Christmas Time is Here!!

So, here we are 2 and a half weeks away from Christmas and it's been too long since my last post. Just to let you know, in my ideal world, I would be able to hop on to our blog once every other day or so and just give you a short little taste of what our world is like. Instead, we seem to be doing the "once or twice a quarter, family buffet." So, let's hit some high points. Shall we?


Thomas is having a blast with all the family fun going on this time of year. We spent Thanksgiving together, just the three of us. What a blessing! Don't get me wrong, it is great to be with our families and extended families, but it sure was a nice relaxing way to begin the holiday with a yummy "mini-Thanksgiving meal" on Thursday night. We watched the parade that morning and watched a lot of football. Speaking of parades, we did go to the Raleigh Christmas parade a couple of weekends ago and Thomas had a blast. He was still and watching the floats go by for a much longer time than he's ever been still before. :) We spent Friday with my Mom and Sunday evening with my Dad. In between, we went to Wilmington to visit some of Shawn's extended family for an oyster roast. Shawn enjoyed the oysters, I enjoyed the desserts and Thomas enjoyed all the many toys that Aunt Nanny keeps at her house (and the dogs). Both places we spent time at in Wilmington had one or two dogs so Thomas got well aquainted. He actually woke up at Cousin Jo's house on Sunday morning and the first words out of his mouth...."ruff ruff".

Thomas has really been enjoying coloring lately. Grandaddy couldn't resist giving Thomas one of his Christmas presents a little early. It is a table that you can write on with dry-erase markers. He loves it! We have to watch him closely with the markers but he enjoys them.....

and so does Daddy.... (notice that my 19 month old son has a beard!) Hmmm, Daddy, how did THAT get there??

This weekend, we got our tree up and decorated. I really think Christmas is more fun with children around. The past few years I've just had a hard time getting motivated to get into the hoopla of decorating, etc. This year seems to be different. I'm loving it! We're even decorating the outside of our house, which is new for us. Now, after a few hundred trips to Lowe's and Target, I think we're about done. We changed from glass balls on our tree to garland and ribbons (to prevent much breakage!) I like the new look. What do you think?

Thomas is continuing to do well. He is talking more every day. He repeats almost anything you say and says many things on his own. I love hearing him say "Thank You" when we hand him something. He's also recently started saying "uh huh" when we ask him a question. This morning, I said "Are you okay?" after he took a tumble and he looked right at me and said "uh huh" with a big smile on his face. Not sure how I feel about that....but it sure is cute for now. He really loves bath time and usually goes "swimming" at some point during his time in the tub. He gets on his belly and kicks like crazy. The little butt cheeks peeking out of the water are so cute! :)

We'll soon be going to see Santa and get Thomas' picture taken. Wish us luck! I'll try to post some pictures when we get them.

That's Elmo's World

Yep, Thomas has discovered the world of Sesame Street and he loves it!! He particularly loves Elmo's World, which comes on the last 20 min or so of each Sesame Street episode. He grins from ear to ear when he hears the intro music...you may know it. "La la la la, la la la la, Elmo's world, Elmos loves his goldfish, his crayon too, that's Elmo's World!" (I've only heard it a few times) ;)

We've discovered one of many things that is different about Thomas' growing up years and our own. He knows how to make the DVR work for him. He doesn't know how to actually use the DVR but boy does he know the concept! When it comes to a part that he's not enjoying (anything that doesn't involve a muppet), he points towards the remote and says "Melmo, melmo", which is what he calls Elmo. He knows that we can then fast forward to a good part. He also doesn't have to wait for it to come on TV, we can just cue up a saved episode any time. What in the world did we do without DVR when we were kids??!!

Thomas is also recognizing characters and can name them. Big Bird, Elmo, Zoe, etc. When he sees The Count, he says "ah, ah, ah"... you know, the way The Count has that creepy little laugh. "One. One baseball. Ah ah ah!" It is terribly cute! He also loves to laugh and clap when others are laughing and clapping. He may have no idea what is going on but he will join right in! Again...so cute!

What have we been up to recently? Shawn's dad works at the Firestone plant in Wilson, NC. They had a family day so we went with Shawn's mom, dad and his brother (who also works there). They had fair rides and food and had hot dogs, chips and ice cream for supper. This worked out well because it was a much smaller scale but we sort of got to experience some of the fair without having to actually go. Me being the terrible photographer that I am, I forgot to get a picture of Thomas and his Grandaddy. Grandaddy was even in his work coveralls. Oh well, maybe next time!

We also had fun last weekend for Halloween! Our playgroup had a Halloween party and all the kids were dressed in their costumes and we had a yummy lunch and a pumpkin cake. Yum! On Saturday, we celebrated our friend Evie's 5th birthday in the afternoon and then stuck around for pizza and trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Thomas did great and eventually got the hang of holding out his bag to collect candy. Once he had a few pieces in there, he was ready to sit right in the middle of the cul de sac and eat it. He hasn't had any of his candy (I've eaten most of it - there wasn't much, thank goodness!) He was a boxer for Halloween and he was pretty darn cute. I wouldn't have picked out that costume but when we tried it on in the store, I changed my mind.

Thomas has his 18-month check-up tomorrow and turns 18-months old on Friday. Hard to believe it's been that long. He'll be getting shots, I think, and also his flu shot, so I hope it goes well. Fingers crossed!

Down, Set, HUT!

Can't believe it's October already and we're nearing Halloween! The back corner of Target it now dedicated to Christmas stuff...yeah, that's right, Christmas stuff!!!! What in the world??!!

Anyway, back to the update. Thomas is morphing into a full-fledged toddler (in attitude), this week. There have been a couple of times this week where he is a happy squeeling kid that turns, in a split second, into a screaming, angry, mommy can't do anything to fix it, little boy. It's exhausting! Most of the time I just let him work through it (i.e., ignore it). Yikes!

When those fun times aren't happening, he is a cute kid! He loves to put on his socks and when you do put on his socks he will run and bring you his shoes. I think it's because he knows that means he gets to go bye-bye. He also has started saying "Bless you" ("besh-u") when someone around him sneezes. It is the cutest thing in the world and I must admit, I've faked a sneeze a time or two just to hear him say it. He also loves throwing his basketball and soccer ball around. Last night, Shawn and Thomas were laying on the floor on their backs, right next to each other. Thomas tries to throw the ball up in the air like Daddy and does a pretty good job of it! He also enjoys singing. I often sing "Jesus Loves Me" to him and he will sing with me. The only recognizable word is Jesus, but that's just fine with me!

Oh yeah, something we'll try to get on video is what Shawn has recently taught Thomas. Shawn can say "down, set, hut" and Thomas gets into somewhat of a 3-point stance and says "Hut!". It is so totally cute and, like I said, we'll try to get it on video and share it with you soon.

We were in Wilson a couple of weekends ago with Shawn's family to celebrate his Great-Grandmother's 94th birthday. Thomas got to sit on his Uncle Ryan's motorcycle. I sure hope he didn't like it TOO much! This past weekend, Shawn and I were supposed to go to a friend's wedding and his parents were coming to stay with Thomas. Well Thomas ended up with a fever for a few days so we didn't go, but The Williams' still came up to visit. We played at the park and had lunch at the NC Seafood restaurant at the Farmer's Market. It was a great relaxing weekend.

Here are a few pics: (the updated September family pics are posted. See the link on the right side of this page)

Summer Vacation and Other Random Things

So, we're almost at the end of the Summer and I'm not ready for it to go yet! We have had a great month or so since I last posted. I'll just hit a few of the high points.

Thomas had his 15-month well check at the pediatrician on August 6. At that point he was 25 lbs 8.5 ozs and 34 inches tall. That is 70% and >97% respectively. He is still a big boy, despite not being a big eater. Don't get me wrong, he eats, but just not as much as I would expect sometimes.


We went on vacation with my mom and my mom's family to Ocean Isle Beach, NC in early August. Thomas loved the sand and played with everyone and eventually warmed up to the ocean by the end of the week. We had a great time spending time with family and relaxing as much as we could and Shawn and I even got to have an afternoon to ourselves, which we enjoyed. (Thanks Meme) We went to lunch together, wandered around a few shops and got ice cream. During the week, we made the trip down to North Myrtle to go to Barefoot Landing, did some shopping and followed tradition by going to Wee R Sweets and loading up on candy & fresh taffy. I think Whitney and I enjoyed this the most!


The week after that trip, Thomas and I took off for a short weekend trip to Atlanta to see my high school girlfriends. We drove to the Charlotte area to pick up Miss Kerie and then the three of us hit the dusty trail. So, how long does it take me, a toddler and a pregnant lady to get to Atlanta?? A long time..... Anyway, we had a great weekend catching up with friends and Thomas had a buddy to play with. Anna Kate is 10 months old and they had a blast together! The drive home was worse than the drive down, so, we'll be flying next time we go to ATL for a visit! :)

Here is Thomas getting kisses from Kerie & Lindsey.

On August 24, I celebrated my 29th birthday. That is crazy to think that next year I will be 30!! Shawn planned a nice dinner out and invited my whole family! It was nice to celebrate with everyone, even if Thomas threw a ball across the dining area. :)

Things have continued to change in our little world. Thomas is continuing to grow up so fast! He now has many words that he will say, usually when prodded to say them. He will also repeat what we say pretty often. Shawn and I will be having a conversation and one of us will say "whew" or something similar and soon after that, you'll hear Thomas repeat the same thing. It's so cute. ...and makes us remember to watch what we say! :\


Thomas is walking very well now and can get wherever he wants to go, and fast! He is a big helper when it comes to laundry. He always helps me move clothes from the dryer to the basket and from the hamper to the washer. He loves balloons and we get one often when we go out, whether it be the grocery store or a restaurant.


Shawn and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary next week. I feel so blessed to be married to him and I know that both of us feel blessed by our precious little family. It has been an exciting year and I look forward to so many more exciting years in our future. Love you babe!


Hope you are all having a great end of the Summer and enjoying the start of football season!!! GO PACK!! :)

ps - I added a link to all of our family photos on Snapfish.com on the right hand column of this page. Check them out! :)

Summer Fun!

Sorry for the delay in posting! I was reminded this morning that it's been a while...oops! We've been having a great summer so far. Lots of playing outside at parks, pools, etc. Thomas is getting over a cold so the past week or so has been a little less exciting.

Other than our normal days of playing, Thomas and I were able to enjoy a weekend away in Montreat, NC at the Christian Life Conference. My mom came with us and was such a great big help in watching Thomas for me. I had some responsibilities for the conference and I was actually able to make it to all but one of the plenary sessions. That was a great treat! We had fun walking all over the place, playing at the park, eating ice cream, and Thomas even met a cute little girl his age and they played together in the lobby of the inn where we were staying. Thomas left the mountains, unfortunately, with a big bruised egg in between his eyes and the beginnings of two black eyes. He tripped in our room and ran smack into the metal bed frame...right in between his eyes. Poor guy, it was pitiful. He is all healed now (except for a little bit of a residual bruise) and back at it!

Thomas is such a busy guy! He is walking all over the place and tries to run but gets ahead of himself and tumbles over usually. He still has a fascination with all things cooking! Any pots, pans, wooden spoons, etc. he loves to play with. Last night he was playing with Daddy and they were cooking. He was following directions like, "put the top on and let it simmer" and "take off the top and stir." He is also obsessed with balls - footballs, baseballs, basketballs and even anything in his line of sight that is shaped like a ball. He noticed a small stack of cannon balls in a picture we have on our living room wall. He even noticed a small decorative ball on top of our lamps in the living room. Nothing gets past him... :)

Talking hasn't really been too exciting lately. He knows "ball" and a few other words but doesn't seem too interested at this point, which is fine because he definitely understands and follows simple commands. He's also a very generous little guy. He likes to give you something when you walk into the room. Usually when I get him out of his crib, he hands me his blankie and his pacifier. He's getting a little challenging for me these days, but over all he is still a joy and such a sweet boy. Amazing the love that you can have for such a small person! :)

Father's Day 2009

Big thanks to LW and TW for making today awesome! It's great to hang with the family and watch Thomas learn something new every minute (literally). Below are a couple of recent pics and a must see video from last week:

TW and Dad hanging in front of the fridge just before dinner

Wonder how Thomas made it into the toybox?

Three steps to the newest dance craze here in Raleigh, the TW Slide:

1) Bend knees slightly, and bounce just a little bit (not too much though, because it looks painful)

2) Do the King Kong - pound chest w/ open hands and make noise

3) Grand finale, spin in circles and fall to the ground! It's the coolest!

It's Been a Big Week

The video above is a cute one of Thomas digging through the toybox...or maybe he was trying to get IN the toybox...I'm not sure. We've had lots of fun things going on since our last post, but this past week has been a big one!

A couple of weekends ago, we went on our annual Memorial Day trip to Ocean Isle Beach with our friends. We had a great time and spent some good quality time catching up with everyone. You would never know we all lived in the same place! :) Shawn and I are surely blessed to have a group of friends like this. We've grown by one for the past 3 years...all boys! Wow! Kids sure do make the trip different but still a lot of fun to experience the beach through a child's eyes. Thomas had fun playing the sand and was frightened by the water at first, but eventually warmed up to it. He enjoyed playing in the tidal pools at low-tide.

So, this past week, the big news is that Thomas is really starting to communicate a LOT! He has started signing all of a sudden. I've done some signs with him from the beginning but just thought he wasn't going to pick it up. Well he did and it's pretty cute to see. He can sign "more" and "eat". We are working on others but he's pretty proud of himself when he gets to use these words.

He also has a few words all of a sudden. His first word (we think) was "light". His other words are "ball", "uh-oh", "bottle" (which sounds a lot like "bible"), "this", "that", ...that's all I can remember right now. I think his favorite right now is "uh-oh". He puts a lot of emphasis on the "uh" part and then follows up with a sweet, quiet "ohhhhhhh". Adorable!

So, that's the excitement around here these days. He's a very proficient walker now. Walks all over the place.... doesn't like to sit in one place and play for very long any more. (not that he ever did that much anyway)

Shawn and I are doing well. Shawn is enjoying his job and playing in the company softball league. Thomas and I got to go to a game last night. It was fun...I did more chasing Thomas than watching the game though. :) I'm enjoying my time at home with Thomas. We keep busy and are enjoying the chance to get to the pool a little this Summer. I started playing volleyball again recently. Earlier this week, I played for the first time in 2 years!!! I'm in pain right now...it hurts to sneeze, sit, get up, etc. But, I didn't die or need an ambulance like I thought I might, so overall, it was great!

PS - Please pray for my uncle, Kevin. He just had surgery for cancer in his jaw and he is recovering in a CA hospital. Pray for the family, relief from pain, quick recovery and healing!