Alan's 27th Birthday

I'm speaking for Alan, but I think he would agree that he had a fun birthday week with lots of celebrating. It started off with dinner at Pizzeria Limone and homemade cake after with my family. Alan always requests the same cake and it never disappoints. 

We also went out to dinner with Alan's family and had a delicious ice-cream cake at the restaurant.

On Alan's actual birthday, I had a BBQ for him at his grandpa's house with our friends. 

The birthday boy doing the grilling. 

Deacon enjoyed a mum during dinner. 

Of course there was corn hole. 

Since my mom had already made Alan's favorite cake, I decided to attempt a Boston Creme Cake. I ended up having to make 2 yellow cakes but it all worked out and we will definitely make it again.

A big thank you to all our friends who came. 

And Happy Birthday to the best husband/daddy we know!

4th of July

Yikes I'm behind on blogging. Here's to hoping I can catch up! 

We had an awesome 4th of July this year. We were in Utah for Alan's Pharmacy rotation so we were able to enjoy all the festivities with our families. We spent the morning in Millcreek Canyon with the Aiken clan. 

Deacon with Grandpa Aiken

I think this was the first time Deacon let my brother Scott hold him without crying. We were pretty excited and now Deacon loves him.

We spent the afternoon swimming with Alan's family.

After swimming we headed to my parent's house for a BBQ, which included a competitive game of corn hole.

No party is complete without homemade cherry chocolate chip ice-cream....honestly heaven sent!

We ended the night watching fireworks from the backyard of Alan's grandpa's house. It was such a fun day...can't wait until next year!

9 Months

I always heard people making such a big deal about 9 months because it meant that their baby had been out as long as it had been in (not really considering pregnancy is really 10 months). Now that Deacon is 9 months I'm realizing that it really is a crazy milestone. I think I'm more focused on the fact that he will be one before I know it. I hate how fast time is going but I feel like we are really enjoying every moment with our sweet boy.

At 9 months Deacon is full of life and energy. He has so much personality and he loves to show it off to everyone he sees. Although he prefers mom and dad to hold him, he loves to smile and laugh and impress everyone around him. We flew to San Diego 2 weeks ago and he loved standing up and peering over the seat at all the people behind him. He also loves doing this at church and it really is such a crack up.
Currently Deacon:

Suddenly is terrified of the bath. He literally grabs onto us when we try to put him in and then proceeds to scream and climb out of the bath. This really is a problem!

Has started throwing tantrums when we take something away or make him do something he doesn't want to do. He throws his hands in the air then proceeds to put his face in the ground while crying. It is quite comical!

Has become quite the expert at getting around. He cruises everywhere and can transfer to different objects. He has also started climbing on things. 

He can reach nearly anything by standing on his toes. 

Loves to climb up stairs and we purchased our first baby gate. 

Loves to blow with his tongue especially when eating which is not fun!

Loves to talk and has the cutest voice!

Still has no teeth. 

Seems to understand quite a bit of what we say. He will wave on command without us showing him and responds to "no". 

Has started to imitate our actions. 

Loves reading books, especially a handful that are his favorites. 

Loves the dishwasher and fridge. It's like he has a 6th sense and the second one of them is opened he makes a beeline straight for it. 

Can drink from a straw.
Loves his binky. We try to just give it to him at nap time and bedtime but if we let him he would probably take it all day. He thinks it is hilarious when we put it in our mouths and he loves to grab it back.
He is usually so happy in the mornings when he wakes up. He will play and jabber in his crib for quite a while until I go get him. It is my favorite thing to wake up to his little voice.
Loves pushing his big truck around the backyard.
9 Month Stats:
Weight: 19 pounds, 1 ounce-24th percentile
Height: 27 1/4 inches-15th percentile

We just got back from 6 weeks in Utah and one of the weeks was spent in San Diego. Deacon was a little champ and for the most part adjusted very well. He definitely seemed to be excited to be home. He crawled right for the stairs and went to his room where some of his favorite toys are when we got home. We are so in love with this boy. He really is the sweetest little thing and brings so much happiness into our home.

8 Months

No words can describe how much we are loving our sweet little Deacon right now. This is by far my favorite age so far, however, I'm sure that won't be the last time I will say that! Deacon is generally very happy lately and absolutely loves the world around him. He still is the most strong-willed and determined child in the world and is constantly on the move. He has to be standing at all times and will pull himself up on anything. He cruises along everything and is starting to stand independently for a second or two. I am definitely thinking walking is in his near future!

Here are some of Deacon's latest tricks:

Waves bye-bye

Says "mama" specifically

Crawls on all fours

Loves making clicking sounds with his tongue

Absolutely loves drinking water out of a cup. He gets so excited when he sees a cup and is so proud of himself after taking a sip. 

Jabbers like crazy

Loves splashing in water and finally is ok with getting water in his face

Knows the meaning of "no" and thinks it is hilarious when we say it to him

Responds to his name very well

Has his own version of clapping

Starting to really enjoy books and has a few books that his definitely shows a preference for

Crawls up stairs

Has seasonal allergies...which is not fun!

Has mastered the pincer grasp and uses his hands very well

Gives kisses (on the lips)

Does this little cackle/laugh that is the cutest thing in the world

Starting to eat solids really well and gets very excited when he sees that he is about to eat

Loves mum mum crackers

Loves to be chased 

Doing much better going to other people besides mom and dad. We are thrilled!

Deacon is truly the light of our lives and we feel so blessed to be his parents. 

Cousin Time

Alan just started a 6 week rotation for Pharmacy School at a company in Utah. Although it is hard being away from home we are enjoying spending time with friends and family that we miss so much! It has been so fun getting Deacon together with his cousins and watching them interact. Deacon had never met his two cousins on Alan's side. They are both just a couple months younger than Deacon. 

{Carter, Deacon, & Azia}

{This is what Deacon thought of the photo shoot after sitting through a million pictures}

We went over to Angela's house one day and had a picnic at the park. Deacon was quite intrigued with little Leah and wanted to climb all over her and her play gym.

{Leah and Deacon just 4 months apart}

Anya invited us to her parents to swim one afternoon. It was so fun to have all the little cousins together minus Weston and Holden. I can't wait to get a picture of all of them in just a few weeks. I love that my siblings kids will all be so close in age!

{Deacon, Millie, Luke, Leah}

{Deacon and Millie swimming with Nana}