Holden's #1

Okay, not that he's #1, but he's actually turned 1 on Feb. 24th! I can't believe how fast this last year has flown by!Our little boy is growing so fast has been such a joy in our home I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start with telling you about a little b-day party we threw him!
It all started with my little sister Amy. She decided to send pics of a cake she had made to our family. She told of the easiness of making a professional looking cake and how fun it was! So, the wheels in my head started to turn.

Well, to explain first of all how everything turned out, as I just found out the other night my Chinese zodiac sign, or animal...is a horse! I found out among other things, that I tend to be ostentatious! Can you imagine that???? I mean....seriously! Okay, maybe there is some truth to that. What started out as a small simple little party in my head, turned out to be a huge party that took quite the preparation and energy to pull off! Thank goodness for friends and family, who despite my stupid overwhelming visions, were patient, loving, giving and generous with their time, talents and energy!

The day before the party, we had a little girls get together at my friend Rachel's house to make the Winnie the Pooh cake that I found online. How hard could that be...right? Hmmm Well, Rachel provided some treats to help us last through what would soon be a 13 hour long journey. Rachel decided to mix the cakes...and just ask her...NEVER try to mix more than 3 cake mixes in a Kitchenaid mixer! LOL She ended up making 8 cake mixes to fill all of the cake pans we had- if that even gives you an idea of how HUMONGOUS (is that really a word?) the cake was! My other friend Nikki heard what we were doing and decided to lend her cake decorating expertise...which she now regrets! hehe I can't believe how amazing she is and how many things I learned while watching her work. It truly was a work of art when she was finished! She worked tirelessly-not to mention on her feet all day at 8 1/2 months prego! What an awesome girl! Emily was there to keep up moral and also to make THE most perfect apple slices I have ever seen in my life! Liliana kept popping in and out and making trips to the store for more frosting! When we finished the cake and last bits of decorating, it was almost 11:00 pm. What a day! But they were all troopers!

Rachel was a gem for offering her house as the party spot! She has so much going that weekend, yet was kind enough to allow about 20 kids and about 15 adults overtake her home. We started the party with some pizza, and salad that my sister Tiffany brought and drinks that my sister Jennifer brought! I couldn't believe that as people RSVP'd...the first thing they asked was if they could do anything to help! My sisters jsut announced to me that they were bringing food to help out! I thought it was so kind and thoughtful! We then opened some gifts, then it was off for some Pin the Tail on Eeyore and Bean Bag Throw Through Pooh's Tummy! After game time we had cake and ice cream that my sister Kim brought! There were oohs and aahs as the cake was brought out! It was soooo HUGE! It weighed in at 21 LBS! Needless to say, I was giving out VERY LARGE chunks of cake for people to take home with them at the end!

There was one little surprise on the cake that made my mom start to cry! It was funny because when she started to cry, my sisters just thought she was emotional because it was a beautiful cake. It was only after a couple of minute that one by one they started to get it.

That's right, we are expecting baby #2 at the end of Aug! We are so excited and nervous! It will be interesting to see how we fare with two kids! But I am feeling better ever since Holden started walking because it has made him seem so much older! :)) Josh keeps teasing Holden that he's the 2007 Model and we're trading him in for the 2008 Model!

Anyway, the party was a complete success and again, all thanks to my friends and family! IT was so nice of them to drive all of the way from SLC to be there with us! My long lost roommate April was also able to come from SLC! It was awesome to see her and her cute little boy! It was so sweet of neighbors to bring their little kids as well! What a day! I didn't even imagine that it would turn out so well. But in the end, it was a HUGE party that I think I will never attempt again...lol...that is probably until my next child! hehe jk!

The next day, Josh's dad came into town from Boise! What a guy! It was so fun having him here for a couple of days to spend time with him. It was also fun for Holden to spend time with Grandpa! They got along great! On Holden's birthday, we stripped him down and placed a huge chunk of chocolate cake in front of him and let him go at it! He was timid at first dipping his finger into the frosting and tasting it. It didn't take much time before he was using both hands to shovel the cake into his mouth...and nose! :) He loves chocolate! I just KNEW he was my boy! It was a fun day though!
I just thought of my little sis's blog Amy and her little tributes to her kids and I thought I would do a quick recap of Holden's first year!

He is such a sweet boy and is always so happy. We love to go into his room in the morning and he can't stop smiling and when we pick him up, he just hugs us soooo tight! He loves Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins! He absolutely loves bathtime and looks forward to it! It's all I can do to keep him from jumping in the bath fully clothed while I am filling it up! He splashes like crazy! Holden loves mommy, but the second daddy rattles the lock coming home from work, Holden is running to the door with his little squeels so excited to see dad! He runs and wraps his arms around Josh's legs and won't let go until dad picks him up! He also loves the game "chase" with dad! They run from room to room playing, but the best spot is our bedroom. Holden will sit on the bed, and dad will hide around the edges fo the bed and pop up somewhere unbeknownst to Holden! Holden will squeel in a high pitched tone! That's when we laugh and call him our little "Holdina!" He also loves going outside for any reason! Even if I'm taking out the trash, I can't leave the door open for one second without him already halfway up the stairs outside when I turn around!! One last thing about our little Holden is that he is a very determined kid! Whatever he wants he will try over, and over and over until he gets what he's going for! Even if it means crawling over the love sac, under the table, on top of boxes, over pillows etc! Nothing can stop this kid. He will be in tears after probably 10 minutes of trying to reach something, but he will not give up. I know, I sound like a mean parent..and why don't I just get it for him? Because it is so awesome to watch not only this determination but the joy and happiness when he finally gets what he's worked so hard to get! We love him so much and can't imagine our lives without this little boy that has made such a huge impact on us and our lives!