Christmas

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. We had a busy Christmas and now that it's over I'm happy to have some time to hang out at home. I have a week to be a stay at home mom and I'm looking forward to it. Even though this was Miles' second Christmas it really felt like his first. He was old enough this time to unwrap gifts and get excited. Plus, he was old enough to interact with all the family. He seemed to enjoy all the activity and of course everyone went overboard on his gifts so he got lots of loot.


Opening gifts Christmas Eve with Casey's family.


Miles enjoyed opening gifts so much that when he was finished with his stack he went around stealing bows and offering unwrapping assistance to those who still had packages.


Santa's toys Christmas morning at home.


Just the three of us in our PJs on Christmas morning.


My favorite gift. Casy's sister gave me this baby themed shadow box and I filled it with some of Miles' keepsakes. Thanks Heather & Bridgette!

Family

Saturday we had an early Christmas with my family. It was lots of fun seeing all the kids together. Miles and Macy were especially cute together. We got them to hug and Miles couldn't get enough. He was following poor Macy around ready for more hugging.


The kids got tired as the night wore on and by the time we decided to get them together for a picture this was the best we could get. The night went downhill fast. There was lots of fussing, squabbling, and even a black eye. Luckily Miles had no part in the black eye. Whew! This was the 1st year that Miles and Macy were old enough to open gifts and all three enjoyed that part. They would get so excited about one gift that it was hard to get them to move on to the next gift. It's definitely more fun to celebrate Christmas with kids.

Santa

We have been trying to decide if we were going to do the Santa thing with Miles. It dawned on me that Santa's toys do not need to be wrapped and can be play ready under the tree on Christmas morning. That sounds awfully appealing so I guess Santa will be coming to our house after all. Today we headed to the mall for Miles' first Santa picture. He was a little nervous, but we managed to get one not so bad shot. He also said santa "danta" for the first time today which was pretty cute. For some reason he always says it in a whisper voice. Of course he has said it about 10 times today for me, but when I try to get him to say it for other people he just looks at me with a blank stare.



It's winter in Oklahoma! It's been really cold lately and the freezing wind is brutal so we have been bundling Miles when we take him out. He looks so darn cute! He can barely move and it reminds me of the little brother on A Christmas Story. With the winter weather came the cold and flu season. I spent the last week recovering from a horrible cold. One evening I spent a couple of hours disenfecting everything hoping that Miles wouldn't get sick and that same night I caught him using my tooth brush when I wasn't paying attention. I thought for sure we were doomed, but luckily nobody caught my germs and I'm back to normal now.

Miles got one of his gifts early- his big boy bed. It's so small and cute! He can climb in and out all on his own. He really likes to stand at the headboard and bounce on the bed. We are still co-sleeping at night, but hopefully he will start napping in the toddler bed. The cats are already enjoying the new bed. They had pretty much claimed the unused crib as their own so it's a transition for them too.




We have had the most ridiculous ordeal with our outdoor lights this year, but I am happy to report that we are finally done! We've struggled through broken clips, burnt out lights, bad fuses, tangled strands, wind, rain, and a faulty strand that we had to replace. It's like we are cursed. Casey fell off the ladder once and he managed to step on strands of lights breaking some of the bulbs on two different occasions. We have seriously been working on our outdoor lights since Thanksgiving. I would have just given up had we not already invested so much time. Casey and I both decided that it is time for new lights next year so hopefully I can find some good end of season deals after Christmas.

Trees

This week we had a couple of trees planted out back, one Shantung Maple, and one Oklahoma Redbud. We picked the trees out in September, but the nursery recommended that we wait until they were dormant to plant. I can't wait to see how they look in the spring when they bloom. I took a picture the day after they were planted. I have a similar picture of me and my dad standing next to a maple they planted at our 1st house in Shawnee. I was probably 3 and the maple tree was more like a maple stick. Now the tree is gigantic and there's no way I would belive it started as a stick just 26 years ago unless we had the photographic proof. The trees I picked aren't supposed to get huge, but hopefully it will still be fun for Miles to look back when he's older and see how they started.


Miles really enjoys redocorating our Christmas tree. I think it's my fault because I let him play with a few ornamnets when I was taking the pictures for our Christmas cards last week. Now he has decided that playing with the ornaments is pretty fun. Luckily he is not at all interested in the packages. We really have a pretty safe tree, no glass and the plug for the lights is enclosed in an outlet cover, so I've decided that as long as I'm there to make sure the tree doesn't tip, he can redecorate all he wants. Christmas is supposed to be fun, right?

Ready for Christmas

As soon as we cleaned up from Thanksgiving I got to work getting our Christmas decor up. The house looks really festive and it's cold enough now that we have been using the fireplace so it feels extra Christmasy. After Miles is asleep I love to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot chocolate and just watch the fire with the tree lights shimmering nearby. We still haven't hung our outdoor lights, but hopefully we'll get that done early this week. Right now it's just too cold to be stringing lights. Thanks to the internet I'm nearly done with my shopping. All of the sudden I'm feeling quite caught up.



I decided to forgo the holiday mayhem at the local portrait studios and just take pictures for our Christmas cards at home. I think the candid shots you get at home are usually better anyway. We did our homespun portrait shoot this morning and I've got my cards on order. Miles is pretty tolerant of the Santa hat and wears it without much resistance. The cats on the other hand are certain the furry Santa hat is some sort of animal intruder. They keep attacking it and dragging it from room to room. Animals are so weird some times.

Thanksgiving

It's nice to have a couple days off work to enjoy some family time. My fridge is stuffed to the limit and we really enjoyed having a house full of family. I am so pleased with the way my Thanksgiving table turned out. Santa brought my new table early so I could have it for our holiday meal and I put the old one in the living room to accommodate our crowd. I made napkins rings from raffia and some fall floral that I cut apart. We had quite a spread with turkey, ham, salad, rolls, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, maple glazed carrots, apple pecan cheesecake, and pie. Yum! I don't have time to do much cooking normally, but I really enjoy cooking for special occasions. It was Miles' first Thanksgiving meal and he pigged out right along with the rest of us. He didn't care for turkey, but he loved the ham. I hope everyone had a great holiday!


The highlight of our meal was watching my cousin's daughter Addyson feed Miles. They are such a cute pair.

Bad Habits

This week we noticed Miles starting to pick up bad habits.

1. He loves TV entirely too much. He doesn't watch a lot, but he definitely wants to watch more. He finds the remote himself and brings it to you whining for the TV to be turned on. When you tell him it isn't time for TV he gets mad. He loves Blues Clues and will sit glued to the TV through an entire 20 minute episode. We have started hiding our remotes and I think I'm going to have to keep the TV armoire closed to prevent melt downs.

2. He is also drawn to buttons like a magnet. The computer, the printer, the DVD player, the DVR, the remote, phones, car alarms- if it has a button he is all over it. All our electronics are getting extra abuse these days.

3. He's biting. Not in aggression so I think it just feels good to his new teeth to chomp. He likes to chew on your clothes if you are holding him and more often than not he gets a bite of skin. I have small bruises all over my left shoulder from his little nips and I can tell you that his bites pack a punch. I guess I can at least be thankful he is not in daycare biting all the other kids. We are encouraging him to bite his chew toys, but he still sneaks one on me several times a day.

4.He has started waking up at night... a lot. Sometimes he goes right back to sleep and sometimes he needs lots of cajoling. It's tiresome to say the least. It's been hard to pin point a cause because he has so much going on. He's teething, he's eating new foods, he's taking only one nap now, and he's dealing with the time change. I'm going to try to go back to two naps a day and see if I can firm up his schedule a bit. Hopefully that helps.

As for me I am preparing to host our first Thanksgiving in the new house. I planned my menu this weekend and I am going over all the details. I also started my Christmas shopping so that when the tree goes up we have gifts to put underneath. It feels kind of like the holidays snuck up on me this year. Time is just flying by. I 'm making Casey help me with the gifts for his side of the family since he thinks picking out gifts is a cinch. It should be interesting to see what he comes up with.


I look too cute to be causing so much trouble.


I have no idea why the green crayon has teeth marks on it.

A Good Week

This week we transitioned Miles to table foods and he did really well. His favorites include: bananas, grapes, cheese, peas, carrots, and peanut butter toast. Yesterday he ate an entire banana in one sitting. I hope we don't pay for that in today's diapers. We spent the weekend enjoying some of our last nice days outside. We took a walk at the park, played on our backyard swing, and just let Miles crawl around the yard. It's a good thing too because today it's cold and wet.

To top off an already great week we booked our next Disney vacation and I have to say that sometimes it really pays to be a geek. I was reading the Disney discussion board I frequent and I stumbled across a fantastic offer- buy 4 days/nights, get 3 free, plus a free $200 gift card. I found really good airfare through Southwest which sealed the deal. We're booked for Jan 24-31. I know it's really soon, but I will only go in value season so it was either Jan or Feb. I found the best airfare for Jan so that was it. It feels kind of indulgent to be going again so soon, but having a little extra money for things like this is exactly why I overload myself 16 weeks out of the year and teach a couple of classes on the side. I can't wait! I'm telling everyone I know because this price is a steal. The deal is good Jan- June, but you have to book by Dec 20th. I keep an eye on all things Disney and I'm telling you deals like this just don't come around that often.


Loves his rider, but so far can only go backwards. We listen to the song it plays at least 20 times a day. Miles is a sucker for buttons. We also listen to the phone and the toilet in his Little People house a lot. Casey jokes and says the phone keeps ringing because the water company is calling on account of the excessive flushing.


Enjoying the sun.


Miles is an outdoor boy. I'm not sure what we are going to do this winter when it gets too cold to go out.


Miles is walking more and more every day, but for the most part he still prefers his signature monkey crawl.

Jungle Groove

We caught Miles cycling through the noises on his Little People Dinoland until he got to the music at which point he would get his groove on. He did this about 6 times in a row. Pretty cute.

Walking

I finally got a video of Miles walking. He's doing pretty well for only his second day as a walker.

Check Up

Today Miles went for his one year check up and he is a perfectly healthy, happy boy. He weighed in at 24 lbs and 4 ounces which was at the 75th percentile for his age and he measured 32 inches tall which was in the 95th percentile for his age. The doctor commented that his height is considered average for a 19 month old. Who knows where he gets that. The doctor said babies at 12 months usually can say anywhere from 0-5 words. Miles knows hi, daddy, duh(duck), and dada(mommy) so I guess he's right on track. He's babbling up a storm so I'm sure he start adding more words soon. The doctor asked if he was walking and I said no, but he was getting close. She said 12 months is average, but it was nothing to worry about. After the doctor's visit I took Miles to grandma's house and while we were there he took 3 steps totally unassisted. He's very cautious and I almost feel bad because he really prefers to hold your hand. We kept ourselves just out of reach and he took a few shaky steps towards grandma. We have a walker!




The trees are all turning and I snapped this picture outside my office. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but it's gorgeous. I love this time of year.

Halloween

We had a fun Halloween and Miles looked super cute in his spider outfit. My Disney pumpkins turned out pretty good although they shriveled up before Halloween. Lesson learned- carve pumpkins at the very last minute. We only got two groups of trick-or-treaters for a grand total of five kids. We have a ton of candy left over. We do have lots of empty lots in the neighborhood, but there are kids here. I guess people just don't trick-or-treat anymore. Casey and I walked next door to show off Miles about 7:30pm which was prime trick-or-treat time and the streets were deserted. Kind of sad.



We always have fun dressing up at work. Here's a picture of the MA staff.

More Disney Pics

This week we received the professional photos taken by Disney.

Disney World

We had a fabulous week at Disney World! Miles did well on the plane rides and we had a great time at the parks. It was a little more of a chore vacationing with a baby in tow, but we were so excited to introduce Miles to the magic. It took him a couple of days to warm up to the characters, but by midweek he was kissing Mickey and giving Donald a high five. Miles got his first haircut at the Main Street Barber Shop in Magic Kingdom. That was really special and he looks so grown up with his big boy do. I kind of miss the curls he had in the back, but they saved them for me. We really enjoyed Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and it was neat to see the Magic Kingdom all decked out for fall. All things considered we still prefer February so we are planning to go back February 2010. I posted my favorite pictures, but there are tons more on our photo site linked on the side bar.

We noticed that Miles has become quite the social butterfly and is definitely over his stranger danger. While we were on vacation Miles learned to say "hi" and would happily greet anyone who would give him a second look. He also learned to say "daddy" although he says it with a British accent. It's pretty darn cute.

Birthday Party

As soon as we got home Saturday I got busy preparing for Miles' birthday party on Sunday. The party was lots of fun and Miles enjoyed the attention. He only took two tiny bites of his cake before he was ready to get down so we didn't get any messy cake pictures, but we got plenty of others. He got a ton of toys and we had to expand our Little People city. We put his jumper in the attic to make room for all his new big boy toys.

Finally Relaxing

Our whirlwind week is over and we are headed to Disney World!! Packing up a baby for a week is no small feat. I can't believe all the stuff we are taking. Miles has his own suitcase and two carry ons. I hope Miles tolerates the plane ride and that we are surrounded by patient people. See you in a week! I will definitely come back with plenty of pictures to share.



Saturday night we attended my Aunt April's annual fall party in Shawnee. We cooked out, sat around a fire, drank apple cider, and played dirty pumpkin (dirty Santa with a fall twist). It was a great time and we enjoyed just being out in the country. Mike and April have some beautiful property and April always has the cutest holiday decorations. Miles really enjoyed all the decorative lights and was mesmerized by the fire. April's parties have become a family tradition that we look forward to every year.


We just found out that we are getting new neighbors. My parents are buying the house next door and are set to close at the end of the month. Most people think it's a little bit weird that we'll be living next door to my parents, but we all get along fine and it will be really special for Miles to have his grandma and grandpa so close. At the very least we know they will be good neighbors and will take good care of their yard. I think it's going to be fun.

Looking Forward to Next Week

Things have been pretty hectic lately. Casey and I are both busy at work. I'm wrapping up my class, planning Miles' birthday party, and trying to get ready for our vacation next week. If I can get through this week we'll be home free. We are so excited for Disney World and at this point we really need a vacation.


Casey and Miles met me after work last Wednesday and we stopped by the duck pond on campus. Miles was a little apprehensive at first, but he warmed up and talked about the ducks "duh" the rest of the night.


Miles is dabbling more in real food. He seems pretty open to new stuff and really likes any kind of pasta. Of course pasta is really messy so that's fun too.


Bring on Halloween cause we are ready! We're going to carve our pumpkins this weekend and Miles has a spider costume which is just the cutest thing ever. Casey bought me a book of Disney pumpkin carving templates so with any luck I should have some extra special jack-o-lanterns this year.

Cock-a-doodle-do

So cute! Just had to share.

Family Fun

This past Monday we got to see my cousin Jill and her family who were in town from El Paso. Jill's daughter, Macy, is about 6 weeks older than Miles and was cute as a bug! It was a lot of fun to see Miles and Macy together. I couldn't get over how small Macy was compared to my mammoth Miles. She may have been small, but she was walking circles around Miles. I don't think Miles will be walking anytime soon, but it was fun to see what we have to look forward to. The highlight of the evening was watching the kids battle over a plush Dora Explorer chair. It was quite funny to watch.


My aunt Cheryl with Macy and Miles.


The coveted Dora chair.


Since it is officially October I got my Halloween decorations up. Halloween is my favorite holiday.

Turnabout is Fair Play

Look like we started something. I walked in this morning to Disney decorations and my favorite cinnacrunch bagels from Panera. My sources tell me Russ is plotting his revenge and this isn't it.

Obama for President!

This is too good not to share. The other academic advisor in our office was away on vacation for the last week and a half so we redecorated his office as a little surprise for him. Russ is retired military, conservative, religious, and very Republican. When I first started here it was just me and Russ in the graduate office. I do my part to put the liberal in Liberal Studies so our office has always been full of friendly banter. We have grown and our office now consists of three Obama supporters and Russ. Needless to say it's been a fun election year. I guess I am setting myself up for my vacation in October, but this idea was one that just had to be acted on. Russ has already told me that he doesn't get mad, he gets even. We'll see.

Eleven Months Old

Enjoying the Sunshine. We've had beautiful weather and have been enjoying the outdoors.


Such a peaceful sleeper. Seems like this is the only time I really get a good look at him.



Don't tickle me, daddy!


I love green beans!! Who knew?

A Season of Change

I survived my week as a single mom and it was actually kind of fun to have so much one on one time with Miles. However, I was certainly glad to have Casey back and it's good to return to normal. This week we finally have fall weather. It seems like I've been counting down the days to our Disney vacation forever and now it's nearly here. Time is flying. Miles' birthday is around the corner and he's looking more and more grown up every day. He's becoming more independent, voicing his preferences in food and activities. He's also becoming more and more willing to leave my side. He's into exploring and getting into whatever he can. Sometimes I look at him and see a kid not a baby. It's exciting and sad all at the same time.


No more rattles and teethers for Miles. He's moved on to bigger and better big boy toys.



Miles looks so grown up in his new pajamas.



Miles loves to read. He has the patience to sit through several stories at a time and he even has his favorite books. Right now he really likes: Brown Bear Brown Bear, I Love You Goodnight, and this lift the flap Little People book.



We've got our fall decor out and I found new pots on clearance at the end of the season.