Arden is ONE Happy Camper

Heyo Family and Friends,

It’s been a while since we’ve written, we’re definitely in the thick of it right now and trying to keep our heads above water. We’re getting there but there’s no denying that we are struggling. Send some good vibes our way. In the meantime, please enjoy this recap of our joyful kiddo’s first birthday celebration, some pictures of our July 4th get-together at the Quimbo’s house, and some pictures of Merrick’s “Moving Up Graduation”.

Arden has been and remains the happiest babe on the planet so it seemed only fitting to have a ONE Happy Camper themed birthday party for him. We hosted our Philippines crew and their kiddos on 08 July to celebrate, just before his actual birthday (10 July). We served a delicious taco bar for the main and themed cupcakes with ice cream for dessert. Our family wore fun matching shirts for the occasion: One Happy Camper (Arden), One Happy Daddy (Travis), One Happy Mama (Samantha), and One Happy Kuya (Merrick – kuya = older brother in Tagalog). Arden thoroughly enjoyed his first taste of cake (yum, red velvet!) and playing with his friends.

While this last year was one of our hardest, it was also one of our most fulfilling. Arden is now 13 months old as of a few days ago and while he’s currently fighting off a bad case of Hand, Food, and Mouth Disease… he’s thriving otherwise. He brings us so much joy every single day. His favorite things to do are eat everything in sight, drink cold water, clap, dance, point, sign “all done”, and try his hardest to do everything his big brother does. He has 8 teeth, still loves to yell “Dada!”, and is a super speedy crawler. He said “Mama” for the first time recently, which exploded Samantha’s heart to pieces. He has an insatiable curiosity to see and touch everything. His silliness grows daily and his hugs are unparalleled. There is something both heartbreaking and beautiful about watching your last baby grow. Those final “firsts” take anchor in your memory.

Thank you to all our friends and family who celebrated our joyful babe both near and far. He was surrounded by so much love on his birthday.

All our love,

xo Team Jansen