a Floresville Christmas (celebration #1)

We kicked off Christmas Tour '10 with Kevin's family in Floresville. We had a wonderful weekend just relaxing and playing with the family in the beautiful spring like temperatures. August's great-grandmother, Nana, was able to make the journey from Houston with his Aunt Leslee, and join us in the festivities this year. We all stayed up late playing games, constructing a miniature gingerbread village, eating tons of food, and running around in the yard. August was immensely spoiled by the family, and was a trooper through the marathon gift exchange despite being so overly exhausted that he needed a nap half-way through. All in all, it was a great weekend with family, and a perfect way to start off the holiday season. 

caught taking more pictures!

Week 45

This week was definitely all about preparation for the couple of weeks of Christmas travel we were about to embark on. While Kevin and I concentrated on finishing up our work, and the Christmas shopping, wrapping, and regular household duties, August was busy practicing his new-found standing skills, and playing more and more independently. One of his favorite things to do everyday is to 'slam dunk' his plastic orange balls into the small basketball hoop he has in the living room. However, this week he changed it up and started trying to dunk all of his and the dog's toys. It kept both of us easily entertained all week! Oh and Kevin attempted to make his annual Christmas cookies, but our oven decided to go on holiday a bit early this year!!!

 carefully opening his very first Christmas present!
(from the best morning nanny in the world)

thrilled that the Alpaca made it through the hoop!

Next Time I Will Just Eat the Candy

Our dear friends the Sprad's called us up and asked if we would like to join them in attempting to construct a gingerbread house. Seeing as we rarely pass up an opportunity to spend time with them, and after seeing the gingerbread display at Northpark a couple of weeks earlier, we jumped at the chance to participate. Our first mistake... not getting started until 8:00 pm. We were all gingerbread rookies this year, and it showed in our lack of preparation. Our patience and stamina couldn't withstand the actual waiting times that were instructed, so we 'hurried' the process up a bit. Regardless of the hurdles, Josh and Sarah had obviously thought about their finished product as evident in the materials that they purchased. By the time midnight rolled around, we decided to wave our white flag and do what we needed to do to finish as valiant losers. Don't get me wrong, we are quite proud of our finished house, with it's hand-made, candlyland, full of love theme, but it really is unfair to place it next to their polished pub. This second-place finish isn't sitting so well, and all I can say is that they better watch their backs because we are bringing it to next years Annual Gingerbread Challenge!!!

Week 44

Straight off of his bought with a cold and an ear infection, August developed a bit of conjunctivitis (aka pink eye) this week. One prescription for eye drops later, we were well on our way without too much of an interruption. While August was dealing with his variety of ailments, a new tooth (an Incisor to be exact) decided to make an appearance. I'm not sure if that had anything to do with making his symptoms more miserable, but that certainly helps to explain some of the excess liquid coming from his nose!

In less disgusting news, August has made a few developments of note. First of all, he has started rolling his plastic balls on the floor just so that he can crawl over and duck under the furniture to find them. It's so entertaining to watch him play by himself and even make up games. In even bigger news, our little man has started solo-standing this week! He flashes such a large, contagious smile when he does it, that sometimes he can't contain the proud laughter that comes pouring out. His toddler-sized feet stay firmly planted on the ground, but he's still a bit wobbly above the waist. It's such an exciting and momentous developmental step to witness, that it just reminds me of how quickly he is adapting to this life as a little human being, and there aren't enough photos in the world to keep up with the changes.

A Little Behind

I realize that I've been quite the slacking blogger lately! Between the preparation and the celebration of 3 of 4 Christmas', combined with our normal weekly duties, I haven't had much time to update everyone on August's 11th month! So without further ado, I will do my best to catch you up on the past three weeks of our lives. Thank you for waiting patiently.

Happy Holidays @ Home!

A Visit with the Man in Red

We traveled up to Granbury this past weekend to see my parents, take Santa pics with August's cousins, and partake in our first family photo session at my dad's studio. It was certainly a jam packed weekend, but was a wonderful time with the family. Friday we woke up early (after one of our worst nights ever) to drive to Dallas and introduce August to the man in the red suit! My family has a long tradition with the Santa Claus that works at Northpark Mall every year. He is about as genuine as the fictitious character himself can get. The grandkids in our family are taught that he is the actual Santa, and that all of the guys they see in the other malls are just his helpers because he can't possibly be at all of the malls at once! We obviously aren't the only family in the Dallas area with this tradition as he is so popular that you have to pick a number and wait for hours upon hours for your number to come up to meet the man. Despite the hassle, it is so worth the experience, and we look forward to meeting up with him every year as long as he will be suiting up. Besides, Northpark is one of the few places that I can happily waste away several hours window shopping, people watching, and holiday decor gawking. Though it is essentially just a mall, there is something magical about that place. Where else can you do your shopping amidst the collection of one of the world's greatest art collectors? With sculptures and paintings submersed seamlessly into the space, it is hands-down one of my favorite destinations in the entire world. You don't just view the art and the architecture, but it's one of the very few places where the average person can interact with such beautiful pieces and spaces so casually. And when I think of the Christmas holiday season with the family, I often think of our trips to Northpark to see Santa, to watch the 12 days puppet show in the giant cuckoo clock, to see the penguins swimming in the interior fountain, view the model train exhibit, and listen to the carolers and the bell choirs. It seems that every year it just gets more amazing and whimsical, and enables us all to view the season like a child again.