Easter, birthdays, lunch dates, and other recent happenings

 Here are a few pictures of what we've been up to over the last few weeks:

 Noah has really gotten the hang of walking over the last few weeks, so we decided it was time to get him his first pair of real shoes. He's typically always barefoot at home, but now that it's nice out, he has been practicing walking in the grass and is absolutely loving exploring outside. We went and got him fitted two weeks ago.... and sure enough...the boy has extra wide feet! Noah's favorite part about his cool, new shoes: the Velcro. It's been his favorite source of car entertainment since he got the shoes and he is forever trying to take them off.  

Last week we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday, complete with juicy, grilled chicken and potatoes and some delish dark chocolate pb cupcakes. I've never made cupcakes from scratch before and so, despite the messy and tedious icing process, I was quite pleased with how they turned out. 

We visited GiGi at her new office last week. As you can see, Noah was loving sitting at her desk. The other office ladies enjoyed him so much that he was hired on the spot and now gets to come in weekly to help everyone get a dose of baby smiles. I hear it's good for employee moral and productivity. 

EASTER was a few days ago. 

We celebrated our Savior and His precious life that has forever changed our lives. 

We were thrilled to be outside most of the day.

We saw good friends and relaxed with family. 

We ate too much ham and hunted for plastic eggs.

Noah had his very first soccer lesson :-)

Yes, it's true. 

Dan firmly believes it's never too soon to get a baby on the field for drills.

Who knows what passions and gifts Noah will have. Obviously it's a bit too soon to tell. 

Soccer or not, we are so excited to find out what will get Noah "pumped up" (the husband's term, not mine). He may find joy in music. He may love building stuff. He may want to hike the Appalachian Trail. 

Or, he may just love the sport of soccer. 

Whatever "it" is, I'm already thrilled. 

And finally. Birthday party planning is in full swing. 

I've been feeling pretty emotional lately looking back on the last year we have had. I can't even believe we are here, about to celebrate a 1st birthday, already. 

Life moves fast. I'm learning every day to STOP and ENJOY the

 little,

beautiful, 

important,

hugely precious

 moments.