Happy Birthday to Alex (video)

Mimi sings happy birthday to Alex and he eats (and loves) cake

 

Alex's First Birthday Cake

Happy first birthday Ah-Kee!

 

We had a small family birthday for Alex.  Jimmy had 24 hour duty on Alex's actual birthday (super lame!), so we had to wait until the next day to have cake. 

We used the same number one candle from Amelia's first birthday ;0) 

(Thank goodness the wick didn't fall off while I was storing it!)

They were staring at us because we were singing Happy Birthday.

Amelia was very happy to blow out the candle for Alex

I love Amelia's little finger in this picture.  She was more excited about the cake than Alex.  In fact, she had a little tantrum because we didn't get her a piece fast enough.

Sharing with big sister, awwww

Alex was chowing down at first...

Cookies n cream and pound cake

 

But after a few minutes, he was done!

First Birthday Fail

For Alex's first birthday we had an awesome baseball themed play date in our playroom.  We decorated the entire room in baseball decor and put up our Lehman Birthday Banner.  I purchased a dozen inflatable baseballs and bats for the kids to play with.  We had Cracker Jacks, peanuts, and popcorn for snacks.  I even had all the kids sign a baseball for Alex.  It was all super cute.... but I didn't take any pictures! 

I was so busy hosting and playing with the kids that I completely forgot.  Oh well, I guess that means we were all having too much fun to stop and snap photos ;0)  

Amelia kept saying that it was her birthday and the party was for her.  It was hilarious.  Alex had no clue what was going on, but seemed to have fun playing with all his friends.   
 

Here's a photo taken after the party.  I had our guests take most of the balls and bats home, but as you can see, we still have quite a few left.  During the party, the floor was covered with them.  The kids LOVED it.  It was perfect for toddler play.

 

Amelia and Alex playing with one of his new toys.  (Please disregard Amelia's outfit.  She picked it out and insisted on wearing it.)

Resolutions

This year, I'm being selfish.  My resolutions are all about me me me! 

My priority has and will always be my family.  I'm happy to say that my marriage and family life is going great. 

I just need to shift my focus... just a little tweak.  Taking time for myself has always made me feel guilty and I felt I didn't deserve it.  However, I am now in a different mindset and have realized that I need to experience and do things that aren't related to the kids or Jimmy.

My resolutions for 2013

1. Find a babysitter - We really really really really need this.  The only times we can have a real break is when our family from Washington (state) comes to visit us.  Other than that, the kids are always with us.

2. Schedule more "me" time -  I need to spend more time away from the kids to destress.  To do this, I decided that I want more gym time as my "me" time.  So, to better accommodate this, I switched gyms. I'm very happy with the change.  This new gym has a much better evening/weekend aerobic class schedule.  I am able to attend more classes, more frequently.  Best of all, I can attend without the hassle of switching cars and schuffling the kids around.   

3. More girls' nights - I talked with my friends about this and we decided to make this a monthly event.  We already have plans to go to Swirlz for painting and wine.

4. Go to the spa/salon every eight weeks -  Since the birth of Amelia, I think I've had four haircuts.  That is not good!  I'm now going to make a point to go to the salon/spa once every other month for a haircut and pampering.

5.  Put myself out there - I miss my DC friends so much and I haven't really found the same support system here in Tennessee.  So, instead of dwelling in the past and being sad about it, I'm going to do my best to get myself out there and create another good support system here. I'm usually really shy, but I'm really going to make an active effort to make more friends and just be more social. As uncomfortable as it may make me feel, I know I need to do this. 

I'm really hoping these small changes will make for a better, happier me ;0)

Best Buds

It was a good day...

 

Sharing a drink

Cuddle Time

Sharing and playing with cars

Being silly

I overheard Amelia telling Alex that he was "being such a good girl" in the stroller, ha ha.

Alex's Signature Dance Moves (videos)

Shake it like a Polaroid picture

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This Boy Can Eat!

Alex (11 months) is an eater.  If you put food in front of his face, he will eat it.  During mealtimes, he eats more than twice as much Amelia.  It also takes him much longer to finish his meals... sometimes we just have to cut him off and call it good. 

 

Don't mess with his food...

 

Happy New Year

Snow Day

It snowed a lot while we were in Spokane.  We built our first snowman as a family... well, basically Jimmy made it while I was getting the kids dressed, but we'll just say it was our first snowman, ha ha.  Amelia has been obsessed with snowmen lately, so she was very excited to see one up close.  She called him "snowman friend."  Amelia and Alex also enjoyed being pulled on the sled!

Thankfully, Jimmy's parents have a huge backyard.  There was plently of room to play in the snow.

"Snowman Friend"

Nana and Mimi

Gadingan Family Pictures

For Christmas, my siblings and I decided to schedule a family picture session as a gift for my parents.  I'm really glad we did it because the last time we had professional family pictures was at my wedding! 

We were a big group and had a good time trying to get the kids to smile.  It was cold and snowy outside, so we didn't plan on taking outdoor pictures.  However, at the last minute, we decided to brave the cold and take some shots outside.  I'm so glad we did because few we took outside turned out the best! 

Here are a few of my favorites: 

The Whole Family

 

Gadingan Kids

Proud Grandparents

 

 

The Gadingan Gang

Ben and Jessica