A Party for ONE!

Can you believe it this guy turned one already and we celebrated with a big ol' bash. Jensen's birthday falls on Earth Day so we decided that we would have an Earth Day Birthday!

We started off the day by planting a tree in our front yard. This was our gift to the earth and to Jensen. I helped pick out the tree but Morris did all of the dirty work.
We set up a little planting station in the garage so guests could get in on the action. The potted plants and shovels doubled as party favors.
After the tree was planted we took Jensen over to show him his tree, he was more clearly interested in the dirt, we took several photos and they all turned out like this. Guests also left messages on rocks for Jensen that we put by the tree.
Our Family Tree
Cooper putting lots of though into his rock for Jensen
Jensen is all smiles when his aunts are around. He gets lots of loves and attention.
The aftermath of the globe cake I made for him. Jensen continued to spread the frosting all over his face making him look like an Avatar.
I made this little birthday box as a centerpiece. I put a picture from each month of the year on the outside of the box and then put a potted plant in it with balloons.
A close up picture of the party favors.
We had super yummy coconut cupcakes, wishing there was more of these still.
A photo of the beverage.
And most of those that came to help us celebrate our favorite little boy. We are missing a few who dashed off to an Easter Egg Hunt.
Yes, I did consume more than my share of the cupcakes and baby GIRL Poole (due in Aug) has also helped to increase my waistline as seen above.

Raise Your Hand...

if you think I am cute?

Jensen apparently thinks he is very adorable. At least I am raising a humble child.

But I kind of have to agree with him.

Ode to Richmond

Today I miss you (and every Thursday)

I miss your beautiful fall trees and the long fall season.

I miss the good friends you provided me with, good friends are hard to find and impossible to replace.

I miss your Nordstrom, you were small but satisfied a desire and sometimes a need.

I miss your delicious Celesti Gelati ice cream and the amazing "just ask" flavor that I worry I may never have again.

I miss walks in the evening that often turned into a neighborhood party.

I miss playing the train game with friends while eating cookies and drinking Root Beer.

I miss seeing lightning bugs in the summer evenings.

I miss not being able to take a bus to NYC.

I miss our not living in the "real world" yet lifestyle.

Today I miss you.

Until we meet again.

Best Part of Waking Up

I love the smiles this little guy dishes out in the morning.

Who needs Furniture?

It took a couple weeks for our furniture to show up so Morris made use of the space on his

graduation gift (a new bike) and rode around the house. The laps around the island were tight but he worked it out.

A Moving Story

Q: How do you fit a 1,100 sq. ft. townhouse into 10ft. of a moving truck? A: You ask two orthodontists to pack your truck. Morris and his dad utilized every square inch of that space.
And even found a perfect seat for Jensen.

Best friends in the whole world! Show up at 1 AM to clean my house and finish packing up the place, that is after they had watched my baby for 5 hours so I could attend graduation oh and then drive our family out to the airport at the wee wee hours of the morning. Really truly the best friends a girl could ask for.

Locking up the doors of our place for the last time.

Morris and Rich sharing one last brew together. (Well, actually Rich had already brushed his teeth so he wouldn't drink it but I made him grab one for the photo--what a good little dentist he is)

Our flight home--this is how Jensen was for the majority of both flights. We were very relieved as well as all those around us, I am sure.

Our welcoming committee. Mindy showed up with her 3 kids and signs to welcome us back to the Beehive State. Thank you for the love Rice Family!

The End.

It's been a rough day at our house. This big boy is weighing in at 13.4 lbs on his 2 month birthday. That is about the 90th percentile.

Gym Day 1: Check

Well I didn't run 13.1 miles today but 2 things are certain:

1. My waistline is definitely not in any hurry to reappear.
2. I did reach my mini gym goal I set for myself for Day 1 so that is good news.

This Week

We have been trying to keep ourselves busy while Morris has been away.

We spent a day at the pool with friends.
Aunt Mallory arrived to keep us company. Jensen was in love immediatly.

We went to Charlottesville and walked around UVA campus and...

had a picnic in a nearby garden.

We made treats for my doctor to take to my 6 week appointment.

Yep, it has been 6 weeks already.

Other highlights of the week:

Jensen slept just over 7.5 hours last night, I was awake the last hour just waiting for him to wake up.

I dropped off our last rent check-EVER!

1 Month

We finally got around to getting this little guys photos taken. We have only seen this one but I am pretty sure I am in love with them and him of course.