MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!!!!

I love Christmas, and everything that goes along with it. This season has been especially fun because we now have Thomas in our family. Having a child adds a whole new dimension to the holiday season. I am so excited to open gifts with him in the morning. I know it will be a blast. He mainly just loves the paper which is great to watch. He has gotten a couple of gifts so far and has had fun playing with them. I hope that all of you have a great Christmas and a fun time with all of you families. Here are some fun pre-Christmas pics of Thomas.

Thomas' First Christmas Gift

Thomas' first Christmas gift ever was from the McNichols. We went to their house to play on Wednesday and he got to open his gift early.

The Fisher-Price IncrediBlock. It is full of endless fun and activities.

Megan helped Thomas figure out how to use his new toy. He loves it.

He Knows If He's Been Bad Or Good!!!

His face shows that he knows what he is doing is wrong. (But he doesn't seem to care too much.) His new obsession is using things to reach things that he shouldn't. While this confirms our suspicions about him being a genius, it also gets him into a lot of trouble. For this reason we have now taken his giraffe out of his crib. We don't want it used as a means of escape or the perfect way to crack his skull.

So Now It's My Turn

Sorry for the lack in posting lately. I know that we have family who check this site often for fun pictures of Thomas. Well, there haven't been very many taken lately because I have been sick. Thomas was running a fever on Sunday and we were afraid he was getting sick again. Luckily it would appear that his immune system does in fact work and he fought off whatever it was. I on the other hand, have gotten full force. So, I will try and get some cute pictures of Thomas us this week. And of course, next week will be filled with fun Christmas pictures. So until then, have fun doing your last minute shopping and cooking.

Random Happenings In Our Lives

The past week seems to have had something everyday. We have gone to musicals, Christmas parties, and to see Santa, we have heard of new baby cousins being born and we have just had lots of fun. So, the following is just a snip of the past week. We do not have pictures from any of the Christmas parties, but trust me they were fun.

This Is A Picture For Jen & Molly

Here is Thomas in a nice little sissy outfit for church. He did look awful cute, but I will say that it was the first Sunday that I had to leave church early because he was crying. I am not going to blame it on the fact that I dressed him a little girlie, but I am thinking that maybe it had something to do with it. That and the fact that there were about 5 kids who had just been dropped off and were screaming for their parents and it set him off. So the outfit makes him super sensitive too. Don't know if we will wear that one again. :)

Girls, Girls, And More Girls

We have been bombarded with girls. First our surrogate cousin Martha, then our cousin Olivia, and now we introduce to you baby Kate. She belongs to my cousin Mike and his wife Suzy. She was born on Monday night and is quite the cutie. The cheeks must run in our family since it appears she has the same super cute cheeks as Thomas. My cousin Emily (Mike's sister) and her husband Cliff are also having a girl at the end of this month. We are so excited about all of our new cousins.

Open, Close, Open, Close On Fingers And Cry, Open, Close

This is Thomas' new obsession. Opening and closing the cabinet doors. We are the awful parents who have yet to baby proof our home, but it does keep him entertained while I am cooking.

I Love Playing In My Room

This morning I found Thomas sitting "Indian style" or "criss cross applesauce" or "cross legged" or whatever the politically correct term is for the way he is sitting. I thought it was so cute I had to take a picture. The toy he is playing with is the obnoxious "busy bee." We hate it so of course he loves it.

Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Thomas LOVED meeting Santa. He really likes beards so this was a plus in meeting Santa. We got there early and were the only ones there, so we were able to take a lot of video and pictures of Thomas and Santa's first meeting. Santa liked how fascinated Thomas was with the fans. He said that since he had been such a good boy this year he would bring him lots of toys.

Yay For Nine Months!!

Dear Thomas, Today you are 9 months old. You are becoming such a big boy and growing up so fast. It's hard to believe that you are getting close to being a year old. You are still so sweet and fun. Your daddy and I love you so much that I can't even begin to describe it. In the last month you have gotten two of your top teeth, (And we couldn't even tell that you were teething.) have learned to stand by yourself, can clap your hands, will sometimes wave good-bye, and you love to point at things. Oh, and about the teeth thing, it looks like you have inherited my horse teeth. Your top teeth are really big. So, sorry in advance for any teasing that may occur because of this. Just remember one day you will be bigger than all of those kids and they won't make fun of you then. You are still so busy, sometimes it is hard to imagine where all of that energy comes from. If daddy or I hold you in the air and yell, "Run, run, run, run," you will kick you legs real fast and get very excited. It is one of our most favorite things to show people. You have also started putting your paci in by yourself. Daddy and I love to put one in our mouth, and when you see it you will yank it out and spit the one you have out and put the new one in. Being evil, we will then take the one that you spit and put it in our mouth, and so goes the cycle. We have decided that you are not going to be good at sharing. Most kids your age are afraid of the vacuum cleaner, but not you. Instead of crying when I vacuum, you will follow it around or crawl up to it and try to grab it. Others noises make you cry, but not the vacuum. Of course, it does have a cord and a light which are two of your favorite things.

I took you to the doctor today. He said, "You need to feed Thomas more." This is funny because with the exception of your bottle you are already on the verge of eating us out of house and home. So, you are on the diet that all adults would love to be on, the eat whatever you want whenever and if it is fattening, eat more of it. You are now 30" long (the 95%) and 19 lbs. (25%). Apparently that ratio is frowned upon in the medical world. I tried to explain to him that it is not lack of eating, but the constant movement that has given you this figure, but he says that you need to fill that large frame of yours. So, be a good boy and eat lots of junk and fattening food for mommy.

We are anticipating your first Christmas. We haven't taken you to see Santa yet, but I am sure you will love him since you love facial hair. It is so fun for me and daddy to plan for your first Christmas. We love picking out gifts and deciding what to get you now, and what we will want to get you later. I still sometimes try to imagine life for us before you. It seems such a dull distant memory. Nine months ago when you first came into our life was the best day ever. We love you so much and look forward to see all of the joy and fun you will bring us.

Love,

Mommy

Drool, drool, drool. That is a great way to describe you last few months. You don't drool a lot, but you are always drooling. Just a steady tiny stream.

I know that I shouldn't tell you that you're pretty, but you are. You have the most beautiful eyes and the most kissable cheeks.

This picture would explain why you are now in 24-36 month socks and in a size 5 shoe. Although, since we have yet you buy you any size 5 we still cram them into a size 4 or just put you in the huge big boy socks. That will be something to tell you shrink one day.

This picture was not taken today, but how could I resist putting it up. This is the wild crazy you that I love. You are so fun and keep us on our toes.

Merry Early Christmas To Me!!

Tyler gave me one of my Christmas presents early tonight.

I have been wanting to iPod shuffle to help with my running. You know, because it will make me run faster and farther and all of that. Usually I have Ina to talk to, but sometimes I do have to run by myself and hopefully this will keep me entertained enough to add some distance. I am so excited because as many of you know I LOVE new toys. So, thanks Tyler for my fun gift.

Why I Need Jen & Heather To Move Back!!

Aunt Ina might be smoking crack, but instead of saying no and setting a good example we are just going to light up and join her. Ina is an exerciser, and now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with that. But, she is one of THOSE exercisers. She does it almost every day and is super in shape. So when she says, "Hey, Ida, why don't we run the Gasparilla 15K?" I should have run, well actually I did run because I stupidly said okay. (That's right people I said 15 freakin K, in American that is 9.6 MILES!!!) Now see, if Jen & Heather still lived in town and I had 3 close friends to share my time between I may have thought twice, in fact, they probably would have led me to reconsider, but since now Ina is my only close friend in town I allow her be a bad influence on me. Luckily Thomas enjoys the runs which still aren't very long so it makes it a nice outing for him. I have tried to explain to him that while they are fun for him they might just be the death of me. Something else that might be the end of me. MY. CHILD. IS. SICK. AGAIN!!! He fell asleep at 7:30 tonight, slept about 20 mins. and has been a little high maintenance since. Pray for me!! I am gonna need it. Oh, but there is an upside to these runs and the sleepless nights I inevitably have coming up, I am in 2 weddings both of which feature strapless dresses, this could only mean good things for my arms and the rest of me.

Our Last Day In Snowy Paradise And Only 2 Days Before The Blizzard Came

We left Fargo just in time. On Monday a huge blizzard came that left 3 foot snow drifts on Heather's garage door. She tried to shovel that!?!? She didn't succeed, but I give her credit for trying. Thomas continued to hate the cold wind but still loved the cold window. We had a great time and it was nice to be able to see where Heather lived and worked. Although, with a temperatures of -2 today I am glad I was just visiting and not living there.

I love this picture. Tyler took it on Saturday morning. I just think that is so sweet.

Thomas with his Grandpa Bill.

Two happy parents, one miserable child.