Happy Birthday Justus!!!!

Justus came home from the hospital before he was even a full day old! He was such a healthy baby! 8#1 oz. and 20 inches long.


As a tiny baby, he had the pouty lip thing down pat!


A present from Grandpa and Grandma



It seemed as though he was unhappy to get the tiniest pumpkin when we went to the Pumpkin Patch

10 months old and enjoying his fourth piece of watermelon on July 3rd

Rushing headlong into the cold lake. He loves lakes and cold water but hates warm baths!

Playing with the hammer that was Daddy's when he was a baby

Justy was a great traveler on our long drive to MN!

Trying out his first cupcake ever at his early first birthday party with King Jo's folks in MN (a few weeks early!)

Justus is literally a very happy camper!!! There's nothing like playing in the dirt all day!

I can't wait to be big and drive one these like my brother!

Happy Birthday to the little man who lights up our world with endless smiles! Sometimes I call you "Jolly Justy" because you are so happy and easy-going! You are the sunshine of our family, and, I suspect, the Little-Clown-to-be of our family. I have a feeling you will also be the snowboarder/BMX biker/mountain climber who keeps Daddy on his toes! My favorite things are hearing you say "Mama" when you reach out to me, hearing you try to sing along with music, seeing your delight when I pull out your favorite story "It's Bathtime for Baby" (which doesn't make sense since you've always hated baths!), watching you bounce up and down and get hyper and excited when you want to be tickled, seeing you run a truck along the floor making vroom noises, listening to you giggle crazily as Ali chases you or Daddy tickles you, and snuggling with you when you are tired. We are so blessed to have you in our lives! You have been such an easy-to-please baby and you take life as it comes. Just the other day when we were camping and your backpack/chair turned over and caused you to face-plant into a plate of green beans on the rock in front of you, you hardly cried at all and just grinned at us with green bean juice all over your face. I love that you embrace life as though it were an adventure and love to explore and yet that you still take time to lean your head into mine and give your Mama "hugs" often. There is only One who is great enough to get the glory and thanks for your life, and that's God. I'm praising Him today for the treasure named Justus He gave us. We love you as much as big as the mountains and as deep as the sea Justy/Combustus/Babyham/Jaberham/Baby J/Booster/Justicus/Jumper!!!

Baby Stats:

Standing alone and cruising, but not quite walking!

Weight: 18.5#

Height: 28 and 3/4 inches

Teeth: Two bottom

Hair: Dark blonde

Eyes: Sometimes look green, sometimes blue, sometimes brown. Not totally sure yet what his eyecolor is!

First words: Dada (9 months), Mama (9 months), Ba-ba (bottle) and Bye-Bye (10-11 months), Hi Dai-Dai (Dai is Grammy's dog, 11 months), Baby, uh-oh (11 months), trying to learn stick and truck by saying "ck" (12 months), says sock "gock" (12 months)

Note: Lots of bumps and bruises, and even a bloody nose, recently as he cruises around and falls a lot!