Eleven Months Old

Carter, at eleven months, you...

• are getting too big!  I can't believe that you are almost a year old!
• want to get down and go
• get into everything!
• do not like to be told, "NO!" and most of the time ignore it
• dance
• love throwing stuff and watching it fall
• love to be talked and sung to
• love to play in Grace's room with her and her toys
• love baths
• have discovered candy and you love it!
• like to be held by the light switches so you can turn them on and off
• say "da-da", "ba-ba", and "ma-ma" 
• play with Christmas ornaments 
• laugh out loud a lot
• don't care about learning to walk
• are very happy crawling and cruising
• love grabbing necklaces, my laptop, and Grace's hair
• have 5 teeth
• are so hard impossible to change because you won't be still 
• love your puppy "lovie"
• follow Grace around
• sleep at night and take naps in your bed
• sleep through the night
• eat 6 ounces every 3-4 hours
• eat cereal for breakfast, and baby food for lunch and dinner
• snack on puffs, crackers, bananas, cheese, cheerios, and pizza crust
• can feed yourself snacks
• drink juice from a sippy cup
• love to throw your food
• wear 12 month clothes
• wear size 3 diapers 

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Welcome to our home!

Would you like some hot chocolate?

Our entry way niche holds the nativity my mom bought us for our first Christmas.

In the living room is our tree.

We also have a Jesus tree with some of the names of God on it.

Our picture ledge holds our advent stockings along with lots of Christmas photos, verses, and other little "artwork."

Beginning on December 1st, Grace moves a candy cane from one sock to the next and we read a verse for that day.  She might also receive a small piece of candy or a special activity to do that day.

My favorite Christmas scent is Christmas Cookie!

Grace and Carter love this nativity!  It is the first thing they go to when they wake up in the morning and when they get home in the afternoon.

our TV mantle with stockings hung and waiting

Our kitchen is ready for lots of hot chocolate to be made.

A bowl full of dollar store ornaments are Carter's new favorite toy.  He can empty that bowl in about 4 seconds flat!

I'm kinda loving these ornaments hanging from our kitchen chandelier!

A jar full of lights make me smile.

I love these trees that I bought our first Christmas!

I made these to hang on the kids' bedroom doors.

A little Christmas cheer in the kid's bathroom!

And lastly, I filled a basket with Christmas books.

My very favorite Christmas story!

I hope you enjoyed my Christmas tour!  Now, please go read The Crippled Lamb; you'll LOVE it!!!

Christmas, Cookies, and Crayons

...that's what my night consisted of.  Even though, I really wanted it to be "Comfy, Couches, and Computers."  Grace was begging me to play with her.  So, I finally gave in.  I put the computer away and put off my to do list and I played and it was fun!  We put some cookies in the oven and started coloring some Christmas prismas pictures.

Carter wasn't far away!  He hung out beside us playing with some Christmas balls and drinking from his sippy cup.  He was in such a great mood today!  He didn't want to be held at all (except when the cookies came out of the oven); he just wanted to play!

I got up for a minute to help John put Carter in bed (I know, I have a wonderful husband!) and I heard this sweet voice behind me..."Momma, dank you for making dos cookies! Dem are 'licious!"

I am so glad that I made the decision to play (even though I REALLY didn't want to)!  We got to spend some special, fun time together!!!  I love that girl so much!  I just might play again tomorrow night!!!

Fun at the Christmas Parade

Oh Christmas Tree!

This weekend, we put up our Christmas tree!  First, we went to our version of a Christmas tree farm, Lowe's, and picked out our tree.

Everyone looked so excited about our decision!

When we got back home, the kids opened up their Christmas ornaments.

Then the decorating began!

Ta Da!!!  Our Christmas tree decorated and redecorated by all four of us multiple times!  Grace's first Christmas, she only touched her one ornament.  I cannot say the same thing about Carter!  But, don't worry!  Grace has everything under control.  She has definitely taken lead in keeping the ornaments away from our Carter Man!  Fun times...so, our tree may not be the prettiest, but it is LoVeD!