Wild Kingdom Presents:

a one-year-old toddler in his natural habitat:

And at the watering hole eating Chef-boy-ardee:

Meet the (Grand)Parents

Xavier got to meet his Grandma and Grandpa McNicholl this weekend. While he's "spoken" to them on the phone several times, this was the first time he got to see them face to face. As usual, Xavier worked his usual charm and showed them all his tricks: bear crawling, chasing the cat, drinking out of a cup, etc.
Xavier opens one of his birthday gifts.

Grandma and Grandpa gave Xavier the rocker that his Dad used to sit in to watch Sesame Street.
Three generations of McNicholl men.

Grandma gets a smile out of baby Xavier.

And Then We Were One

It's hard to believe that it was just a year ago today when I got to meet baby Xavier face-to-face for the very first time. He was born via c-section and I still remember his face as they lifted him up and over the drape. His arms were outstretched to the sides and his fingers were splayed wide. His little mouth was in the shape of a tiny 'O' and his eyes were wide open. It was as if he were saying, "Wow! Now this is something different!"

Today we celebrated his birth by inviting his friends from the neighborhood over for a wading pool party. Five families were represented and we had kids ranging in age from 6 months to 5 years. In addition to the pool, they enjoyed blowing bubbles, eating carrot cupcakes, and playing with Xavier's playhouse.

Here are some photos and video...enjoy!

Ethan in the playhouse.

Brook and Kiara.

The babies hung back and watched the "big kids" play in the pool.

Renee and Niona compare swimming costumes.

Ethan says hello to James.
Christopher takes a few steps.
David and Renee enjoy their carrot cupcakes.