I was given something really fun this past weekend

My cousin gave me a CD with all of the beautiful pictures she took of Grant's birthday party! I was so excited to see the pictures and they did not disappoint. Thank you Kris!

First, cake time! I spent most of the day before the party making this bear cake. I'd gotten the pan for Christmas before Grant was born. I'd seen it at Williams Sonoma and knew I had to have it. I was way nervous to make it because there are so many steps involved, but I think it turned out pretty stink'n cute. For the overalls I used marshmallow fondant (MMF). I got the recipe from my friend Rita who'd used it to create a super cute cake for her sister.

I also made lemon filled cupcakes, with a lemon butter cream frosting. YUM! I used this recipe and just made cupcakes instead of a cake. And I still used a box mix instead of the part of the recipe for the cake. Here's a direct link to the recipe.

The picture of Grant with the clock was taken because after Grant (Keith) blew out the candle on the cake I happened to notice that it was the exact time that Grant was born. I thought that was so cool, so we took the picture.

Party time! Grant had so much fun at his party. He just loves playing with other kids.

I whipped up his "1" shirt the night before. I got the plain t-shirt from Hobby Lobby. If you ever buy a shirt like this, know that the sizes run super small. Like I should have gotten a 2T probably. I could barely get this 18M size over his head.

This is one of my favorite things that we did. I created this scene using pictures that I'd found online. Then I projected it onto a plain white sheet and traced it with a pencil. Then I quickly filled it in with paint. A couple cutouts for head holes and wallah! we had a fun picture booth.

His Hairbrush

Grant has recently developed a love for brushing his own hair.

Did you know that Keith is working on his MBA right now?

That gives Grant and I plenty of time for fun photo shoots of just the two of us.

Speaking of photos, Grant is having his 1 year old pictures (well, more like 13 month....where does the time go?) taken this Saturday. He'll be sporting his new spring/summer Sunday best, complete with saddle shoes. I can't wait!

A few things from Spring Break

We had fun with my sister & her boyfriend here. Grant had fun showing off his Sunday best to his Aunt. Ann's boyfriend made a wonderful Angel Food Cake from scratch (he is a baker by trade). He also made Danishes. Oh yum! They are so good! They are made with whole wheat so I guess they're good for us. Ha ha! Grant got really sick this week. He had a fever on and off for 3 days and coughing really bad. He just wants me to hold him, which I love since he usually never cuddles. He went to see the doctor. He's on a couple meds & today is the first day that he seems to be on the upswing. What a sweet boy he is!

The many faces of Grant

What a kid! He loves making funny faces lately. I love how in the pictures toward the bottom he has a smear of ketchup on his forehead from putting his head down on his tray.

Many a meal are followed with a trip to the bathtub lately.

In other news, Auntie Ann is in town. And she brought a boyfriend with her! Last night Ann & I stayed up late talking.

I just love being with my sisters!

My house

For a couple years now I've been wanting to get the red out of my house and bring in blues & greens. These new colors suit me better. I find them to be more relaxing and refreshing. And since we have a small space, I think it opens things up a bit more.

So, I whipped up a couple of simple (well it would have been simple if I'd really known what I was doing) curtains for my kitchen windows. I love the glass knob looking ends of the rods.

Then I made some pillows for the family room, added the decorative thing to the fireplace, and painted the iron squares by the front door black instead of red.

Luckily I had already incorporated some green into our family room so there was no need for a new shade for the front door, and I just had to swap out a couple red flowers for green flowers in a sconce-like things I have on the wall.

Nothing too fancy, and definitely more room for improvement, but I've learned a lot so far and I can put it all to use in future projects.

My walk'n, sing'n, play'n, happy as can be, ONE YEAR OLD!

We had a fun family birthday party for Grant on Saturday. Pictures of that will come soon. My amazing cousin brought her cool camera and took tons of pictures. It was so nice to not be behind the camera myself during the party. Thanks Kris!

At this point last year I couldn't imagine life past being tired, worn out, discouraged, frustrated.... I spent a lot of time walking around the park, like in the photo above, just to get out and not be cooped up in the house. My mom & friends kept telling me that it just gets better everyday. And boy has it! I feel like the complete opposite of myself last year.

Grant is so much fun and so incredibly sweet. He walks all over, can almost totally drink from a cup by himself, sings, blows, claps, plays like there's no tomorrow, says mamamamamam & dadadadada, plunks on the piano, gardens :), and he loves being in his new forward facing carseat. It just amazes me at how much he's grown and accomplished in the past year. He had his 1 year appointment with the doctor today. He didn't care for it. He cried like never before when he got his shots. I took him to Grandma Jackson's house right after so he could play & eat lunch and get cheered up. It worked, and now he is peacefully snoozing in his crib.