents...WOW she was so showers that's for sure! So many great kitchen tools, appliances and decor. I can't wait to see it in their new place. So thankful for the friends and family that are surrounding my sister. 

What a fun day to celebrate such a wonderful person; my best friend, and sister.

Decorate an Apron: We had the guests help create a unique apron for Kinsey.

"How big is Blake?"

Blake Denver - TEN Months

 

• He is now 20lbs. 5oz. and eating all the time.
• He celebrated Aunt Kinsey's 22nd birthday up in Portland...she gets married only FOUR short months, and then Blake will gain an uncle.
• He went to the library to check out books with mom and dad during spring break.
• He went down a slide...with mom...for the first time at Riverfront Park.
• He has mastered army crawling...uses one arm to pull and the other to push.
• His favorite toys this month: his new sensory board, stuffed animals and any toy with a button or light (that includes the TV remote and cell phones).
• His NEW foods tried this month: apricot and cinnamon (mixed in with his cereal). Attempting to try more 'finger' foods...as of now he isn't to interested.
• He is now only eating formula from a bottle...after he and I both got the flu and colds his interest and my supply just weren't the same.
• He celebrated his first Easter. Even got to participate in his first Easter Egg Hunt at church.
• He enjoys listening to music, and has started bobbing his head and "singing" when it comes on.
• He sadly got a cold, which then spread to his sweet little eyes. What a trooper though, he still smiled through it all.
• He LOVES being outside, whether it is a walk or playing on a blanket. First time his feet felt the grass was pretty cute. :)
• He went on his first bike-ride with Grandpa and Grandma Nolz. He rode in the trailer...see many more rides and memories to come. :)
• He discovered how to fake cough, blow food bubbles and growl this month...oh what a sweet, silly little boy.
  

 

 

 

Happy 22nd Birthday sister! :)

Owen and Blake out to lunch (only a couple weeks apart in age)

3 Quarters of a Year Old.

Blake Denver - NINE Months

I was recently reminded by a friend that this month marks the fact that Blake has been in this world the same amount of time that he had been in my womb. WOW. In those 18+ months this little boy went from microscopic cells to the smiling, sweet baby boy I am watching play with a new toy at my feet. After watching him grow from a small bump on my tummy, to a baby ready and raring to crawl I have to praise God for His hand and His blessing. Jason and I constantly thank the Lord for the blessing of Blake, and the grace that He shows us daily in helping us raise our son. Our minds are blown when we watch Blake discover new things, and look at us with that smile of understanding.

Thankful for you, our sweet little baby boy.

• He is now 19lbs. 1.5oz. (25-50 percentile), 28.5 in (50-75 percentile).
• He said, "DaDa," first, followed soon after by, "Mama."
• His other favorite sounds: clicking your tongue, blowing bubbles and "gaga."
• He is rolling all over, and will scoot on his head while pushing with his feet to move forward.
• His favorite toys this month: magazines, straws and spoons, blocks and anything that when thrown makes a new sound :).
• He has figured out toys with buttons, so he really enjoys playing with his musical toys.
• His NEW foods tried this month: wheat cereal, blackberries, spinach, raspberries, puff crackers, yogurt bites (feed yourself with these) and chicken by itself (not a big fan of this one).
• He LOVES his two cats. The moment he either sees or hears them, a huge smile and sound of excitement can be seen and heard.
• He sadly got the flu this last month...thankfully it only last hours, and he was such a trooper; still smiling even when he felt so yucky.
• He got to have his first sleep-over with his two-year old cousin Cayden. They love getting to see each other, and they had a lot of fun together: playing in the backyard, taking a bath and snuggling. :)
• He went on his first bike-ride with Grandpa and Grandma Nolz. He rode in the trailer...see many more rides and memories to come. :)
• He discovered mom's eyelashes, and still continues to hold my face while I feed him...one of my favorite things.

  

  Bath-time with cousin Cayden

  

  

  Blake and Mama

  

  First bike-ride with Grandpa and Grandma Nolz

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  LimeBerry with Great Grandpa and Grandma Bernard