Saturday was Daddy Day. And Sunday turned into Snow Day. We woke up with at least 3 inches on the ground, and it snowed most of the day. After church and lunch we ventured out for some fun in the snow. Dutch loved it, and he has a new friend, a snowman we named Lars. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A day in the snow", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/01/27/a-day-in-the-snow/" });

Dutch walked for the first time for us tonight! He kept walking and walking and walking… What a growing little boy! SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "The boy walks!", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/01/24/the-boy-walks/" });

Dutch loves to vacuum, providing his own motor sounds… He also found the 80’s demo on the old Casio keyboard. Rockin’ out… The trike Nana gave him is a source of great fun — he figured out how to make the bell ring… SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A few new videos of the Dutcher", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/01/12/a-few-new-videos-of-the-dutcher/" });

Dutch has started doing some cleaning around the house. Sweeping is his second favorite chore. His favorite? Vacuuming, by far. He even makes his own vacuum noises (see video here). He also likes other things, like boxes, and has figured out how to use a sippy cup. Last night was his first time playing with a musical keyboard. (Click on any of the above pics for an enlarged view.) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "A few new pics of the Dutcher", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2008/01/12/a-few-new-pics-of-the-dutcher/" });

Dutch is helping us sort out our year-end financial status… (See still photos: one & two) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Dutch the banker", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/12/31/dutch-the-banker/" });

It seems like just yesterday we brought our little newborn baby Dutch home.  (Actually, it was a year ago today.)  Somehow our baby has become a boy, one-year-old and full of life and joy.   Kari wrote about it, and God’s faithfulness in this journey of parenting. As he takes a nap this morning we’ll gaze at one of his one-year pics… SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Now he’s a real boy", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/12/22/now-hes-a-real-boy/" });

A year has now passed since he was born, a miracle from God brought into our life, changing all things forever. It almost seems like we cannot even remember life without him. He stood and smiled his trademark wide grin at the edge of his crib this morning as Kari and I sang him happy birthday. What a joy to hold our son! Happy Birthday, Dutch! Special thanks to Bethany for the photos. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Happy 1st birthday, Dutch!", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/12/21/happy-1st-birthday-dutch/" });

This afternoon Dutch — for his last feat of his first year — crawled up a flight of stairs for the first time.  Nice job little man! (After my the engine in my car seized up last weekend, my Saturn essentially becoming a paperweight,  I joked that we simply needed to hook Dutch’s little motor up to make the car run again.  Our little boy certainly has a strong little motor in him.) SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Look who crawled up the stairs", url: "http://www.deTheos.com/2007/12/20/look-who-crawled-up-the-stairs/" });

Dutch turns one year old tomorrow, and we plan to celebrate his development and God’s faithfulness to us in this parenting process. For me, being a husband and father is the greatest of all possible joys, as well as the height of my responsibility in this life. In the morning we plan to take a drive into town across the bridge that re-opens 12/21. It has been down for construction since April and the current detour makes the trek almost 20 minutes instead of 12. Having a new bridge is a big deal! Yes, we are totally ridiculous, and our whole family will be there to drive across the new...

Dutch is a curious little boy. In the past twelve months his mind has expanded exponentially, and we continually see so much potential in him. He’s amazing! For example this morning I had to dig a bug out of his mouth (he likes to find them in the corners of the kitchen, like the picture on the right…) But he is not only quick to find little snacks on the kitchen floor … he’s also quick to learn things. These days he is really fascinated with the vacuum cleaner. He loves to push the buttons and play with the (unplugged) cord. Here he is this morning, playing… And...