Nice Weather

Now that the weather is so nice, Axel is having so much fun exploring our somewhat safe back yard. We still have a lot to do, but he is happy as could be to crawl around in the gravel and play with the rocks.

This is the first time that Axel has ever decided to take a rest on his own. Aside from one time when he was about 4 months old, and fell asleep on his bedroom floor, he has never chosen to lie down by himself. This was a very happy moment for me.

He did not, however, go to sleep. It was just a momentary rest, lasting all of 60 seconds or so.

Axel's First Birthday Party

Ram came up with the theme for Axel's Party a few months ago. Piet Mondrian was a painter in the early 1900s. Axel's cake and invitations were a "replica" of one of his paintings. It was so fun to come up with the decor. I made a garland of red, yellow and blue felt squares that hung across the kitchen ceiling. Didn't Ram do a great job decorating that cake?

I couldn't decide which party hat I liked best, so he wore both of them. The cone with the elastic was the one that stayed on for a little while. He was so sweet in that hat!

Here's Mommy bringing Axel his first birthday cake!

And now...the cake sequence...

He hardly put any in his mouth. He did like it, when we made him taste it. It was lemon, his favorite, but I think there was too much for him to realize he was supposed to eat it.

After opening a few presents, we played in the back yard and enjoyed our family and our little boy. It was a perfect first birthday party.

One!

My little love bug turned one on March 8. My, how time flies! Due to sickness on Mommy and Axel's part, we had to postpone the party a week. We had a great time with family. Axel had a great time with the cake that Daddy decorate for him. I'll post more photos when I get copies of them from my mom. This is one of the few photos Ram or I took that day, since we just wanted to spend the day enjoying our boy.

Happy Birthday, Axel! You are such a precious gift. We love you tremendously ad look forward to many more birthdays to come.

By the way, Axel and I are feeling much better this week. That illness was quite a doozy!

Pacific Northwest Road Trip Part 2

Well, part 2 did not have nearly the excitement that part 1 of our trip had. We spent some fun time in Seattle, then drove to Portland. We spent about 5 days in Portland. While Ram was at his class, Axel and I spent most of our time sleeping and playing in the quiet of the Bed and Breakfast. A few days in, I came down with a yucky cold, and that was that. I was done with vacation and wanted to be home in bed. That is exactly where I headed. We drove for a very long time and finally arrived home around 11:15 Friday night. The next several days are a blur, as I was in bed and miserable for a good portion of it. Now, Axel is sick. We hope to be on the mend by the weekend for Axel's birthday. This vacation was fun, but I don't know if i will ever want to go on another vacation again. :)