Gunnar's First Birthday!!

Our house is pretty small, especially in winter, so for Gunnar's party we rented out a meeting room at the local Holiday Inn. And when I say we, I mean Gramma and Grampa! The best part is that they let us have full access to their very large, very heated pool and hot tub! It was amazing. Poor Gunnar wouldn't nap even though he was just exhausted...even before the party got started! There was a point between cake and presents and swimming that he actually put his head on the ground in utter defeat. Then once we got into the pool there was no way he was going to miss a moment! We swam for four hours, stopping to stuff our faces again in between. Gunnar was a such a trooper, but even the toughest boys have to fall asleep sometime:) He slept in the water for a good thirty minutes. It was so precious! I hope he can tell (years from now when he looks back at the pictures, of course!) that his first birthday was a blast and that he is surrounded by people that love him!

Sleeping Beauty

If you know Gunnar, you know that he doesn't sleep. Ever. Not since his very first day. He is the king of ten minute naps. So this is borderline amazing that I got him out of the car, into the house, into his room and into a new diaper and jammies...all while he remained passed out. What a sweet boy he is! Of course he woke up just in time to go right back to bed in his crib:)

Gramma & Grampa

Mom and dad recently came up for a week to be here for Gunnar's first birthday. No way they were gonna miss it! We were all very excited for them to be here and enjoyed every minute, and already have another week planned in March to see them again!! Hopefully we can be there with them in California next year for Christmas with the new baby as well! We had a second Christmas once they got here and got to share with them the good news. It took dad a minute or two to figure out the picture we framed was an ultrasound and not a deer eye (That's my dad!), and then another minute or two to figure out it wasn't Gunnar, and a few more to explain it to my mom:) They were both very excited, although Adam was disappointed he couldn't get my mom to cry again this time! It's so fun to watch them with Gunnar, and I can't wait for this summer when the three grandkids get to meet one another! What a blessing this year will be.

Seeing Double

Gunnar apparently spends way too much time with his dadda. He is acquiring Adam's traits at a pace much faster than I can handle! He has seen Adam one too many times lay on the floor propped up on his elbow so now that's how he has to do it too. I must admit it's quite cute to see the two of them interact. Two peas in a pod they are:)

Sledding

Adam took Gunnar for some indoor sledding to prep him for the real thing. He seemed to enjoy being surrounded by his toys during the ride, especially his dadda's slinky. Then dadda tried to add Hannibal to the mix and it was all over very quickly.

Kid Tested...Mother Approved!

I'm not sure what I was thinking letting him into the box of cereal. A full box of cereal, mind you. But he sure had some fun! That is, until he wound up with half a box of Kix stuck to the bottom of his feet! It was hilarious watching him pace around the living room with fistfulls of Kix. Everything he eats is now by the fistful. He has officially inherited the popcorn eating technique from his dad. He can successfully maneuver an entire fistful of food in his mouth without dropping one piece. I can already picture him as the kid in school who brags about how he can fit his fist (or foot!) in his mouth.

Mini Monet

We went to Red Lobster a few weeks ago and Gunnar got to try his hand at some coloring. He is a natural! And, of course, he now has a very thorough supply of crayons and his very own easel to create more masterpieces! Stay tuned for some of his current pieces...coming soon to a gallery near you:)