Happy Birthday Buddy!

Happy 1st Birthday to You!
Happy 1st Birthday to You!
Happy 1st Birthday Dear Evan,
Happy 1st Birthday to You!

Dear Evan,

You are officially a toddler! We celebrated your 1st birthday at the neighborhood park. We were hoping that it wouldn't rain on your special day & were surprised with great weather. In fact, it was over 80 degrees in February! Its just one of the many bonuses of living in Southern California.

Nearly 50 of our family & friends came out to spend the afternoon celebrating your big day. And since you like anything with wheels, we decided to throw a racing themed birthday party.


It was so hot that we sought out shade where ever we could. Here we are hanging out with Kate under an umbrella.


One of the best surprises of the day was when Aunt Steph surprised us all & came to your birthday party. She traveled all the way from North Carolina! You love Steph & you love grilled cheese sandwiches, so you enjoyed both in the sun.


Then it was time for your rite of passage as a 1 year old - diving into your birthday cake! I baked a giant cupcake for you & it took you no time at all for you to sink both of your hands into it.


It was quite a mess, but you were happy so nothing else mattered!


Your dad had been working on your birthday gift for over a month. He wanted to make sure that your new car was as close as it possibly could be to the official Formula 1 cars. Boy does your car come close!


By the end of the party, everyone was seeking out shade. Here's a pic of you & Pops relaxing at the playground with Ella, Cheryl, Kai & Sirikit from our playgroup.


All in all, it was so much fun to be surrounded by some of the people that love you most. We had great weather, great food, great friends & great fun!

Love,
Mom & Dad

You've Come a Long Way Baby!

Dear Evan,

A year ago today your dad & I drove to Hoag Hospital while listening to the song "Get Ready" by the Temptations. Who knew that "Get ready, 'cause here I come" would be the line that we still laugh about today. Your dad & I will forever remember listening to that song, thinking that the next time we get in the car to go home, you will be with us.

In the past year, you have grown 9.5 inches & gained 12 pounds. You outgrew your infant car seat in just 9 months. Now that you have cleared the weight, height & age requirement, you get to face forward in the car. What a trip! It is so much fun to be able to interact with you in the car.

You've come such a long way in 12 months. I love looking at the picture frame we have hung in your room. We've taken a picture of you each month to see your progress. Your little personality really started shining through at about 4 months. Coincidentally, that's also when you started sleeping through the night. Well, maybe that's not such a coincidence!


Lately our days are filled with trips to the playground. You love the swings & digging around in the sand. We take Ginger on a walk in the afternoon & read books before you go down for a nap. Its also become quite obvious which toys are your favorites ... anything with Elmo on it & anything with wheels! You have a bazillion race cars, trucks & fire engine toys all throughout the house. Oh, and how could I forget, you LOVE chasing Ginger around the house. You think it's quite hysterical actually. Whenever you chase her around the house you have to stop because you are laughing so hard!

Evan, you are the coolest kid we know & we can't wait to have fun with you in the upcoming toddler years.

Love,
Mom & Dad