Happy Birthday To Luke!

We decided to celebrate Luke's first birthday last week with family and friends in California. Luke and I drove down on Tuesday and Jeff flew down to join us for the weekend and the party on Saturday. It was such a great week! Luke got non-stop attention from all of his adoring fans and I was just SO happy to be with my wonderful family in the beautiful weather and to get to pay a visit to one of my favorite places: the beach!

Luke was a perfect angel for the first 4 hours of our trip, but then it got kind of ugly. He had had enough of being strapped into a car seat! Fortunately, several of his biggest fans were just waiting to cheer him up when he arrived. Grandma had bought about a million new toys for him to play with.

The two things our picky little Luke hates the most: bananas and oatmeal. The two things he happily ate from Grandpa the morning after we arrived: bananas and oatmeal.

I also went with my mom to do Zumba that morning. It was my first time and it was awesome.

After Zumba, Mom and I took Luke to the beach. He had such a blast. This boy is such an outdoors kid! He loved being out in the sun and fresh air and exploring his surroundings.

Luke didn't understand the purpose of the sheet.

Once the sheet was sufficiently sandy, Luke decided to go off on an adventure.

Do you see him way out there circled in red? He seriously just took off like a speeding bullet! I barely had time to run and grab him before he started rummaging through the YMCA day camp kids' things.

Here's a close up.

Every time I went and retrieved Luke from his treks across the Sahara (usually in pursuit of birds), he would moan in protest and raise his arms above his head in an attempt to slide out of my grasp.

He chased this pigeon in a huge circle giggling and squealing the entire time.

We went down to the water. Luke assessed the the situation for a moment ...

.. and then he dove right in! When the waves receded, Luke just wanted to follow them and walk right into the water, apparently unaware that the oncoming waves would swallow him up if he did.

He laughed when the waves came. Until his arms started to hurt. Then he cried.

Grandma brought a bucket of water back up to the beach for Luke. He splashed in it for a second and then picked it up and poured out all of the water. He was fascinated by the effect the water had on the sand.

And here is Luke eating a delicious sand-covered caramel rice cake.

With each rice cake, he would take a bite and then dip it in the sand like it was Ranch dressing and take another bite. He may have regretted his decision.

Sandy lips

Aren't we beautiful?

Take 2

Happy boy

From the moment he saw it, Luke was determined to suck on the metal bar on the back of my beach chair.

Almost ...

.

Success.

This was taken immediately after Luke face-planted (on purpose) in the sand. I think it's safe to say he regretted it.

When we were ready to leave, my mom gave me a great tip: use baby powder to get the sand off of Luke. You just put some baby powder on any sandy areas and then brush it off. The sand comes right off with the baby powder without scratching the baby's skin. It's like magic! 

I got to work powdering Luke's diaper area, which was covered in sand, but unbeknownst to me, the powder was being carried by the wind all over Luke's stomach, chest and face. My mom was right when she said that the poor boy looked like he was auditioning to be a dead body on CSI. And the faces I caught him making only enhanced the look ...

The next morning, Luke got in some quality time with his Uncle Jared, whom Luke thought was hilarious.

Getting out the pool/beach toys with Uncle Jared.

Later that morning Grandma and I took Luke for a swim. The water was a little nippy so I only lasted a few minutes before I chickened out and went to lay out on the deck, but Grandma braved the cold a entertained Luke for quite a while. Luke loved to drop the rings into the water and watch them sink to the bottom. Then, he would try to dive in after them. The kid's a little crazy.

It looks like Grandma is dancing in this picture. In reality, she's snapping to get Luke to look at the camera, but I prefer to believe she's dancing.

After our swim, we paid a visit to Mamal and Papal. 

Luke made it really difficult for Mamal to feed him his bottle, but she kept up with his crazy climbing and squirming antics without complaint.

We put Luke in the swing that Mamal has hanging from her ceiling in the living room. Luke has loved swinging in this swing each time we have come to visit in the past, but apparently he has become a giant since his last visit because he just stands up and walks around in it now.

So sweet. Papal showing Luke the birds in the cage outside the window.

Notice how Luke is on his tippy-toes.

Getting a closer look at those birds. He kept squealing at them.

It was fascinating to watch Luke play with the handles on this dresser. He would go around and put each one up until it stayed and then go around and knock them all back down. And repeat. Over and over.

Papal's dog Cisco is not a fan of Luke, or babies in general for that matter. He growls every time he sees Luke, even through Skype. But this time, Cisco actually snapped at Luke. Luke cried. I was a little worried that Luke's deep love for dogs and all animals would diminish after this experience, but it was saved when Cisco was banned to the back room and Luke thought the dog was waving at him whenever he scratched frantically at the window.

Luke laughed so hard every time Cisco got up on his hind legs and "waved." He even waved back a couple of times.

 

Grandma singing "How Much is That Doggy in the Window" was just the icing on the cake for Luke. I think it's safe to say that his love of doggies and other furry creatures is intact.

That afternoon we stopped by the grocery store and Luke's cuteness earned him a balloon from the lady cashier.

On Friday afternoon, Patrick came over to spend the day with the fam - a real treat since he and Ashley are so busy all of the time that they hardly ever show their faces. Everyone was really excited that he took the time to come over and spend several hours with us.  Luke couldn't get enough of his Uncle Patrick!

Patrick and I took Luke to a beautiful park to feed the ducks. Luke was pretty sleepy, but he still loved it.

This poor duck was hobbling around on one leg. Patrick and Luke were chasing and antagonizing the poor ducks, much to Luke's delight, but they spared this one out of pity and the goodness of their hearts.

We went around to the other side of the lake to see the gaggle of giant geese. This one sounded exactly like the raptors in Jurassic Park. I wouldn't doubt that that is where they got the sound for the movie. None of the other geese seemed to like its loud, obnoxious little self.

Patrick and Luke standing proudly by the rule that they broke several times.

This park looked just like a painting. Appropriately, on our way out, we actually saw a woman painting it. That's the obnoxious raptor-goose out there all alone.

Are you impressed that 5'6" me got this shot of my 6'3" (6'4"?) brother without even standing on anything?

Rebels.

Back at home, Luke made a game out of smashing Jared's face with a door.

He just kept opening and closing the door, making sure to hit Jared's face and laugh every time he opened it. Should I be worried?

Jeff and Katrina flew in that night and my parents picked them up at the airports (yep, two different airports) while Patrick, Ashley, Jared, Luke, and I all hung out at home.

 

Luke and Aunt Katrina (one of Luke's favorites) reunited at last!

Saturday was the big day: Luke's 1st birthday party! Mom, Katrina, and I spent the morning preparing and decorating, while Dad and Jeff watched, 'Bully Beat Down' in the other room and blew up the occasional balloon.

I made and sent out the invitations sometime in May. These were all of my supplies and the first invitation that I made. I sort of just made it up as I went along so I was happy when the end result turned out pretty cute.

Proud of my little Elmo creation.

This is what it said on the back.

And back to the big day ... this is the cute Sesame Street party set up!

I made this Elmo Cake with marshmallow and M&M eyes, a Nilla Wafer nose, and mouth of flattened Starburst dyed black with food coloring.

Cookie Monster cupcakes with gumball and mini M&M eyes, made by yours truly.

We served goldfish crackers in honor of Elmo's goldfish, Dorothy.

The 'Happy Birthday' sign I made for the birthday boy.

I made this Sesame Street sign using the same $5 pad of card stock that I used to make the invitations and happy birthday sign and there is still plenty left over. Talk about cheap! And thanks to Luke's generous grandparents, that and the Sesame Street plates, cups, and napkins were the only things Jeff and I actually paid for for this party. We are lucky ducks.

We found personalized balloons at Party City.

Luke was looking at the camera until he realized at the last second that he wasn't sure who was holding him.

Aunt Debi is the greatest. It's too bad Luke won't get to grow up living near this funny lady like I did.

Katrina and Jackie, one of my best friends growing up. Jackie had only recently returned home from her extensive travels and adventures in Europe and Africa. I was so excited to see her after so long!

Mom, Debi, and Russ

"It's Miss Titanic, herself!" Papal has called Jackie that since we were kids because she loved the movie and she gave him a nice book on the Titanic (he grew up in Belfast, Ireland where it was built). He was very happy to see her, but it "worried him half to death" to hear that she had been traveling around Europe by herself "living in tents" (she never actually lived in a tent).

Russ, Luke and Mamal. It was a small party of mostly family and a few of my friends, but every single person we invited made it. I was so happy they could all be there.

Luke is always so spoiled when we visit my family in California. He gets anything and everything he wants, unless mean Mommy says otherwise. "Walk me here, carry me there, feed me this, give me that...' Done.

If you recall, the last time we were in California, Luke seemed to develop quite a crush on my beautiful friend Sara. When Katrina brought him over to see her, he smiled shyly and looked away. He stole another look at her, only to get embarrassed, smile and look away again.

The MEN barbequing on the new barbeque.

Luke eventually got over his shyness.

Jackie let Luke jump up and down on her lap.

Ashley and Patrick

Luke had the time of his life riding on Katrina's shoulders as she ran laps around the pool. Clearly, Katrina thought it was pretty fun too.

The birthday boy with his daddy

After lunch, it was time for cake. I made Luke his very own special extra large cupcake. Luke was all decked out. Grandma couldn't resist buying him an Elmo hat.

Luke didn't really enjoy the cake smashing/eating experience. Here he is looking disgusted, trying to get the frosting off of his fingers.

He kept looking around at everyone like, "What are you looking at? What do you expect me to do?"

Luke refused to take a bite of the cake. Instead he kept stuffing in down beside him in the high chair.

Braveheart?

The wreckage after Grandma cleaned Luke off.

We figured now would be a good time to get in the pool to wash off any remaining blue frosting. Ashley grabbed Luke for a quick picture on his way out to swim with Jeff, Patrick, and Katrina.

Here is Luke taking the opportunity to dunk his own face in the water while Patrick was busy  smiling for the picture.

Somehow, Luke is still surprised that he can't breathe underwater even though he's pulled that stunt at least 20 times.

Grandma bought Luke a floaty toy. He loved it!

The M&M guessing game Katrina did a spectacular job of putting together for me when I ran out of time. She even counted all 754 M&M's! Notice The Count from Sesame Street asking "How Many M&M's?" (in his Transylvanian accent).

Somehow, I managed to win the M&M guessing game even though I didn't want to. My first thought was 750, but I figured there was no way I would win with that guess because Jackie had already guessed 730 and Shelley had guessed 776. But I wrote it down anyway because I didn't really want to win. Imagine my surprise when Katrina announced me the winner. Jared tried to modify his answer for the win, but no one was fooled.

Next, we played 'Pin the Nose on Elmo.' Yes, I made our adult guests play kid games, but in my defense, it was a one-year-old's birthday party. And everyone totally played along - one of the many reasons why I love these people.

Jared insisted on covering his whole face on his turn even though we told him we would trust him if he just closed his eyes.

Sara looks like she's in a war movie.

Shelley

Mom. Look at her face. It's like she already knew she was going to win.

Aunt Debi

And here I am going last, so sure I was going to win.

I lined my Elmo nose up perfectly and then walked straight forward, arm outstretched. Apparently, I was right on target until the last moment when I suddenly veered right. Shelley even told me, "Left! Left!" But I didn't believe her.

The end result. Mom was the winner. Where is my nose do you ask? Well I'll show you ...

Yep, I'm awesome.

Meanwhile, out in the pool, Luke was using the force to control his Uncle Patrick. Here, he is pulling him closer, tensing his entire body and making intense straining noises the whole time.

Luke was so pleased with himself every time it worked. Then, he would focus all of his energy on pushing Patrick away.

When Patrick got far enough away, Luke would pull him back in. We were all dying. It was hilarious.

The final game was cookie stacking, in honor of Cookie Monster. Russ, Mom, and Jared were the first ones to take the challenge. Russ stacked 27 cookies, Mom 16, and Jared 31.

Look at Katrina diving out of this picture. I was at least 15 feet away. I didn't even think she saw me, but she was so elusive. She didn't want to be in pictures and every time I pointed the camera in her direction, she would just slide out of the frame.

Shelley and Sara

Jared with his impressive growing stack of cookies.

Patrick and Jeff playing with mom's prize from the pin the nose on Elmo game

Me taking a sad shot at cookie stacking. I got up to 22 before it all came crashing down.

She didn't get away this time!

You would think Luke might be a little nervous about his daddy throwing him this high...

... but Luke laughs in the face of danger.

All snuggled up and getting warm on the deck

"Where's your teeth?"

Luke loves Grandpa and Grandpa loves Luke.

That mustache tickles Grandpa!

Sara got in on the cookie stacking action. She was good.

Jackie joined the fun too. She stacked 28 for her official score, but later came back and stacked 32.

Me, Mom, and Luke

What lovely red lipstick (ketchup).

Sarah won the cookie stacking challenge with an incredible 38 cookies. She chose a light-up bubble gun from the basket of awesome prizes.

We went back inside to open presents. Luke got so many great things from everyone. He is one spoiled little boy. Of course, I forgot to bring the gift Jeff and I got him so that he could open it at the party. Oh well.

 Luke snuggled up in a cozy blanket with Aunt Ashley.

Reading the card from Grandma and Grandpa

Opening the gift from Grandma and Grandpa.

A Tickle Me Elmo!

A classic from Patrick and Ashley

Playing peek-a-boo with everyone

Fascinated by Sara's laser bubble gun

Sara tried to feed Luke a cookie. "No, you eat it."

The aftermath

Katrina's friend Nicole showed up to see Katrina after the party. She, Katrina, Jackie, Ashley and I sat around the table and talked for a loooong time.

Luke got tired of all the girl talk.

On Sunday morning, Jeff and I joined the family at church for the first hour before getting back on the road to Flagstaff.

Luke played with Elmo while Jeff and I got ready for church.

At Grandma's request, everyone gathered outside of the church building for a few minutes after sacrament meeting so that we could take a family picture before the three of us headed back home.

The whole family. Jeff and I are so prom. I actually had my other hand over his as well when we were getting ready for the picture, but realized just in time how ridiculously promtastic that would be.

Katrina snuck in a little more play time with Luke

Luke was sleepy.

Luke and his grandpa

Luke was too distracted by Ashley's necklace to look at the camera.

Ashley is so afraid that her baby won't be a snuggler like she is. She was so happy when our un-snuggly baby finally snuggled her.

Luke and Uncle Patrick

Luke and Uncle Jared

After an utterly fantastic week, we were on the road back to Flagstaff (bleh). I wish we could have stayed longer. I love to see how much Luke loves every one of his relatives and they all love him. We miss them. Luke especially. He doesn't get nearly that much attention when he is home alone with me all day.

In the car, I leaned back my seat so I would be able to feed Luke and keep him happy more easily. Also, so that I could take a nap. But Luke just saw it as the perfect opportunity to slap his mommy in the face repeatedly with the bottom of his foot.

Happy birthday Luke! We love our crazy little one year old.