9 Month Pictures

We snuck (sneeked?) and had Easton's 9 Month Pictures made a few weekends ago.  We wanted to keep it a secret so we could use them as gifts.  We had to do this shoot at our house because it was cold and almost rainy that day.  So, without further delay...

http://www.kvpslideshows.info/Easton9mo/

There are 2 pix where Easton appears to have 3 feet, but I assure you, he's only got 2!  ;)

ENJOY!

Christmas 2010

**UPDATED----with pix**

Well... I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.

I had great expectations for this Christmas, Easton's First Christmas.  However, this Christmas was not one I will soon forget, but not for good reasons. 

I came down with Strep Throat on Tuesday and am just now on the living side of it.  I'm not kidding, that was worse than child birth!  And to top it all off, I got a stomach virus on Christmas Eve!  And---to top that off, Lance got it today!  So, I've been off for 5 days and all 5 have been spent sick.  I so look forward to Christmas 'vacation' every year.  Summer vacation is spent at the beach, but Christmas vacation is spent at home with family.  I love having that time at home to bake, wrap presents, last minute shop, nap, and just be together.  But this year, that was not the case.  I barely was able to enjoy myself watching Easton open his presents on Christmas morning.  We did make it to our destinations on Chrimstas Eve and Christmas Day but I wasn't much company. 

Easton however, did enjoy himself.  He was quite the little ham on Christmas Eve at my Nana's house.  He has learned a new trick with his mouth- sort of like a frog- and he sticks his tongue in and out and makes a lidl-lidl-lidl noise.  He was quite proud of that and showed it to anyone who'd watch.  I could kiss him in the mouth, but I don't want him to get the germs!  Christmas morning, he'd sqeal in delight as he'd tear a piece of paper from a package, not knowing what was inside.  He sat in the middle of Mega Blocks and ABC Blocks and kicked his legs and waved his arms with excitement!  Daddy wins the award for FATHER OF THE YEAR!  He helped him open every present and played with each toy with him as long as his attention held. To see those two, oh it just melts my heart.  I love to see Easton look up at Lance and into his eyes.  He's got the gaze of a soap star!   

Once I mustered enough strength, we went over the river and through the woods...no, not really, just down the road to Honey's house and then a little further to Gigi's house!  We had more present opening at each house and more wonderful company.  We made it to our last desitination, Grandmomma's, and got back home about 7.  I'm still not exactly sure how I made it through the day other than with God's strength and Lance's will.  He was not letting me miss anything.  I'm glad he pushed me, but boy, was I sick. 

Looking back on Christmas 2010, there are a lot of things I didn't do that I wish I would have...

I'm going to jot them all down here, so next year when I look back at this, maybe I'll remember how I wished I'd have done them...{not in order of importance}

• Pictures with Santa
• Christmas PJ's
• Letter to Santa on Christmas Eve
• Cookies for Santa
• Take Family Photo on Christmas morning (now, that one reeeallllly hurts my heart that we didn't do...it's only his first Christmas once...)
• Take a picture in the freshly falling snow- it was the first white Christmas in 17 years, 1993- the year Big Al was born!  And yep, another missed picture opportunity
• Read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' just like my mom did to me EVERY Christmas Eve
• Read the story of Jesus' birth on Chirstmas Eve just like we did EVERY year at my Nana's

SO, now that I've been Negative Nancy, I'm going to try to change my thoughts a minute because 'Change your thoughts and you change your world'....RIGHT MOM???

I do have so much to be thankful for.  We all have our health (other than these last 5 days), we have each other, we have a wonderful family, great jobs, great child care, amazing friends, a wonderful church...and Jesus...and HE is the TRUE reason for Christmas.  And as I was laying on the bathroom floor feeling its coolness on my fevered body wondering if I really was this sick on Christmas, and sad that I wasn't going to feel good watching Easton tear into his presents or find excitement in watching Lance open my gifts to him or opening the stack of presents that Lance had gotten me, I thought- 'it's not about that Annie, it's about Jesus.  Christmas is in your heart.  It's in the time that you get to be with family.  It's in the love that your husband showed you while staying up with you all night, it's in the twinkle that's in your son's eyes, the joy that is in his soul.'  So, with that said, I was SICK AS A DOG, but it was Christmas nonetheless.  And it was Easton's First.  One I shall never forget. 

On a side note...and a more 'personal' note...I had to stop breastfeeding for 24 hours because I had to take a phenergan to stop the vomiting.  That to me was one of the worst parts of Christmas.  To have to prepare Easton a bottle of frozen milk (thank God I had so much stored!!!) and watch someone else feed him while he looked at me in confusion was heartbreaking.  It is true, what 'they' say about the closeness you feel to your child when you breastfeed.  It's such an amazing bond and I encourage every mother-to-be to try it.  Give it 6-8 weeks and I promise, you'll be glad you did.  I'm happy to say we've picked right back up where we left off.  Fixing and cleaning that many bottles a day is for the birds!  It's so much easier to nurse! 

So, Easton, your first Christmas wasn't everything I planned out...but we were together and Daddy and I love you VERY much!  You are the best gift of all!

I do have some pictures of our day...but I got a new camera {THANKS BOO!} and I'm not sure how to upload them yet.  So, be patient and check back! 

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year as well!

Just a few pix from Easton's first Christmas...

Daddy helping him find what Santa left!

2 of the best gifts ever!

LOVE his new Elmo

First Baseball Game!

Learning to WALK!

Sesame Street Walker from GG & Big Ron!

Sick Mamma :(

Christmas Cookies 101

Can someone tell me what in the sam hill happened to these friggin cookies?

I had GRAND plans for these cookies but they were a flop!

The dough was a sticky gooey mess and wouldn't cut out at all.

They taste DELISH, but as for decorating and giving as gifts- that's a NO!

So, my coworkers will get their fair share of un-iced sugar cookies this week!

Feel free to chime in and tell me what I did wrong.  I'm thinking I needed more flour- they are kinda thin...

This is PRECISELY the reason I crochet---if it's bad, I just pull it out...but this....my whole kitchen was a DISASTER...and it was a failure.  Oh well.  Lesson learned.  BUY PRE MADE SUGAR COOKIES!

Amen.

9 Months

Y'all think he's hungry?

Yeah, that's what I thought...

9 Month Stats:

20.10lbs

28 inches long

18 inch head circumference

Milestones:

Crawling all over

Pulling up

Taking steps assisted

Eating lots of 'solids' moving on to table food soon

Babbles all the time

Da da is said in high pitch over and over and over

AND A BIGGIE- Daddy put him to bed tonight! :(

I've nursed him EVERY night up until tonight.  We did a 'trial run' with the bottle.

He was a little confused but after some coaxing he went right to bed.

GG will be keeping him Monday night because we are going to see GARTH so I won't get to be home at bedtime.  I'm a little lot sad about not putting him to bed, but I know he'll be in good hands!

And- a cute little story from school this week that was sent home on a Happy Gram:

"Easton was so cute today.  He got all the little animals out of the tub and lined them up one by one.  He sat there watching them like he was waiting for them to move.  It was so cute!" 

Awww, "Easty" lining things up already buddy. 

God bless you, doomed to the spreadsheets like your mamma! 

(There's worse things you could be than organized and anal)

Pulling Up

The pulling up and standing is in full swing now!

As I was doing laundry tonight, he decided he'd stand up to help...

Easton, will you please promise mommy you'll always be willing to help with the laundry???

Please, oh please???

Snow Day!

Ok, so last weekend when I said we had our first snow...

scratch that...

THIS weekend we had our first snow! 

(This pic was early in the afternoon on Sunday...we got LOTS more after that!)

...AND SNOW DAY (at least Easton had a snow day!) 

He stayed with his honey while me & daddy went in to work and had lots of lovin!

Where's Easton?

I go to the grocery store today for a nice leisurly shopping trip without having to lug the car seat in and out and come home to this:

"Boo, guess where I found Easton?"

I like Kirby's face in this picture...

'Can't I get one little ole corner of MY kennel without being disrupted?!?!'

"Found him...does that mean you lost him???"

Well, at least he found him...right?!?!?!?

embrace the camera 12-9-10

 Its been a few weeks due to all this funk going 'round...and almost got skipped again cause I couldn't get a good pic.But I couldn't resist...so this is as good as it gets. 

Double Ear Infection

Well, another visit to the doctor yesterday revealed that Easton has a double ear infection.  You'd never know it though.  He's quite the trooper (except at night).  We started a round of antibiotics and hope to have this wiped out SOON! 

Mmmmm...look at that big toe kinked up.  I could bite that toe right off.

He's DELISH!

Uncle Tyler came for a visit tonight.  We love Uncle Tyler!

And this...dear one's...is my little lovie standing up!

He pulled up for the first time (for me to see it) today!!!

We pulled out this fun little toy and he kept trying to stand up...

and finally got it!

Baby Steps!!!

I sure do love watchin him grow and develop- I just wish he'd slow down!

FIRST SNOW!

Ok, so it wasn't a blizzard, but it was the first flurry of the season...

and since I'm documenting...I call the shots.

I promise, there were more flurries than this, but we didn't have time to try for more pix...

we were already late to church! 

Don't you step on my blue suede shoes!

Got our first pair of real shoes today!

HOWEVER- he might be like his momma for once folks- this boy prefers to be bare foot! He kept looking at the shoes like they were foreign objects that needed to come off!  Baby steps...maybe he'll eventually like shoes.  Perhaps I should have bought the next size up!

Pardon the absence...

...we've all been a bit under the weather.

Seems as if mommy & daddy got Easton's funk.

Hope to be back SOON!