13 Months Old--He WALKS and so much more!

What an amazing month this was! Aaron began standing without assistance and slowly tried to start walking shortly after his birthday. However, there is some debate about where and when his first steps actually occured. Jarrett and my Dad say it happened at the Colburn's house one afternoon when I was not there :) I don't think it counts unless Mommy is there, so we are saying that his first steps happened at home on July 26. He really began to take off towards the middle of August. He was so cute to watch with his hands in the air and having so much fun! I wish we had more pictures to capture everything. We have a lot of video though, just not on the blog :) 

We also got a chance to spend some time with the Schmidt grandparents and Uncle Daniel this month!

Grandpa Carl and Aaron

Grandpa, Grandma Diane and Uncle Daniel with Aaron

Another fun adventure this summer was introducing Aaron to our neighborhood pool! He LOVED it! We put a little pool in our backyard too..because he loves the water and being outside so much!

Just having a drink and relaxing by the pool!

Such pure JOY! He loves to splash and play in the water more than anything!

This month Aaron also had a huge attachment to Jarrett and pretty much anyone besides his Mommy. I have to admit I was a little sad by this phase. But it was so sweet to see him bonding with Jarrett and his grandparents.

At 13 months old, Aaron loved to be independent and likes to show us how he can do things by himself. He also went through a time of throwing his food everywhere! I am so thankful that this didn't last long. It was our first real discipline issue that we've had to deal with. As is becoming more and more independent, we know that there will be plenty of re-directing and teachable moments to come! We loved Aaron at this age and are so happy to see him growing and having fun!



1st Birthday Party!

The weekend after Aaron's birthday we had a party for him at our house. As we are planning our big move to Kansas next summer, we realized that this may be the only birthday Aaron will have in our first home. So we invited a lot of friends and family and got together to celebrate Aaron. I didn't have a specific theme this year. We just did bright colors, balloons and cupcakes!

This was the front of the invitation to Aaron's Party!

I made a picture banner of Aaron from 1 month old to 1 year old. It was so neat to look back at home much he had changed over the year.

Party favors! Of course I forgot to give them to a few of the kids that came!! It was a hectic little party we had!

Our cupcake table! We grilled hamburgers and had lots of treats for our friends! Thanks so much to  Daddy (Jarrett) and the all of the Grandparents for helping with everything!!

Here's Aaron's smashcake. Notice anything funny?? Like I mentioned before it was a crazy time, so in my haste I put the #1 on backwards! It was facing Aaron..but looked ridiculous! I didn't even notice until we looked at the pictures that I had done this!

Familly pic before the craziness! Notice our red faces?? I believe it was 100+ degrees out that day! I have a feeling we'll be pretty hot at all of Aaron's birthdays!

Sweet friends at the party! Smith, Caroline, Mattew and Uncle Daniel! But it was so fun to have friends to play with!

My very sweet college roommates came to the party and brought their precious children too! This was the first time they had all been together, so we tried to get a picture of them. As you can see, the meltdowns happened fast, and this is the best we could do!! So funny! I'm hoping as they get older they will be a little more enthusiastic about having their picture taken together!

Time to sing happy birthday!

This was Aaron's first time to have sugar/cake! I wasn't sure how he would handle it and if he would like it....as you can see..after one little taste..he was ALL about it!

We didn't have to push him at all...he just dove right in!!

Tried to share some with Daddy :)

Opening presents!!

What a fun day with family and friends! We feel so blessed that we could celebrate Aaron with such wonderful people! It was a great day!

Happy 1st Birthday Aaron!

Happy Birthday Aaron!!

July 14, 2011--Aaron turns ONE!!

What an amazing and blessed year we have had. God truly gave us the most unbelievable gift when He gave us Aaron. He is the sweetest little boy and it has been the biggest thrill to watch him grow. Jarrett and I say all the time, how undeserving we feel to get to be his parents. It's hard to believe he's already 1 and growing so fast everyday. He has changed so much and it just gets better and better. Happy Birthday to sweet Aaron Matthew! We can't wait to see what the next year will hold.

1 Year Stats: 28lbs, 13oz and 33 1/2 inches ( he's off the charts in height...again)

 

Right now Aaron is cruising everywhere and is really close to walking on his own. He loves to be moving and hates to be confined or restricted! He will say “bye-bye” and wave when we prompt him. He will also say “uh-oh” when he drops something. He has yet to say Mama or Dada L He can make the sounds, but has no association of what they mean. He will chase his red ball when we tell him to find it. He loves any toy that makes noise and lights up! We’ve started brushing his teeth and he seems to like it! He is eating 3 meals a day with an afternoon snack. He eats just about anything! He hasn’t mastered every table food yet, but he loves to eat! He loves mandarin oranges, pears, cheese, avocados, green beans, carrots, peas, chicken nuggets, meatballs, pasta, fish, birthday cupcakes, ice cream, applesauce, yogurt, oatmeal, peanut butter and so much more. The only food that he doesn’t seem to like is scrambled eggs! He likes to watch Yo Gabba Gabba and Sesame Street and will actually sit still to watch for a little bit.

First Harvest & Father's Day

Aaron and I got to experience our very first wheat harvest this summer! It was so exciting to finally see all that Jarrett has talked about since I met him. Aaron and I have been to the farm many times, but we've never been there during the crazy harvest season. We got to spend almost 3 weeks in Kansas and learned all about farming while we were there. It's very long days and nights for farmers, so we didn't get to see Jarrett much. But it was worth it to be there and we feel so blessed to be a part of this long family tradition.

This is what it looks like to pack for 3 weeks with a baby!

We had a long drive...apparently 11 month old babies don't love long car rides. Aaron loves to move and is starting to hate being confined for long periods of time. He did sleep some..but needless to say it was not a fun drive :)

 Once we got setteled in and unpacked--Aaron was happy and ready to learn all about farm life!

 

We got to watch all of the tractors, harvesters, and trucks drive by. It was a like a little parade!

Aaron had so much fun exploring a new place! He was so good while we were there. He stuck to his schedule and made it very easy on me!

Love this happy boy!

 Around dinner time each day, we would drive out to the farmers and take them a sack supper. They typically work until well after dark, so this was a chance to get to see Jarrett for a few minutes. This is a picture of Jarrett driving one of the wheat harvesters!

 Aaron had so much fun playing with his Uncle Daniel everyday! At lunchtime Daniel would come over and the boys would have so much fun!

One day we got to visit Jarrett and get to take a ride in the harvester. Aaron had so much playing with the wheel and listening to all of the new sounds. It was so sweet to see another Schmidt generation discovering the farm.

Earlier this year, Grandpa Colburn gave Aaron his very own pair of Carhart overalls! He was finally big enough to wear them and just in time for harvest. The Colburns came to Kansas for a few days during harvest. It was so great to have them there to help with Aaron and all of the cooking. Grandpa made his famous spaghetti and cooked steaks for the crew! It was such a wondeful time!

 Grandpa and Aaron in their matching overalls!

 Playing with Grandpa!!

 Happy Father's Day Jarrett!

 It was so great for Jarrett to have a day off and to relax with family.

 Aaron gave Jarrett a book of pictures of the 2 of them over the past year.

 The men in their chairs :)

 The beautiful wheat (before it was cut). What a great view!

We had so much fun in Kansas this summer! What a wonderful and blessed time we had!