Well I am sorry (but not really sorry) for the slew of pictures about to come, but our Dempsey turned ONE on Wednesday and the whole week has felt like a non-stop party. I don’t want to forget a moment of it, so it’s all going here!

• 

On Mondays, my parents come over to watch Dempsey and I work from home, so my mom and I took the opportunity to make his first birthday cake together. A red velvet, naturally! He maybe woke up from his nap while my dad was out running an errand, so we plopped him in his highchair in the kitchen so he could make the cake “with” us. Or more like throw stuff for us to constantly pick back up 😂 My mom gave him some licks of batter and he was INTO IT. Who wouldn’t be? And the cake turned out soooooo cute. Love that my mom and I got to have that experience and that Demps was there for it too 🥰🥰🥰

Tuesday night, we took our Dempsey to the Botanic Gardens for the Glow at the Gardens event and it was so fun! Parking was sort of a nightmare, but once we were inside, it was great. Dempsey definitely won’t remember, but I think he had a good time looking (and pointing) at all the pumpkins and the adults had fun looking at everything too. At the end, there was a giant skeleton dancing and a skeleton band playing music and that was definitely my favorite part 😂 I’m so glad we went!

Birthday morning!!!! We went to breakfast with his Grandpa Steve, Lorna, Adam, Keith, Courtney and his great grandparents. He shares a birthday with his Great Grandma Marge, so it felt right to have a celebratory breakfast together. She turned 80, so it was a big milestone birthday for her too! That good boy sat on her lap for a long while and it was so sweet to see ❤

Post nap, we gave him our presents and he seems pretty into his play food! He’s also made a lot of hybrid foods, like a bell pepper egg or a corn banana 😂

Everyone came over around 5 and we had the decorations all set up and the birthday boy ready to celebrate! He got a table and chairs, a bike and helmet, books and a winter jacket and a workshop. What a lucky and loved boy!!! We all feasted on BBQ from Post Oak and then, the piėce de résistance, Dempsey’s red velvet cake! Took him a little bit to get through the frosting — he spent a few minutes poking one finger into the frosting and then into his mouth and it was seriously the cutest — but once he did, he really went for it! Some of the pieces he was putting into his mouth were pretty sizable 😂 It was a hit! What a perfect night, celebrating our Dempsey!

• 

Everyone keeps saying this year with him flew by and on the one hand, YES, it totally did! But on the other hand, there have been so many phases and so many development and so so so many fun and wonderful experiences that we’ve had with him. I keep forgetting we’ve already had a holiday season with him. That seems like soooo long ago. There’s just no way I could put this past year into words. It’s been HARD but also THE ABSOLUTE BEST. All I know is that I love this little bean so much. I love being his mama. And I can’t wait for all the fun things we will do in this life together. Happy Birthday, my love!

We had a good weekend! A laid back Friday, watching Joey finish his half marathon and a family party on Saturday and then some self care on Sunday. Plus perfect weather! Can’t ask for more than that 😎🥰

We all (Joey, Lori, Dempsey and I) hit up the Colfax Half Marathon race expo on Friday afternoon and all those giveaways seemed lame to me but Dempsey had fun being carried through the Broncos stadium, I think! It was a chilly evening, so we all had to beanie up before our walk and then it only seemed natural to order ramen. We heated up leftovers for that Dempsey boy but then he was very into Mom’s steamed bun, ramen noodles and even a few spoonfuls of spicy chicken broth?? What a guy!

Up and at em for Joey’s half marathon! I maybe had a lot of anxiety about Dempsey waking up at 5:30 AM when Joey did but he slept peacefully until I woke him up at 6:45 and we were out the door by 7:15. We made it to the sideline, no joke, about three minutes before Joey ran by so we cut that one CLOSE! I took a bad video but little Dempsey waved when he passed by and oh my god, if that isn’t the cutest! 🥺🥺🥺 He was hurting on those last few miles but in true Joey form, he still got a new PR. Back at home, Dempsey quick ate breakfast then went down for his nap and Joey and I got to enjoy an adult only breakfast of Snooze take out (I scheduled the delivery on the way to the race and it arrived at the perfect time when we got back!). We spent the afternoon at a party for Joey’s grandparents’ SIXTIETH wedding anniversary and his Grandma’s 80th birthday. Wow! It was soooo nice out and Dempsey was being a total joy. We set up the tripod for a bunch of family photos and I’m so excited to see how they turned out. During the shot of the entire group, I glanced down and Dempsey was pointing at the camera, so I’m sure that one will be funny!

A certain little boy fell asleep as soon as we got in the car to drive home, so we maybe took a detour to Red Rocks (oddly enough, the show that night had been cancelled, so no concert traffic!) to let him get some rest. Back at home, another certain boy needed his own nap, so I entertained a crazy baby for a bit and started dinner. Side note: something in the oven was burning and it was SO SMOKY in our house, yuck! Joey woke up and finished up dinner for us and dang, it was GOOD! After we put Dempsey to bed, we fired up Halloween Kills and IT WAS BAD BAD BAD. The whole thing felt like a fever dream it was so bad. We did not see the 2018 reboot so I had no idea where we were plot-wise and then there were just so many characters and flashbacks and unnecessary tangents. Also, just how old is Michael Myers at this point???? I’m supposed to believe this 80 year old man can single-handedly and unhurriedly kill so many people? And spoiler, but Jamie Lee Curtis was barely in this movie. Just no.

A restorative Sunday! Woke up and had apple cider pancakes together as a family and then Dempsey and I watched out the nursery window while Joey finished hanging up our Halloween lights. At one point, he asked me to get him the step stool and I don’t want to know how he was standing on our slanted roof with a step stool 😬 I then headed out for a facial and man did it feel good! Swapped places with Joey so he could head out for a stretch and then Dempsey and I ate lunch. I even soft boiled an egg for myself 😊 We all headed outside after lunch to clean up the backyard. Goodbye to our flower pots and veggie garden but hello to not having to water any of those things 😋 During Dempsey’s second nap, we just chilled on the couch and it felt very nice! Our evening walk needed to include a pumpkin decoration, of course 😂 We maybe had to take it away when we peeked into the stroller and he was trying to eat a chunk 🤦‍♀️ Joey made dinner again! We took a peek at our lights after dinner and they look great!!!

Ended the night with Succession and even though I’m annoyed at the thought of another season of “which of my children will I name as CEO” 🙄, I’m still glad it’s back!