Jarem’s All Star 1st Birthday Party

Saturday morning was pretty much a blur as we ran around and traded off playing with Jarem and getting stuff done. We wanted to be sure that Jarem was always being taken care of so we had someone focusing on him at all times. I figured what fun would a party be if he had to be alone all morning. We tried to keep the focus on him and kept someone with him all morning for playing, feeding, etc. Kenn and Kacia were so helpful in keeping us organized and moving. The weather was a bit crazy because there was a chance of rain but gratefully none ever came. There was however some crazy winds! The party was at our local park and decorations were minimal since the wind was so high. It's funny though because once everyone got there and the party started, I didn't even notice the wind anymore.

The party was such a blast and we can't say enough how blessed we feel with so many loving people surrounding us and celebrating Jarem's life. A few of my favorite moments were when Emma and Braden "swam" in the tub. SO CUTE!
Notice Emma has her game face on! Jen, Bradley and the kids came ready to play in their "training gear" and looked so cute. They had personalized hats for Jarem's party and definitely would have won best costume. :)
The boys, hanging out. This is my brother-in-law Bradley, Eric and Eric's brother, Kenn. I bet they were comparing sports stories from their glory days or something fun like that. hehe Most of all, I absolutely loved watching Jarem be held by various family members and friends throughout the day while he played. We feel so loved. I also loved watching Jarem and Raf play together and walk around in their matching green tank tops, which wasn't planned by the way. Good taste in clothing though! After lots of playing, it was finally time to sing Happy Birthday and eat some yummy cake! Jarem had quite a few outfit changes throughout the party but his cake was made especially for him to match his birthday boy outfit. He didn't really tear into it and get too messy on his own. Most of the mess came with our help. It was very fun watching him eat his cake and explore sweets for the first time. Yum Yum!
After eating some yummy cake and opening some truly generous gifts, we had a piñata at the party from Joanna, Barbara and Ana. What a hit it was with the kids! After Raf, Jarem and Korina couldn't get it open; we coerced Chloe and Josee to try. I know they thought they were a little old to be hitting a piñata but I would have jumped at the chance! LOL They were great sports and took a few swings at the piñata for us. Korina was the grand slam hitter though that finally brought out all the yummy candy. By the end of the party we were absolutely exhausted. It was a perfect party on a perfect day for our perfect little boy. We of course took TONS of pictures so here are some more from Jarem's All Star 1st Birthday Party. What a fun day!
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Chihuly Glass

Here are some of the pictures of the Dale Chihuly glass art that we saw at the Desert Botanical Gardens on Jarem's birthday. Very beautiful! The only bummer about our trip is that I really wanted to do the Butterfly exhibit and see the Monarchs but we got there just after it closed. BUMMER! All in all, I'd recommend going and walking around for a peaceful and serene time. Great art and beautiful things to see...












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Desert Botanical Gardens

After Jarem's nap, Gary, Rose, Kenn, Kacia, my mom, Eric, Jarem and I all went to the Desert Botanical Gardens to see the Chihuly exhibits. The glass was beautiful! Jarem's favorite part was when he got out of his stroller and got to walk around. He loved splashing in some water and playing with all the various family members there. He was so proud to be walking around like a big boy and exploring the beautiful sights. Jarem cracks us up because he loves to walk on rocks. Any time he is remotely close to rocks he heads straight for them and especially likes to walk on them or taste them. There were some rock paved paths at the Botanical Gardens that Jarem walked all over. What more could a one year old boy ask for on his birthday?
That evening we played a little more when we got home and then put him to bed so he could rest up before his big party on Saturday. Once he was asleep, my mom and I went to her house for some serious cake baking and decorating! The original plan was to have four cakes but we decided not to do one of them and ended up with three beautiful cakes! We were so proud and impressed with how good they came out! We had a little trouble getting the color right for the basketball but in the end, it all turned out perfectly. I have had so much fun becoming more domestic in recent months. I'm not really a big cooker or baker but I had the urge to bake a lot for Jarem's party and couldn't have done it without the help of my mom. She was so patient with me and my crazy ideas. There is this awesome cake shop in Phoenix called ABC Baking Cake Decorating that you have to check it out if you ever need baking supplies. They totally helped us out with our beautiful creations.
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Happy 1st Birthday, Jarem!!

Jarem woke up pretty early on Friday morning and was welcomed by hugs, kisses and cuddles from mommy and daddy! Later that morning Eric went to the airport to pick up his brother Kenn while Eric's cousin Kacia and I played with Jarem at home. When the boys got home, Jarem was peacefully sleeping in his swing. We know he's way too big for it but it's the best thing for napping Jarem. He sleeps longer in there and loves being in his swing. Too funny... Kenn got to meet Jarem for the first time. It was so cute!
After that, we started cooking lunch. Then we took some good food over to Rose and Gary's house and had a big lunch. Kenn's birthday was just a couple weeks ago so we had a little cake for him. My dad, sister and the kids came over to join us for lunch along with our good friend Uriel. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many loving family members! Lunch was a ton of fun and super yummy! After lunch Jarem was exhausted so of course he took a nap. What a tough birthday so far! Playing, eating, cuddling and sleeping. :) ... Full Post...

Jarem is 1!

Our baby is now a toddler, officially! I know he started walking at 11 months and technically that made him a toddler but now that he is one, he is officially a toddler. It's crazy how much he has been learning in the past two weeks! He has really taken to his baby sign language and knows: drink, more, eat, help, thank you, up and milk. It's like all of a sudden he started doing them all at once and is really using them to communicate now. He is so smart and growing up so fast! He is mastering his walking skills and can turn on a dime. He is also getting more daring and almost running at some points. Jarem no longer puts his hands straight up in the air when he walks. It was cute while it lasted but he's moved on to carrying things and using his hands for fun stuff while walking now. He is eating like such a big boy and loves almost anything we give him. It's such a crack up to watch him eat! His hair is growing out nicely and soon I think that bald spot on the back of his head will be completely grown in. :) Jarem has seven teeth and is drooling again so we think more are on the way. All in all, we could not be more grateful for how healthy and amazing our little boy is.

This year has been the ride of a lifetime! Our lives revolve around being parents and bring us so much joy. It's been hard at times to juggle life and work while still doing what we want -- PLAY WITH JAREM! It's hard finding time to clean the house when Jarem is there and all we want to do is play with him. But we're getting better at it and finding the right balance. Here are some of our favorite pictures from his first year. This is no where close to ALL our favorites though cause with how many pictures we’ve taken, there are a lot of good ones! So enjoy this little sample of Jarem’s 1st year.


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