Happy 1st Birthday, Anthony!

Anthony's birthday fell on a Saturday, and so we decided to have his party on that day. We opted for a cookout at our house by the pool and invited family and relatives to join in the fun. We had been working so hard throughout the month of June to get the pool and patio fixed up in time for his birthday party, and it turned out to be an excellent place to have it and looked great! Our other concern was with the weather and hoping it wouldn't rain. Well, no worries there, but what we didn't consider was a heat wave! Yes, a couple of days before the big day, the heat wave settled in with temperatures in the triple digits. Records were being broken and come Saturday the high was 107, which was not only a record for that date in history, but an all-time record (as in it has never been that hot ever in East Tennessee!)! The party was scheduled right in the heat of the day, so we all did our best to keep cool by putting up tents, going inside to cool off, and jumping in the pool. Even still, it was HOT as blazes, but we had lots of fun though celebrating Anthony and this past year!

Remember the "Butthead Statue" from David's birthday that gets passed around within the family? I found this picture on David's phone. Apparently, he'd let Anthony play with it first thing that morning and thought it would be funny to take his picture with it. **Sigh**

Getting in a quick nap with Daddy before all the fun begins.

Posing for a quick picture with Mommy before the party.

The cake and cake pops have arrived!
(Thanks so much for making these Mam-Maw and Aunt Myrna)!

The grillmaster hard at work!

I got the idea for this fun little game from my friend, Cole. We put two pictures of Anthony from each month and had everyone try and guess how old he was in them. It is so much harder than you would think, but was a fun way to look back on Anthony's first year! 

Cooling off in the pool...

...and huddling together in the shade.

Anthony had his lunch inside where it was cool!

Time for cake!

He's not so sure...

Getting a little help and taste-test from Aunt Myrna.

Yum!

I know you're probably disappointed, but this is the extent of the mess. He liked the cake, but wanted someone to feed it to him so he wouldn't have to touch it or get his hands dirty. Truly, my son is one of the neatest eaters I have ever seen!

Going for rides in his new red wagon!

Time for presents!
New pajamas!

A cozy coupe from Uncle Collin and Aunt Meagan!

He loves new books!

Crawling on and playing with the box.

Trying out his new baseball tee from the Ray bunch!
He's actually pretty good at hitting the ball with the bat!

Konked out on Aunt Meagan.

Notice he's still holding on to his balloon.

All the fun and partying just wore him out!

Going for a post-party swim with Mommy and Daddy.

Chilling with Daddy at the end of a long, fun-filled day.
 
Happy Birthday, Anthony! We love you so much and hope you had fun celebrating!