Birthday Boy

Since Karsten's first birthday fell on a Wednesday, we scheduled his birthday party for the following Saturday. We knew the party could be overwhelming for him, so we opened his presents from us on his birthday.

I think he was content with just getting wrapping paper or tissue paper - that was the big hit. :)


The ball was a close favorite to the tissue paper.



He sees there is another ball in the bag and is focusing on getting it out.


Next he opened two little cars and wouldn't let go of the red one for quite a while. These are a miniature version of a big red truck that he loves to play with at Mrs. Gail's. She says that he loves playing with it so much that he cries when any of the other kids get close to it.

Notice how he still has the little red truck in his hand while he plays with the See N Say.

That darn tongue...

Karsten thought it was hilarious when Scott made truck noises and ran into the truck Karsten was holding.

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to wish Karsten a happy birthday. Grandma had just gotten back in town from picking up Gaga to come to Karsten's birthday party!

I think he was saying "Thanks for making my super cute birthday shirt Grandma!


Karsten checked out the rocking horse again with grandpa.

Special Father's Day

After we went to the pool, we went to my parents house to celebrate father's day for Chuck and Scott. Chuck's birthday was also the next day so we had a lot to celebrate. Shannon made fried chicken, mashed potatos and 'white' gravy. YUM!

Karsten and Chuck hanging out before dinner



Karsten and I made Scott personalized birthday and father's day cards. They turned out so cute!


Shannon made Chuck this great quilt - as you saw with the rocking horse, he is a very talented woodworker. The text on it is a version of 'My Favorite Things' except its all about woodworking - it's perfect for him!

Karsten and Scott - Happy First Father's day!

First Pool Trip

Scott has wanted to go to the neighborhood pool with Karsten since it opened, but the timing just hasn't worked out. Father's Day seemed like the perfect time to ensure we made it to the pool! The day began with Karsten and I making pancakes, eggs and sausage for Scott and bringing it to him in bed. Now all you doubters out there - yes, I actually cooked; no, I didn't just cut out pictures of those foods and put them on the tray; no, I didn't order takeout and repackage it (althought I MAY have thought about it). :) After church we went for lunch at our favorite sushi restaurant then home for a nap before we could head to the pool.

My guys headed to the pool


Getting used to the pool. It was so nice and warm - not like his first experience in the baby pool!


He must get this from Scott - he didn't mind getting his face wet!

He loved 'flying' through the water!

Scott showed him that he could float

Havin' fun in the water

No smiles - just that darn tongue sticking out! :) Still a fun pic.

He was actually moving his arms and legs around while Scott swam him around. A budding swimmer!

Not sure what he was doing in this picture, but it makes me smile. :)

Practicing his swimming!

Having fun with Dad

A Rockin' Gift

My dad made Karsten the most beautiful rocking horse for his first birthday. He's been working on it for quite some time and I think it turned out wonderfully. Karsten is so lucky to have such a special keepsake.

He brought it over last night as an early birthday present. Karsten liked standing next to it, but when we put him on it, he wasn't so sure what to think. He has never sat on top of something like the horse, so I think he felt a little unsafe with being up high.

Checking out the horse


Trying it out for the first time - he was fascinated with the horses ears.


Not so sure about this - he wanted Grandpa to hold him.


He was done and wanted to be off the horse - 'save me Grandpa'


Giving it a try with Dad

Have I mentioned...

...that I *heart* plaid shorts. Have you seen how often Karsten appears in plaid shorts in these blog posts? LOL. I just think they are so stinkin cute on him. I 'may' be biased, though.

Randomness

Karsten is doing all sorts of fun stuff lately. He can tell you where your nose and mouth are, but we haven't quite mastered him finding his own nose and mouth. :) He's feeding himself more, getting better at the sippy cup and babbling all the time. He continues to practice walking and can take more steps at a time. When he really wants to get somewhere, crawling is still his preffered path.

Helping Scott cook dinner - they were cutting mozzarella and basil for pasta. Don't worry, we kept him away from the knife - I know it looks dangerously close here.


Karsten's first bite of mozzarella - he liked it a lot and kept clapping his hands for more.


He likes to move my little red chair out from the wall then stand up next to it. I don't think he knows how to sit down on it yet, so I put him on it to see what he would do. He was not a fan of sitting in it the 'correct' way, but he liked sitting in it this way.


He thought it was pretty fun to lean back and hold onto the chair.

So much fun - it's rare to capture a good smile on camera lately because he's so quick, so I was so excited to see I got this one.

Still fun

In case you were wondering - Karsten is still a big fan of his swing! It's been so rainy here lately we haven't had too many nice days, but we found some sunny weather last weekend, and he had so much fun!