Sippy Cups and Buggy Rides

My baby keeps growing up.  Based on pediatrician's recommendations we recently started introducing him to the sippy cup.  We also wanted him to get more liquids at mealtimes to help wash the copious amounts of solid food down the tubes.

It took about a week's worth of practice, but he is starting to figure it out.  I have to help him tilt it up to get the water out.  Started with just a bit of juice in water until his daddy wanted just water.  Strangely enough he seems to like plain 'ol water better.  Just like his dad.  Each time we give it to him we say "water?", and he seems to be catching on.  He is now reaching for it and drinking .5-1 oz of it at mealtimes.

First time sippy worked after about a week

Trying it himself

Exploring all its possibilities

Pretty impressed with himself

Gotta see if gravity works...

Almost there...

::dunk::

Where'd it go, mommy?

He is also occasionally exploring the commissary from a new angle - in the buggy.  Although, my still three-naps-a-day baby can rest much more easily if I'm wearing him in the carrier.

Case in point

After the 30 minute drive to commissary, he's only got about 30 minutes left in him until he's ready to go back down.  He gets so tired by the end of our trip that he is reaching for my arm and anything to put on his face saying, "I want to go to bed mama." 

I think I'll continue wearing him in the carrier until he can be awake for longer amounts of time.

Projects

Matthew and I have enjoyed working on some new projects together since we moved into our house.  I have loved Ana White's Woodworking Website as a way of finding furniture plans that are easy to follow, functional, stylish, and relatively inexpensive... the kind of plans you don't have to be a professional woodworker to follow.

We uploaded our pictures to Ana's website.  You can see the finished products and also the adjustments we made here:

Our Farmhouse Dining Table

Our Living Room Ledges

Matthew is enjoying building things for the satisfaction of having a project to work on, the ability to make things that organize the clutter of life, and not having to spend a lot of money to do so.  This is also the first time in a long time he's not had extra research/studying to do outside of his 9-5.

Matthew's dad didn't have a use for this Shop Smith, so we thought we'd try it out.  It's an all-in-one kind of tool.

Stud

the plan

Working on his first solo woodworking project

Finished product

Then he decided to make a shelf for his car cleaning supplies (left) and used extra pegboard to hang more tools on the right

Getting a little more organized in his man cave

Christmas 2012

This Christmas was a special one indeed as we were able to celebrate it amongst so many of those in our families.  It was also William's very first Christmas, making it extra special.

We spent the majority of our time with Matthew's family, which you probably wouldn't guess as I took the least amount of pictures there!  I guess I didn't realize it until we left.  We were having such a good time together visiting Davee's lumber yard in Perry, eating delicious meal after meal cooked by Mrs. Carla (whose carrot cake = AMAZing) and Mr. Kelly (whose steaks = delicious), being a recipient of many going to the Christmas Eve service at their church, and going to a Christmas Eve dinner with extended family at the Bolands house and being serenaded by their very sweet and talented girls.

Dinner and entertainment at the Boland's with their four charming girls... Claire is singing everyone her solo from her play

It was a Norman Rockwell kind-of-an-evening

Christmas morning with Granddaddy and Grandmama

Loves his new photo blocks from Great Grandma Vee Vee

 

After nap no 1, he was up for more gifts.  Loving this all-in-one toy from grandmama and granddaddy.

Chewing on his new shape blocks from mama and daddy

He was a tired puppy on Christmas morning and slept mostly the entire day.  This was his 'Mommy I'm having so much fun but am really exhausted again' face :)

My handsome boys on William's first Christmas

Making faces with Aunt Becky

Dinner with Matthew's friends from high school and college...been ten years now since that '03 graduation!

After spending a few days with Matthew's family, we headed to my dad's for more celebrating.  Also got to stop by the my cousins Jesse and Ashley's house to visit with more family and eat another fabulous Christmas dinner cooked by Chef Polly.

Yeah we know where the food is.

With my beautiful cousin Ashley lookin at all the goodies she got under the tree

Back at my dad's.  William is loving on his pop pop.

All dressed up for dinner...two very handsome gents.

Fam portrait with mimi and pop pop  (Notice knot on my poor son's head?  Always remember to buckle your child into booster seat AND buckle seat to chair.  This is imperative for good parenting.  I'm so sorry baby.)

Playing some more before bedtime

Preparing lunch and goodies in the kitchen with Mary Alice

If you haven't had Paula Deen's Smoked Turkey Wraps with bacon, perhaps you should.

Dad sizzling bacon while listening to his jams and wearing one of his Christmas gifts...camo visor with fake hair attached :)

Also if you haven't tried Paul Deen's Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies, you should.  These are without a doubt the best cookies I have ever had.  And I have had quite a few!

My bro and sister Christine made it with their three precious children.  So we were off to the park!

Charlotte Grace

pretty pink bow

giggles with mommy

tossing the plastic football around

puttin some spin on it

turns out the spin is happening in more of a tumble than a spiral

In yo face!

Emma Lynn

Pop Pop pulls out his bag of tricks from PE coaching days (too bad the boombox didn't work for our limbo activity)

My brother pretending he can juggle scarves

William loving his new activity table from Mimi and PopPop and being silly with daddy

 We finished our Christmas tour of houses at my mother and Paul's house in Kathleen, GA.  William loved spending time with Yaya and PopPop Paul.  He also loved spending time with his cousins who all happen to be GIRLS, along with spending time with his Uncle Russ and Aunt Christine.  William played on pink blankets with dolls and even watched a little Dora and Cinderella.

True men wear pink, right?

Looking at Yaya's presents

"Look, it's me!"

Cute boys with dimples .. *squeal*

My brother got the power drill, so the boys decided to have some fun with tools in Paul's shop.  Afterwards they went to Matthew's parents' house to shoot guns while girls curled up on Yaya's floor watching Cinderella.

Yaya gettin some sweet lovin from our lil sugar lump before he goes down for another doze

I was also very glad to see some of my dear friends from high school and youth group.  It was so refreshing to sit with these sweet girls (and Heath:) over cups of coffee catching up on everyone's lives and encouraging one another just as we used to do back-in-tha-day!

Heath and Megan WASHBURN!, Sara, me, Anna, and floating head Megan Day   .. Youth Group 4 Life