Carson's pirate party... Argh!

Carson's 12 month stats:

Weight: 24 lbs 13 oz (75th percentile)

Height: 30.5 inches (75th percentile)

We celebrated Carson's 1st birthday with a pirate themed party.  He had all of his little friends over to play.  Carson was just getting over being sick so he was still pretty mellow at the party.  He enjoyed watching all the kids run and play, but wanted to be held by mom and dad pretty much the whole time.  He got lots of fun gifts and some super cute clothes (see the 1st picture in this post).  Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate his special day!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Rychlinski!

 Thought I'd share a few pictures from their wedding.  LOVE them both.  Beautiful scenery, beautiful day, beautiful couple.

Our adventures in Puerto Vallarta

We just got back from a week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.  It was paradise.  We stayed in a luxurious 4 bedroom/ 4 bathroom condo (shared with the Grandparents and Aunt Diane) that had an amazing balcony overlooking the huge pool and ocean.  It was so nice to get away and relax with the family.  Of course the whole reason we went down there was for Mandy and Jon's wedding (I will post more on this when I get more pictures).  The wedding was in the most beautiful setting I've ever seen.  The whole day was magical and I am so happy for the newlyweds!

This was one view from our huge balcony.  The pool was double the size of this.  There was a heated side and a cold side and lots of shallow areas for the kids to play.  Needless to say, the kids both swam all day every day.  Rylee graduated from water wings to swimming all on her own.  

Many of our days and evenings were spent walking through the marina, daydreaming about which boats we'd like to own.  We visited our favorite coffee shop on the marina almost every morning for coffee and breakfast burritos.  We also ate many delicious dinners there too.  A couple of days we went downtown Puerto Vallarta to explore and shop.  The boardwalk was so much fun to walk along, there were so many things to see.  Rylee loved the clowns and street performers.  We had dinner on the beach a couple of times too which Rylee absolutely loved.  I have way too many pictures to post, so I just picked a few favorites of our family.  The trip was amazing because it was shared with all of our family and close friends.

As I said before, the wedding was amazing.  Rylee and Jon's niece Caitlyn were the flower girls and were adorable.  They had a blast playing on the beach together.  The wedding ceremony took place on the beach and then there was a beautiful candlelit area to eat dinner.  After dinner they put a dance floor and bonfire on the beach.  After the wedding we all continued the dance party on a boat back to town.  What an adventure. 

Happy 1st birthday Carson!

Happy birthday to my beautiful baby boy!  I can't believe it's been a whole year.  He brings our family so much love and happiness.  He is such a chill little dude.  He likes to just go with the flow and watch everything and everyone.  He is very much a Daddy's boy and wants to be with dad every minute he can.  He loves snuggling and giving kisses and hugs... he is very much a love bug.

We spent his birthday morning relaxing at the house, playing with his new kitchen, and eating blueberry pancakes.  Later that afternoon we met the Veh's at Pt. Defiance Zoo.  It was a chilly day, but the animals were all out and very active.  It was the best zoo day I've had by far.  The polar bears were wrestling, the Walrus was posing and giving kisses, and the puffins put on a show... I believe it was all for our baby boy's 1st birthday!  =)

For dessert Carson got to eat his very first cupcake.  He loved every bite.  Happy birthday sweet boy!

My little dancer

Rylee had her first dance recital today.  She did amazing!  They did a routine to "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah," and Rylee was definitely the best in her class.  =)  She got a little sidetracked during one part, but she never stopped smiling and having a good time.  Grandma and Papa Jacobson, and the Wyss family all came to cheer her on.  I'm so proud of my little dancer! 

Happy Holidays 2012

We hosted Christmas Eve this year.  We had family and lots of close family friends over.  We've been doing this for a long time now (we took the tradition over from my parents a few years ago).  It's always a great time and a chance to catch up with the people who are most important to us.

The kids must have been good this year because Santa came!  He brought them both stockings full of treats and toys.  After opening Santa's gifts we went to my parents house to celebrate Dad's birthday and open more Christmas gifts.  Carson could care less about the gifts, but Rylee had fun opening hers and everyone else's!  For dinner Mom made her traditional prime rib and crab.  DELICIOUS!!

We ended the year celebrating at Mandy and Jon's annual New Years cocktail party.  Carson slept the whole party, and Rylee had a blast playing and dancing with Jon's sisters kids (mostly a little girl named Caitlyn).  It was a great end to a wonderful year.  I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us!

11 months

I can't believe my baby boy is almost one!!!  This has been the month of learning.  He started waving, giving high fives, clapping, signing "milk", dancing, singing, and trying to say all kinds of words.  He is a little chatterbox.  He has 4 full teeth now (2 top and 2 bottom), and he is working on 2 more on the top.  He is eating mostly people food now and loves it.  God forbid you give him baby food anymore... he will let you know that is NOT what he eats!  =)  He loves cars/ trucks, his dog Coulee, the water (yes... another water baby), doing anything his sister is doing, snuggles, and causing all kinds of trouble.  I love you so much little man!!!