Movers

      We are now in the active process of moving! Our first set of movers came today and packed up all of our stuff that we are going to put into storage. We had a lot more than I thought. I am so glad we spent a few hours last night organizing all our stuff into 3 piles: non temporary storage (it will be stored here in NC for 3 years while we are in Italy), unaccompanied goods (we can ship 1,000 pounds in this shipment and it will arrive about a month after it is packed), and household goods (this can take anywhere from 2-4 months to arrive because it is shipped via boat).

    The original plan was that they would come tomorrow, but they had an opening today and we gave them the okay to come on over after 12. Aaron stopped by the store and grabbed snacks and drinks for them while I found more things to add to the storage pile.

Candles aren't allowed in any of our shipments :(

Easter

       I loved Easter as a little girl. We would always get together with family and all the cousins would hunt for Easter eggs. The Easter bunny would always come and leave us a special basket... usually in the fancy, off limits for kids, room at my Guela's house. Today was Connor's first Easter, and I was so excited to start fun traditions with him.

Grandpappy and Omi Come to Visit

     Late last night, Aaron's dad and Carol flew in for a weekend visit. We spent most of today running around and shopping. My favorite thing to do! Connor wasn't feeling his best, so he got a lot of snuggles from everyone.

 Having a talk with Pappy.

Easter Eggstravaganza

   On Saturday, we went to the Easter Eggstravaganza at Aaron's work. It was really hot, but Connor had fun! Our first stop was the petting zoo. Because he is under the age of 2, he wasn't allowed to touch the animals. I was okay with that, but he really wanted to.

 Looking at the baby goat.

Connor: Twelve Month Check-Up

   This morning Aaron and I took Connor to his 12 month check-up. We got to his appointment right on time. Nurse Jody was waiting for us and took us right back to her room. She brought out the bubbles right away, and Connor thought they were the funnest things. He had never seen them before, so they were very different. 

Connor: Twelve Months {One Year} Old

Dear Connor,

    Wow! You are 365 days old/ 12 months/ 1 year old today... no matter which way we put it, you aren't a tiny little baby anymore. You are now a precious little boy. We have loved watching you grow, develop a strong personality, and reach so many milestones. You are so much fun to play with and chase around the house. You are going to have so many adventures coming up this year and so much to learn. We have so many hope and dreams for you in the many years ahead. We will always be here for you, no matter what! You will always be our baby and we will never forget the first time we met you just 1 year ago:)

We love you more than you'll ever know,

Mommy and Daddy

Connor's First Birthday: Part 3

     Photobooth: I have always thought photo booths were adorable at parties and weddings. When I saw a kit at Walmart with everything for less than $5, I knew I had to buy it!

 Mimi, Aaron, Connor, Grandma, and Me!

Connor's First Birthday: Part 2

     The Cake: I knew that I wanted to bake Connor's cake and cupcakes from the minute I started planning his party. Originally I wanted to make funfetti cake, but decided not to at the last minute. Instead, my mom made some really good chocolate cupcakes that I iced with butter cream frosting.

Connor's First Birthday Party: Part 1

     On Saturday, we threw Connor his first birthday party at our neighborhood community center. I never realized how much work throwing a party really is. I am so lucky that my mom and aunt were here to help me get ready for it.  It was pretty much perfect! I am going to have to divide this into a few posts because I have so many pictures and don't want to miss anything :)

      Decorations: For a few months now, I knew that I wanted to have a circus themed party. I started planning it as soon as I bought fabric that I used to make several banners, a cake topper, a high chair cover, party hat, and backdrop for the buffet.  This fabric set the theme and colors for the whole party!

Aaron's Promotion Ceremony

     Today was promotion day for Aaron, and boy has he has been waiting for this day for a loooooong time. After months and months of him being at the top of the Specialist list for his MOS (68 alpha), he finally got picked up and is now a Sergeant. Since today was the official day of him being promoted, Aaron really wanted to have his ceremony today. Heck, I don't blame him since he has been waiting for it long enough. 

The ceremony was short and sweet!

 The Commander gave a short speech.