Happy, happy 1st birthday, sweet Alex! It has been so long since we have posted here...hmmmm, someone has been keeping us very busy! You have changed so much lately and are becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby. You started to walk a couple months ago, but lately prefer to crawl and climb (and kick off your shoes). You have such a personality, and your expressions are changing all the time and you become more and more active and animated. We hope we will be able to keep up with you...you are pretty fast and love to explore!

Your birthday party was lots of fun. You loved spending your birthday with Oma and Opa, Gramma, Uncle Bob, Mommy, Daddy, and Tommy. You didn't really make a mess of the birthday cake, so the pictures we got were of a pretty clean face (maybe next year!). You LOVED your balloons, after seeing them week after week in Safeway...you still seem surprised when you see them in our house. You love the "Happy Birthday" song, so much that we have to sing it every day to keep you happy...anything to see that cute toothy smile.

Your favorite activities these days are reading books, going to the library's story hour two or three times a week, play dates with babies your age, playing with your toys, jogging or walking around the neighborhood daily, car trips to our various places (mainly the grocery stores). You love going outside to see Daddy's garden (which was just set up)...we'll be putting the seedlings outside in a week or two. You love getting the mail, talking on the mobile phone, and love using the laptop (which is why we got you your own for your bday). You also love going to the park, where your favorite feature is the swing....you giggle and laugh and swing your legs like an acrobat. You also love the sandbox at the park (reminds you of Kauai, we guess)...we'll have to get a little one for our backyard this spring/summer.

We love watching you grow and change, and will surely be amazed by the changes we see in the next year. We hope we will be able to post more pics regularly and keep this blog better updated this year.
Happy birthday, Sweet Baby!