A big boy

Stephen started using a plate when he eats this week. I did it the first time to avoid a macaroni and cheese mess on the highchair tray. I was hoping his food wouldn't end up all over the floor. He did a great job! At mealtime, Stephen is usually so intent on eating that he wouldn't even think about dumping the food all over. The only time he tries is when it's empty and he wants more food.

The thrill of the chase

Stephen loves it when Daddy chases him around the house. Stephen will crawl a little bit, stop, turn around to see if Daddy's coming, and then take off, giggling the whole way. I got a video of one of their chases.

Stephen's 1 year photo shoot

We went to Sears on November 20 for Stephen's 1 year photo shoot. I had a great coupon and ended up being very happy with the results. The coupon was $10 for the session, with a 10x13, 5x7, 4 wallets, and a single image CD. I was able to get 3 different poses. Plus, they later sent me an e-mail with a great deal for ordering more online, so I got an additional pose. Stephen was very cooperative during the session until the very end, so we were able to get some great pictures.

Advent/Christmas at our house

I love this time of year! So many pretty decorations to put up. It's so much more fun when you have a little boy who admires them as well. Stephen loves the colored lights on our windows. He's enjoying playing with our 2 nativity sets at his level. Here's pictures of a couple of new decorations I made this year.
This is our Jesse tree. Obviously, Stephen has no clue what any of it means, but now I have it made for when he does. The tree is felt. The ornaments are printed out and glued onto felt circles. They're attached to the tree with velcro. So far, Stephen has done a good job of leaving it alone.

This is our Christmas card display. I found the mini ornaments at Target and tied them onto ribbon. The cards are attached to the big ribbons with little clothespins.

I'm looking forward to hopefully putting up our tree soon.

What Stephen's been up to...

Playing with Flat Stanley - sent to us by Clare,

Helping Mom with the laundry,

Having very animated phone conversations.

All the better to bite you with, my dear!

At the beginning of the week, I noticed that Stephen's 1-year molars have popped through on the top and bottom of the right side. He's now up to 10 teeth!

A belated Thanksgiving

Stephen and I ventured to Nebraska this past weekend for a late Thanksgiving celebration with my family. We flew for the second time together. We left on Thursday, and it was snowing in Denver. We got to our gate around 8:00 am for our 10:04 flight. The aircraft we were supposed to get on was late coming in. Once it got there, there was a maintenance issue. We finally boarded around 11:15. Then we sat on the tarmac for about 2 hours as we waited in line to get deiced, got deiced, and then waited for our turn to take off. We finally landed around 3:30, only 3 hours late! Considering the circumstances, Stephen did a great job. He was definitely excited to get to Aunt Megan's house where he could be "free."

On Friday, Stephen and I went to Clare's school to eat lunch with her. I also got to see some of my former coworkers. That evening we all went to Grandma and Grandpa G.'s house where we spent the rest of the weekend. It was the last time for all of us to gather in my parents' current house in our hometown. They'll be moving to the "big city" in a few weeks. Our Thanksgiving meal was wonderful! (Thanks, Mom!) Stephen loved getting to play with his cousins, aunts, uncle, and grandparents. The flight home on Sunday was much less eventful. It left on time, and Stephen slept the entire way. We had a great time. I'm glad we were able to go.

Looking out the airport window

Bonding with cousin Monica

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house

More cousin bonding

Bathtime with cousin Jacob

Crazy after-bath hair

Jacob, Stephen, Clare, Monica, Emily

Sisters, sisters