Russell is 1!!!

My baby is 1.  I am freaking out!  We celebrated his birthday the Sunday before his birthday with Family.  We had some great food and it was loads of fun.

 Here is the AWESOME cake Toby and I made. (It's a pond.  And the frogs are on lily pads if you couldn't tell)

 Brice really liked the food.

 Like every other kid Russell was more engaged with the wrapping then the gifts.

 They even tasted better.

 This was a gift from the Somers.  It is a lavender scented hippo (to help calm him down at bed time) with an awesome cloth diaper that my sister made.  She has been selling diapers for a little while now and things are going really well.  It's really exciting.  So if you or someone you know is into cloth diapering consider MonkeyDoDiapers.

  Here are the shoes that Toby and I got Russell.  I LOVE baby shoes.  So I think this gift was more for me then it was for Russell.  But hey I worked hard last year on his birthday.  Right?

 Also Toby and I have been wanting to get Russell some bongos for MONTHS.  Russell had always been interested in the sound different surfaces make when he hits them.

 And he likes them!! 

 Then it was cake time.

 Russell has one of the plastic frogs from the top of the cake in his mouth with the head sticking out.  

 Oh he was such a messy pig.  I loved every second of it.

 "How big is the birthday boy?" 

 "BAAA" Translates to "This is the best birthday EVER!!" 

 "Here dad try some.  It's so good."

 Then on Tuesday (March 29th his actual birthday) we just had a little dinner and cake again.  This time it was going to be just Toby, Russell and I but some friends who couldn't make it on Sunday came Tuesday.  This made the night feel like more of a celebration.

 Such a happy little guy.

 This is Kayla.  She really wanted to give Russell his cake.  I think she did a wonderful job.

Toby had to play referee because Russell likes to grab fire. 

 

 Oh look at this face

 

Kayla and Mercedes.  Sweet little girls.

Thank you Kane family for spending the evening with us.  And thank you everyone else who was able to celebrate Russell's first birthday.

At the end of the day I though about the day Russell was born and what a great day it was.  I feel so grateful to be able to have this wonderful child of God in my life.  I am very thankful to my Heavenly Father for allowing me to a mother to Russell.  I am also so blessed to have the spiritual guidance I have to rely on while I try to do my best to be a good mom. 

I love being a mom and I am so happy that we have survived the first year of parenthood. (Though there have been some close calls.)