Playing in the Leaves

It appears that Shae is in agreement with mommy and daddy that fall is one of the best seasons. We enjoyed visiting Nerstrand State Park on Saturday for the annual Gratz Family Fall Picnic. It was a little chilly, but Shae loved spending the day outside playing in the leaves, enjoying a campfire, and hanging out with family.

 Shae had to get his hands on the football right away

 Looks like he's getting ready to hike the ball to daddy

 Loved walking through the leaves

 Playing with leaves is fun!

 A brief look at the camera

 Sooooo big!

 A kiss from Bauer

There were a lot of other people at the picnic as well, but somehow Shae was one of the only ones that made it onto my camera. I'll have to work on that. :)

Silly Little Walker

I haven't been very good at blogging lately, but not because I don't have anything to share. There's always something exciting going on with a one year old in the house. Shae continues to entertain us and really loves getting a laugh out of us. The video below is a good demonstration of this. One might think that he's working on a dirty diaper, but that's not the case. He's just being his silly self.

And his newest big milestone: walking! He actually took his first steps on August 14th, but he just mastered walking all over the place in the past week. He's so proud of himself too. There's nothing better than seeing him toddle towards you with a big grin on his face and then falling into your arms. :-)

I've Conquered the World!

...or so it feels.

As some of you may know, Shae is not exactly the best eater. Although I don't share this theory, Shae believes that there are much more fun things to be doing than eating. Just about every baby food meal has been a struggle. And solids? Forget about it. The mere thought of putting finger foods into his mouth makes Shae squirm.

Over the past few months we've only been successful on a few solids:

• Gerber Puffs
• Gerber Yogurt Melts
• Gerber Lil' Crunchies

You get the picture. Something about those colorful Gerber packages I guess. Although not the worst thing in world to eat, those Gerber snacks just weren't going to cut it nutritionally, and I was really hoping to not have to keep up with straight baby food for too much longer.

What else can I get this kid to eat?! Hmmm...

Looks like a delicious Gerber snack...

Yes! He's eating it!

Ha! Joke's on you, kid! That's tofu coated in graham cracker crumbs you're eating! Mommy snuck them into an empty Gerber container and you were none the wiser.

And so, yes, this is what conquering the world feels like to a mom that has been worried about the development and nutrition intake of her dear, sweet child for far too long.

*Side note: For those of you following the soy debate, do not worry; the amounts of tofu being consumed will not affect Shae's estrogen levels :)

525,600 Minutes

A tribute to Shae's first year. The most amazing, life changing year we've lived thus far.

We decided to get some one year photos taken of Shae and thought that it would be a good time to get some family photos as well. I am so impressed with work of Tasha of Red Bird Hills Photography. We were able to just go to the park and have fun together as a family while she just shot away. That's what I love about these photos; their natural and fun nature as opposed to feeling posed.

They all turned out great, but here are just a handful of my favorites. (Okay, maybe a little more than a handful.)

Happy Birthday to Shae!

Wow! What a difference a year makes! I really can't believe that our little guy is a one year old. It feels like we spent so much time preparing for life with a newborn, and now all of a sudden we've got ourselves a toddler! He sure is a fun toddler with a charming personality though!

Here are just a few of my favorite things about this boy as a one year old:

• He is extremely friendly, as he smiles, laughs, and waves at complete strangers on a daily basis. Target cashier, old lady in the Kohl's parking lot, screaming kid at Menards...you name it.
• He gets a huge smile on his face when he sees Mommy and Daddy hug.
• That smile turns to a giggle when he sees Mommy and Daddy kiss.
• He makes his loud rooster sounds whenever riding in the car, I think just to make us laugh.
• He loves his mommy, but he LOVES his daddy.

I could go on and on about the things that make Shae such a cool kid. I watch him everyday in awe that he's mine (and I know that his daddy does too).

We were so grateful to have a house full of amazing family and friends to help us celebrate Shae's first year of life. What a special day it was!

Shae woke up to find some presents from Mommy and Daddy

What's a party without punch and cake?

Shae's lion cake

Hamming it up and loving all of the attention!

We squeezed a few people into the kitchen

Mommy choked back tears and Shae looked around at his house full of guests as we sang Happy Birthday

Mmmmm, cake

Animal House

What an amazing thing to see a young person develop their own interests! No doubt about it, Shae is drawn to his animals. Nothing can compete with his animal toys, books, and video (except the vacuum cleaner...) He's one smart cookie too, as he proudly rattles off his animal sounds throughout the day.

Check out his skills!