BENjamiN Family: Bryce is ONE YEAR OLD!

Happy Happy Birthday to you TO YOU!

My sweet little man is now 1 year old. I've heard all my life how fast time flies and to enjoy my chidren while they are young. I have really tried to do that and am truly thankful beyond words to be able to stay home with my children but it still feels like it's going by faster than I'd like.

Here are some pictures from our Monkey's first birthday.

This was on his actualy Birth Day. He had a bit of a sinus cold that day so his eyes are all red and puffy but he got over it just in time for his party. I was making animal balloons and Bryce wanted to play with one so he was all happy!

Every time he sees a balloon he says "OOOOOHHHHH" I had to share ther photo.

Bryce's birthday theme was jungle animals so I made animal cupcakes.

Zebra, Lion, Tiger and Monkey. I topped the cupcake towers with a #1 cupcake and a monkey cupcake because I've always called Bryce my monkey.

Bryce went CA-RAY-ZEE when he saw me walk in the house with a bunch of balloons and was making his "OH" face. Ben grabbed the camera to take a picture but we never caught the "look".

The food isn't pictured here because Ben was outside grilling it but I labelled the burger "Zebra Patties" and the hotdogs "Elephant Trunks".

Potatoe Salad I labelled as "Safari Salad"

Macaroni I labelled "Monkey Macaroni"

There was also some baked beans that were still in the oven that I labelled "Bear Beans".

The Drink Station

The "CUB Cakes" and Cookie Cake

I bought some poster boards and drew some animal cut outs for decorations. Also pictured is Bryce's high chair all ready for his dive into his first birthday cupcake.

Lion and Tree with a Lion Pinata hideing on top of the TV.

(We actually completely forgot to do the pinata because we were having so much fun).

We had an appetizer spread with "Tiger Taco dip" and "Simba Snacks" wich were animal crackers, pretzels, and candy. The candy was just left overs from what I needed to make the cupcakes.

More decorations.

This was the gift and Party Bag table. I strung some rope and hung animal balloons from it. We made giraffe's, elephants and Parrots. I had others hidden in trees throughout the house.

The party has begun and Bryce was in such a good mood! He was just sitting there looking so adorabl and of course when I grab my camera to take a pix he moved. At least I got an adorable smile out of the shot!

It was a pool party but since Bryce was just getting over being sick we wanted to keep him out of the water. He didn't mind so much because he got to play in his raft anyway. He actually LOVES the water and prefers NOT to be in his raft. He likes you to hold him and he's getting really comfortable putting his face under water. He will be swimming much sooner than the girls were.

Here he is trying to get out of the screen with his floatie. He was ready to go swimming now. HEHE

Kristina having fun with one of the noodles.

IT'S CAKE TIME! His sisters were there to help him blow his candle out. He was so interested in everyone singing to him that he didn't even notice me standing there with his cupcake and candle until after the girls blew the candle out. I had even bent down to hold it infront of him and he was trying to look around me. It was cute.

Once he noticed the cupcake tho he was all ready to dive in.

This was his first cupcake EVER and it was like he had eaten them before. He one fisted it and dove right in.

He started to drop some of the cupcake in his high chair so he scooted over to pick it up. HE left no cupcake behind. He finished the whole thing off. YAY BRYCE!

After word he ended up naked in the kitchen sink for a bath.

Cutting the cookie cake.

Time for jungle animal face painting. I had asked my sister-in-law, Alisha, ahead of time if she wouldn't mind doing the face painting because I knew I'd be busy with other stuff. She did SOOO better than I ever would have. Thanks to Aunt Alisha for transforming all the kids into jungle animals!

Cousin Jack as a Tiger

Vanessa as a Monkey and Kristina as a Lion

Bryce playing with one of his birthday gifts and Nessa saying "Oo Oo Aa Aa" like a monkey.

GIFT TIME

We made jungle animal puppets. I had all the pieces in ziplock bags. Most of it was peel and stick but the parents had to help glue the eyes and the popcycle stick to the back. There were Monkeys, Elephants and Lions. Each of the kids were able to make one of each.

Mrs. Lori and Kaylee as Butterflies making their monkey puppet.

Grandpa Brett sharing some of his water with Bryce. For some reason Bryce has an infactuation with water bottles and drinking out of them. HE's all dressed and ready for bed here.

Cousin Nate as a Tiger

We ATTEMPTED group pictures but it was getting late and this was the best picture of all the kids. Almost all of them were looking.

Ben, Kristina, Nessa, Nate, Eddie, Jack, Kaylee and Bryce and Luke in front. You can see one of the mommies clapping their hands trying to get everyone's attention. I wanted to get a pix of all their faces.