Birthday Bash

 The night before Pierscen's 1st birthday, Ryan and I decorated the kitchen with streamers and balloons. We also hung a few streamers in front of his bedroom doorway. When he woke up and we carried him into the kitchen, he literally jumped in surprise as he saw the balloons and streamers. He didn't know what to make of it. It was so cute! We helped him bat around some of the balloons and gave him one to play with.

 Pierscen thought the balloons were great fun. He didn't pop a single one and they remained for a good two weeks afterwards. Now Dodger is a different story. He managed to pop several.

 I decided to make Pierscen a special chocolate chip pancake. He loves pancakes, and he loves chocolate chips - so it seemed like a natural fit.

Little man wasn't so sure at first. He just stared and it, picked it up, and let it flop back onto the tray. It wasn't until I tore it up that he decided it was at least worth a try.

And boy was it a success!!! He was so happy and so goofy. I would say chocolate chip pancakes are now a favorite.

The rest of the day was pretty normal. We played, read books, napped, etc. That evening we invited our friends Lauriel and Casey, and Melody, David and Lyric over for the cake (in this case donut) eating festivities. I made brownies for everyone else. 

 Pierscen has definitely seen fire before with our wood burning stove being used almost daily (a downside of which is I often smell like a campfire) but he had never had it so close. He didn't know what to do. He took a few swipes at it, which we tried to deter, but he ended up extinguishing it with his fingers. It didn't hurt him at all. He seemed surprised when it suddenly wasn't there any more.

 With the candle out of the way, we told him to dig in, but he seemed to have no idea what to do. He would reach for it, then pull away. Reach, and pull away. It was so funny!

 We gave him a little bit of help as you can see in the video, and the rest was history!

Yum, yum, yum, yum, YUM!

He even decided hands weren't doing the job fast enough so he dug in face first.

He had plenty of personality and funny faces to go around. This kid is a crack up!

 You can tell when he is getting tired or full when he starts poking his food with his thumb. It's his way of saying I'm done.

I would say the donut was a total success. He sure loved it! After dessert came presents. Lyric and P had a great time playing and opening presents, taste testing each one, and passing each item back and forth. I think they are going to be great friends. :)

 This farm toy pictured above was from "Aunt" Nicia. It was a major success. Noise, lights, and motion. What more could a 1-year-old want?

 Lyric gave him his first football. Go Pierscen!

Our gift was a Noah's Ark play set. I got it off of Ebay, so there are a couple of animals that don't have "partners" but it still is a full boat! 

It was a really fun evening. Obviously P didn't understand why we were partying, but I think he sure had a fun time. I am so glad our friends were able to come over and party with us. It made it easier being away from family. Sure wish they could have been there with us! 

Pierscen is an amazing boy. He is learning and growing every day. He is my hero, my miracle, and my friend. It's hard to see him grow so fast, but I look forward to each day and stage and treasure the time I have with this precious boy - especially while he still lets me love and kiss him and returns it without being embarrassed. :)  Life really is a gift and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for the life he has blessed me to have keeping over. Happy Birthday Pierscen!