365 Days Old

It was Allen Jess' first birthday and we were all so excited and thrilled about the momentous occasion that we had planned... absolutely nothing! Well, that's not entirely true, but for all but one special family activity in the late afternoon that day... the three of us had no plans, no party, and no real birthday fun to speak of. Sounds a little depressing I know, but after attending a friend's 1-year-old birthday party and realizing the party was more for all of the adults than it was for the 1-year-old, plus the fact that he really has no idea that it's his birthday anyway... Jei & I decided that Allen's birthday was going to be very low-key and celebrate it together - just the three of us.  

So while Mommy worked her magic in the kitchen making us a special birthday breakfast... Allen & I walked over to the store to get some birthday balloons! I can't recall whether or not Allen had seen balloons before, but if he had he sure didn't act like it! He was completely fascinated with them! 

Allen's birthday breakfast surprise!

We of course had to throw up some cheesy decorations for the day... which Allen could have cared less about, for he was way too busy diggin' into that pancake and staring at those balloons!

A birthday breakfast for three at home.

Not very exciting, but it sure was delicious!

Watching Allen feed his little face with that big pancake for the very first time was very entertaining!

Birthday boy was full and happy!

Not a bad way to start off the day.

The obligatory birthday pics were a must!

So the one thing we did have planned that day was to attend a private photo shoot that afternoon up in the mountains! We hired a photographer, found a beautiful place to shoot up in Idyllwild, CA, and spent about an hour and a half trying to make our son smile and laugh. Apparently having to do a photo shoot wasn't exactly what Allen had in mind when he thought about fun things to do on his birthday! He wasn't a very happy camper, or at least not his usual happy self that afternoon, so we're hoping we get at least a few good pictures out of the shoot. But regardless, it was a great idea and it was lots of fun. 

After a long afternoon of driving and posing for pictures, we were all tired and very hungry. We stopped on our way home for dinner and Allen had a little bread, corn, mashed potatoes, and pulled pork for his birthday dinner! We got home that night and we were exhausted. So tired in fact, that Allen could only muster up enough energy to open just one birthday present.

It wasn't very exciting or glamorous... or even all that memorable, but we celebrated Allen's big first birthday the best way we knew how: together, with a whole lotta love! Thanks for all the wonderful cards and gifts.

The First Year

A year ago today Allen Jess came into our lives. There was so much we didn't know and so much to learn about being parents... the last thing on our minds was trying to comprehend just how fast that first year was going to go by, and just how much our little boy was going to change. But fortunately, we think we did a pretty good job taking pictures and documenting Allen's first year of life. It sure is fun looking back at some of the old photos... but scary at the same time, for we admittedly can't recollect Allen Jess being that little! The first year has been a blast though... and Jeilene and I certainly can't imagine life without him. We are truly blessed and most certainly happier today that Allen Jess is in our life. 

The River

With the last holiday weekend of the summer fast approaching... we were determined to get out of the house, go somewhere and have lots of fun! And that's exactly what happened when our friends invited us to the (Colorado) River to enjoy the warm waters and the hot weather for the long weekend. We all piled into our friends Suburban and made it to Laughlin, NV by nightfall, and then once we made it to our room, Allen & I had a little playtime before bed.

After waking up late and enjoying a big breakfast, we finally made it out on the River on our friend's boat. It was super hot, but still a gorgeous day to be out on the water! 

Allen definitely wasn't all that thrilled to wear his life jacket... but I'm pretty sure his love for being on the boat and enjoying watching all that water splash and go by superseded any dislike he had for having to wear his life jacket... therefore, he was one little happy camper! That is of course until the warmth of the sunshine, the wind, the hum of the engine, and the movement of the boat put him right to sleep!

We found a decent place to stop for a while and swim... and Allen was put in charge of making sure no other boats invaded our little swimming area (His little scream and mean face can be quite intimidating!).

With triple digit temps outside...

cooling off in the water felt oh-so-good!

Allen wasn't the only kid who made the trip with us... our friend's two kids tagged along too, which gave Allen a few (bigger) playmates to play with.

It was high noon... but there was definitely a full moon out!

(This one's for you Mandi!)

After some more cruising around on the boat, we eventually found a nice little cove to hangout in, where Allen played with the women in the boat...

While the rest of us got out and swam!

And after some intense scouting around

for just the right rock outcropping...

We finally found the perfect one to jump off of!

Needless to say, everyone was very impressed

with my uncanny ability to "plank" in mid air!

After a lot of swimming, jumping, diving, and fun in the water...

it was time to cruise the River some more in the boat.

"Full speed ahead!"

Allen yelled as he navigated the busy waters for the captain!

And then of course the motion, wind, warmth and engine noise got to him once again, and the little fella just couldn't resist a little shut eye.

Something about the excitment of being out on the River... boating, swimming, jumping off the rocks, being in the sun, and drinking ice cold beer all day long, just totally drains you and puts you to sleep! 

But not to worry, for Allen is a warrior and he woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed ready for some more fun in the sun... that is after a big bottle of milk of course.

Day one ended with lots of smiles, a huge appetite, and everyone looking forward to getting back out on the water the following day.

We filled the coolers, loaded up the boat, and made it to the dock nice and early the next morning... but just as we were all about to step into the boat from the dock, Allen made his lighting-fast move to the steering wheel with his girl by his side without any of us noticing... and it was then that he made his getaway! "Don't worry Sweet Cheeks, my Dad showed me exactly what to do!"

After scouring the shoreline for a good place to set up camp for the day, we got super lucky and found just the right spot. 

A few of us swam across the cove to checkout the other side, while Jei & Allen hungout with the tubes... which Allen absolutely loved to play in!

But it wasn't long before Allen was ready to watch a few brave souls jump off some really high rocks again!



But something tells me Allen wasn't all that impressed!

But I certainly didn't give up,

and started pulling out crazy moves like the toe-touch...

The swan dive...

And just plane ole silliness.

 Impressive or not, it was still a whole lotta fun! 

"Allen... please don't mess with the boat keys

in the ignition while I'm back here!" 

"Hee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Hanging out in the boat, listening to music, snacking, drinking, and watching the rest of us jump into the water... certainly kept Allen & Jei happy and content! 

There was just no convincing the older women in the group to join us... and although I think Allen would've enjoyed the free-fall, I'm not so sure he would have liked the landing. But regardless, the four of us who did jump, surely enjoyed our time on the rocks, in the water, and in the air!

As the sun began to set behind the picturesque moutnains along the River's edge, we had just about all the fun we could stand for one day. It was time to jump our last jump, swim our last swim, and enjoy watching the wake of the boat for the last time... as we head in to call it a day. 

Despite the nasty look on Allen's face... our little weekend getaway to the River was lots of fun! The weather was hot but beautiful, the water was cool but warm, the rocks were high but fun, and the company was small but entertaining! A perfect way to spend the long holiday weekend and to close out those ridiculously hot summer months!