this is the place: One Year: Happy Birthday, Asher!

Dear sweet Asher,

You turned one year old on March 6th! What a special day that is to us. It was a wonderful day to remember how you came into our life a year ago and to look back on how incredible the last year has been with you in our lives. You are such a joy to your family. This has been the best year of our lives. You have brought so much excitement and fun into our daily routine, Asher. We are so grateful to have the privilege of being your parents.

We love seeing your personality develop as the months pass. One of the things we love so much about you is the way you love to read. You enjoy reading so much it's unbelievable. You bring us books to read to you over and over again. You also love to read by yourself. Your favorite books right now are anything by Sandra Boynton- especially "But Not The Hippopotamus," "The Going To Bed Book," and "Blue Hat, Green Hat." You also love "Rock-a-Bye Farm" by Diane Johnston-Hamm, "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" by Eric Carle, and most of all "Oscar's Grouchy Sounds" by Constance Allen. Every morning after you are done drinking your milk you get down from the chair with mommy and walk over to your big stuffed bear and sit with him and look at your books. It's one of my favorite things to watch.

You also love your grandparents so much and get so excited to see them. Sometimes you even cry if they don't pick you first thing when they walk into the house.

You enjoy going to the one year old room at the Pro Club and you love your teacher, Miss Linda. She loves to hold you when you first get there, before you are ready to explore the room with the other kids. When I come to pick you up from class it's so fun to see you playing with the toy kitchen with the other kids.

You are very persistent, which is a wonderful (although patience trying quality!). When you are determined to figure something out, you want to do it again and again and don't like it when we try to stop you. :)

You enjoy meal times and do a great job being patient and quiet when we go to restaurants for meals. Your favorite food by a long stretch is goat milk yogurt. You could eat it all day if we let you. You are also so good at drinking lots of water and ask for it frequently.

You are so good at signing a few words that you use frequently. Although we do crack up when you are bored and in your high chair and you just start signing every word you know over and over.

Another favorite activity is dancing! You are a great dancer and love to make us laugh with your invented moves. Our favorite is what we have dubbed "the worm." You basically do the worm dance sitting up with a serious look on your face. It's brilliant!

For your first birthday we had a small gathering with the grandparents. We went to dinner at the clubhouse and then came back for cupcakes. It was your first time trying a sweet like a cupcake and you didn't enjoy it too much although you did like mushing it with your hands. You LOVED having us sing happy birthday to you and we've been doing it all month since you love it so much.

Thank you for being our firstborn son and the joy of our lives! We love you so much sweet Ashbee!

Happy on your first birthday!