Happy Birthday Blake!

It doesn't seem like an entire year ago Chad turned to me and said "It's a boy"! It has been such an amazing year. I tell Blake almost every day that I feel so lucky to be his Mom, he is such a happy, fun, smart, wonderful little boy :) At one year old, Blake is a very snuggly little guy, I think he arrived in this world with a smile on his face and he has continued to be a very happy baby. And on Monday, Chad's birthday, Blake took his first steps! Welcome to the world!
3 months

Blake's first meal, I can't tell you how hard Chad and I were laughing watching him go to town on "real food". 6 months
7 months

10 months

One week shy of a year

Oh My How You Have Grown!

Today my PEPS group had a group birthday party for all of our babies. It is so fun to look back and see how much everyone has grown and how far we've all come as parents.

Blake got his first treat today, although he mowed through it like an old pro. It was pretty funny watching him devour his first cupcake. October 2007, All the babies are sitting nicely where we put them. (Blake is on the far right)

July 2008, This is close as we could get to a group shot!
The whole gang

Vacation at Lake Thomas

We took Blake on his first trip to Lake Thomas this past week. Lake Thomas is the most relaxing place in the word. My sister and I grew up vacationing there every summer as did my Mom and her family. My Great Grandfather built one of the cabins there. I was so excited to be able to share this little piece of paradise with Blake. He LOVED driving the boat, even when it was parked at the dock, which served as a great play pen. Blake also loved the one bite of huckleberry pie I shared with him, he kept trying to come back for more. Huckleberries are sort of like a religion in my family and on our first date Chad and I laughed about being forced to pick them as children. We were excited to learn Blake carries the huckleberry gene.

It was really wonderful to spend some time with Alison and Brian, play in the sun and be without cell service for a whole week! Playing at the dock
Blake's new favorite pass time
Helping get the coolers organized
Like father, like son...
Our only wildlife sighting

Auntie Alison read Blake some Golf Digest...worked like a charm!
My Aunt brought up Alison's old teddy bear "Brown Sugar" so we had Blake pose with him.
Blake and Mom
Chad water skiing - Brian and Chad made sure they were the first skiers on the water every morning.
Lake Thomas

Alison, Brian and Blake
Dining on the deck
Blake and Uncle Brian boating
Mom and Blake

Dentist or a Nudist?

Sometimes I wonder what Blake will want to be when he grows up. Lately, I am thinking it will be a dentist or nudist. Blake LOVES to be naked, he wiggles and squirms when I try to get a diaper or clothing on him. Recently he has taken a liking to brushing his teeth. He does have eight teeth to brush now. I tried to take his toothbrush away from him the other morning and he started screaming as if he were injured (ahh the drama!). I think Chad is still hoping he'll have a career in the NFL....I guess we'll have to wait and see :)

Playdate with Maddie

Maddie came over to play with Blake for a bit this afternoon. Please note that Blake's 12 month shorts are a little big on him...they are not baby capris!

Packing

Blake has been so helpful with the packing process. Everything I pack gets unpacked in a hurry. Maybe he wants to stay in Ballard?

Moving On...

We are moving to Bellevue! Chad has his passport all ready to go (he is under the impression you need one to get to the Eastside). We have decided to trade in our view for some square footage. I will miss Ballard, our neighbors and friends, great parks, the marina and the locks.

I am really excited about our new house. It will be so nice to have some more space and a big back yard for Blake and Louis to run around in. We will miss being in the city, but I think our new house will be perfect for the next chapter of our lives.

A few more pictures from our road trip

Chad, Blake and Grandpa Les in Roseburg
Blake and his Great Grandma
Blake with his cousins Jake and Gage

Road Trip to Oregon

Blake with Grandma Jean on the new boat
Blake and Grandad
The new boat, Shivoo, which means "let's party" in Australia....I'd have to say it's a perfect fit :) Jake doing a little fishing while I watched Blake crawl all over the back of the boat
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Chad, Blake and I hit the road early Friday morning. Our first stop was Newport to see Chad's parents, nephews Gage and Jake, as well as the Pittman's new boat! Newport is about a six hour drive from Seattle, Blake slept for a little over 30 minutes of the trip. He was a great little traveler, singing, talking to himself and checking out the scenery. Of course he dozed off about 10 minutes before Newport. We all had dinner on the boat together and later watched a great fireworks display (which Blake slept through). The next day we took off for Roseburg to visit Chad's Grandparents. It was wonderful to see Barbara and Les. Chad's Grandparents are really neat people and I love that Blake got to spend a little time with his Great Grandparents as well as Chad's Aunt Carol and Uncle Ron. We wish we could see them more often. The next day we drove back to Portland, stayed the night with Jean and Vern and headed back to Seattle the following day. Blake hardly shed a tear during his hours in the car, which is a good thing since we have another trip planned in two weeks! :)