twosmallcones

Happy birthday, Arco boy! It’s hard to believe a year has already gone by; even more difficult to imagine our lives without you. You are our star baby: bright, charming and the happiest burst of light in our lives. You are a true joy; here’s to celebrating you, sweet boy!

you are happiest when you’re out and about: camping, digging in the dirt, or eating in your camp chair.

you and Mama are all smiles on a beautiful autumn day.

you are an observer and explorer of your surroundings. you watch us cook, tie our shoes, stir dinner or fold towels, and you immediately want to try too.

you adore your Papa and he adores you.

Your birthday weekend was all about doing things that you find joy in doing. We played outside, a lot. We dug carrots from the garden, rolled in the grass, read only your favorite books and walked all around town. We made your favorite foods: pumpkin pancakes, a mini fruit plate, peach and vegetable pizza, and we even tried a new dish – cake!

owl treat. 

Over multiple days and several long bouts of internet surfing, I dug deep to find that perfect cake – a sugar-free edible dome of only your favorite ingredients – mashed banana, sugar-free applesauce, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice, and egg whites (to add fluff) took center stage; a dollop of frosting made it look pretty.

birthday cake for the birthday boy!

And…. you! You knew exactly what to do! I couldn’t blow that candle out soon enough. You had that Arco-sized dessert in your mouth before your happy birthday quartet could sing those final words. You took too large a bite and slowly giggled the pieces out. You erupted in laughter, pulled your cake apart and stuffed bit by bit back into your mouth, happily and without hesitation. You, darling boy, have us all under your spell and we just can’t get enough of you.

you and Mama.

touring our backyard.

you love to be goofy. good thing too; we are the goofiest.

Happy birthday, little man! We truly are the luckiest parents to call you our boy!