My Baby is a Toddler...Happy Birthday Maddox

Last Wednesday, June 11th was Maddox's 1st Birthday. I was excited and relieved to have officially made it through the first year, yet sad at the same time that my baby is no longer an infant. I don't really like the word "toddler", but I guess I'll have to live with it. I cannot believe how much different our lives are this year than last year. Having our son has so completely changed our lives and in such a wonderful way. He just amazes me every day at what he does and the fact that I had a hand in making this (I think) perfect little thing. He has truly been a blessing to Stefan and I, and although it hasn't been easy...it's been totally worth it. We are so thrilled with him and love him more and more every day (if that's even possible). I did happen to get a picture of Maddox at precisely 8:09pm on June 11th, which is the exact time he was born last year. What a difference a year makes. Thank you, Nutter Butter (Angel Baby) for coming into our lives. We love you!

Maddox's 1st Birthday Party

The invitations went out a while ago (I made them myself and was pretty proud of it). Maddox's 1st Birthday Party was held at Mama Les and Grandpa's house on June 7th, since they have the pool (thank goodness since it ended up being 100 degrees out) and a great backyard setup and a big eating area inside. Even though Mama Les was ill, with the help of Aunt Staci and Linda J, we got everything set up and the party was a great success. Nana, Granddad, and Uncles Zach, Luke, and Nathaniel all flew in for a visit too (not to mention some other out of town friends). I finally found a use for all of the monthly "sign" pictures I take of Maddox as they became the decorations on the buffet tables. Take a look.


















I also made the image on the cake and had Publix make it as a photo cake and it turned out great too.
We had a total of about 45 people come to the party and it was a great mix of kids and adults and close family friends. We decided to try to keep the guest list manageable and just invite friends with kids around Maddox's age and close family friends. Maddox had a blast and clearly had no idea what was going on other than the fact that he had tons of time to play in the pool (quickly becoming his favorite pass time). Thanks so much to everyone who came (especially to Staci, Linda J, and Jeanette for all their HARD work). We missed those that couldn't make it as well. Here are some additional pictures. The full lot of pictures is in the Maddox Pictures Month 12 album link under Picture Albums, so enjoy!

Zachary's 1st Birthday Party

We had the pleasure of attending the 1st Birthday Party for Zachary, our friends Julie and Sean's son. It was on June 1st and we had a great time. Maddox and Zachary hadn't seen eachother for a while and played very nicely. The party was lovely (Julie is Martha-freaking Stewart) and the food was fabulous. I especially enjoyed the frozen Margaritas :). It was awesome to get together with Julie and Sean and the birthday boy. Check out a few pictures from the day.

Memorial Day Weekend (Staci's Birthday) and Lasik

It's been a long time since my last post, but things have been terribly busy. We ended up having a terrific Memorial Day weekend which started off with adults-only dinner for Staci's birthday. Staci, Jason, Donnie, Suzanne, Stefan, and I went out to Lobster Bar for a fabulous dinner celebrating Staci's 29th birthday. It was so much fun for just us "brothers and sisters" to get out. We ate a ton and had a great evening together.

Saturday, we headed over to the Barnes' house for a BBQ. It was awesome of Ed and Gail to have us over and great to see some of our other friends that we haven't seen in a while. Especially Erin and Greg who got engaged since we'd seen them last. Maddox didn't have too much time to play with Brendan though, since Brendan slept during a big chunk of our time there, but they did get to a little bit. Brendan is growing like a weed and getting cuter by the day (if that's even possible).

Unfortunately, I woke up on Sunday with some sort of flu so we had to take a rain check on the BBQ at the Davis'. I was really upset about it, but we really did not want to get anyone sick. Thank goodness it didn't last and I was feeling better on Monday and Tuesday.

That following Friday (May 30th) I had Lasik eye surgery which is a big reason for the gap between posts :). It has been amazing. I cannot recommend Lasik enough for anyone with contacts and/or glasses. The procedure was quick and painless and the recovery is really easy. I was able to see almost perfectly when I sat up on the operating table! Within 24hrs my right eye was 20/20 and my left eye was 20/40 (which is what I was able to see with contacts/glasses). In the 2 weeks since, my left eye has just about caught up with my right. If anyone is interested, Marietta Eye Clinic is who I used. Dr. Corwin was fabulous as was the rest of his staff. He even hand-wrote me a thank you note after surgery. I highly recommend him for anyone interested :).