I'll have my cake -- and eat it, too.

After a not too exciting first cake experience at his birthday party (he must have thought it was too cute to eat), we tried again on Zach's actual birthday. After much debate (with myself) at the store, Mommy decided to go with the mini, single-serving carrot cake. Apparently it was a good choice.

Zach started eating his cake before we blew out his sole candle. He stuck one finger in the corner frosting and proceeded to lick it from that same finger -- then he went in for seconds. It took a few minutes before he attempted to remove the orange frosting carrot from the top of the cake. That's when Mr. Messy arrived at the party.

I can't believe my baby is 1!!

There's no place like home, except Grandma's

After Father's Day dinner with Grandpa Burke (that's still weird for me), we went over to see Great-Grandma Burke (that's also weird).

My grandma, Zach's great-grandma, is an amazing woman. The lady has seven kids of her own, too many grandkids to count, and something like 12 great-grandchildren. You'd think with all those people it would be impossible to form a close, personal relationship with anyone. A family that large would be overwhelming for anyone -- but not for Grandma. My grandma makes each of her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids feel special... whether simply reading a "Woody the Woodpecker" book (and mimicking his signature laugh), attending each and every dance recital, or simply buying the dancing flowers at a garage sale because she knew her great-grandchildren would like it, Grandma is an expert when it comes to family.

She'll never know how special she is to me and the gazillions of people in my extended family. There are no words to express how we all feel about her. I'm thankful that she's my Grandma, and that Zach was able to meet her. If she hasn't already, she'll no doubt make an amazing impact on his life. I mean really, who forgets the first person to ever give you animal crackers?!

Happy Father's Day!

For Jamer's first Father's Day, Zach got the family tickets to the Minnesota Twins game. As an added bonus, a couple of our friends from South Dakota (who were also celebrating their first Father's Day) were able to join us.

The Twins game marks Zach's third professional sporting event. So far he's attended a Vikings game, Wild game and Twins game. The only one he's missing is the Timberwolves, but that's basketball so (in this family) it doesn't really count. He's also been to a St. Paul Saints game, which is professional, but not the Major League.

Me love birthday cake! NOM NOM NOM...

Maybe you heard? Even though his birthday isn't until June 27, Zach's first birthday party was last weekend...

Although the rain ruined our plans for an outdoor party, everything was great and Zach seemed to have a great time. The only thing I'd change is the decision to give him a bottle before his cake! D'oh!

Up, up and away!

When Zach wants something, nothing can stop him... not even a little thing like stairs. What a big boy.

Como Zoo

What the heck is that big hairy orange thing?!

Today was Zach's first time at Como Zoo. Of course I forgot my camera (thank goodness for camera phones!), but we were there for his ONE YEAR photo session so we will have some nice photos eventually. We'll have to post those pictures later.

As for the zoo, Zach could've cared less... that is until we entered the primate exhibit.

I think the biggest problem was that the animals didn

't move fast enough to catch his attention. For the record, buffalo and napping lions are boring to an 11-month-old.

In the outdoor primate exhibit, we saw a nice Orangutan and her baby. She mostly sat there, but she did walk around a bit and gestured to the crowd, which made Zach laugh. When we went inside the exhibit, we came across Emperor Tamarins, which ended up being Zach's favorite. The funny looking little monkeys ran and jumped and walked right up to the glass. They were a lot of fun to watch and Zach liked being up close -- although he was pretty frustrated that he couldn't reach them through the glass!!

Emperor Tamarin

Party planning = no time for blogging!

As Zach's party gets closer, I'm finding it harder and harder to find time for blogging! Between making stuff for the party and all the landscaping we've been doing (including planting a veggie garden -- WHAT?!), I've just been too busy for it.

In Zach's world, he continues to learn new things. He's now a pro at standing and can move pretty fast in the crawling and cruising department. He's slowly learning how to move his legs forward and will often grab on to his lion and take a few steps before falling.

It's not uncommon for him to find me at the sink doing dishes. I won't realize he's there until I feel little fingers pulling on my legs to stand up. He also learned to open the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and is continually making news noises. His newest noise is the clicking of his tongue.

He LOVES being outside -- especially in the front yard where he can watch the cars drive by. He also loves to pick mommy's new flowers! D'oh!

His loves to give people "5" and his recent most favorite game is "pass the pacifier." That's when mommy puts the pacifier in her mouth (with the suction part facing out) and Zach leans forward to transfer it to his mouth. He thinks this is hilarious.