Having Grandmom and Grandpop visit was so fun! And luckily for Noah they were able to stay for a few days after the birthday party just to hang out. During this time, Grandpop learned how much Noah enjoys being bounced up and down. And Grandmom and Noah brushed goats at a local petting zoo. What a great time with his grandparents!
Noah's birthday was a wonderful day full of excellent moments and far too many pictures. It started with Noah sleeping in with Daddy and then noshing on his favorite breakfast, banana pancakes. Yummy!
After breakfast I continued one of my favorite traditions from my childhood, a present in the morning. Noah got a little lunchbox filled with uber-cool knee socks from my friend Kierstie.
Later in the morning, we opened presents from the family as we knew it would be a little crazy. It was; Noah was completely spoiled. But he had a good time getting new toys and books!
My mom gave us a book of baby sign language with flip cards. Great for helping us communicate better.
A few new race cars to join Noah's truck play.
Perhaps the most popular gift of the morning was a train ride-on toy from Tim. It has buttons and noises galore, just the way Noah likes it! 
Tim did a great job decorating for the party coming up with popular ideas. All the kids loved how he hung streamers from the blades of the fan that swirled while the fan was turned on.
Noah had two cakes because there were so many people coming for the party. The main cake featured a monkey, of course! And the candle was held in a little silver teddy bear holder I got as a momento from my Grammie's house.
This is the second cake I made. Covered in sprinkles for that party flair!
Barb hung the banner she and Noah made yesterday on the door. She also wrote welcoming messages to our guests on the sidewalk. It was very friendly.
The party has finally begun and Noah played with guests Valerie and Mr. Bill.
Noah and his friend Jennifer enjoyed splashing in the pool even though it was a little cool and cloudy that day.
As you can see Noah had a lot of friends visit for his party. He is very blessed and lucky to be surrounded by so many friends and loved ones.
Waiting for the cake to arrive...
Ooh! Very surprised at the monkey cake.
Mommy helped blow out the candle.
Noah decided not to grab into the cake and smash it all over his face as everyone expected. Instead he very gently picked some of the prinkles off and ate them. What a goofy little boy!
We thought he might dive in after that first bite, you can see his whole hand went onto the cake, but no. Just another bite of frosting.
He was a happy little boy though for his birthday!
Yummy, tasting the cake for himself.
Hanging out with Aunt Liz. He got reminded many times how she was his first friend, meeting him when he was just two hours old!
Jude and Carrie digging in to some cake!
Lucas, Tim, and Grandpop hanging out, having some cake. Lucas insisted on having a piece of each kind of cake to ensure they were both equally delicious. :)
After cake we opened presents again. And Noah was spoiled again. His friends were very thoughtful and generous to his, choosing fun toys and fantastic clothes.
Hooray! Opening presents is fun!
Mommy had a little fun while we opened presents turning Noah into a present too.
After everyone left, Noah decided he might like a little more cake. So, we dug in.
What a wonderful first birthday! Thanks everyone for helping Noah celebrate his first year. It was the best year Tim and I have ever had. We are blessed in every minute we have shared with Noah.
The day before Noah's birthday, Grandmom and Grandpop arrived from Delaware! As soon as they got here, we got to work having fun! Grandmom and Noah played with Horsey Bear and then made a poster for the party the next day.
Here Noah tried to use some crayons. It didn't work too well, but it was still fun to make the attempt.
Grandpop got to work as well helping to childproof the house before the party. Here he is installing a lock for the kitchen cabinet while Noah did the heavy looking-on. Of course, as soon as Grandpop was done, the first thing Noah had to do was try to get into the cupboards. Typical. :)
What a cool dude dressed up in Scott's sunglasses!
The park where the picnic took place has a little train ride which we definitely wanted to try. It was a 10 minute ride where we saw the majority of the park and some of it's wildlife including peacocks on the loose!
After the train ride Noah got a special handpainted monkey tattoo. He was totally patient as the painter crafted a glittery monkey.
It was a fun-filled afternoon which completely tuckered Noah out. We were not even out of the parking lot before he fell asleep.
Daddy and Noah showing off their tattoos. So much fun!
Here is Noah riding a sea horse at our local park. He's still a little cautious about the swings, but he loves the springy horses and the slide.
