Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe a whole year with Everett has gone by.  It is amazing to think he started out as a 5 month old baby who loved his jumperoo and tried solids for the first time.  I look at him now- energetic and smart, active and sweet - a true toddler!  He has his own likes and dislikes.  He talks nonstop.  He is a great eater who LOVES fruits and vegetables.  He has started pretend play and "pours" milk into his toy cups and stirs the food on his toy stove.  He has started saying

"Please" in such a sweet voice with such an angelic smile that we'll never be able to deny him anything ever again!    

It was amazing to watch him grow this year.  I have loved being home with him and being able to introduce him to so many things.  We went to the Zoo, the Botanical Gardens, countless splashparks, mountain hikes, the ocean, road trips and plane rides,  a farm, countless parks and playgrounds, and logged hundreds of miles with the stroller.  We did swimming lessons, storytime, and playdates.  I saw his first step and heard his first word.  I watched him feed himself and choose his own books.  Before my eyes, my baby turned into this amazing little boy.

I start the new year with a smile because I get to go into his room every morning to hear the sweetest sound I'll ever hear..."Mama!!!", with such joy and excitement.  It is the sound of love. It is the sound of innocence.  It is the sound of happiness.  It is my life and it is beautiful.