And on to December ...

Just like Daddy - he hates requests!!! :)

Playing Peek-a-boo

Our little sick man ... still as happy as can be.

Evan was sick, so we 'learned' about Thanksgiving, made hand turkey magnets for the grandparents (and mommy and daddy, of course), and made Ev into our own little Indian!

Chunk Monk

Goooo Tigers!

Playing after his bath.

December is officially here, and I am feeling the heat of Christmas being right around the corner! We are excited to experience Christmas this year, since it will be such a special holiday for us as a family. I have decided to get the Christmas stuff out, much earlier than usual this year. Thank goodness I did, because it will have taken me 3 days of putting things out, before it will be completed. I am quickly learning that everything now has to be completed in multiple shifts. But, I guess I can take my time and enjoy the small changes each day!

Evan turned 8 months on Tuesday!!! It seems impossible, and has flown by. In the last month, he has started doing so many new things. We officially have 2 teeth! He is babbling and singing like crazy. One of his cute little mannerisms is he 'sings' when he is tired. It is soooo sweet! He has perfected the G sound - which has him babbling all sorts of funny things. He reaches out towards you when you put you hands out to pick him up. He has always been a ticklish fella, but we have discovered a few more spots to make him chuckle. He is officially chewing his food. I started introducing some healthy table food - squashed bananas, orange wedges, and smashed carrots with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Last weekend, Jason fixed biscuits and gravy for breakfast and Ev got little pieces of biscuit. We have introduced him to the Gerber juice and he loves it! Dad went and got him some Gerber orange juice, when he was sick, and he has loved it ever since (getting him his Vitamin C). He is beginning to squirm around and get that booty in the air, in attempts to get up on his knees. He has been attending Gymboree music and play classes for a few weeks now. He has a blast and he is actually starting to use the instruments, instead of eating them. This week, I gave him a pot and a spoon and let him go to town. Oh, the things we will do so that dinner can be cooked!

Evan and Jason just got over a cold and sinus infection. Evan was so well behaved, getting fussy only at night from being stuffy. A trip to the doctors office, some antibiotics, a steam vaporizer and we were good to go! Jason is getting over the last of his sinus infection - and hopefully I am in the clear.

Tomorrow is going to be a special day, for us as a new family! We are getting our first family Christmas picture taken. I am sooo excited!!! I have longed for this moment for a really long time. It may seem cheesy to other people, but the subtle changes to being a new parent, are the best to me. You are never going to get today or tomorrow back, and they grow soooo quickly. Thinking back over the last 8 months, of our lives, is pretty amazing. We went from being a family of two, to now a complete family. I am content with this moment, and the moments that I have experienced this far. I knew that being a parent was going to be special, but I never knew how much it would affect me. I love being a mommy!!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS from our family to yours!!!