Xander's First Birthday

“Life becomes precious and more special to us when we look for the little everyday miracles and get excited about the privileges of simply being human.” ~Tim Hansel

Xander Everest MacLeod Noss turned 1 year old yesterday! It was a day of fun and celebration for the little tyke, as cousins and friends came over to the house bearing musical toys all wrapped up in pretty paper. John and I had stayed up until 1am the previous night getting everything ready and we were up by 6:45am that morning to finish the job! Xander wore his "guavera" onesie to give a shout out to the Puerto Rican side, and we served Salsa & Guacamole for the Mexican part! I baked an organic carrot cake (with not so good for you cream cheese icing) and muffins for the occasion. My little man even tried a bit of the cupcake! His first cupcake!
I have to admit that the day was a little bittersweet for me... my little baby is not really a baby anymore. He's a toddler now, which means more forays into independence and boundary testing. But, he's also communicating more, laughing, smiling and taking life on with gusto. Looking back at the photos of the past year has made me truly be thankful of our modern conveniences of digital cameras and video recorders... I haven't missed a moment of his wonderous life, and I'll be able to look back at his growth and change for years to come. It truly does go by so fast... (at least I have a second one on the way!)