So what have we been up to?

The big occasion we recently celebrated was ... Graham's ONE YEAR BIRTHDAY!! Incredible. We had a great time. I had been a bit apprehensive about whether or not I would really enjoy the party and have fun. Honestly, I wish I could keep Graham right where he is right now. He is such a pleasure and a joy to be with. But I remember several times over the past year where I had the same thought and emotion ... and look at him now! If he'd stopped growing up at 6 months, where would we be now?

While we kept the party small, we had a good mix of friends - old friends, friends from the neighborhood, from church, and from daycare. All the kiddos seemed to have fun decorating our little car-shaped cakes, and some of the adults joined in the fun too. We all enjoyed Graham's antics as he enjoyed his cake. It was pretty sweet. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures on my camera, so I am depending on friends and my mom to send me pics to update the blog! I'm sorry about that- I know how much fun first birthday pics can be!!

We think Graham is getting close to walking. We're not rushing him, I'm content to let him crawl as long as he wants to - he'll learn to walk sooner rather than later :) I haven't yet seen a High School graduate crawling across the stage on hands and knees. We're going to Idaho this weekend - maybe it will happen while we're there. That would be fun for Mom, and for Uncle Dan and Aunt Shelly, who will be there too. In fact, my cousin Brittany will be there too, and I still remember standing her up by the TV in their family room, and walking across the room to the couch where I would coax her to walk across the room. What a passage of time. Amazing.

We still miss my dad. With my mom here last weekend, it was impossible not to think of him. And it was good to feel those feelings. When my mom and I were heading home from some errand or outing, I felt myself thinking, "I wonder what Dad's doing," or "I wonder what he'll think of our outing," or "I can't wait to tell him ..." anticipating the sound of his laugh or what he would say. And I hope that continues. Again, I welcome those feelings. I try not to talk myself out of having them.

On another front, our garden is doing really well. We planted lettuce this year, and it has been so wonderful to have, and so satisfying to watch. We supplement with what we get from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture, we're a member of Purple Rain Vineyards http://www.purplerainvineyard.com/), and we're enjoying amazing produce. I can't wait for our brussels sprouts and fava beans ... and pole beans, and tomatoes ... wowowow. We've already enjoyed a plethora of strawberries and cherries - We have picked more than 16 pints of cherries from our tree; thanks to a net that Pat worked hard to pull over the tree so we wouldn't have to watch the birds slowly eat the cherries right as they turned red!

Here are some pics for you ...

This is us in Boise with my Great Uncle Walter, Graham's Great-Great Uncle. He is my Dad's uncle, and he was very special to my dad, and he's special to us too.