One is Fun!

I seem to have made it a habit this year to post about the kids' birthdays TWO MONTHS after their actual birthday. At least I'm here, right?

Our sweet Eden turned one on July 16. Already?! I know! I was thinking the same thing. This has been a busy year for us, you know, with moving across the country and remodeling a house, so Eden birthday seems to have snuck up on us.


Now that we're back in AZ, the whole family joined us for our Little Mushy's big day. G-Ma and G-Pa came up for the whole weekend, which we kicked off with a round of goofy golf. It was fun, I mean the name says it all, but if I'm being completely honest, it's something we'll wait to do again until the kids are a little older. Jax was impatient and just wanted to wack the ball every which way, which was quite dangerous for the rest of us. Ava was easily frustrated at the difficulty and Eden, well, Eden just wanted to get out of her stroller and boogy. It was HER birthday after all. Despite my complaints, the kids really enjoyed themselves, but like I said, I think we'll wait a few years to do it again.


After our 18 holes, we headed out to lunch then back to our house to hang out. The next night, we celebrated with a big family BBQ. One of the great things about having G-Ma and G-Pa around is they entertain the kids while I work in the kitchen. It's amazing how much faster things go without all the hands, but I'll admit it, I kinda miss all the "help" when its not there.

That evening, all of Eden's grandparents, uncles (except Uncle Dusty and Uncle Ben), aunts and cousins gathered at our house for birthday fun. Eden opened presents, actually, Ava and Jax opened them for her but she didn't seem to mind. Her favorite was a little ride on truck from Grandma and Grandpa. It sings and everything, which is why I have found myself humming "Do You Know the Muffin Man?" EVERY DAY since Eden's birthday. Anywho, our little Eden hopped right on that little toy and scooted herself around the living room saying, "Vroom, Vroom."

Eden's birthday cake was pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. Because we call Eden Princess Polka Dot, I made a white cake with pink and purple polka dots inside the cake, so when it was sliced, each slice had dots. Seriously, cute. And, of course, Eden devoured it!

So, our sweet baby is officially a toddler now. She started walking about a month after her birthday and now she's perpetual motion. I love the look of excitement and victory on her face as she toddles around the house, or sneaks away with a snack, or tries to "run away" from Daddy as he chases her. Eden, like her brother and sister before her, is such a happy kid. She rarely cries, and will smile at just about anyone. She's super cuddly, and will often just climb up on my lap, just to give me a hug, which includes sweet little pats on my back. She's finally starting to sign and talk. She's definitely not as verbal as Jax and Ava were at this age, but she comprehends way more than I sometimes give her credit for. Her vocabulary consists of: Mama, Dada, Bubba, VaVa (Ava),  Mamaw (Grandma), Jesus, ball, baby, Boo!, more, no, hi, shoes, please, this, woof-woof, vroom-vroom, go and pew (which is what she says when I change her diaper). At her one-year-checkup Eden weighed 18 lbs 11 oz (which is three ounces less than Jax's weight at THREE MONTHS) and was 28 inches long. She's a teeny little thing, but having a big brother and big sister to follow after gives her a false sense of size. She often attempts to do things meant for much bigger kids, and surprisingly, often she succeeds. As of late, she's proven to be quite the master climber. She'll climb ladders, fences, to the top of my piano, on the kitchen table, out of the grocery cart, she'll hang from the pews at church, there's no mountain too high. She's extremely efficient too, it doesn't take long for her to reach her destination nor does she realize just how dangerous her little tricks are. Fortunately, I haven't suffered a heart attack... yet.
 

 I love this little girl so much! Since the day she was born (four days before my scheduled c-section) she's proven to have her own plans. She's determined and independent, but still so attached to me. I love that she calls for me first thing in the morning, or that she'll roam the house calling for me until she finds me, and then exclaims, "BOO!" I love how much she adores Ava and Jax. She loves to attack Jax, bouncing on him, tickling him, squeezing his cheeks, and the sweet boy just lets her and giggles along with her. Eden gets so excited when it's time to pick Ava up from school, shrieking and smiling enormously as soon as she sees her big sister come out of her classroom. She greets Andy everyday when he walks in the door, running to him and giving him a big squeeze before he's even shut the door all the way. I love how silly she is and how much she already recognizes the importance of laughter. I love how tough she is, often when she falls, she gets up, shakes her little hands and moves on. She loves dirt and mud and would much rather play in the sandbox with Jax than with her baby toys inside. She loves doggies and seems to be able to hear them from a mile away. She plays our piano almost as much as I do. She'll climb up on the seat all by herself and play for quite some time. She loves fruit. All fruit and can't ever seem to get enough of it. But, she also loves chocolate and has quite the nose for it. I love, love, love this little girl and am so excited to continue to watch her and her personality grow!