Miles is ONE YEAR OLD!!! It has certainly been a year of changes for us and growing for Miles. Once we got past the first 6 months and he started sleeping through the night our lives have been easier and more fun. Not that we didn't treasure him from day one, but as a parent when you start to become less sleep deprived, life gets better.
So we had the big birthday party!! The celebrations started with the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Kross who came all the way from Florida. They were so happy to see Miles and how much he had grown.The whole family went to Bismarck for a Roller Derby Bout. We saw the Bis-Man Bombshells play the A-salt Creek team from Wyoming. The Bombshellz didn't win, but it was an exciting match.
We love roller derby
Family Fun!
Go Bombshellz!!!
We spent some time seeing the sights around Jamestown (mostly Walmart). Grandma and Grandpa bought us a patio set for our anniversary. Aaron and I were really wondering why we haven't gotten one yet. Well, thanks so much Mom and Dad, we really love it and it has been great to have this summer.
We also took a trip to the Ronald Reagen Minuteman Missile command center in Cooperstown, ND. That was pretty neat. We learned a lot about the Cold War and how many missiles there are/were in North Dakota and how we are strategically located to launch missiles that can hit Russia. I'm glad we are done with that part of our history. Miles wanted to push all the buttons.
Don't shut the door on Grandpa
Low clearance
All is quiet up top
And of course we played in the splash pool.
Grandma keeping her feet cool
Then the big day arrived, PARTY TIME!!!
We were so happy to have our friends over to celebrate. Thanks to everyone who came to the party. And thanks for the Birthday wishes from everyone who wanted to come but couldn't make it. We understand. We had a great time with all the alligator theme stuff that Mom (me) and Grandma put together. Lisa made a great alligator cake and Karla made a giant cupcake just for Miles. Our friend Lori made alligator masks for the kiddos. Lori and Mur-Man weren't able to come to the party, but we saved a mask and goody bag for them. Below are some of the highlights from the party. You can see more pictures from the party here.
Henry, Eiley, Gus and Miles fishing for gator food.
Goody boxes!
Lisa and the awesome cake she made
Miles contemplating the giant cupcake
Henry and Vivian showing him how to do it
The family
Getting the hang of it
I Love this cake Karla!!
Dad says "take a bite"
Dad getting into it too
Frosting kisses for everyone!
I Love Birthdays!
Fun toys to play with
Thanks again to every one who came and for the gifts and birthday wishes. We had such a great day and we are grateful to have so many wonderful people in Miles' life to help us celebrate.
July has been filled with visits, vacations, and work trips. I haven't been up on updating the blog, but I will fill you all in with July installments. First with part of our trip to Kearney, NE.
We are back from our vacation in Kearney, NE. The ride back was a bit of a challenging one. Miles is at the point now where he isn't content just sitting in his carseat. He wants to GO!
Packing to go to Kearney, "Don't forget me Mom!"
We got to Kearney on Monday (July 9) because Aaron had some work meetings to attend. We had dinner with our friends and Aaron's work colleague Mary and her husband Keith. Mary and Keith have 2 little girls. Ella is the same age as Miles and we first met her on our trip to Texas a few months ago. And we got to meet Anna who is 3 and a little ball of energy.
Ella and Miles playing. That blur on the couch is Anna
She only sat still for a second
Miles and I were on our own for most of the week. But we found some fun stuff to do. We went to the Centennial Park pool. They have a graduated entrance to the water (like a beach) and it was perfect for Miles to crawl around and splash in the shallow water. What was really fun is we ran into Aaron's cousin's wife Keisha and their little girl Londyn at the pool. An unexpected surprise and we were happy to have some friends there to play with.
Drying off after a swim
Splashing in the pool, that's Londyn in the background. She didn't really want her picture taken but I caught her.
Uncle Luke was all to ready to show Miles that he could walk. They practiced going up and down the hallway at Grandpa Sam and Nana Linda's house.
Miles was a contender for the loudest baby at Matt and Sally's wedding ceremony. Miles did teach Cousin Carter a few new vocal techniques, but he was pretty quiet during the ceremony.
Then at the reception Miles got to meet all the Pearse side relatives. And there are lots of them. Aunts, Uncles and lots of cousins to play with.
Kennedy just loved Miles. Look out for that bear hug!
Aunt Rita, a seasoned Grandma kept Miles happy. Kennedy didn't want to let him out of her sight.
Don't dunk me in the punch bowl Daddy!
The ladies and their babies, and one little girl
We visited with Grandma Mary Lou and Grandma Irma, and had an adventure in downtown Kearney. I'll post those pics in the next installment.
