Happy Birthday Aleky

Today Aleky celebrates his 1st birthday! It is hard to believe that he has already been with us a full year. He is fully mobile (when he wants to be) and is beginning to crawl around the house. It is time to secure the stairs to avoid any extraordinary mobility discovery opportunities! He pulled an empty flour bucket down this afternoon; it didn't hit him but he lost his balance and fell over which sent him to tears and he received a needed hug from mom. Then moments later he pulled the garbage can down; there was no hug this time! I had to fortunate opportunity of cleaning up the mess as it had descended part way down the stairs. Aleky was invited to spend some time in a different room.

We decided to hold a small family party this evening for Aleky. While his 1st birthday is very special he didn't really know who he wanted to invite and he was very particular about leaving anyone out on accident; so we compromised and settled on the immediate family in or around Provo. That kept the preparation to a minimum but still allowed us sufficient celebration.

Those in attendance for the celebration included his uncle Kyle, aunt Janeil, cousins Katie, Anna & Troy, Grandma Jones, aunt Trista, aunt Cheyenne, and aunt Larissa. Also in attendance was Neil, Kelley and Zach Johnson. We sang Happy Birthday to Aleky but I don't think he really understood the significance of the occasion nor did he appreciate the amount of attention that was focused on him.

Aleky really enjoyed his birthday cake. He finished every last crumb; at least his tray was clear, but I do recall seeing some crumbs on the floor...

We didn't really plan on presents but Grandma Jones had one anyway. It took Aleky a few gestures and hints before he realized that there was a present that needed unveiling. It became quite obvious that his brothers were much more interested in the new gift than Aleky was.

But not to worry, Aleky had plenty of fun with the best part of the present.

After the party was over the boys got ready for bed. Before heading home the Johnsons wanted to get Zach ready for bed so that the trip home would go more smoothly. That was a fatal mistake. Once the boys were in their pjs they attached without warning. Neil fought valiantly but the odds seemed insurmountable. But as fate would have it, he barely managed to survive.

We were surprised to learn that Janeil had come to Utah with her kids and wanted to stop by and visit. We didn't know she would be in the area. Our children had a fabulous time playing with their cousins. David, Donovan and Michael took Katie and Anna out to the backyard and played for nearly an hour. They had a grand ole time. Meanwhile, Aleky and Troy we're trading secrets on crawling and getting around the house.