Pictures from the past week...

Brecken was so excited to have Uncle Aaron, Grandma Gott & Great Grandma Gott hang out here in Minnesota last week after his 1st birthday. Mommy & Daddy didn't appreciate the St. Louis Cardinals hat that kept appearing on B's head when Uncle Aaron was around, but we forgive him...

Memorial Day was spent outside working on several different projects... Eric made a brick pathway to put our garbage can on, Aaron worked on additional tiers for the garden, I stained our oak closet doors, and Grandma and Mom assisted with Brecken duty, lunch, water breaks and great conversation. It was a fun day of sun for everyone!

Brecken checking out his new picnic table.... We'll have lots of fun with that this summer :)

Brecken's birthday turned into a 5 day event with trying to work presents around naps, dinners and play time. We opened presents at his party, but weren't able to get to all of them before dinner, so spread the rest out over the next few nights and it was, at times, like pulling teeth to get him interested in the idea. I doubt this will ever be a problem again where we have to take him away from his toys to force him to open presents :)

Reading books with Grandma & Grandpa Gott...

We went to the Eden Prairie Play Land last Wednesday for his birthday and he had a great time!

Trying to get Brecken's 12 month photo in the brown chair has been difficult. I've tried 3 different times and each time ended up with some variation of a toddler catapulting out of a chair. I'll keep working on it...

4 generation picture:

Brecken attended his first wedding last weekend in Iowa! Despite the rain and storms throughout the day, Jordan and Ranae's wedding was absolutely beautiful and it was great to see so many people from back home. Brecken ate his fair share of snacks throughout the wedding to help him from talking and/or adding a soundtrack to their wedding video, but overall he did great. He was wide awake and partying until 10:30pm!!

Still movin' and groovin; at the reception, but changed out of his tie and into his comfy jammies for the remainder of the evening :)

Brecken had his one-year check-up last Thursday with Dr. Bodine. We were happy to hear that his ears looked better after the ear infections in the past few weeks, but were sad to hear that the fluid hadn't drained off of his right ear :( We'll get it checked out in a week or so and hope that it has gone away. Because B had a temp the night before his appointment, Dr. Bodine didn't want to do shots so I will take him back in next week for those. Brecken checked out fine in all of his developmental areas and is doing amazing! He is perfectly symmetrical in being in the 75th percentile across the board (length, weight & head circumference).... 24 pounds (down from his previous 25 pounds from a month ago), 31.5" tall, and 18.5" head.

I find myself saying things like, "When Brecken was a baby..." and "... Back when he was younger..." and it all seems surreal. How is he already over a year old?? It is insane. He has gone to whole milk with no problems, is starting to back off the food slightly (though he still enjoys it!), loves to dance and clap, asks for "more" by himself, enjoys reading his books, and stands for several seconds at a time before sitting back down or walking along furniture. Still no independent walking but he'll do it when he is ready. He still says "Yes" to everything while shaking his head up and down and has too many teeth to count. He is NOT a fan of car rides over 3 hours, gives kisses when asked, gives great hugs, and loves mirrors! This is Brecken's last week of daycare and my last week of school, and then the Summer of Brecken and Mommy will officially be underway!