1st birthday party.

I've finally sifted through all 360 plus pictures of P's birthday party and narrowed it down to 100 or so that I absolutely love! Not sure how many blogger will let me post, but we'll give it a whirl. This will be a mile long post, so grab a beverage, sit back, and enjoy. Sorry for the picture and detail overload, but this one's definitely going in the blog book for memory's sake.

P's first birthday party was none other than a wagon-themed outdoor festivity down at the lakefront pavilion in our neighborhood. As you can probably tell from previous blog entries, we absolutely love it down at the lake. It was the perfect spot for 12 kids and 30 or so adults to celebrate P's first year.

Details have been changed for privacy reasons, but here is a pic of the invites.

And the pavilion.


Setting up. Hmmm, I look a little stressed....

My wonderful dad and father-in-law worked very hard to get the jumper going. None of the extension cords worked. I was about to call it a loss....thank goodness I didn't. The kids loved it!

The birthday boy himself. It is impossible to get shoes on this kid unless I sing the Hokey Pokey. "You put your left foot in, you put your left foot out, you put your left foot in, and you shake it all about." It works every time.

The birthday boy was a little overwhelmed at first.

But warmed up quickly.

Baby P and Nanny.

Four generations of Rices.

Taylor and baby P. They really are best buds.

Details, details, details.








The firetruck from Beme and Grandaddy Rice was the hit of the party. Every kid wanted to play on it.




Officer, I swear it's just a kid's birthday party. We're not being rowdy. No, the cop came by to check on things because my dad opened the door to the kitchen in the pavilion, which was supposed to be locked, and set the alarm off. It's kind of ironic that the cops show up at a one-year old's bash!

The bubble machine was wild! Look at all of the bubbles! The kids loved it....unless they stood too close to the machine and got shot in the eye with bubble detergent. That thing was powerful!



"Speed unwrapping", is what Taylor called it. We knew P's attention span was pushed to the max. Whew! We hurried and avoided a meltdown.


Time for a milk break, which we left at the house, by the way. Taylor had to go back and get a sippy cup and some milk. He was getting very, very sleepy....

I think he got a second wind! Check out that killer milk mustache. I wonder if we could get him in an ad? Too bad its soy.


A few of the little guests.







Smash cake time.








Once most of the guests had left, mommy got some P time in the jumper.

This must have been the 80th time he lost his shoe. I just left it off.


The party was a blast! I still can't believe we are already celebrating my baby boy's first birthday! Where does the time go? It is late and I am exhausted, but I promise I will post later with links and more info on where I got the cake, decorations, bib, hats, etc. Hope you're not too pictured out!

peek-a-boo.

Peek-a-boo has become baby P's favorite game. He'll hide behind the couch, his crib, the kitchen island, and just about anything else. Then he will peep his head around and start laughing hysterically. It's really cute, actually. Today's game of peek-a-boo was not so cute. I had just got home from picking P up from Beme's house. I had left the diaper bag and my purse in the car, so I dropped P off just inside the front door, shut the door behind me, and hurried to get the stuff from the car. Phoenix always watches through the side-light windows, with his face smashed against the glass, until I come back. I do this everyday. It is quite difficult unloading the car carrying a 24-pound kid in one arm and everything else in the other. Trust me. So, I get back to the front door....locked. Oh my god! I had locked myself out of my own house. And my baby boy was inside. I can honestly say that this was the first time I have experienced sheer panic since P was born. I think I handled the situation fairly well, considering how bad I was freaking out! I had my purse, and thank God, my cell phone, with me. So I immediately took out a credit card and attempted to jimmy the door open. I called Taylor to make sure there wasn't a hide-a-key somewhere. He called his mom who lives 10 minutes away to come open the front door. Both of our parents have keys to our house, which was one of the smartest decisions we ever made. Now remember, P is inside while I am scrambling outside to figure something out. His face is smashed against the glass. He is licking the glass and making pig faces. Quite funny, actually. I think I cracked a slight smile in response to his hilarious faces. I couldn't resist. Even amidst the panic. I am trying to keep P entertained at the front door. I was terrified that he would walk away, and I wouldn't be able to see what he was getting into. So, what did I do? We played a little game of peek-a-boo. I would hide in front of the door, then pop my head to one side-light or the other, and scream "peek-a-boo". P just chuckled and played along. Our game-playing kept P at the front door just long enough for me to finally pop the door open with a credit card. Thank goodness! I guess I locked the door out of habit when I ran outside to get the stuff out of the car. I still swear P locked the door behind me. Either way, I will make sure this does not happen again. Despite my panic and desperation in the situation, I'm sure the neighbors got a good laugh.

mini me.

Phoenix is his daddy's "mini me". He looks like Taylor more and more every day. He follows him everywhere. He copies his actions. He wants to be just like him. It is wonderful to see the adoration that my two favorite boys have for each other. They just make my heart melt. Taylor cut the grass today, and Phoenix could not stand being inside while his daddy was outside. I put baby P in his wagon in the front yard so he could witness the "grass-cutting show".
He watched for a short while.


But quickly became impatient.


"Let me out, mom!"


Just watching his daddy was definitely not good enough. P wanted to help. Or at least be right in the middle of the action. I let P give lawn maintenance a whirl with his new bubble mower. Hey, it's never to early to begin training. The bubble mower offered a brief distraction.



But P still kept tabs on his daddy.


The weather was gorgeous this weekend. Thank goodness for Spring's arrival. I'm ready for more lake weekends and a tan.

before and after.

Today was the big event. Phoenix's first birthday party! Everyone had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect. Baby P was in the greatest mood ever. We ate. We played. And ate some more. And played some more. Our most wonderful friends and family came to join in the celebration of Phoenix's first year of life. What a wonderful year it has been! I am completely exhausted after our fun-filled day, so I promise I will post more details and pictures from the party later. For now, I thought that these "before and after" pictures summed up the day pretty well.

Before....

After....

Let me just preface the next "before and after" shots by this. We were a little worried about how well baby P would hold up during the party. Let's just say that his nap schedule has been a little screwed up lately. I really wanted P to get in a good, long morning nap so that he could enjoy the day's festivities. Well, we did not start out the day on a good note. P was up at 5:30 this morning, and would NOT go back to sleep! So what did my wonderful husband do? Put baby P in the car and drove to Macon! P slept all the way there and back. Good thinking, Tay! Needless to say, our little birthday boy was well-rested and full of energy for the entire party. I guess the sugar in the smash cake may have helped a little.

Before....

He absolutely crashed soon after the party was over. Poor guy! He had to have been exhausted with no afternoon nap at all. This one's from my cell phone, so not the best quality, but you get the picture.

After....

Time for bed. Promise to post lots more soon!

lucky.

On this St Patrick's Day, I feel pretty lucky. Lucky to be happy. Lucky to be healthy. Lucky to have a wonderful son and husband. Lucky to have a job. Just lucky. It was a good day. Very busy with last minute party stuff. I dressed baby P in the greenest outfit that I could find, beads included, and then forgot to wear green myself.


After our errands, we played outside and went on a search for a lucky four-leaf clover. No clovers here....just weeds. And flowers. Baby P loves the flowers. And he likes to eat the mulch.


It was a great St. Patty's Day! No green beer this year....just a little green food coloring in baby P's formula.

little wellies.

Baby P got an early birthday present this weekend. His first shiny raincoat and a cute little pair of puddle stompers. I couldn't resist giving him his new get up a little early. We met our photographer on Friday for P's twelve month pictures, and I really, really wanted some pictures of our little boy in his new rain gear. Let's just say that P wanted nothing to do with frog boots at the photo shoot. Poor Jenn had to witness quite a little temper tantrum. Needless to say, I don't think she got too many pictures of him in his raincoat and boots. The photo shoot was still a lot of fun! And the weather held out just long enough for us to squeeze in his pictures. We can't wait to see them! Check out her work at jennmcpherson.com. Her link is also in my sidebar. She is an incredibly talented photographer and a wonderfully sweet and beautiful person. I'll be sure to post on here once our pictures are up on her website.

The rest of the weekend was wet and rainy. We all felt a little house-bound and claustrophobic after spending the entire weekend indoors, so as soon as the rain let up, we headed down to the lake to play in the puddles. I attempted to get some more pictures of P in his new outfit, with a little more success this go round. He still hates the boots. But, aren't they cute?


They must feel heavy, because as soon as we put them on, baby P immediately froze and started screaming. He just stood in one place, looking at his feet, then looking at us with desperation in his eyes, as if he was saying, "help me!". (This was good for me, though, because I was able to get lots of pictures without having to chase him everywhere!)




The boots didn't last very long. We switched back to his shoes and let him run around for a little while.





We had a lot of fun down at the park! Only one more week until the big birthday party! It will be a busy week of last minute errands and preparing for the big event. I'm not complaining....I love party planning!

behind the name.

I thought long and hard about what to name my new and improved blog. I kept trying to come up with words that rhymed with Phoenix or Rice and catchy alliterations, but nothing seemed to fit. I kept asking myself, "What best describes our life, right here and now?". Wagon happy. That is us. We are "wagon happy". The excitement and joy that overwhelms my son when he is riding in his wagon is incredible. Indescribable. All sadness is erased. All pain disappears. It is just P and his wagon. Nothing else matters. Pure and simple happiness. That is my definition of "wagon happy". He loves that bright, red wagon unconditionally. When times seem tough and I start to get down, I think of baby P and his love for his bright, red wagon. It is a simple love. But a true love. Kids keep us grounded. Their lives are so simple, yet so meaningful. That is how I want to look at life. Through a kid's perspective. So, wagon happy. That is what I am. My life could not be more perfect. I am thankful for everything that God has given me.

day with daddy.

I have the best husband in the whole world. Seriously. He is a wonderful husband and an even better daddy to our son. He watches Phoenix every Wednesday while I am at work. On his day off. He never gets much of a break, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He loves to spend time with baby P. And baby P loves to spend time with his daddy. Today, my mom and I worked on some projects for P's birthday party. Taylor took Phoenix to the park for a little daddy-son bonding time. He even took the camera. I am so proud! Here are a couple of shots from their trip to the park. Excuse the silly hat. P is already a little pink from our boat ride last weekend. Sunscreen and a hat are essential from here on out.



My boys are the best. I am the luckiest girl in the world.

ootb.

Officially Off The Bottle, that is. Goodbye Dr. Brown, hello Born Free. No more nightly 30-minute bottle washing sessions. No more screaming fits while I frantically search for all of the Dr. B components. No more heavy glass bottles to tote around in the diaper bag. No more bottles! The pediatrician said that it was best to have baby P bottle-free before a year. I started weaning him around nine months, and then slacked off because I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready for my baby P to be that grown up. Now I have come to the realization that a bottle does not make my son stay a baby. It will only make him have bad teeth. I started him back on the sippy about five days ago. He went cold turkey and we haven't looked back. I am very proud of him. Next step, getting him off of formula. I've never been more ready. Formula is expensive and it smells bad. I am waiting until he is a year to start this, though. Orders of Mr. Pediatrician.

We had an interesting day. Started out at 7am with baby P busting his lip open on his pacifier. He fell while he had the paci in his mouth. I think he cut that stringy thing that connects your lip to your gums. Taylor says it is called a frenulum. I call it a lip string. Poor baby P! It didn't really seem to bother him, though. We also spent two hours in Party City deciding on napkin colors, of all things. (I have never in my life been so indecisive!) Then we had about six more lip-bleeding episodes to deal with. I hope his lip is better in the morning. If not, I guess we will be heading to see the doc.

Here is a picture of Taylor and P comparing screwdrivers a couple of weekends ago at the lake house.


Phoenix was incredibly interested. P's "baby" screwdriver is a sorry replica of a real screwdriver. It beeps and honks....are you kidding? Fisher Price is really confusing our kids. Baby P decided he liked the real screwdriver better. He liked it so much, we ended up having to hide it from him. Such an inquisitive little boy. I love him to pieces.

captain p.

We had another great weekend at the lake. The weather was wonderful, 80 degrees and sunny both days. Taylor and James worked a lot. Me, Beme, and baby P played a lot.
P and Beme deep in conversation....


We took a long boat ride this afternoon. Taylor let Phoenix "drive". He was super intrigued by all of the gadgets. Then he took a long nap on the ride back to the house. I think I fell asleep, too.



Phoenix loves the lake house. I look forward to lots more long, lazy weekends like these.

the big city.

Baby P and I set off on Friday on a little adventure to the big city. Atlanta, that is. I needed to make a trip to Swoozies and Ikea to grab some things for P's upcoming birthday party. We met up at Atlantic Station with my friend Catherine for lunch and some playtime for P. We haven't seen Cat in several months, so it was great to catch up! Baby P showed off his new sign language skills at lunch. Then we headed over to a green space area and let Phoenix show off his mad walking/running skills. He had a blast watching two little boys race each other back and forth across the lawn. He tried to keep up with them for a little while. Unsuccessfully. Our good friend also introduced us to the wonderful world of H&M baby. Cute and cheap clothes....I'm hooked. Here are a few pics of baby P playing in Atlantic Station. Check out that face!



Thanks Cat for a wonderful afternoon. Let's meet up again real soon!

We came out to the lake last night and are here through Sunday. This weather is awesome! Worked out in the yard today. Beme made hamburgers for dinner. A long awaited boat ride tomorrow. Don't forget to set your clocks forward!

extreme makeover: blog edition

Hello all! Welcome to my new and improved blog. You would not believe how unreal of an experience I have had in the past couple of days. It started on Monday morning...."Good morning, Rice family!". The design team from Extreme Makeover: Blog Edition showed up at my doorsteps, hijacked my computer, and sent me and my family to Disney World for the week. I returned to a fresh and new blog design. Thank you Extreme Makeover!

No, not really. But, I did decide it was time for a change. I wanted a fresh look. Something that was a little more "me". I thought it would be simple. Um, no! Not simple....at all. I am the most technologically challenged individual you will ever meet. I still find it quite hilarious that I have a blog. My tech-savvy mom and husband have helped me a ton the past couple of days. Still some tweaking to do, but it looks MUCH better, in my opinion. Also, I will be sending out my blog address to lots more people. So, welcome everyone! Enjoy! And, please feel free to comment!

snow day.

So, like I said. Georgia's weather can be crazy. I didn't think it would happen. Glad it did, though. Four plus inches of snow on March 1st. Crazy. But fun. I just knew baby P would love the snow. He loves being outside. Something new to do outside? He was thrilled! Check out his expression when we first took him out in the wagon. Priceless.


Both sets of grandparents came over for our little "snow party". You should have seen us getting Phoenix ready to go outside. Pants. Two shirts. Ski bibs. Three hats. Jacket. Two pairs of gloves. Socks. Shoes. Ziploc bags over shoes tied with rubber bands. We had to get creative to keep his feet dry. I'm not sure you can find baby snow boots. In Georgia. In March. We improvised. It worked out well, actually. We all trekked down the road to a small green space area that has a fairly steep hill. Granny brought two sleds that she saved from my childhood. Granddaddy Rice pulled baby P around, then we all took turns sledding down the hill.




We had a lot of fun! Baby P really enjoyed himself.




Then we all came inside for some yummy hot chocolate. It was a great snow day with all of the family. We are so fortunate to have wonderful parents that love our son more than anything. I look forward to more snow days in the future. Maybe the next snow day, we can build a snowman for Granny.