2015: A New Year

It looks like a dream,

but this is real life.

This was the first day of the new year, and I was 

lucky enough to spend it with these two adorable guys.

There is something about the new year 

that makes me notoriously silly sentimental.

Maybe it's because my baby is technically 

no longer the baby that he was this time last year.

Maybe it's because each year I fall deeper in love with the man I married...

watching him as a father makes me eternally sappy. 

We started off the year cuddling in bed until 10:15,

which is a rarity these days. 

We snuggled, I breastfed baby, and we made a fort out of our sheets

for baby to crawl into and wave to Daddy's toes. 

We rolled out of bed and went 

for a family run/bike ride along our neighborhood nature trail. 

The dogs were happy to let their legs outstretch, 

and let their tongues hang out the sides of their mouths. 

Travis and Kieran cheered me on as I did a few sprints, 

"GO Mommy GOOOO!"

I couldn't help but smile at the sweetness of such enthusiastic encouragement.

We got back home and made a nice breakfast,

and Kieran fed half of his to the dogs.

(As you can imagine, they REALLY love him.)

We tried to run a few errands, but every place we went was closed. 

Of course they were! It's New Year's! 

You are not supposed to be running errands on New Year's.

Oh yeah!

So we decided to forego the errands (as if we had a choice!)

and we resolved to go some place totally new.

Travis suggested we do a hike in Laguna Beach

and I immediately said, "YES!"

There is nothing more refreshing, eye-opening and romantic (to me) than a hike. 

A hike with my two favorite people in the world? 

Yes! 

And just before sunset? 

Yes, yes!!

We decided to go to the Nix Nature Center off Laguna Canyon Road.

I was in love with not only the surroundings, 

but the Nature Center building was kind of awesome too.

The sun was shining bright...

  it was such a perfect golden glow.

It made every square inch of my being happy.

Seriously, my heart could burst with love.

The air was crisp

and the sage lined trail smelled familiar, yet new. 

We took the stroller, 

but Kieran wanted to be in our arms most of time.

He's been very cuddly lately.

It's been so nice because he just got out of a stage 

where he didn't want to be held much.

Too much to see and do on his own.

These days, he holds out his hands, palms up, 

arms outstretched and says, "Hold you?"

When I pick him up he holds me tight

and nuzzles the back of his head into the crook of my neck.

It's the stuff parent heart-melting is made of.

I think Travis and I both know that this will be a short-lived phase,

so we are holding it (& him) tight.

You can see Daddy (& stroller) too! 

I love the way he is smiling at me here! 

The trail took us on a meandering path along 

Barbara's Lake, the only natural lake in Orange County.

It was lovely.

Along the way, I was trying to find a happy medium

 between capturing the memories in pictures,

and just enjoying the moment.

But you can't pass up moments like these...

Love those faces! 

Before long, the sun was tucking back behind the grainy hills,

and the 5 o'clock Nature Center curfew was upon us.

We made it back to the trailhead, 

packed up the truck with stroller, baby and backpack,

and took the scenic route home.

It was a great start to what, I am sure,

will be a great 2015.

Cheers friends!

XOXO

Aimee

Kieran is ONE!

On April 10th, Kieran turned ONE! 

I thought it would be fun to write his growth stats / fun facts on our sidewalk. 
I tried to get Kieran to sit next to it for a photo op, but as you can see from check mark #1,
 he is walking, and that means there is not much sitting still happening these days.

Even though I have had over a month for it to sink in,

I still cannot believe that he is a year old.
How did my baby go from this. . .

. . . to this. . . 

. . . in what seems like a blink of an eye?! 

[Note: This pic of him hits all corners of my heart with his adorableness.]

I have tried my very best to capture all the great moments along the way,

and even with my phone storage constantly full of photos,

I STILL have not captured it all.

It is impossible.

Phone storage aside, I am trying to document it all in my mind,

to take mental snap shots of moments to remember.
Things like the tired, but happy look he gives me first thing in the morning,

the sound of his squealing laugh when he is being tickled by his Daddy,

or the sweet glint in his eyes when he gives me his scrunch-nosed smile.

I am holding on tight to these sweet gems,

but I know even some of those will one day slip from my grasp.

It makes me incredibly sentimental,

and if I think about it too much I just 

want to freeze time.

But I know with another day comes more great memories,

more milestones to celebrate, 

more accomplishments to acknowledge,

and let's face it, more challenges to overcome.

That's all part of the sweet, wonderful package of being a parent.

And we are so lucky to be Kieran's.

 On a walk in the neighborhood in Daddy's arms.

Kieran's 1 year molars were cutting, 

and he just needed extra cuddles.

May 2014.

Kieran's birthday fell on a Thursday,

so Travis and I took off work to celebrate the day together as a family.

April 10th, 2014.

As you can see, we were really excited.

We decided to take Kieran someplace totally new, 

the LA Zoo, and we were so happy that my brother, Brian, 

and Kieran's cousin, Deklynn, were able to join in the fun.

 Brian and I were very matchy matchy in our plaid shirts.

And the babies were equally matchy in their sun hats.

Totally unplanned.

#twinning

The kiddos got to see so many different animals,

and the elephants were a hit (or a miss) depending on how you look at it.

[Note: Tears ensued when a certain someone (Mr. Elephant) trumpeted.]

We also got to see giraffes, kangaroos, gorillas, hippos, snakes, etc., etc.

You know, typical zoo stuff.

It was a pretty hot day, so we hopped on the tram for a little relief.

But, as we all know, the best view 

is always from Daddy's shoulders.

Although the babes were probably too young 

to really know too much of what was going on,

I think they still had fun.

And we did too. :)

Kieran and Deklynn held hands on the car ride home.

AWWW! 

We stopped at Bake 'n Broil, a family favorite, for lunch.

Brian and I used to work here when we were youngins.

We snapped a quick pic while we waited for our table.

The novelty of these two together has still not worn off.

While waiting for our table, fellow patrons asked us,

"Are they twins?"

We get this a lot, and we decided moving forward we will say,

"Yes, yes they are."

After an indulgent lunch, 

we got a surprise visit from Grampa,

just in time for dessert!

And K gave Grampa his signature scrunch-nosed smile.

We ordered french apple pie topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

and fresh strawberry shortcake for the birthday boy.

Kieran liked the whip cream more than the strawberries,

but can you blame him?

BnB has the best whip cream in town! 

Aww cute! 

After going home for a quick nap, 
Brian and Trisha took us out to Mahe for dinner.

How could we say no?

We continued the celebration with drinks, sushi and more dessert!

We sang "Happy Birthday" and Kieran was mesmerized by the lit candle

standing up straight in his fancy creme brûlée.

It was perfect.

As you can see from our faces, 

we were so very excited to celebrate such a monumental occasion,

and even more excited that we got to share it with those we love.

And if all that wasn't enough, 

we threw a party that following weekend to 
celebrate with our close family and friends.

We tried to keep it simple,

he is turning ONE for goodness sake!

BUT the first birthday is a special one,

and we wanted to commemorate that.

Since Kieran is obsessed with wheels,

[See exhibit A]

we decided the party theme would be 'vintage wheels.'

Naturally, I had my dad draw up the artwork for the invitations.

In keeping with the theme, 
I requested for a vintage looking tricycle with balloons. 

I told him I wanted it to look sketchy,

but not creepy sketchy, sketchy sketchy. 
(Haha!)
 I love the way it turned out.
My sister and I added the text & necessary party details on the back.
They were printed, cut and & sent with care. 

For the decor,

I bought a bunch of vintage looking transportation memorabilia:

cars, planes, tractors, motorcycles, etc.

I even bought a Route 66 sign and convinced Travis 

that we would put it to good use once Kieran grew out of his nursery 

and into a "big boy" room.

I think it turned out pretty cool.

And because I thought it would be cute, 
(& I am slightly insane)
I used the invitation design to make double sided cupcake toppers.
All 80 of them! 
They had the tricycle on one side and balloons on the other.



We used old suitcases and wooden crates to display the desserts,
and a picture of Kieran framed alongside his party invitation.

I made all of the cupcakes from scratch,
which was new & fun for me. 
I mean, I bake cookies like crazy, but it is rare I bake cake / cupcakes.
And because it was a cream cheese/whip cream based frosting,
I had to wait to frost them until right before the party!
Luckily my buddy, Belia, came over just in the knick of time to save the day! 
Thanks girl! 

My sister baked our family's traditional birthday cake 

for Kieran and she decorated it to match the theme.

Aww cute! 

Here is the dessert table sans the birthday cake, which arrived shortly after this picture was taken.
The Route 66 sign hung from the rafters just above the table and was flanked by two pendant banners.
 Darn no pic of that! 

We were so lucky to have family who helped set up

and also helped make some of the tasty food too!

In keeping with the wheels theme,

Kieran's Grammy made these adorable Twinkie/Peeps desserts for the kiddos.

They were a hit! 

There was a low hanging branch off to the side of the park shelter

that made the space feel cozy, 

so we set up chairs for people to sit and visit 

and picnic blankets for the babies to squirm around on.

There was a horse trail right behind the park,

and a lady stopped to let all the kids pet her horse and feed him carrots!

It was as if we rented Kieran a pony for his birthday party! 

Haha.

So cool! 

My mom loved it too. :) 

Kieran also had a great time playing with all his "wheels" & his Wolfpack buddies,



especially when he got to push them around 
in his Cozy Coupe or Radio Flyer.

 Jack & Eliot chillin' in the coupe!

This is a screenshot from a pretty hilarious video 
of Kieran pushing his friend, Aaron in the Radio Flyer.

Such a determined little guy! 

He also enjoyed pushing this vintage tricycle around.

He likes to feel useful. ;-) 
After all that pushing, he took a break and got taken for a spin too.

Of course, Kieran also had fun with his cousin, Deklynn!

But she was less into squeezing in the coupe with him. 

Haha! 

I think she was more content picking at the grass. 

Looking adorable, as always, mind you.

After eating lunch and tumbling around with his buds,
it was time for the famed first birthday  
CAKE SMASH! 

Complete with bow tie, party hat, & cloth diaper with tricycles on it!
It's as if he is saying, "Let's me at it Mom!"

It's confirmed, he likes sugar just like his Mama!

I'd say we knew it was a successful smash when he started using his feet.

Sure. Why not?

For fun, we decided to get in on it as a family.

And of course after he was covered in frosting,
it was the perfect time to grab for his mommy.

Haha! 

What fun! 
Thanks to those who came out and made Kieran's birthday special,
 but also a special thanks to those who couldn't make it and sent their sweet wishes.

Especially this sweet message from Kieran's buddy and fellow Wolfpack member, Miles.

Thanks Miles. We love you too.

Baby Kieran,
we were so excited to celebrate the super special, wonderful YOU!
Cheers to another great year!
We can't wait to see what adventures we will go on!

XOXO
Aimee (aka Mama)