Dexter is One!

Happy Birthday, Dexter! This post is almost a week late, but that's because we were too busy celebrating your big day on June 9th to post, big guy!

For your first birthday, Nonnie and Pawpaw came to town, and spent the week with us. We went to the cape and flew a kite, played in the sand, and rode a Flintstones car. Almost all the presents you got were ball-related. Rachel gave you a baby t-ball game that MacGyver and Maisy also love to play. Mimi got you a ball popper, and Momma and Daddy got you some ball-pit balls that we put in your beach tent. You love to throw them out so we can all chase around the room and return them to you.

You're still allergic to milk, so I made banana muffins with lemon glaze for your birthday treat. Here's the video of you blowing out your candle:

And eating your muffin:

Frankie sings Happy Birthday to you in Portuguese:


Some things I want to remember about you as a one-year-old are:

• You are my sweet boy. You love to give hugs and prefer Momma, Rachel, and Daddy right now. You are crazy about your sister. You always want to play with her and have her close by.
• You and Frankie share a room, and I often hear you playing together in your cribs in the morning or when you're settling down for a nap. You are often giggling and bouncing up and down in your crib while she says "Boo, Dex!", or sings songs to you.
• You know what you want, and if you don't get it, you're liable to scream at the top of your lungs, or grab the nearest person around the legs and head-butt them.
• You're cruising now, and climbing the stairs! You can climb all the way to the top of the stairs by yourself (with someone offering a steading hand right behind you!). You love to climb. One of your favorite games right now is to make a tent out of the couch cushions and climb up and down.
• You love visits to the park. The swing makes you chuckle in delight everytime, and you could do the slide all day.
• You love water; bathtime is the best. You splash and splash.
• You love chicken. You can down a whole chicken breast, or 4 chicken nuggets with no problem. Other favorites right now include butternut squash (diced), peas, carrots, watermelon, blueberries, and any kind of bread.

My happy One-year-old:

Still not sure about riding the Kettler:

And we're done:

At the beach with Nonnie and Pawpaw (you're in the backpack!)

It was overcast and a little chilly, but we still tested the waters:

Flying the kite:




Digging in the sand with Nonnie:


It was school field trip day (note the pack of elementary-aged kids in the background)



Frankie helps Pawpaw fly the kite


I ate a little sand!









Riding the Flinstones car: