Sunrise's One Year pictures

Sunrise turned 1 back in May, but I'm just getting around to posting his pictures.

Perhaps I have been procrastinating on purpose...

... because when I post this, I have to admit he's not a little baby anymore.

Gosh, I love this little guy.

I swear he eats, even though he looks so petite.

He hasn't grown too much since his 9 month check up, but the Doctor isn't concerned since he's learning all sorts of new tricks....

like walking...

talking...

and just generally getting into lots of mischief!

He is a very curious little guy.

He is 29.25 inches tall ( 40%ile)...

and weighed in at 19 lb. 4 oz (8 %ile).

His is head is small (44.4 cm, 5 %ile), but look at those eyelashes!

He is always on the lookout for something new.

He took his first steps a couple weeks after his birthday and now tries to walk everywhere he goes.

Sunrise was getting a little annoyed with posing for the camera...

... and then broke out into tears...

... until I brought him inside to the piano!

He loves to sit down and listen to the plunky music he can make himself.

And these days I spend my time chasing after him and cleaning up messes.

He is really starting to discover the big wide world out in front of him.

And he somehow figured out how to open candy bar wrappers by himself.

I'm weaning him of nursing right now, and it's very bittersweet.  It's so strange to think he is our last baby, and that we are moving on to the next phase with our family.  I am so excited to do "big kid" stuff and get to know my children as they develop their own little personalities. But babies bring such an innocent spirit into a home.  I don't mind too much when Sunrise wakes up every so often in the night, because I get to steal an extra hug and breathe in his sweetness.  I know our kids won't be little forever and I desperately want to hold onto all these good memories.  It's going by so fast!

Let the games begin

Both Thunder and I have some serious baseball history in our families, so we knew it was just a matter of time until our kids got sucked in. It's been so fun to watch! Sunshine is in T-ball and Cloudburst is in softball.  Even Tornado got to play Itty Bitty Baseball.  It's the first year for them. They are still getting the hang of when to run, where to throw the ball and when to actually stand up in the field and pay attention. All the little kids are so darn cute. So here's to the next 10-20 years watching baseball and softball!

My big 1 year old!

We no longer have a baby in the house. Well of course, Sunrise is still the same size and shape as before, but I guess I have to come to grips with the fact that he really is growing up. And we are growing out of the baby phase of our family.

He enjoyed ripping up the paper.  I actually had the thought to fill a giant box with paper and just give him that.  Heaven knows we have enough toys around here!  But then I went shopping and found a few cute things.  After all, he is our last chance for a First Birthday!

He already loves his siblings and follows them around everywhere they go, even if it's upstairs or into the bathroom.  And he loves to scream at them!

This year I tried experimenting with fondant.  It is a very thick icing that feels kind of like playdough.  You can roll it out and form it into shapes.  I also tried using the new Cricut Cake machine.  I used it to cut out the letters and stars.

We had over a couple from church that always help me with Sunrise when I lead the music.  They also did magic tricks for the kids, which they loved!

I helped Sunrise blow out the candles...

... and apparently I wasn't fast enough since he almost got a hold of that flame!

And the Messy Cake Face is definitely a tradition.

Later that day, we had thought about going somewhere, but couldn't think of a place that a 1 year old can really enjoy.  So the older kids made it for him!

Cloudburst made signs, Sunshine organized the toys and Tornado was a good helper.  There was the Ball Tunnel, Clicker Land (he loves remote controls), Animal Rescue Center (complete with Diego and his animals) and the Raceway (how did we get that many cars in our house??).

He crawled around and had a great time.

I had a bit of a hard time with this birthday!  Sunrise is not very big, but he makes his presence known.  He is good natured and fun loving and loves a good hug.  In fact, he pats ME on the back when I hug him.  The whole family just adores him.  He is so fun to watch grow up, but I just want it to slow down a little!