Happy Birthday Never!

Wow I can't believe it has been a year! I think the first birthday is a much bigger deal for the parents than it is for the baby! With Never turning 1 I have spent a lot of time reflecting on where I was one year ago. Getting ready to have a baby thinking I had a lot more time before he arrived than I actually did. Also reflecting on my birth experience. What a crazy and amazing experience that was!

However, times have been big for Never too. I feel like someone just turned on the toddler switch in him. His behavior has changed a lot lately, asserting his own will more and more. He also seems to be practicing getting mad and having mini tantrums. They are pretty amusing now but I am sure he will get pretty good at it over the next year and then they won't be so funny. Another big milestone.... walking! Never took his first steps the day before his birthday and has been gradually increasing the number of steps he takes each day. I would not yet say he is walking. He is capable but his prefered mode of transportation is still crawling.

We had a big birthday party for Never. There were a lot of people who came, many famliy members from out of town. Grandma stayed with us for a week and we also had a good visit with Grandpa, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Sandee and Never's cousin Logan. This was the first time we met Logan and it was a very special treat. He is such a sweet baby but Never better watch out because Logan is a big baby and he will probably some day out grow Never. Many of Never's little friends also attended the party. Never had a good time playing with his friends.

Never had his very own little birthday cake which he probably ate about half of it before it started ending up on the floor.

Thanks to everyone for the gifts. Never has some new toys to play with and many new books to read.

Halloween

Never's first Halloween was quite busy. He dressed up as a spider and I was a spider web. Micah was supposed to be a fly caught in a web but he never got dressed up. I was a bit disappointed because I was pretty proud of my fly wings I made. On Friday Nev and I went to the trick-or-treating event in downtown Corvallis. Never was very excited by all the people in costumes.

Then on Saturday we went to a Halloween party where Never got to see his friends dressed up in costumes. We had a lot of fun.

On Halloween Sunday Never helped us carve pumpkins. He really enjoyed pulling the seeds out and then putting them back in. Micah and I got away for a little bit and went to see the play Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. It was a really good play and we enjoyed getting out. Never had a good time with his babysitter. However, the night was uneventful. Next year maybe Never will be able to do a little bit of real trick-or-treating....

Fall is here!

Summer is gone but fall is here and it has been beautiful!! We haven't been outside as much as I would have liked and I feel that time is running out. The colder winter weather is just around the corner.

Well recently we took a trip to the CA north coast to visit some friends. We took Never to a renisance festival which was a lot of fun.


Never loves riding on his Papa's shoulders especially when he can use his ear's to hold on with.....


With halloween coming up we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Never wanted to take home the big one but we settled on three pumpkins, one for each of us. While we were at the farm, Never got to play in a wheat (sand) box, go on a tractor hay ride and go down a big slide with his papa. We had a wonderful time!

Halloween is around the corner. Nev is dressing up as a spider and it is going to be a family costume. Pictures will be coming soon.

And of course the BIG thing coming up is Never's First Birthday. We are planning a party that should be lots of fun. We are expecting quite a few kids and some family from out of town. Hopefully the weather won't be too bad or it's gonna be a little crowded in our little house.

Summer is gone......

Since we last wrote we had a weekend trip to the beach to visit our friends Antoinette, Kyle and their kids. It was beautiful and a nice drive. It was pretty windy at the beach but Never had a lot of fun playing in the sand.



We also went on a trip to the Portland zoo with our play group. We had alot of fun and saw a lot of cool animals. It's a big zoo though. To big for one little boy to see it all in a day so we look forward to visiting it again someday.

Up next a trip to the pumpkin patch.....

Camping on the Metolius

We went camping last weekend in central Oregon on the Metolius river. This is the first time we have camped since our trip to Mexico. We have been slacking on getting out and doing things this summer..... but hopefully we will get out more the rest of the summer and into the fall.






The metolius river is amazing. It is a river that just springs up from the ground and is fed by a bunch of springs. The water is amazingly blue and clear. Absolutely beautiful! It makes you want to jump in it but it is extremely cold. We even tried to keep our feet in it thinking we would get used to it but it is just too cold. Never loves to splash in the water but he just couldn't understand why it was so cold and it was hurting his hands so he would cry and yell at the water.


Nev enjoyed camping. He got to play in the dirt and get really dirty and he like the camp fire too.

We went on a 5 mile hike along the river. It was a really warm day. The water helped keep us cool but we would have loved to get in it.

More pics and video

It's been awhile.......

Well it has been awhile since I last wrote and a lot has gone on since my last post. Never is 9 months old now! and I'm realizing he is going to be a year old before I know what hit me......

More big news... Nev has a brand new cousin, Logan James Ratchford. He was born Aug. 7th. He is a beautiful little boy and we are looking forward to meeting him.

Well since I last wrote Nev has gotten 4 teeth, all at the same time. He is eating just about everything but he is starting to express his opinion as to his likes and dislikes. He is crawling now and getting around everywhere. He is a very curious little boy so he is getting into everything. He loves to try to get the dog but the dog isn't having it so Nev rarely actually reaches him. He is using anything and everything for support to stand up. He is starting to figure out letting go and being able to use his hands to get things he wants while standing. It all happens so quick that it will seem like I'll wake up one day and he will be walking.

More pictures and video to come.........