Ashton at one year!!

We cannot believe that our little angel baby is one!! Time went way too fast! We had quite the year for sure- full of ups and downs, challenges and so many great memories. It's amazing how one little boy can change so many lives. Derek and I often talk about what he has done for us! He has brought us so much joy and happiness. We don't know what life was like without him-it must have been boring for sure! We don't know what we talked about before Ashton joined our family either. At my parents house we never even turn the TV on any more because we all just watch the adorable baby crawling around! Honestly the first few months of his life were so hard and challenging that I didn't know how we would make it to a year but we did and life is so good! Everyday gets better and better!

The word that would describe Aston at one year is BUSY! He is the busiest baby I know! He never stops moving and going and he exhausts me but I love it! He has never once in his whole year of life just fallen asleep playing or laying on the floor. He only sleeps in his crib and only when he is forced to! When he is awake he's moving and going strong! He is into EVERYTHING! He loves unrolling the toilet paper in bathrooms, he opens drawers and pulls out every sandwich baggie we have (snack size, sandwich, gallon, quart, etc!) He is obsessed with our pantry and he finds the soda cans and rolls them all over the kitchen floor. he threw one once and it broke open and started straying everywhere. He looked around like "how did I do that?" and "I wanna try that again!" He crawls up and down the stairs so fast I don't even realize he's doing it! He hides in the curtains, under the table and in his closet. He goes into rooms and shuts the door, locking himself in and I hear him calling me to get him out! Luckily for me he isn't walking yet so I can usually keep up with him!

At one Ashton:
- plays with toys only when I am cleaning them up!
- the toys that he does enjoy are balls and cars
- has 6 teeth and is getting his 4 one year old molars
- Gives high five and smiles every time!
- claps when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It"
- loves to play catch with his tennis balls
- dances almost every time he hears music
- says mama and dada
- screeches and talks a lot 
- likes to eat cucumbers, grapes, goldfish, and shrimp

We always joke that Ashton is our little monster so we had a monster birthday party and it was a blast. My mom took these cute monster pictures for his invitations and they turned out so cute!

I was so excited to give him his first cake! He is allergic to eggs and is lactose intolerant so I had a lady make me a cake with no eggs or dairy and decorate it all cute like a monster. We put it in front of him and he wouldn't even touch it!! As soon as the frosting got on his hands he started to wipe it off and cry. He hated it on his hands or fingers. It was an adorable cake and the other kids loved it so I guess its ok :)

We had fun visiting with family, had good food and a fun photo booth! My mom is amazing and set up an adorable photo booth that the kids loved! The props were a hit and the pictures are priceless. I am so grateful for our family who not only came to celebrate with Ashton but that have been there through this challenging but great first year!

 

 Happy birthday Ashton!