let the games begin

Watching the Olympics every few years is one of my favorite things. I fully intend to have the TV showing the Olympics nearly all day for the next two week. Last night, we hosted another family for an Opening Ceremonies Viewing Party. I know it is absolutely unnecessary but creating special treats and decorations just makes me happy. I hope it makes things that much more memorable too.

bald

Nathan was at his cousin's house when he called to ask if he could buzz his hair. I replied that while I would rather he didn't but that he could if he really wanted to do it. Of course, I was thinking he would actually have a little hair left. When he got home, I was shocked to see a totally shaved head. Apparently, he got started on his own and cut his hair down so far that his aunt had to resort to a full-on shave.

Dave and I do groan a little about what he looks like with the shaved head and white tank tops he like to wear. Not exactly the persona we want for him. Oh well. At least its not permanent.

a year in photos

I put up these pictures of Ben all over the cabinets for his birthday. It was fun to see how he has grown. When I first sat down to choose photos, I was worried that I wouldn't have enough because of how sparse the picture-taking has been in the last year. Happily, I found plenty.

one sweet cookie

Our little Benny Boo Boo turned 1 today! We celebrated this evening with a Milk and Cookies party. As always, I didn't manage to get everything done for the party that I wanted, but it was still a nice celebration. We had a mixture of homemade (Chocolate Chip, Lemon Crinkle, Chocolate Ginger) and store-bought cookies. For the milk, we had flavored milk (Orange, Vanilla, Rootbeer, Strawberry, and Chocolate) and homemade ice cream (Peach, Strawberry Buttermilk, and Mint Chocolate Chip).

Ben had no trouble digging right into his cake. Cousin Lauren wanted some too.
the following pictures were taken by Dana
 

Party guests included the Vances, the Linders and all the Daniels. It was a house full of lots of people who love Ben. One sweet evening.