Russ is ONE

Poor kid, I am so late in posting this. That is what happens when on the weekend of your birthday everyone is puking and sick and then a few days later you leave and drive 40 hours in the van over three days. 

BUT we DID celebrate this adorable little one year old. He is the cutest, bestest, most adorable handsome little man around! He is cheerful and happy and always has a smile and a kiss and a chuckle for everyone. He giggles and giggles over the most adorable things--for example a couple days after his birthday my niece Hazel flew in to help us drive to Utah. She was keeping him happy by pressing cheerios down on his tray slightly so that they would fly up in the air. He was laughing SO HARD it was hysterical. 

This cheesecake was for Sterling for Father's Day which we celebrated on Russ's birthday because we would be gone the next week which was really Father's Day. 

He gets into EVERYTHING and pulls everything out. I feel like he does this way more than previous children--although it reminds me of the constant state of peril I was in with Ruthie. He especially loves to find my diaper bag and pull out every single item. We keep a 5 gallon bucket in front of the kitchen cabinets we are tired of cleaning up. And if you catch him in the act he giggles so hard and frantically starts pulling everything out at breakneck speed---I love it!! 

He had no idea what to think about the candles, but as soon as the cake was within reach, he grabbed a handful! He wasn't messing around!

He has 8 teeth and they are strong-he is getting molars so my poor shoulders have way too many bruises from bite marks. He has the world's best little bum-shakin' dance. Ruth always finds the best little games to get him laughing and he grins every single time she walks near. He has pudgy little bear paw hands that I love so so much---perfect for kissing and squeezing!!! He loves to splash in the tub (way too much, another similarity to his oldest sister) and laughs fiendishly about that as well. 

He crawls like a maniac and walks around furniture but whenever we try to convince him to take steps on his own he just gives us a big grin and sits down and crawls.

He was so cute--every piece of paper he ripped off he handed up to Sterling to take before he kept going.

I think he liked it! I thought he would love this boat---and when it was all opened he held the whale with delight and played with that and only that all evening long--haha.

Hugs for the whale.

Kisses for the whale.

This little one year old is the sunshine in our family and I think we all agree that we want to keep him around forever! We love you Russ!!!