Happy Birthday Evan!

On Tuesday, March 24th Evan turned one (and his great-grandfather turned 81).  We had a small celebration on the actual day as we were vacationing in

 Sandpoint, Idaho with our friends Brian & Kristi, and their children Calvin & Ashlyn.  Evan had a small cake, and made a complete mess of everything with it... quite a contrast from Ryan's first birthday!  Ryan had to be prompted to put his messy hands in his hair (thanks Auntie Heather) and really wasn't too keen on being a mess.  Evan, on the other hand, dug right in.  Frosting and cake went flying as he clapped his hands with glee!  It took me longer to clean up the mess than it did for him to make it... and every minute was worth it!

We returned to Vancouver that weekend and had a bigger party for him on that Sunday.  There was a great turn-out of friends and family.  I remember sitting back and thinking about how parties have changed.  Used to be that a birthday party with our friends consisted of all young adults.... now there is a heard of kids running around outnumbering the adults.  Its really heartwarming to see all our friends who are now also great parents.  Evan didn't make nearly the mess with his cake this time, but still enjoyed every bit of cake and ice cream (brrrrrr).

SNAPSHOT.... Evan as a 1-year old:  

Evan isn't quite walking, but cruises around everything from couches, tables, walls... to moving objects and people.  With all of his "skills", he manages to get into just about everything and anything he desires.  On the rare chance he can't get what he wants (whether it be out of reach or simply a "no touch")... he will let everyone in the house know that he is not happy.  He is very good at voicing his opinions despite not really talking yet.  He is also a very determined boy and will keep trying to get what it is he is wanting.  He does say "mama" and "dada"... and we've heard him mimic other, more complex words... but those are not part of his repertoire.  He is very "talkative" in his own way, babbling and garbling almost constantly.  He will use American Sign Language to communicate some of his needs... if he wants to.  He currently can sign "eat", "drink", "more", "all done", and "milk".  Evan weighs just under 20 lbs. and is in the 50% for height and has 8 teeth... 6 that are pretty well through, and two that are just now breaking through.  Evan enjoys being outside and active.  He likes being part of the action... if not the life of the party.  He is a total ham when he sees a camera and can go from crying to a heart-melting smile in less than a minute if you snap off a shot or two.  I love getting the sloppy wet open-mouthed kisses from him on my cheek... often followed by his version of a hug.  He loves his family (as seen in his smile and the twinkle in his eye when a family member comes into the room) and loves playing with his brother.