Thanksgiving 2012

Despite missing my parents at Thanksgiving this year, we had a great four days with the Stelsels and Kassenbrocks! We started Thanksgiving Day participating in the Drumstick Dash for Wheeler Mission. The morning started out cold, but we quickly warmed up on our run/walk and really enjoyed doing something together as a family for a worthy cause.

 

A family huddle before the race.

 

Emily, Debbie, Connie and I walked the course....with just a few of our 19,000 closest friends. Took us 30 minutes just to get the starting line! The first runners had finished the race before we even got started.

 

After the race, we cleaned up and went straight to Kirk and Laura's for the feast.

 

Emily saved Dad's seat in his absence (in the corner like always). :)

Ford really enjoyed his first Thanksgiving! He especially enjoyed the mashed potatoes (which I enjoyed, too, because he could feed himself while I chowed down).

 



After lunch we spent the rest of the day watching football, snacking on pie, playing board games, and keeping Ford entertained. :)

After a good night's sleep we were ready to conquer Black Friday. For David and me, this was our second year venturing out into the crowds on Black Friday; we normally try to avoid it. Our mission this year: furniture. And, boy, did we go nuts. We found a dining table and chairs, a side table for the living room, two recliners, a bedside table for one of the guest bedrooms, and a storage bin for the living room to hide Ford's toys. Whew!

 

After the hustle and bustle from everyone's various shopping expeditions, we spent a relaxing night at Kirk and Laura's (again) for dinner and...of course...more games. :) 



 

We spent all day Saturday decorating for Christmas! This is the first year in our seven years of living together that we decorated both the inside AND outside for the holidays. It was a good thing Dave and Connie were there to help with the decorating and keeping Ford distracted. 

Formal tree....

 

Fun tree...

 

Let there be light!

That night we had pizza and college football at Emily's house to celebrate Connie and Tom's birthdays. I won't disclose how many candles were on the cake...... ;)

All in all, a FANTASTIC Thanksgiving weekend!

Big Boy On the Move

*VIDEO*

As Ford approaches his first birthday, we're beginning to transition into toddler mode. This weekend alone we made some big changes -- new car seats, eating more table food, lowering his crib so he doesn't climb out of it, etc. Take a look:



There's no stopping him! This boy is constantly on the move.

"I'm gonna get you, Mom!"

First day of pulling up to a stand!

In my new big boy car seat!

Mmmm....eating a real banana.

"Ah man! How am I supposed to escape now?"

Ford's first time standing up on his own was.....while I was changing his diaper. Typical.

Sundays are Family Fitness Days!

Poor Chase. He's never been so exhausted in his life. Having a baby around is rough on a doggie.

10 Months Old

Eeeeek! How is it possible that my itty bitty baby is two months shy of his first birthday?!

Trying out Chase's bed

Halloween picture at school

Halloween art project at school

Likes at 10 Months:

• Crawling, climbing, and generally wreaking havoc everywhere he goes. 'Nuff said.
• Big boy toys. He's taken a liking to riding toys (although he can't exactly ride them by himself yet) and toys he can use while standing or being on his knees.

• Books. Ford still loves books and stories. Even when I tell him a story off the top of my head, he turns up and looks at me and gets really quiet. We hope his love for literature continues!

 

Dislikes at 10 Months:

• Car seats. Now that he is SUPER mobile, he doesn't like being in his infant car seat. This weekend we're installing his big boy car seats in our cars, so hopefully he'll like those better.

New Discoveries:

• The baby monitor. Right now we have his baby monitor on his bed so it points down into his crib. Ford has been paying more attention to it in the last few weeks, which is hilarious and creepy at the same time. David and I get a good chuckle watching him when he wakes up. I foresee us moving it to a high dresser very soon.

• Pulling up to his knees. He does this cooooonstantly. He can stand up with a little assistance. He has to hold on to something at just the right height to go from sitting to standing on his own.

10 Month Pictures:
(These are becoming increasingly more difficult to take. Little bugger will NOT hold still.)