Tag Archives: Birthdays

Hannah’s First Birthday Celebration

Hannah’s first birthday was so special. We were out in the mountains, per our birthday tradition, and had a fun-filled day centered around our birthday girl.

{Well, this was Hannah’s big birthday gift from us – a ridiculous battery-operated musical activity table. It’s off-the-wall for us but she loves it and we knew she would!}

{We took a fun walk down by the Wenatchee River which runs next to downtown Leavenworth.}

{Hannah LOVES her time in the pool!}

{The birthday girl made it all the way until 3:30 without a nap! She was having too much birthday fun.}

{Time for cake! Hannah’s favorite food is strawberries and Ben thought she would love a strawberry cake. He is so thoughtful!}

{Hannah got her very own smash cake!}

{Unsurprisingly she loved the cake!}

{…..aaaaand crash!}

Hannah’s birthday was all about her. I think she had a blast! So far she is loving being one and is completely and totally a toddler! Happy birthday sweet girl!

Hannah is Twelve Months Old!

Hip hip hooray! Hannah is ONE! My goodness gracious – she is a ball of fun and a barrel of energy – more so every day it feels like. Hannah is living her best life and she sure knows how to have a good time {hint: it usually involves food or destroying something!}. {Hannah turned one on July 22nd and I was waiting until her 12-month checkup to publish this post so I’d have up-to-date measurements.}

Hannah’s stats:

Weight: 23 pounds 3 ounces {90th percentile}
Length: around 29 inches – measurement wasn’t super accurate {typically 50th percentile}
Clothing size: 12-18 month
Shoe size: baby size 2 or 3, depends on brand
Number of teeth: two
Eye color: bluish turquoise – it totally depends on the light and her surroundings
Words: dada, Ben, mama, yeah, hello, banana, uh oh, no, water {wa wa wa wa}
Favorite foods: strawberries, watermelon, pasta, smoothies, ham, bananas, bread, blueberries, Bambas {peanut butter puffs from Israel}
Least favorite foods: depends on the moment – this is where we’re seeing her toddler brain coming out 🙂

As a one-year old Hannah is constantly on-the-go. She’s an extremely fast crawler and she has been pulling herself up on anything she possibly can.

It’s really hard to make a prediction as to when Hannah might possibly start walking. Alex and I keep saying she’ll just stand up on her own one day and start walking or she’ll be a really late walker. Just in the last week or so she’s started testing the waters on standing unsupported. Once she feels ready she’ll be unstoppable!

Hannah has a huge personality. Her little cackle can put a smile on anyone’s face. She’s really good at laughing at her brother when he’s doing something inappropriate. These two are already on the same team.

As an infant, Hannah has never been too shy to request attention. From anyone. I can only imagine that’ll keep up as a toddler! In a public space she is happy to make noise and let everyone know she’s there. If there’s someone she wants to say hello to she’ll just get this huge smile on her face and start shouting at them then wave or clap when they look her way. Most of the time it results in a big smile from the other person.

Hannah has been talking a lot lately. It is so fun to hear her call for her “Nen Nen” {Ben} or say “hello” to a stranger as she waves to them. Alex has been making funny sounds when talking to her and she loves to mimic him. It is so cute.

Independence is something I’ve notice came very early to Hannah. I’m not sure if it’s a product of being a second child but she is very content to be playing on the floor by herself, pushing one of Ben’s cars around or cruising around the house exploring. She wants to do everything herself.

Generally Hannah’s demeanor is very happy and pleasant. And loud. She is super smiley and very friendly. She loves waving hello or clapping her hands with excitement. She’s content and really easy-going. She loves moving around, making music and playing on the floor.

We’ve nicknamed Hannah the “wrecking ball” because when she comes near anything she can throw or destroy that’s what she does! She is very much in a destructive phase right now. She loves to dump things out, throw things or pull the contents out of a bag or laundry basket.

There are some big changes coming up on the horizon for Miss Hannah. We’re nearing the very end of our breastfeeding journey and the beginning of our transition to cow’s milk. We have been starting to introduce cow’s milk to Hannah and it seems like she’s starting to show a little more interest in it. She has been almost exclusively breastfed for her entire life so it’s hard to say how the transition will go.

Hannah’s bedtime routine will be affected by the end of nursing. We’re hoping she will enjoy having cow’s milk, cuddles and story time together with Ben and then going to bed, ultimately on her own. We are also planning on merging her two naps into one afternoon nap sometime soon.

Sleep has been intermittent for Hannah for a while. Typically she’s a really solid sleeper, though occasionally she’ll have a few days where she wakes up in the middle of the night, struggles to fall asleep or wakes up early {and sometimes all of the above!}. Generally, though, Hannah takes one shorter nap, one longer nap and sleeps around 10-11 hours per night.

Since about age 4 months Hannah has not been a huge fan of riding in the car. We got her a bigger convertible car seat around 9 months and that helped tremendously. Also not being sick constantly helped out. She does really well during the day in her car seat but she haaatteessss when we drive home from The Lodge at night and she has to fall asleep in the car. She also hates the elevation change when we go through the mountain pass, it seems. These days, though, she loves getting into her car seat, reaching for Ben’s sunglasses and then putting them on her face and entertaining herself with them during the drive.

Hannah loves anything her big brother does. Their sibling love has only been growing recently. It’s been really fun for both of them, it seems, now that Hannah is becoming more able to involve herself in things Ben is doing. It’s also a great source of frustration for them both. The moments where they’re playing together are always the sweetest of the day.

Food is a very big part of Hannah’s life. New this month she tried crackers! Unsurprisingly she loves them! I’ve started giving her little snack cups with bigger graham crackers or her Bamba peanut butter puffs. Smaller foods like O’s cereal or small crackers end up getting dumped on the floor within 4 seconds. Hannah is obsessed with fruit and crackers and everything else she seems to feel lukewarm about these days.

Lately Hannah has mastered the art of wiping her tray clean with her arm in one big swoop – typically when I’m watching. Then she laughs. She also loves spitting her food across the room. Always followed by a big smile and a cackle. Have I mentioned how big of a personality this girl has?

Gosh this girl brings us so, so, so much joy. She is an absolute delight to be around. Even when she’s crabby or being mischievous she is so dang funny. It’s so hard not to laugh when she’s “misbehaving” {as though a 12-month old can do that}. Her little personality is so much fun and we just adore our sweet Hannah girl.

Ben is Twelve Months Old

Happy First Birthday Hannah!

Happy, happy birthday to our sweet Hannah girl! Alex and I have been so nostalgic these last few weeks as Hannah’s first birthday had been on the horizon. Our littlest baby isn’t a baby anymore and man is it showing. Hannah has an enormous personality and makes us laugh all day long. We can’t get enough of her. We were smitten from the moment she was born and we’ve only grown more in love with our sweet girl as the days have gone by.

This sweet girl sure knows how to live her best life! Happy birthday Hannah Maxine!

Ben is Three

The toddler years are in full force over here — our little Benjamin Ames is THREE! He sure is acting like a bigger kid these days – he is becoming so independent, opinionated and chatty. Ben is so much fun to be around and dang, he is the sweetest.

Ben’s stats:

Weight: 29 pounds 12 ounces {25th percentile}
Height: 37 1/4 inches {35th percentile}
Clothing size: 3T except for pants and shorts – he’s still 18m, 24m or 2T in bottoms!
Shoe size: size 7 toddler
Favorite foods: crackers, pasta, any type of cheese, yogurt, smoothies, cottage cheese, apple sauce, olives, tomato soup {don’t worry, he eats veggies too, these are just his faves!}
Favorite activities: make believing, playing independently, pushing his cars/trucks around, painting, listening to music, playing outside, watching Daniel Tiger, riding his bike, the pump track, gymnastics, swimming, reading books together or looking at books independently

So many of the little nuances we’ve seen along the way in Ben’s personality are really starting to shine. Ben is a blast! He is such a fun kid and I feel like his personality is really infectious. He is just the absolute sweetest boy – I just love his innocence and his confidence – the combination is so endearing. Ben is both extremely goofy and gets a kick out of making people laugh and he’s also really serious.

Ben has a lot of leadership qualities and loves to be in charge. He likes to tell us the exact order of how and when we do things or where to put things – fair warning: don’t put something in the wrong spot or you’ll have to answer to Mr. Ben!

As a three year old, Ben is still extremely active, as he has been his entire life. He is very, very physical and needs big body movements every day. He loves to run, ride his bike and climb on things. While he’s super active he is very capable and happy playing quietly pushing his cars and trucks around the house, reading books and coloring. Following directions; however, is not currently one of Ben’s strong suits. I find he has very selective hearing these days.

One of my favorite things about Ben is how athletic he is. His confidence has been beaming lately because he has been so successful in new physical activities. Now that he’s a little older I love watching him climb at the park, challenge his body at gymnastics and fly around the sidewalk on his bike. He got a scooter for his birthday and that has been a source of tremendous pride for him and joy for me. Swimming lessons started recently and that, in addition to the scooter, has been so heartwarming to watch. I so enjoy sitting back and watching him learn a new skill.

Ben is very friendly and rarely seems shy. He is quick to offer a greeting to an adult we pass by, tell a story to his teacher at the start of the day or go introduce himself to a kid of any age at the park. He is quite the chatty Cathy! Sadly, though, he’s started to notice when adults don’t say “hi” back – so, if you’re reading this, pay attention to the little ones waving at you and don’t crush their spirit by not saying hello – or better yet, just be friendly and say hi to everyone you pass along the way – be like Ben.

As with most toddlers, Ben’s emotions run strong and can change at the drop of a hat, especially when tired or hungry. We’ve been so impressed with how well Ben does most of the time at regulating his emotions if they’re getting out of control {unless of course he’s hungry or tired}. He loves reading books by himself or pushing his cars around and finds these activities very calming. Thanks to the show Daniel Tiger, he has learned some songs that he can sing when he needs to settle down, or even when he needs to remember how to be patient while waiting.

Lately we’ve noticed a big uptick in Ben’s emotional intelligence. He has been labeling his feelings so much recently. It is so, so cool to hear him say “I’m SO FRUSTRATED!” or tell us when he’s feeling a little upset because of something that happened, or nervous about something that’s about to happen.

Very recently we noticed a change with his compassion and empathy. Instead of jumping to say “sorry” after an offense, we’ve been coaching Ben to come over, pat the person on the shoulder and ask if they are ok and if there’s anything he can do to help/make them feel better. It actually is so much better than a quick “sorry” {or worse, “sorry, not sorry”} then back to playing and it truly creates a special moment. He’s begun to do this on his own and also in situations he’s not even involved in.

The other day Jackson ate some of Hannah’s food while we were having a picnic and I was trying to model for Ben how I would deal with that. I told Jackson that I was really upset with him for eating Hannah’s pasta and very frustrated that happened. Ben came over and gave me a kiss and asked if he could help. It’s the sweetest darn thing!

Speaking of Jackson, oh my goodness, Ben and Jackson are becoming such great pals! Ben is SO good with Jackson. He’s learning how to use our commands and hand signals with Jackson and when we’re out at The Lodge he will throw the ball for Jackson. A few weeks ago Jackson ran out the front door in our Seattle house and Ben was the one who got him to come inside, easy peasy.

In addition to being a super sweet brother to his dog, Ben is nailing it in the big brother department to his baby sister. He’s starting to figure out how to play independently near her without her trying to grab his toys and he’s also beginning to engage with her in a toy he’s playing with.

I continue to be amazed that most often he can hold it together and stay patient and calm when Hannah is driving him crazy and trying to steal his toys. The moments when he comes up and tickles her, makes her laugh or helps her absolutely melt my heart. I’m so excited about the sibling dynamic and I coach him a lot about how to help Hannah and teach her how to do things and how to talk to her or give her a different toy to play with when she wants to play with what he has. Sometimes I’ll catch him say “Hannah, you’re still learning! I know it’s frustrating!” and gosh that makes me feel like I’m doing something right!

One of Ben’s biggest recent accomplishments is that he has become potty trained! It was a long road getting to that point and we are so proud of him for figuring it out. We spent 8 months trying to rely on intrinsic motivators with limited success and honestly within the first few days of using gummy bears as a motivator he nailed it. We haven’t started tackling overnight potty training but recently Ben has started to protest wearing a diaper at night so I think we’re probably close…

The other day I asked Ben if he could help me and he stared blankly at me and said “No, I can’t. I’m too busy standing here.” There are days when I swear he’s training to be a stand-up comedian with a dry sense of humor – he keeps me on my toes with the things that come out of his mouth. He’s really starting to understand one-liners and more mature responses. “Yeah right, I don’t think so!”

Favorite phrases:

“what the heck?”
“what’s going on with….?”
“I sure can!”
“No. I can’t.”

Ben is becoming so independent. Sometimes it’s hard to remember to let him do things on his own since I’m so accustomed to doing them for him or for Hannah. Recently Ben has started to say “please don’t” when we’re providing help unnecessarily. Just the other day he unwrapped a little Babybel package of cheese completely on his own from start to finish, and the day before that he grabbed a little cup and filled it up with water from a big Gatorade water jug at a mountain resort after a hike. These little reminders keep me in check with how big he’s becoming.

{Practicing getting dressed on his own}

Somewhere around 2 1/2 we noticed how dang observant Ben is – holy cow, the things he notices are shocking sometimes. While on a walk he noticed a Tesla and asked how you open the doors because the handles were different. Ben is very detail-oriented and he appreciates things in order, always knows where things belong and, not surprisingly, appreciates some predictability and routine.

We have absolutely entered the “why?” phase and I LOVE it. Sometimes I’m at a loss for words as to how to explain why something is the way it is and it makes me really have to think. It is so much fun seeing how curious he is and hearing him engage in something enough to ask questions. Sometimes Ben will ask me to “say that again” I think because he is cataloging it in his little brain. His memory also blows me away – some of the experiences or minute details he can recall are so surprising for someone so little.

Ben is about to finish out his first year of preschool {he already finished co-op}. It’s been a big deal having him comfortable being dropped off at school without us, after having spent nearly his first two and a half years at home during the day. Ben loved his two schools and has made some really nice friends and become a part of two sweet communities. It brings me so much joy hearing him talk about his friends from school.

From preschool to gymnastics to swimming lessons to riding his balance bike, Ben has been working really hard at becoming a big, independent kid. He’s had such a confidence boost recently and seems to be starting to figure out who he is.

It’s been so heartwarming to see the transformation from playing alongside other kids to playing with them. This really has started happening over the last three months or so. Occasionally at the park he’ll go up to some other kids and they’ll play together – he’s usually comfortable going up, unprompted, and introducing himself to them. He seems to prefer to play by himself most days at the park. He loves push around the dump trucks or ride his bike. He loves the days when I coordinate with his friend Olive’s mama and Olive can come ride her scooter with Ben.

Ben loves his new big boy room – he even calls it “my big boy room.” The transition to his new room and bed has {so far} been much easier than I expected. I think that’s also been a big confidence boost for him to have that space that is *just* his. He also had the opportunity to weigh in on the room – he helped pick some of the decor and the furniture and it seems like he appreciated that we went with a car theme for his bedroom.

I could go on for a really long time about what Ben is up to these days. He is a ball of fun and energy and he’s just an all-around great kid. Three hit him like a ton of bricks – we’ve seen so many changes in the last week or two and it’s been really fun to see the development. Ben is acting like such a big kid these days. I am so excited for summer with a three-year old!

Ben is Two

Ben is One

Ben’s Birth Story

Ben’s Third Birthday Celebration

As with most birthdays in our family, Ben’s celebration lasted several days. This year we decided to introduce him to the concept of a friends birthday party – previously we had only had family birthdays.

Ben’s birthday celebration kicked off on Thursday, the day before his actual birthday. He got to celebrate at school with his friends. When asked what special treat he wanted to bring he picked the Late July cheese sandwich crackers. That is totally Ben – crackers are undeniably his favorite food.

Friday was Ben’s actual birthday. We decorated the house a bit for Ben and had him open up his family gifts right away that morning. Alex’s and my gift to Ben was a scooter, which is what he had been asking for.

I took Ben and Hannah to the zoo that morning, then after nap time we went to Madison Park to test out the new scooter. He’s a natural! All it took was one lap around and he had basically mastered it. He had an absolute BLAST. Alex met us at the park and then we had dinner at Cactus, Ben’s favorite restaurant, before heading back to the park for some more scootering.

On Sunday we had Ben’s birthday party! It was so much fun – he had a camping-themed party and invited all of his buddies from his two schools. We asked his friends to bring their favorite set of wheels, so Ben got to scoot around with his pals. He and his friend Olive love to toot around together and a few other friends joined in. He and Olive are quite the pair – they are on the same page energy-wise and they have so much fun together.

I just loved celebrating this sweet boy and all of his accomplishments in his three short years. Alex and I are over the moon about this kid and we were so delighted to have such a lovely celebration for Ben.

Ben’s Second Birthday Celebration

For the second year in a row we headed out to Leavenworth for Memorial Day weekend with Ben’s grandparents to celebrate his birthday. It was such a special weekend for us and we’re so grateful that his grandparents were able to join us this year.

The whole weekend was all about Ben! We had a blast celebrating him and enjoying Ben-themed activities.

Just down the block from our house is the fire station and they were hosting a Memorial Day family open house again this year. Ben loved seeing the fire trucks and ambulances and even got to watch a medical helicopter land. Grammy dressed up as a fire fighter and Ben got to sit up in the fire truck.

We had a wonderful time exploring the beach at Lake Wenatchee State Park and shared a picnic and some time walking the beach and playing on the playground. Lake Wenatchee is absolutely stunning!

When we arrived to our rental house, which is conveniently located next door to our property, we couldn’t wait to run over to our lot to check on the construction progress. Framing has begun – they had just finished up framing the basement and were working on the first wall on the main floor. It was so special to see the house being built and get to share that with Ben. Grandpa Fred brought some sunflower seeds for us to plant over on the lot, so we found the perfect spot and will be excited to see them grow this summer.

There were a couple of times we went into town for a change of pace – we had some sausage and pretzels, took a stroll through Leavenworth and got to savor some mid-afternoon treats at the coffee shop.

We opted to celebrate Ben’s birthday on Sunday after Ben’s nap. He opened some really fun presents and we had birthday cake. For dinner, my dad made his famous burgers and potato salad again this year. I ordered the same Bavarian black forest cake for Ben again this year and thankfully he loved and devoured it. He hadn’t really experienced cake last year before his birthday but this year he was a pro.

Ben is very close to outgrowing the pack & play travel crib and made it clear that he was not happy to be sleeping in it while we were traveling. Similarly to when we were in Arizona a couple months ago, Ben woke up in the middle of the night {extremely unusual for him} each night and requested to come in bed with Alex and me. We happily cozied up with him and savored these rare middle-of-the-night cuddles.

Unsurprisingly, the sleeping change resulted in veeerrryyyyy early wakeups in the morning. Holy cow. Alex was nice enough to let me sleep in a bit later while he played with Ben and Jackson. Nap time was all over the place, given the early wake-ups and new environment. After the second day of no naps I decided to lay down and snooze with Ben with the hope that it would result in a longer nap for him. Thankfully it did!

There were so many sweet moments throughout the weekend. One of my favorites was seeing Ben recognize that there was a special celebration just for him – he sang “Happy Birthday to Ben” all weekend long.

Alex and I had the best time exploring the area we’ll soon be calling our second home and seeing Ben experience life out there. We’re so grateful that Ben has grandparents who adore him so much and who he can bond with, despite the distance. It was a very special weekend for us.

Happy Birthday Ben!

A year ago today we got to meet our little boy. It’s been the most incredible year of my life and it is such a privilege to be able to be Ben’s mom and watch him grow up. Every day is more fun than the last. I can’t even imagine what we’re in store for during Ben’s second year.

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As a 12 month old, Ben is expressive, happy, wiggly, cuddly, giggly, curious and animated. He rarely sits still for long – Ben loves to be on the move, and boy is he fast! He is really close to being able to stand unsupported. He weighs 19 pounds 10 ounces and is juuuuust shy of the 10th percentile for weight.

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Here are some of my favorite photos that tell the story of Ben’s first year of life:

{I’ll never forget the first time I saw this boy! Benjamin Ames Allen was born at 11:21 on Tuesday May 31st, 2016.}

{Being born 7 weeks early meant that Ben had to spend his first 26 days in the NICU. When he was in the NICU he always had his arms up and we joked that he looked like he was lounging at the beach. Here he is shown with heart monitors, temperature sensors, a temporary IV and a feeding tube. He had an oxygen and breathing monitor on his foot too. His diaper was so big here!}

{Ben was so tiny I could stick him down my shirt for Kangaroo Care}

{Proud dad from day one! Alex had to take the initiative to figure out Ben’s care right away since I was recovering from a c-section. He was so unbelievably supportive of both of us.}

{After 26 days in the NICU Ben got to come home with our family. We couldn’t wait to start our lives together.}

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{Cuddle time!}

{After Ben came home we were chomping at the bit to get out of the house. Looking back, I’m really impressed that we took Ben on a 3 hour road trip to Yakima just two weeks after he came home from the hospital!}

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{“Meeting” Madeline via FaceTime! She was due the day after Ben but was born on the 4th of July instead!}

Very early on Ben got to meet his grandparents and has seen them several times this year even though they all live in the Midwest. He met his Aunt Alina and then Uncle John shortly thereafter, too.

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{This is one of my favorite photos summarizing Ben’s first year. Our greatest challenge with Ben was feeding him. It’s what kept him in the hospital so long and it remained a challenge for his first 9 months of life. I love the beauty behind this photo, but also the story behind it.}

{We created a beautiful nursery for Ben and spent hours upon hours feeding him in that chair.}

{One of my favorite parts of parenthood has been going through it with my husband, who I am lucky to call my partner. Some days were easier than others but at the end of the day we were always a team. It’s inspiring and heartwarming watching Alex as a father. He’s truly a natural and Ben is so unbelievably lucky to have Alex as his dada.}

{We took Ben swimming for the first time in Lake Chelan. Now, Ben kicks and splashes and screams with excitement every time we go for a swim!}

{We spent every Wednesday evening for 12 weeks this fall getting to know these babies and their parents. I’m so fortunate for the connection we have to our community thanks to our parents group, PEPS.}

{Being a preemie we expected Ben to develop at his “adjusted age” – so his actual age minus 7 weeks. So far, he’s developing right on target with his actual age. It was amazing watching him start to build strength from such an early point.}

{Right around 12 weeks of age Ben started packing on the pounds and looking much less like a teeny preemie. This photo was taken the morning I went back to work. The transition was much harder than I expected but I’ll always love this photo of his cute bald head to remind me of those times.}

{Every fall we take an annual trip to Leavenworth with our friends. This year we all brought babies along!}

{Smiles all around for this happy baby!}

{I spent the first year of Ben’s life pumping breast milk for him because he wasn’t able to breastfeed.}

{Watching these two together warms my heart!}

{Right around 5 months Ben started hitting some really fun milestones – he got to sit in the chair part of the stroller instead of the bassinet!}

{Ben’s first plane ride was a trip to Illinois for Thanksgiving.}

{He’s cute even when he cries! In reflecting back on the year we realized that he was fussier than we realized/more than normal in the beginning.}

{One of my all-time favorite photos of Ben! I think it captures how sweet and lovable he is.}

{We had so much fun getting out into the mountains last winter. I strapped Ben onto my back and we scooted along the trail on cross country skis.}

{This was the first morning that Ben and I had the same thing for breakfast. It was such a cool feeling getting to share a meal like that.}

{This kid is all smiles! He learned to sit up on his own around 7 months.}

{Ben learned to crawl at 9 months. Once he started moving he never stopped! He quickly figured out how to pull himself up onto furniture.}

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{Each week our nanny takes Ben to story time at the library. He loves hanging out with other babies and singing songs.}

{Ben is checking out his cousin Nico! They got to meet for the first time in Arizona. The boys are about 7 months apart.}

{Our family trip to Whistler was one for the memory books. We loved staying in the village and strolling around town with our little guy. Alex and I tried to get out skiing a few times but only managed one day and then cut our trip short after Ben came down with hand, foot and mouth disease.}

{I braved a flight and a weekend on my own with Ben when we went to visit my family in Minnesota in April. Ben got to meet my girlfriends from high school and his great aunt Sarah.}

{This boy and his dog are inseparable! Ben loves feeding Jackson, petting him and giggling at him. Somehow, Jackson remains amused!}

{Ben was a little late to the game in getting his first teeth – these two popped through when he was about 10 months old. His top two teeth are emerging right now.}

{Meeting Madeline and having Ben meet Sarah was a real highlight this year!}

{Leavenworth is such a special place for Alex and me. We were so happy to celebrate Ben’s first birthday there with his grandparents.}

{And now we have a one year-old! Thank you, Ben, for bringing us so much joy in this first year of your life. We are so proud of you and can’t wait to continue watching you grow up!}

Ben’s First Birthday Celebration

To celebrate Ben’s first birthday, his grandparents and great grandma joined us for a long weekend in the mountains. We rented a big house in Leavenworth and spent the whole weekend spoiling little Ben. It was the perfect way to celebrate our little boy’s first birthday.

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Our families flew in from the Midwest then we drove about 2.5 hours through the Cascade Mountains to Leavenworth where we set up shop for Memorial Day weekend. Our trip was really low-key and we spent most of it hanging out at our home base.

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My dad surprised us with some fun outdoor toys like this blob bed and a hammock. We had fun testing them out and relaxing in our new outdoor toys.

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The house we stayed at was awesome. It had a great layout, expansive property and exceptional view. We really didn’t need to leave!

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Jackson was in doggie paradise the whole weekend. He is a country dog at heart and loves to roam around off leash. In all honesty he behaves better off leash than on.

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There was a family fire safety event taking place at the fire station, two blocks away, so we took a short stroll over there to check it out. Ben got fitted for a bike helmet {to wear in a bike trailer attached to Alex’s bike} and he got to sit in a fire engine!

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One afternoon we headed into downtown Leavenworth for lunch and a little meandering. We ate at our favorite spot for sausages and did an olive oil/balsamic vinegar tasting. Ben loves sausage and had a great time pairing the sausage with the giant pretzel we got to share.

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Saturday evening we had Ben’s birthday celebration. We had my dad’s famous burgers and potato salad, followed by a Bavarian black forest cake for dessert. Ben was hanging on by a thread through dinner and managed to hold it together while eating the burger and potato salad. By the time we brought out his cake, though, he was done…

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Oh well! We tried again the next day when he wasn’t quite so tired and he loved it.

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We had a fantastic weekend with our families and are so grateful that they were able to make the trip out here to celebrate Ben’s birthday with us. It was a really special weekend.

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Birthday Weekend!

I recently celebrated my golden birthday {March 31st} and it was very golden and special, indeed. I waited as long as a person could wait to enjoy my golden birthday and it was surely worth the wait.

Lucky me – my birthday was on a Friday this year. The weather was really nice that day, too, as it often is in the beautiful city of Seattle. We had a relaxing morning at home before Alex headed to work, then I stayed home with Ben that day. One of the fun highlights was taking our new jogging stroller out for a spin!

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That night we met our friends Mary and Ryan for dinner at Tilth, a terrific restaurant in Seattle. Their specialty is a five-course tasting menu with wine pairings. We were happy to sign up for that! The food was terrific – our favorites were the sunchoke soup {I know, right?!} and the albacore tuna. Yum!! We have so much fun with Mary and Ryan and it was extra special to have an adults-only birthday celebration {Mary’s birthday is two days before mine} for the two of us.

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Saturday was my big birthday hurrah day. Alex and I had our first overnight away from Ben. We went out to Woodinville and stayed in our favorite hotel, Willows Lodge, and enjoyed an afternoon of wine tasting, which led into a fantastic dinner at Barking Frog and an overnight in a beautiful hotel.

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Ben did great with his first night at home without us. The nanny kept us up-to-date with some adorable photos throughout the evening.

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We finished off our rendezvous with a fabulous breakfast at Barking Frog and then headed home to hang out with our little guy.

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It was such a terrific birthday!!

Keeping Up With the Allens