If you follow this blog, or our Facebook page…or know any tiny thing about me in general…it might be that I’m slightly in love with my nephew, Easton.  He entered this world one year ago today (a fact that I’m still trying to wrap my head around).  I don’t think any of us knew how much he would change us.  How much our faces would hurt from smiling and laughing at/with him.  How many hours we would spend on FaceTime, or the Delta website trying to plan our next trip.  It was a love that I never knew could exist – yes, all mushy gushy and stuff.  I think life has chosen a path for me that doesn’t include (birthing) my own children, but I will take on the roles of stepmom and aunt proudly.  Rylie and Easton are my two prides and joy.  😉

I was worried that there was so much distance between my house and my sister’s, that I wouldn’t be able to spend much time with Easton.  But every chance we got, one of us was traveling to see the other (I give Sarah and Logan major props for all the flying and driving they did with a newborn…it wasn’t for the faint of heart).  With a move to California over the summer, they are further away than ever.  But I’ve already made one trip there, and Sarah brought Easton to Florida for a fun 5 days at the beach.  It’s been the honor of a lifetime to capture him in this first year.  God gave me a gift to be able to tell stories through my camera lens, and this is definitely one story I’m excited to help tell.

 

*One more thing – if you can’t get enough of the Easton cuteness, head over to my sister’s blog and follow along.  She’s very crafty and posts some fun stuff, but mainly it’s just cute stuff that Easton is up to:  www.movingeastonwest.com

 

Here’s an animated file of his first year.  I think I was able to take one of these when I was visiting, but Sarah took the majority and then I would try to edit it.  No easy feat….plus they moved in between, so it was never the same room!

 

So without any more mushy ridiculousness….let’s take a stroll down memory lane.  (his “unofficial” First Birthday portraits are at the end – we had to take them a few weeks early in Longboat Key)

 

 

It all had to start somewhere, right?  (well, we won’t go back THAT far….)  Here’s Sarah in Marathon – I guess this was technically their “babymoon” and last quiet vacation:

 

And then this little guy showed up.  10:58am, October 18, 2012, Jackson, Tennessee

 

Around day 5 of life, we started harassing him for photos.  They had to leave this wall behind that they painted for his nursery, so I especially love this photo:

 

Still week one, first visit to the pumpkin patch.  Sarah’s looking pretty radiant post-partum, huh?

 

One month old, Easton travels to Tallahassee for Thanksgiving to “run” the Turkey Trot and pose for Christmas photos (with Rylie, my mom, sister, and me, who hogged him like he was my baby):

 

Trip to Jackson, 10 weeks hanging in bed with mommy:

 

Trip to Jackson, 20 weeks, posing with some silly stuff for Easter:

 

And again, I pose with him like he’s mine (but his onesie says “I Love My Auntie”):

 

Last trip to Jackson, this little guy is 6 months old and sitting up:

 

Squinty beach picture in St. George Island, around 7 months old:

 

8 months old in Jacksonville, 4th of July spectacular:

 

My first trip to San Diego, 10 months old and crawling everywhere (including off the bed):

 

Same trip, having fun in the produce section:

 

Early birthday celebration in Longboat Key.  Not even sure if he knew what to be excited about, but his face kills me!

 

So close to walking!  He’ll stand up like this for awhile and then realize he doesn’t have anything to hang on to:

 

We took advantage of his jetlag and drug him out for some sunset pictures.  It was only 5pm on the west coast!  Waaay before bedtime!

 

Fun at a playground in Longboat:

 

Are we done taking pictures yet?

 

Tired out…these ladies like taking too many pictures.

 

Thank you, sister, for birthing such a sweet little man for me to enjoy.  Can’t wait to see what this year will bring!