Miri-Bug is One!

Amidst a very busy weekend getting things taken care of with Mom and Dad's house in Springville (they arrive on Friday--hurray!) and wedding preparations (less than two weeks now, Christine.....), our little Miriam turned one-year-old on July 18th. I think that my brother, Kenneth, will always remember what day her birthday is, because it was also the day he entered the M.T.C. (Missionary Training Center) to start serving a mission in Fiji for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Miri-bug complied by being born early enough that day (which was also conveniently her due-date) so that Kenneth could come see her before going to the M.T.C. That was a pretty good preview of what life would be like with our Miriam; she's always been an incredibly easy-going and happy baby.

Miriam loves to watch people, especially her big sister who never seems to stop moving or talking (Kenny timed Adriana one evening, and her longest period of silence was 4 seconds). Not being the little chatter-box that Adriana was at the same age, sometimes I forget how much Miriam understands what's going on around her. Then she'll surprise me by knowing exactly which buttons to press on a remote, how to turn toys off and on, or I'll find her quietly and correctly matching all of the pieces to one of Adriana's wooden puzzles. Miriam loves to be on the go and exploring, especially if it means finding tasty pieces of lint or something under her booster chair to snack on that Mom may have missed. She's not quite walking yet, but definitely pulling up and "cruising" along furniture. And food! This girl likes to eat. Anything, as long as there's lots of it.

On Sunday we had a family dinner in honor of Miriam's birthday. Kenny has four siblings and their families who live in Provo up through Sandy. This was the first time we've hosted the Sawyer clan here at our house, but luckily the rain held off and we were able to spread out to the backyard and not be crowded in on top of each other in our little living room. It's always fun to be able to get together with the Sawyers; they're a funny group (funny as in ha ha, not strange, although I suppose that some may debate that statement :P). Anyhow, I digress. Back to Miriam's big day. Here are some pictures of the progression of Miriam with her birthday cake. She certainly seemed to enjoy that wonderful tradition of giving a one-year-old baby his or her own cake and then standing back and laughing as it is completely destroyed.

Miri-bug is officially a toddler!