Our little drummer boy!

He couldn't make his father more proud. You should've seen how excited he was when I got it out for him.

My Son the Fish

On a recent trip to my parent's house, Will got to enjoy some more pool-time! It took him about 2 seconds to realize that he was part fish. He took right to paddling and kicking, and would even push himself off of one of us to get to another.

It only took a little bit of prodding before he was blowing some bubbles in the water, and even jumping in! He's quite a daredevil, though, so we had to make sure to follow him wherever he went around the pool, because he enjoyed jumping in wherever!

Bacon Apple Pie?!

Beth has been doing some prep-work this week for an amazing upcoming event this Saturday at Wild Goose Creative: BaconCamp! BaconCamp celebrates all things bacon: arts, crafts, food, performance. We decided to be the host for the Columbus edition, so we're all working hard on it. Beth has been practicing her recipe for a bacon apple pie. We sampled the first try on Sunday night, and it. Is. Delicious! A great mix of savory and sweet. The apples are combined with a variety of spices, and the bacon is interlaced across the top. It was amazingly good, and we're all looking forward to the next attempt!

Muddy Boy

One of the things Nick and I were most excited about with having a little boy was the dirt and mud he was sure to get into. I know that sounds odd, but there is something so satisfying about seeing a little boy just covered in dirt and happy as can be.

We went on a walk in "our ravine," which is one of Columbus' hidden gems and most beautiful parks, and only a block from our house!

It was after a full day of nothing but heavy rain (which we needed!), so the puddles were ripe for the stompin'!
Maeby usually disappears into the woods at this point to find her own adventures and dirt, so clearly little girls like mud too!

After a few minutes, will's legs and bottom were black as tar and there were big splatters all over his body.

He seemed pretty proud of himself, though - and he got to take an early bath, so it worked out for everyone!

With a spoon!

Oh, our little man. All growing up and stuff. Now he's learning to feed himself with a spoon. Granted, some of the applesauce gets flung onto the piano, but... he's getting some of it to his mouth.

Let him eat cake!

For his first birthday, we let Will dive into his own pirate cake. Take a look as he demolishes the cake we so lovingly baked and decorated for him. Alas. However, we caught the whole thing on video - you can watch the process in fast forward, as he goes from poking at it to grabbing handfuls to eventually flinging chunks of it.

1 Year Stats

I have said it before, and will again - I can't believe where the time has gone! This year has gone so fast - this time last year I was sleep-deprived and crazed and mourning my pre-baby life, and now I can't imagine life without my sweet boy! Here are some important stats and milestones:

1. STATS: He is 31 3/4 inches tall, which is 95th percentile, and 24 3/4 pounds, which is in the 70th percentile.

2. SPEECH: He has many words, and seems to always be talking even if he doesn't have the words to say. He can say Dada, Mama, Papa, Maeby (DayDe), What's that?, Who's that?, What is this?, Done... it seems like he adds a new one every day! He tends to make himself VERY clear...except for his newest word, which sounds like "Bwweay." He says it all the time, and we're not sure what it means.

3. WALKING: Man, is he walking - he definitely likes it better than crawling and is perfecting the speed-walk as we speak. God help us when he learns to run.

4. FAVORITES: He is a big fan of cars, and started making the "vromm-vroom" noise when playing with his toys. He loves books, and we'll often find him flipping through (or chewing on) them in his play corner. He hasn't really latched onto a stuffed animal or a blanket yet, but he is a tried and true thumb-sucker! (Following in his parents' footsteps.) He loves riding in his big car on walks, and waves to our neighbors so proudly!

5. FOOD: He likes pretty much everything - he LOVES Mexican food and fruits the most, and enjoys feeding himself (though he hasn't mastered the spoon yet). His current obsession is blueberries (like his Daddy) - we have to limit the amount he can have every day so he doesn't get sick!

6. PEOPLE: Though there are times where he just wants to be held by me or Nick, Will loves everyone. He goes to 1-2 art events every week with the Geese, and we have family or friends in town all the time that he's just been exposed to so many people. However, when he started using a toy as a microphone yesterday, we got a little concerned we're going to have quite the entertainer on our hands!

Our most frequent comment about Will is "He's so amazing," simply referring to the fact that we are blessed to have had this incredible little person in our lives for a whole year. We can't wait to get to know him more and continue to see him learn new things each day. He's the best gift ever!

Pirate William's First Birthday

On the fourth, we celebrated Will's First birthday! It was a pirate-themed party, complete with cupcakes and pirate costumes! From left to right, top row: gold and jewels in the sand, pirate ship and sea creature, gem in the sand; second row: sharks in the water, X marks the spot, deserted island, and skull and crossbones.

We decided to give Will his very own cake! Note the three little teeth in front (like Will's). Abbey and I made and decorated all the cupcakes and cake - it's a bit of an obsession of ours.

I had a plethora of beachy decorations in my basement, so party decor was easy!

And we put out a pirate chest full of costumes, sparklers, tattoos, and plastic swords for the kiddos (though I'm pretty sure the adults were into them more!).

Nick's whole family came into town for the party, and here's a picture of all the Dekker men! (Note Will's pirate costume! Thanks, Mandi!)

And the Dekker ladies!
And, Grandma and Grandpa were in their element with their five grandkids all around!

The whole Dekker fam!

Will wasn't too sure about the cake, but I gave him a few bites of the icing and he seemed to like how it tasted.

It didn't take him long to realize that it was fun to take bites on his own.

The pirate boy cake was not long for this world.

Cake ended up in the carpet, on the piano, on the floor, on Maeby, on the walls, and ALL over Will.

He particularly liked flinging it all around...although it didn't help that we were encouraging it by laughing! :)

Happy Birthday, Dread Pirate William.