June Update: Ascha's First Birthday

Ascha's the star of the show this month. Our beautiful baby isn't staying a baby long. She's been walking and running for a while, she's independent and feisty and fun...and on June 23, she turned ONE!

party preparations (this one's for you, Ann!)

not sure what to think of the giant butterfly Great Grama & Papa sent her

Do I have to touch it?

The big kids all loved it. I fear we may have started a tradition. :-)

Notice the foot up in the air - this is her customary position when sitting in grass

It's party time!

What, I can't touch that pretty light?

Yeah! I love frosting!

Cake (aka pumpkin bran muffin) sure is yummy! Mama may as well pull that trick this year, because she probably won't get away with it again. :-)

Ascha figured out unwrapping quickly and opened her presents with gusto!

This hug was so sweet and spontaneous. She loved her cuddle buddy (until it became associated with bedtime. She's no longer enamored with it. :-).

So fashion forward while taking baby for a stroll. She loved her stroller but couldn't navigate it well at first. When she'd get stuck in a corner, the boys would try to help her, but she'd just scream. She's not about to let her brothers take HER new toys!

This tea cart and tea set were much the same. She stayed up very late playing and didn't want to let Mommy take the pieces away from her before bed.

What a great first birthday! She even got to have both of her Grandmas celebrate with her!

Before the Grandmas headed home, we went to a fun park. This extremely crinkled nose is a trademark Ascha look.

The boys didn't get left out. Grammy gave them a special treat of a night of tent camping with her in our backyard. Grandma Janet gave each boy the special treat of cooking the breakfast of his choosing and allowing him to help as much as he wanted.

(special thanks to Daddy on the assist for camping night! The smores were a nice touch. :-)

June is also the month of Jeremy's birthday, so we celebrated him on the 28th. This is the first time since I've been married to Jeremy that he wasn't sad and feeling old on his birthday...he thought he was turning 33, but he only turned 32, so he gained a year. :-)

Lastly, here's a look at one of our many "pets." This time, it was a moth, but the boys have caught many caterpillars, butterflies, moths, and even a preying mantis this summer. We have much to be thankful for - we love where we live!