First Easter Egg Hunt!

Blaine was very excited to participate in his first Easter egg hunt! We got all of the younger children together before church on Wednesday night, and they had a blast. I was quite impressed that Blaine knew exactly what to do. He wanted to play with the eggs before we got started, and we wouldn't let him. So when we finally let him go after them, he was very excited. He went straight to the eggs and started picking them up and putting them in his little bucket! It was so cute!

The Group before the hunt

This is Blaine with his friend, Kinleigh, after the hunt. They are only three week apart in age, and are almost exactly the same size.

Happy Birthday!

I can't believe a year has already passed since our precious little boy came into our lives! He has been such a blessing to us all over the last year. Many times we wonder what we did before we had him to entertain us. He is full of engery and mischief these days.......He is definately his father's son. I can often see his mischievious little wheels spinning just as fast as they can. One day last week, in under 10 minutes, he had put dog food into the dog's water bowl, dumped the water onto the floor, slipped and fell in the water, and put his shoes in the toilet. He's also talking up a storm and will attempt to repeat most anything you say. He is such a problem solver like his daddy. He will work on something forever just to get it where he wants it or how he wants it. The other day, he tore up a napkin and carefully places each piece of it into an ice bucket, but one piece kept hanging out a little bit. He repeatedly removed the piece and put it back into the bucket until it was completely in the bucket with no pieces hanging out, then he put the lid on. He is so much fun............We are so thankful God has intrusted us with him!

We had a fun Birthday party today filled with lots of family, presents, and yummy cake that turned us all different colors.

He really cared NOTHING about opening the presents. He just wanted to play with them after I opened them!

The cake!

The barn scene cake that Todd and I.................MOSTLY TODD worked so hard on!

Blaine's Cake!Singing Happy Birthday!He was very unsure about what to do with his cake.

But after Daddy gave him a bite............I think he understood!

I realize you can't see his mouth, but you can still tell that's he laughing!!Sharing with Daddy!

First Hair Cut

Today, my sweet little boy got his very first haircut. Todd had been bugging me for weeks to get Blaine's hair cut, but with Todd's long hours, it was difficult to find a time when we could both be there. The lady who cut his hair is the same lady who cuts both mine and Todd's. Blaine was as good as you can ask an 11 month old to be. He sat perfectly still the entire time. It's amazing how removing such a very little amount of hair can change a baby's looks so much. I can't believe how time flies!

To say that I am a little behind would be quite an understatement. I will try to catch you all up a little.
Blaine took his first steps at the beginning of December and was walking by his 9 month birthday.
We successfully made the move back to Arkansas in early December.
Todd started his new job the week following our move, and he is enjoying it very much (well, except for the drive!)
Christmas was great, although extremely busy. We had 5 or 6 separate Christmases, and I have posted those pictures on my facebook and myspace pages.
Blaine finally got his first tooth on the 1st of January. It was followed by the second tooth on the 2nd of January, and the third and fourth also came in the same week. Surprisingly enough, he really wasn't cranky about it at all!!
January has been pretty uneventful overall. We've just been trying to settle into some sort of routine.
Blaine is talking up a storm, which is really a lot of fun. He NEVER meets a stranger. He is always so friendly to the many people who stop to talk to him when we go places. When we left Florida, he only said 'bye bye'. Now he also says hi, bite, mama, dada, and uh-uh (for uh-oh). He will also moo like a cow if you ask him what the cow says, and he attempts to say ball and book. I never dreamed he would be this much fun!!
Here are a few pictures of our day at the park today. Todd's parents live just down the road from the city park, and they got Blaine a wagon for Christmas. Today was a beautiful day, so we decided to take the wagon for drive to the park. Blaine had a blast running around and playing with his ball!

First Steps

Blaine took his first steps on Monday, and he has been progressing quickly since then. He has started standing then squatting down to pick up a toy and then standing up again. He has also started to let go of whatever it is he is holding and walk to where ever it is he wants to go. He and I were just playing tonight, and he thought it was hilarious when I would pick him up and have him start again. He eventually got so tickled that he couldn't even stand up!! Enjoy!

***Remember to see the video you have to go to our blog.
http://www.kimerykaos.blogspot.com

Explorations!

Blaine is definitely his father's son! He is such a little explorer. We usually keep a gate up to block off the den because that is where we keep the dog's food and water. We just raise the gate up off the floor a little so the dogs can squeeze under, but Blaine can't. This was working wonderfully until my little explorer figured out how to squeeze himself under the gate. He spent several days trying to figure out how to accomplish this. At first he would lie flat on the ground and look under the gate, but he couldn't figure out how to move in this position.........Alas he figured it out!
After he knew how to go under the gate........there was no stopping him. The gate is now on the ground, so if my dogs starve to death, you'll all know why!
On the same day he learned how to go under the gate, he decided to get really adventurous and tried to get under the bed. Unfortunately, we have lots of things under our bed, so he got stuck!! Todd was disappointed that I didn't take a picture of that, but I really thought it would be cruel to leave him there while I went to get the camera!





He's also been working on his balance lately. He likes to stand by himself! He's not walking yet, but I don't expect it to be too much longer........Then we're really in for it!

Exciting News!!

After two LONG months of anticipations, I am extremely excited to be able to share this news with you all!
WE'RE MOVING!!
Where, you may ask?
Todd has accepted a position as a Chemical Engineer for Domtar Industries in Ashdown, Arkansas. He plans to start mid December. We will be staying with our parents in Murfreesboro, Arkansas while we try to anticipate what's going to happen with the economy (more specifically, the housing market). We have had our house here on the market for a few months now, with very minimal activity. We ultimately plan to relocate to the Texarkana area!
I can't tell you all how excited we are to be moving HOME! We love our life, our Church, and our friends here in Florida, and we will miss them all tremendously. We have been so blessed to have such caring friends and a wonderful church family. But, we always knew the time would come when we would want to move closer to our family........That time is now!
I had always told Todd that once we had children I would want to move closer to home, but I never realized how much I would want that. Having Blaine has made me realize how much our family is missing out on with us being so far away. Over the past eight months as I have watched Blaine grow, learn, and change before my very eyes, it has been so exciting; however, it has also been a bit bitter sweet. Seeing him grow and change so quickly makes me realize just how much all of those who love him really are missing out on.
I am so excited we will be able to share our joy with them!
MANY hours of prayer were heard and have been answered!