His personality was captured so well. When we got there, he was shy...clinging to his mama with a tight grip. The above photo shows his apprehension so well. LOL.
The more photos she took, the more he relaxed and we even got some smiles after awhile. :) 
He loves his mama, and I'm a-ok with that. I'm just loving this stage. He's becoming more independent, but still needs me. He began walking at thirteen months. We worked and worked with him, thinking he would follow suit with his older three siblings who all walked at age one. I think he had good reason to wait till he felt more confident. I mean with everyone flying by him, going to and fro...it was a little scary for him. :) When he decided to go, he went and now he's running it seems. Now he's really feeling comfortable!
This little booger has always eaten LIKE A BIRD...from the moment he was born! It take lots of extra effort and encouragement from mama at mealtime it seems. Funny thing is, he won't refuse ice cream, cake, candy & cookies. :) He is growing though which is good.Grandma's favorite pose. :)
Deacon has been our earliest talker and it still amazes me how much he can say and what he trys to repeat. He favorite words lately have been: juice, tractor, book, please, thank you, candy, more, ball, mom, daddy, night night, bye bye, no, all done, Kaiya, shoes, outside, go, ears, nose, duck, hi and so on. :)
His fear of strangers has all of a sudden gone away which I'm grateful for. He walks himself into the nursery like a big boy now. 
He's tall and skinny. His pants don't stay up. It's not unusual at all to see him come around with his pants missing all of a sudden. 
He LOVES going outside. It's been such an amazing Spring and so nice to be able to go outside a lot lately. He cries and throws a fit when it's time to go in. He brings me his shoes and cries "shoes shoes shoes". He loves to go bye bye and cries and reaches his little arms up to daddy when daddy goes to work. 
He plays so well with his sister, Luca. She likes to be in control, but he's starting to voice his opinion too. :)
He loves to read books and will bring them to me and back his little bottom up to sit on my lap. His favorites right now are the truck book and Easter lift the flap book. 
He's wearing size 12 month pants and 12-18 month shirts. And tiny butt is still in size 3 diapers.
My sweetness, what a year it has been! It has not been an easy year. The miracle of you has been what has really gotten me through each day. I look at you everyday and still can't believe you are here...a wonderful surprise straight from God. I'm so grateful for your sweet little personality. I love how you lay your head on my shoulder when you wake up in the mornings. I love your sweet and juicy lover boy kisses! You melt my heart sweet baby boy. I love how you giggle from your gut when I chase you around the house on my knees. I love how easily you go to sleep in your crib and sleep all through the night. 
I love your big baby blue eyes, your soft blonde hair and your baby soft skin. I love how you smell. I love how it seems you have no fears right now. You let the dogs that are three times your size lick your face. You just push them away. I love how you love your daddy so much. I love how you say "hi" in a low gravelly voice when I go into your room to get you out of your crib. 
I love you sweet baby. You are a treasure.
Our parents split the week, each staying two nights. So grateful for their willingness to help!
Here we are in Charlotte, North Carolina waiting for our connecting flight to Puerto Rico!
It was already dark by the time we got to the party. I could hear the waves on the beach and the breeze felt so warm and fresh. I was eager to explore the next morning though. Yummy food and fun adult conversation were a treat at the dinner party and a great way to start out the week.
That's how we started out our day each and every morning. A nice walk on the beach soaking in the sights, sounds & smells. The beach and I get along very well!
Oh what joy to sit at a restaurant and eat slowly and quietly focusing only on the person sitting right across the table from me. :) Pure JOY! My favorite breakfast treat were these cute little yogurt parfaits in shot glasses. They were made with honey on the bottom, topped with granola, then yogurt and a dab of whipped cream. So cute and delicious too!
Next thing on my to-do list for the day...lay by the pool and do nothing.
And that's where we spent most of our day each and every day. The weather was beautiful...in the 80s. Laying in the sun by the pool with a magazine in hand was just what the doctor ordered. 
One of the highlights of the trip was spending time with friends from Northwestern that we know well and love. Meeting new friends was the icing on the cake. Sitting by the pool and chatting with friends...it's just a lovely time. 
On Tuesday night, we took a bus to the town of Old San Juan with a group of friends.
This was a fun little restaurant with outdoor seating we found. Loved what the waitress was wearing! 
One fellow from our group was taking charge and leading with the map. That just happened to be my husband. It seemed we walked and walked, trying to find more shopping...trekked up a steep hill and walked some more. I needed to go, if you know what I mean...and it seemed we were never finding our coveted destination. So we finally asked an officer for some direction to the shopping and he pointed the opposite direction of where we were headed. Thanks, honey. :)
I was so glad we took this little detour though because when we turned the corner there was this beautiful site. This historic fort provided the keystone to protection of the Spanish Empire that spread across the Caribbean. I wish we could have gotten a closer look, but it was getting dark and soon it would've been time to catch our bus back to the hotel.
Lucky me, there was a Starbucks right on site at our hotel. I'll have a caramel frappachino lite with light whip everyday please. :)
On Wednesday afternoon, we took an hour bus trip to Fajardo to go kayaking. This wasn't just any kayak trip. We first kayaked through a beautiful canal with trees on both sides and saw green tree iguana's and beautiful birds. If you look really closely in this picture, you'll see a dolphin fin in the background. :) 
Then we entered the Bio Bay...a huge open bay surrounded by nature. It was a bit scary, kayaking at night...but the stars and moon were so bright. It was gorgeous. 
The main reason for kayaking there at night was to see an amazingly beautiful hidden creation....when you stir the waters after dark, millions of glowing plankton emit luminescent sparks and flashes. When I brought my hand up out of the water, the water glowed and sparkled as it ran down my arm and onto my lap. It was unreal! What a special treat from our Creator! I'm repeatedly amazed at how creative our God is! 
On our last night, I wanted to take some pictures around our hotel and on the beach since we didn't have the opportunity yet.
The gateway to the beach.
Our last dinner in Puerto Rico was at a Japanese restaurant with others from our group. This is a fun experience when they prepare your food and do a little show right in front of you. 
Our first date was at a restaurant like this. 
Our dinner group.
On Friday, our flight wasn't until 1:30pm. It was nice to take one last walk on the beach and have breakfast one last time, but I was ready to get back to my babies. :) It was midnight when we finally arrived home and of course the kids were tucked sweetly in their beds already. I immediately went into their rooms...I just had to touch them. Our sweet babysitter helped the kids make this welcome home sign.
So fun to wake up on Saturday morning and have kids in jammies slowly creep into our room and cuddle with us in bed. So fun to give them the gifts we had brought back.
Somehow, we didn't get a picture of Deacon with his maracas. :)
So blessed for the opportunity! I'm refreshed, energized and ready to be a mommy again.