Happy 1st Birthday!

I haven't had one extra minute to spare lately, the kids have been sick the past two weeks, starting and ending with colds with the stomach flu in between but last Thursday, October 25 our little pumpkin, Doc, turned one year old!  We celebrated yesterday with a small party, just family.

Here is Doc a few weeks ago, happy boy helping me fold the diapers.

Here he is at his party, he was beyond ready for a nap at this point but stopped crying when we started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, then he went  down for a nap and slept through the rest of his party. 

At one year old he is still riding and being carried around in his infant carseat, he's been in 6-9 month clothes for about a month now, he can't sit up without support yet or get up on hands and knees in 4-point position.  He will turn pages of large board books, roll to get where he wants to be or explore, prefers his Mommy, brings us lots of joy, and is an incredible blessing.

Happy Birthday Doc!

Update: Took Doc to the doctor's today because he's had his cold for so long, and although this isn't his official well-child visit he measured in at 16lb 12.6 oz and 26 inches long.  Such a little peanut!  He has bronchial-pneumonia and is on antibiotic now.  His official well-child visit is in about another month (if I remember correctly), since he has to have a pre-op appointment a month before his eye surgery they're just going to combine the two.

My Birthday Cake

Hubby did it again!  He made my birthday cake for our celebration tomorrow at my parent's house.  Yup - I love moose, fall colors, blue . . . Great job Dear!  I love it!  :) 

Here is Hubby (boyfriend at the time) holding the first cake he ever made me - October 4, 2000, he brought it to the CCC Girl's House which is where I lived from my sophomore year until we got married in January of 2002.

He made me this cake for my birthday in 2001 - It's the Appalachian Trail, which we hiked with my Dad the previous two summers (a week at a time.)

(In both pictures we're in plaid flannel - can't tell we were students up in da UP, eh?)

PBS

Wow - such a BIG deal over PBS.  If it's that important to the state of raising our children then maybe we need to donate more of our own $ towards them.  I like(d) PBS when we got it but we don't anymore and SURPRISE - we're surviving.  I know, right, with 3 children to raise and teach and educate by myself (for at least all but roughly 3 hours a day).  It's downright amazing that I limit my kid's TV screen time to 30 minutes each and allow them to watch each other's shows for a total of 60 minutes a day, and we do it all without PBS.  When the digital system took over we didn't get it anymore on our TV.  There's no reason why we don't but we don't and it was/is sad.  Amazingly, my kids survive by picking out their shows on Netflix or watching the DVD they get to borrow from the library each week.  Fortunately, most of what they pick out is educational, other than Spongebob but given Big Brother only gets 30 minutes a day he's going to choose that over anything PBS offers anyhow.  Yes, I limit the time they're allowed to watch but don't dictate what they can watch (unless it's entirely too inappropriate.)  

Do so many moms rely on PBS to educate and entertain their little ones that it is going to affect the election of the next president of the United States???  Wow (did I say that already?)  It is is our job to train and raise up the children entrusted to us, not the television's or creative minds behind the broadcasting.  You know what not letting your kids watch TV when they whine produces: patience/imaginative play/discipline/self-control/etc/etc/etc.  Basically, stuff that's way more important than what they can learn from PBS.  

I'm not saying we shouldn't have it around, if we got it I know Half-pint and someday Doc would choose their shows from that station, but it shouldn't affect who we're going to vote on as our leader for the next four years.  (In case you're worried, DVR it, or invest in the DVD's.)

ArtPrize 2012

Half-pint's favorite

Big Brother's favorite

Nana's favorite, Top 5 for Half-pint and me.

Top 5 for Me.

My favorite - I loved spending time (labs) in the cedar swamps of the U.P during my college days.

I'm sure this is Doc's favorite since his P.T. created the upper right hand corner piece of this 13-piece collage.  Also one in my Top 5.

Happy Down syndrome Awareness Month!

Vacation

What do:

Empire Bluff Hiking Trail,

Pretending to be Sand People in the dunes,

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive,

Perfecting the Yoda voice around a campfire,

GIANT s'mores,

Dirt,

Campfires, and then more campfires,

Late nights,

Cold nights,

Perfect days,

D.H. Day Campground,

Lake Michigan,

Fall color,

Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail,

Hot Coffee & Hot Cocoa,

Catching up with old friends,

And family time have in common???

All was enjoyed by us last Wednesday through Sunday at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.  I'm so thankful for the beautiful weather and enjoyable time we had.  Thank You God!!!  We were tech-free, even turned off my cell phone except to ring up some friends nearby, didn't even take pictures.  (I brought the wrong memory card - but I think it made it more relaxing.)