Ari is One!

These are the proofs from Ari's one year old photos. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday (More Presents) Ari!

We saved Ari's birthday package from her Grandma Sherree for her to open on her birthday. We set them in her play area while she was eating breakfast and she was stoked when she saw them. She headed straight for them and knew just what to do. She got them open and had a blast playing until her nap! Thank you Grandma! We love you!

Happy Birthday (Presents) Ari!

After eating half a cake, we got Ari all cleaned up and went into the family room to open presents. I wasn't sure what to expect. At Christmas, she liked playing with her new toys, but had no interest at all in opening any packages. She spends all day at home emptying drawers, bags/purses/backpacks, armoires, cabinets etc. and tearing any paper she can find. (The paper is usually found in Daddy's textbooks!) So, opening presents seems like it would come naturally to her, but even at Valentine's Day she still needed a lot of prompting to open her treats from her Grandma Sherree. Well, that is not the case any longer. She started out on Daddy's lap, but it seemed to slow her down so he put her on the floor and she went for it! She has a system that she is pretty consistent with. If it is a wrapped gift she starts at the corner and gets every bit of paper off. If it's a bag all the tissue must go. The paper and tissue is placed behind her and if you happen to move any of it she stops, gets it back, and returns it to the pile. Any gifts that happen to be clothes are also placed in this "discard" pile. She even learned a couple of tricks along the way: if she runs her fingertips down the back of a box she can find the edge of the paper to tear and if a corner is too stuck, use your teeth! (There's a pic of this in the slideshow.) Thank you Gram and Granddad, Aunt Kristen and Aunt Lara for all the great gifts! Notice the rockin' outfit that was an early birthday present from Aunt Kristen!

Happy Birthday (Cake) Ari!

This past Saturday we celebrated Ari's birthday at her Grandparents' house. The highlight of the day I think was her cake. Her rockstar Aunt, Kristen, made her the cutest, yummiest First Birthday cake ever! She did a great job and we all enjoyed it, but none of us quite like the Birthday Girl. We love you Aunt Kristen!

My Snuggle Bug

Daddy doesn't leave for work on Fridays until about 8 so we have a little time in the mornings to play. One of Ari's favorite things is to be tossed up on our bed where she attacks the pillows and anyone brave enough to join her. And if you've ever seen her pounce you know this is a real attack! She was just so snugly and cute this morning still in her jammies that I thought I'd snap a few pics to share. Enjoy!