[ happy 1st cousin, bro ]

Happy 1st Birthday Broderick Cole Lawson! 

Lots of hugs and kisses to you from Michigan today! 

Love, Aunt Amber, Uncle BrettRyan, and Cuz Breck

[....................................................................................................................]

Dear Cousin Bro, 

It all started back when we looked like this.

(Left: Brody, Right: Breck, Christmas 2009)

Our Mommies found out about us on the exact same day, May 5th, 2009. Mommy and Aunt Holly had so much fun being pregnant together! My mommy and your mommy were due with us two days apart. You wanted to be older apparently because you surprised us two weeks early! And now, we've come a whole year! And today, you are one! Happy 1st Birthday, Cousin! It's been so fun experiencing our first year together. You've always been about a few weeks ahead of me in hitting the developmental milestones, but for the most part we've been doing similar things around the same times! And it's kind of fun getting to be your "for-fun" pretend twin, or at least that's what our families like to think when we're together! :) Here's to many more fun cousin memories we will make together in the future! 

I love you! 

Your cousin, Breck!

Here's when you made your appearance! 

(And I wasn't even present yet, you beat me out!)

Our first time to meet! This was your first visit up to Michigan!

Only the beginning of SO many pictures together! 

...sweet boy

Oh, the things they've made us do!

We got to go swimming together last summer!

And go to the beach together...

And take baths together...

My, how you've grown!

Christmas 2010

[ it happened, I said it. ]

Today, it happened. The nice cashier at Sam's was smiling and saying hello to Breck, then she looked at me and asked How old is he? I hesitated slightly due to the argument going on in my head He's too close to a year to say he's so-many-months old, but yet he technically isn't a year old yet, so I could just say eleven months. Not sure why, but He's almost a year was the answer that came flying out of my mouth.  I never understood why moms referred to their year-and-a-half old babies as eighteen months. But now I get it. And I will be one of those moms. (For anyone who's seen the movie, Grown Ups, I might have to draw the line at he's forty-eight months old, but you may catch me saying thirty-six months old. Click here to watch the 48 month clip.)

One year. That just sounds so wrong, but yet so worthy of an excuse to celebrate at the same time. 

There's lots of party planning going on in here. And I'm soaking up every minute of crafting and organizing baby boy's one year celebration. I finally got my inspiration for the par-taay and we're up and running with it! I can feel the crafting inspiration beginning to snowball, but I'm going to try to limit myself. We're gonna celebrate life. One whole year of it, twelve months of it, all three-hundred-sixty-five days of it. 

This is my new favorite lovely of the day... Look what a canvas + a $3.00 11x14 print can get you. Yum. That precious face catches my eye every time I come up the stairs, and it certainly caught Breck's eye as soon as he woke up from his nap. As soon as he went from his crib to my hip, and looked over my shoulder, he was grunting and pointing to the new addition. I said Is that Breck? He began smiling, and flapping his little arms as fast as he could, and began grunting again. I couldn't believe how fast he noticed it. He seriously is the most observant child I have ever seen. And no, I'm not biased, because it's true. I frequently joke that he is a five year old child that can read, comprehend, talk, and communicate, but is just unfortunately trapped in a little eleven month old's body. 

After he calmed down over his portrait, we spent a little time playing together in his room. While we were playing, I noticed he was surrounded by his new toys from Christmas, but what is he obsessed with playing with? His hair brush, and my phone... go figure! :) 

This afternoon, the snow was just too irresistible, the kind of flakes that are massive, fall so lightly, almost in slow motion and make you feel for a split second that you are living in a snow-globe.

So we bundled up in a snowsuit that was sized to fit a baby half Breck's age, but it did the trick long enough for Mama to snap a few. Breck apparently needed his sunglasses... he's always had a hard time with how bright it is outside. Immediately scrunched up his face and closed his eyes. 

My lil snow angel...

I think this was the beginnings of a fuss, 

but I'd like to think he was trying to eat the falling snow instead...

Poor thing couldn't move. 

[ don't go, 2010 ]

When the clock tick-tocked to midnight and all phones, computers, and calendars across the globe automatically updated to January 1, 2011, I didn't hear the handsome Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year Countdown, or Auld Lang Syne, or see a glittery ball drop in a ten second timeframe. 

This was my view...

...and that was good enough.

Baby boy wanted to ring in the new year too. He woke up exactly ten minutes before midnight. I wasn't overly excited to see our year go and a new one come. I'm sure there will be great things in 2011, but 2010 was just our year. 

We welcomed our baby boy...

I became a Mamma...

Daddy became a daddy...

We became official home owners...

2010 brought cousins galore! 

Brody, Dylan, and Breck...

Maxon, Poppa, and Breck

Precious last moments were spent with ones we love...

2010 possessed several firsts for us... and I think that might be were my little twinge of farewell sadness is coming from... I mean, it just sounds weird to say I had a baby last year. It somehow implies that my baby is no longer a baby!  God has been so good to us this year, but not very far from us are friends and family we love that haven't felt as blessed and have experience quite a bit of heartache and struggles. Wishing them a special peace and comfort, and heres to hoping 2011 is their year! Even though that twinge of resistance was there in saying goodbye to 2010, I'm so excited for a new year, new seasons, and new firsts to come! Like a first birthday coming up this month! Welcome 2011!