Ezekiel's Birthday Party

Finally, I'm able to take a moment and get some of the pictures up from Ezekiel's birthday. It was a relatively small gathering with about 25 family members. I think Ezekiel liked the idea of everyone coming to see him and singing for him. When "Happy Birthday" was over, he didn't blow out his candle - instead he clapped for all of us. We actually started his birthday celebration by "letting" him stay up until after midnight. Here he is..after midnight. You can tell he is fighting the tired.



He wants to crash, but he just won't give in. I guess it doesn't help that Mommy and Daddy kept shouting "Happy Birthday, Baby!" and then snapping pictures like crazy.


He's at wits end..and so is the cat. Check out those eyes!!


This is after some rest...December 5th around 9:00 in the morning. Ezekiel rolls out of bed and walks up the hall while Mommy snaps MORE pictures:


We got ready to go in record time, then we ran around like chickens trying to get everything ready for Ezekiel's party. Here is Ezekiel during the set up of his birthday party. He is getting a kick out of us being frantic (and the fact that we locked the dogs in the basement):


The cake is ready! In celebration of all of his months of life, we had a picture (or two..or three) from each month he has existed, starting with the first day of his life:


Party favors always include kisses at Mommy's and Daddy's parties. Ezekiel is not impressed:


Gift time!! Ezekiel LOVED the idea that he was getting presents. He got some really great ones too. Lots of clothes, p.j.s, little toys that make lots of noise, a Bounce and Spin Zebra, loads of books (which he LOVES), a cutie-pie snowsuit, and a stuffed teddy bear with blocks.

Daddy helped open the presents. He used the "tear and go" method:


Ezekiel wanted to take a little break and read a story. We wouldn't let him and that upset him tremendously:


Daddy helped open the presents and left clean up to Mama...during clean up, Ezekiel decided it would be fun to bite me:


Looking at the cake and wondering where his piece is:


Ezekiel had a blast playing chase with his 2 year old cousin Darius. Darius ran and Ezekiel tried his darndest to keep up:


End of the party with Grammy. He is one tired little one year old:


Gift opening video:


And another one:


This summer my mom had this idea where she would buy all the grandkids matching pajamas and then set them up in front of the Christmas tree, take pictures, and then turn the best picture into a Christmas Card. I don't think this worked out quite like she wanted, but I sure got a kick out of it. The two littlest didn't get to be part of the picture because Ashley was sleeping and Isabella is still in the hospital.

First attempt to get Ezekiel under the tree to pose - give him a puzzle - it didn't work.


Then we thought that Marty could place him near the other kids and then run out of the shot. That didn't work either:


Maybe Jacob could hold him and that would work? hmm..didn't work and now the other kids are getting restless:




Ezekiel's done with this picture stuff:


I don't think we got even one good picture but it provided us with a huge laugh...especially this one...


Eventually, I gave up on the pictures of the pj kids and just took a video to remember it by. The kids were HYPED off all the sugar (don't you wish you could have been there?):



I know a lot of people thought it was silly for us to give Ezekiel a first birthday but it is so important for us that we create memories for him that he will remember (that's why we always have the cameras flashing). Thank you to everyone that showed up, remembered his big day, and just made it all that much more enjoyable.