Happy Birthday Conner!

Conner's big day began bright and early at Aunt Sheri's house in Boise with his first big boy hair cut. I had put this off for far too long and the little guy had a definitively shaggy look about him but I was worried that if I cut it his blonde locks would disappear in favor of a darker hue. However it had to be done and thus Conner found himself seated in the kitchen being fed cantaloupe and string cheese in hopes that this would keep him still for the ensuing hair cut. Not until the very end did he start to squirm and declare this particular hair cutting session OVER!
Aunt Sheri is meticulous to a fault though and she made him hang on for a few more snips here and a few more snips there while mom held his head, his hands and eventually the whole kid. The end result was a blonde little boy who could see without peering through strands of hair and that made it worth the effort.
The pre-hair cut look (above) Aunt Sheri working her magic (below)

The finished look (and I may say what a disgruntled look the recipient has)

The rest of his "big day" followed Tuesday July 20 after our return from Oregon. I decided to try my hand at a tractor cake and so his invites to friends and family were green and yellow tractors, the plates were green and yellow and his cake - well I didn't make it to the store so it was red with green tires :) Hey you use what you got and must be happy with that (did I mention in a previous blog that I'd been sick all the way home Monday and it decided to hang around for Tuesday? That right there should explain the cake) So I don't think it turned out too bad although it did resemble a race car more than a tractor. Oh well, he's 1 right? He won't know the difference.
We were happy to have Grandma and Grandpa Patterson, Grandma Teuscher, Aunt Ria, Ryan, Alicia, Emmeree, Kache, Grandma Tricia, Aubrey, and Aaden. It was the perfect weather for grilling and chilling so we bbq'd hot dogs, hamburgers. It was delicious right down to the overly melted Strawberry ice cream (I'm not a fan of this flavor but it is dang good - we still have almost the entire bucket left, ice cream anyone?)
Grandma Teuscher & Aunt Ria enjoying cake and ice cream (above) Conner quenching his thirst with mom's glass of water (below)
Of course there were presents and lots of kids to help open those presents. I think Wyatt was the most excited because when everyone left, he got to play with all of Conner's toys. As he put it, "Conner wants to share his toys, mom" hmmm really or does Wyatt just want to play with all the toys? Yep we know the answer to that one.

Dad helping Conner with his first gift (above) Dad, Aubrey, and Grandpa Patterson helping Conner blow out his candle (below)Then of course there was the birthday cake just for the birthday boy and boy oh boy did he know what to do with it! He stuck his fingers right in and took a chunk and shoved it in his mouth. So much different than Wy who wouldn't even touch his cake. Dad and Grandpa stood by ready to encourage Conner but there was no hesitation and he enjoyed every bite.

The afternoon of fun came to an end with a long nap for a tired little one year old boy. I am so happy to see how much he's grown in the last year but I won't lie there were moments that day and the day of his birthday that I remembered that tiny little guy who arrived July 16 at 5:55 pm weighing 7 lbs and 13 oz and who looked just like his daddy and his older brother. There are days I miss that little baby and he must know it because he'll crawl over, put his arms up and after I pick him up he gives me a big hug and cuddles with me. We are so blessed to have such sweet boys as part of our family. They spent three days at Grandma and Grandpa Teuscher's house and Brad and I discovered that the house is just too quiet without them. Give me noise and toys all over the house any day over complete silence!