Tae's 1st Birthday!

We joyfully celebrated our little boy's first year of life on Monday, August 31! We were in Colorado for a week visiting my (Jana's) parents in the mountains. On his birthday we had professional photos taken of all 3 of us in our hanboks (the traditional Korean dress for first birthdays and other life celebrations).

Here we are trying to fit Tae's hanbok hat on his head for the photo session, which was successful for only a couple photos:

Later in the day we celebrated with a Korean "Tol", a traditional first birthday party with special Korean food and decorations on the table:

We also had a Korean "toljabee" table on which party guests placed items which they hoped Tae would choose to help determine his future. As Tae's mom, I was super happy that he chose my item (and I didn't even rig this!) -- a Bible to signify his growth and critical inquiry into faith. He also chose a rock from a geologist friend, so he'll be rooted in the earth while he grows in faith! :-)
We shared a traditional Korean birthday cake and blew out one whole candle:

Throughout the week all eyes were on Tae, including his Aunt Michelle's and Uncle Mark's in this photo at an "outdoor living room" next to the river in Buena Vista:

Tae's also had his first pet of a cat:

He had fun with Grandpa Rod:

And fun with Grandma Sharie at the library:

How grateful we are for our sweet one year old boy:

Now we're in Oregon where Tae is meeting his relatives on daddy's side of the family. We continue to be smitten by this beautiful little boy. Thanks for helping us celebrate his first year of life!