One!!!!

What a beautiful day! Corban woke up happy and I went in to sing to him while the lights were still dark. I was emotional about his big day. I am just so in love. Jaime and I were both pretty excited about Corban turning one!!
Dada had to get off to work, so Corban and I spent the day with one another just laughing and playing and with me just smothering him with kisses and hugs. A big plus to his birthday being 3 days after Christmas is that we will always have the day off! How fun!
I baked him a special low sugar - whole wheat vanilla cake from scratch. It was in the shape of a one and I used the vanilla we made back in September. That morning Jaime and I decided it would be nice to not only have grandparents and uncles over for some cake and ice cream on his birthday-but also to have some of our nearest and dearest friends over. So, we ended up having a humble little cake and ice cream gathering. It was absolutely perfect. Corban was neat as he looked around at everyone as they sang to him! He even clapped when they were finished. We made a special wish and blew out his number one candle. Oh the wishes and hopes and dreams we have for him! The world is his oyster and there is so much potential. I just can't help but think of all the birthdays he'll have and all the secret wishes he will have!
We got him into his diaper, set him on the floor and let him have the aforementioned "smash cake." He enjoyed it! First he stuck his hands in it, as if he were in Hollywood! It was a BIG First birthday for our boy. By the end of it, he was tuckered out. Can't wait to spend another day with you Corban. Looking forward to the next year. (lots more pics to come)

Corban's First Christmas

Christmas has always been extremely special to me. It was the time of year growing up where we would wait anxiously by the door for the arrival of both sets of grandparents. I remember being so excited knowing they were coming that I could hardly contain myself. They would knock at the door and I would giggle with excitement. It was the time of year where all the family was able to get together-still is. Now that we are older-and my family is more spread out, it's the one time that we all see each other, my brothers and I revert back to our childhoods and act silly. It's still hard for me not to have my mom's parents here, but, I know that they are smiling down on our living room from heaven as we laugh and reminisce.
Either James or Dennis put the star on the top of the tree and we take a "gazillion" pics-it's inevitable that Dennis will be making a face and nobody will notice until the pictures are developed. My dad always makes us hot chocolate and having my little brothers always adds to the fun, they are always so happy and thrilled with every box they open. We also enjoy the Christmas service together every year. It was a whole new experience having Corban this year. Jamie and I have our own special traditions that we look forward to and cherish, but they were even better with our son to enjoy. We open gifts with the family on Christmas Eve. On Christmas day, we wake up, and like five year olds, we get giddy and run to the tree so that we can enjoy (and spoil) one another.
We realized that this year, we have the honor of beginning our own traditions with our own family. We have a responsibility to our child(ren) to create the stories they share in the future! So we read to Corban, the story of Christ's birth in the Bible. Our goal and hope for him is that he always knows the special meaning of Christmas and the spirit surrounding this time of year. Yes, the gifts are fun -but the most important thing is knowing that Christmas is the day we celebrate Christ, the saviour. Then , he got to see what Santa brought him! It was a red Radio Flyer Wagon! He stood up and smiled and pounded on the box. Dada spent a good portion of the morning putting that together, along with his buggy from his "Mammy and Grandpa", and a storage shelving unit for me :o) As I sat on the red couch watching Dada, I realized that with having children, this putting together of gifts every Christmas morning will in itself become a tradition. I love our sweet little family. My cup overflows.

Thanksgiving!

Whew! Where has time gone...it's a days after Christmas and I'm just now getting started on Corban's Thanksgiving post. Next up, Christmas and First Birthday! I think I'm going to try something new with this post and add a slideshow of the pictures we took. Maybe. Or, maybe I'll do that for Christmas.
We had a lot to be thankful for this year and shared the special day with the Jamie's family in Austin. We got to listen to some great piano playing by Michael and Maren, and got to have a dance competition on the wii. It was loads of fun. The food was also delicious and the company was wonderful. Corban even took his first steps! The drive up and back was long, but with lots of breaks and stretching it was alright.
We sure have a lot to be thankful for!