I can't believe my little guy turned 1 year old
I am pretty proud of myself, because usually I am not a planner. I don't map out decorations and favors and themes far in advance. I do a fairly good job of putting a party together, mind you, but generally I overlook the tiny details for the big picture. But for Gavin's first birthday party, I wanted to make it extra special. I went with a Safari/Jungle theme, and about a month before his birthday party (which was July 29th), I already had the plates, cups, tablecloths, and favors secured. I bought animal print balloons, and I even got zebra print duct tape and made the water bottled extra special by taping it over the normal labels. I also decided I wanted to make a pinata. I really wanted a pinata, and I didn't want to pay for a store-made one, so I successfully made one at home, and the kids seemed to really enjoy it!
Foodwise, I didn't do anything super extravagant. I knew Duane's time would be limited by the bowling alley, so I ordered pizzas and had some munchies and, of course, CAKE! I also took the time to make chocolate-candy-covered Oreos with animal cookie molds. It was my first real attempt at chocolate candy molds, and I was really happy with the results. 
Gavin, like most 1-year-olds, didn't pay too much attention to the party. He didn't care for the pinata session (I think the noise scared him), but he had fun experimenting with the cake. My kids are not natural cake smashers, but once he got ahold of a fork, he really enjoyed flinging his little cake all around. I even let him play with it while I opened his gifts for him.
At his 1-year check-up, Gavin weighed in at a moderate 21 pounds and measured 30 3/4 inches, which put him at the 25th percentile for his weight and 88th percentile for height! How we got such tall and slender munchkins I have yet to figure out! 
Also, the doctor discovered that Gavin's top two teeth have broken through, which puts him at FOUR teeth now. I love his little ornery grin with his bottom two teeth poking through.
He isn't walking on his own just yet, though he walks with assistance, and he took a couple of steps the other day! He also said "Ra-EL!" once or twice, though Rachel insists that he should call her "Sissy."
