finding fun

Now that January is here and winter seems to be in full swing, we're having to find other ways to have fun besides loading up the stroller and walking to Frostie's. Dang. Here's what we've come up with lately...

Playdates with friends (sorry about the blurry. those little guys don't hold still. like ever.)

Cardboard box forts

Digging through and unloading Momma's purse.

I just noticed that Henry is definitely wearing pajamas in all three pictures. That's another theme around here, regardless of the season :) I will admit that I am feeling a little bit of cabin fever these days. Last winter was similar in that we were home most of the time, but different in the fact that Henry was tiny and usually sleeping. Now I feel like he's joining in the stir crazy with me. So, I'm curious. What do/did you do to keep your 13-month-old busy during the winter months? I'm open to any and all suggestions. And hurry! He's is, at this exact moment, biting my pant leg and panting like a puppy.

photo recap

I have fallen behind on documenting all the celebrating we've been doing lately, so I thought I'd put it all together in one looooong photo post! Hope you don't mind :)

On December 17, we headed north to Cedar Falls for Dameon's graduation from UNI. He is now official Master's Degree in Principalship holder. (is that the right word? holder? i dunno...i'm not the one with the master's degree.) It was a long and grueling two and a half years for him, writing paper after paper, going to three hours worth of class every Wednesday night (plus way more in the summers), and going through lots of life changes along the way. We are all so proud of him for finishing and finishing ON TIME! It was especially neat to have Henry there, since he was just a dream of ours when the whole thing began back in August of 2009. After the ceremony, we went out to lunch at one of our favorite Cedar Valley restaurants: Bourbon Street. Yum!

The next day was the much-anticipated birthday party. We bustled around all morning decorating the fabulous Madison County Dessert Factory for the occasion. We were so very grateful to the Bonham Family for letting us use their space. And their cake? Outta this world! The party was a great success and we were so appreciative to our friends and family who made the trip to celebrate with us. Of course, Henry didn't like all the attention one bit. ;)


On the actual day of his birthday, I took Henry to jazz band rehearsal (per our usual Monday night routine) so he could celebrate with Daddy and the kids. An extra bonus was that we got rid of all our leftover candy and cupcakes. Dang, those kids can eat!
The week of Christmas was spent preparing goodies that I hadn't had time to do up to that point, wrapping gifts, and catching up on laundry. On Thursday we were supposed to take Henry for his one-year pictures and then we had planned to have dinner with the Lafrenz's. About a block from home, the realization that we may not have escaped the stomach flu set in as Henry got sick in his carseat. We turned the car around and canceled our plans, but still had hope that it was just a one-time thing. Nope. Henry continued to get sick off and on for the next few days. Then, as much as we tried to think positive, Dameon and I both got hit on Christmas Eve night and spent the entire night sick and trying to take care of the little guy. It was bad. On Christmas morning, Henry was seemingly on the mend, so we let him open a few gifts while we layed on the couch. I did manage to snap a few pictures of the poor guy...


THANKFULLY my parents stopped by our house on their way home from my grandparents' and took Henry to their house for the afternoon so Dameon and I could catch up on rest. We felt so bad sending him away on Christmas, but it just had to be done. I'm sure he had more fun anyway. Our families were kind enough to postpone their Christmas gatherings for us, so on the 26th we headed to Zach and Jess's.



Then on to Boone for Christmas with my family on the 27th. Here's Henry on his refurbished trike from Uncle Blake. He loves it! Especially the bell that says "I love my mom."

Some Christmastime bedhead for your viewing pleasure...

Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The countertop ice cream maker!
Not too sure what he thinks of Santa just yet...

probably the best text conversation i've ever had

If Henry isn't napping, I have to put him in his high chair outside of the open bathroom door while I'm taking a shower. This is not his favorite thing. Yesterday, he was running out of patience with me so I started singing to him. This is a regular occurrence and usually works to pacify him for a few moments. I usually end up with "Old McDonald" or "The Wheels on the Bus" because the options of verses are completely unlimited. But yesterday I chose "This Old Man." You know, 'This old man he played one. He played knick knack on my thumb.' I was cruising along just fine until I got to number nine. 'This old man, he played nine. He played knick knack...' Wait. What in the world did he play nine on? I was completely stumped. When I got out of the shower, I decided to text my friend Ruth Ann. Yes, Ruth Ann would definitely know. Here's how the exchange went...

Me: What in the heck did this old man play nine on???

Ruth Ann: A spine? No idea...I only go to 4 because I can never remember 5. Do you know 5?? The things we ponder as moms, huh?

Me: I think it's a hive. A hive??

Ruth Ann: Ha! Good choice, Old Man. Good choice.

stuck

Apparently yesterday's theme was, "Crawl into confined spaces, get stuck, and then holler until someone quits taking pictures and rescues you."

party prep overload

"Look Whoooo's Turning One" is the theme for the upcoming birthday bash. I've spent the last month overcoming my fear of crafting by creating an owl-filled wonderland of decor. Yes, I've burned off three of my fingerprints and poked a needle through each of my fingers at least twice, but I think the result will be pretty cute. Here's a sneak peek at the centerpieces...

You see those stitches on the wings? Yep. I watched a youtube video of Carol Brady's seamstress twin sister to learn that skill. Dameon came home the other night to find me in my usual position at my "crafting table" and said, "It's kind of like we're getting ready for a wedding." Ha! I guess he thinks I overdid it a bit. Perhaps he's right. BUT, in a stroke of pure genius, I've decided that these decorations are completely reusable! Not only will all our future children get to have the same first birthday theme, but we can also use them for many subsequent celebrations. "Woo-hoooooo! You're graduating!" "Guess whoooo's getting married!" Get it? It totally works.

round 2

and now for another edition of "I'm Gonna Miss This"....cuz I've been having lots of I-can't-believe-how-much-you've-grown thoughts lately.

Dear Henry,

You're getting so big and so very close to your first birthday! I'm so happy and thankful that you are a healthy, growing boy but there are certainly some things that I will miss as we soon say goodbye to your baby days.

• I will miss how your knuckles are still just dimples.
• I will miss your four-tooth grin.
• I will miss the way your pants fit so snuggly around your big cloth-diapered bum.
• I will miss trying so hard to teach you to say "ma-ma" because soon I'm sure you'll say it all the time.
• I will miss your fascination with light switches.
• I will miss hearing your bare hands slapping along the wood floor as you crawl through the house.
• I will miss peeling your grapes and cutting each one into four pieces.
• I will miss how excited you get about "The Wheels on the Bus".
• I will miss you being the perfect height to rest your chin on your crib ledge and wait for us to come get you from your nap.
• I will miss your hands and feet turning constant circles.
• I will miss how cute you are in your snowsuit and raccoon hat.
• I will miss you thinking I'm the funniest person in the world. (Well, besides Daddy, of course!)
• I will miss seeing your little finger reach out and touch the mouse on the page in 'Goodnight Moon', even when you can barely stay awake for the story.
• When you no longer make your "excited face" because the phone rang or the door opened, I'll miss that too.

The other day we were at the mall together and an elderly lady came over to talk to you and tell you how cute you are. Then she looked at me and said, "Enjoy him because he will grow up so very fast." I felt like what she was really saying was, "I would trade a lot to be able to go back and spend one more day snuggling my babies." Yep, I'm gonna miss this.

henry quirks

(Here he is trying to pull the clean laundry out of the basket while acting like he's not. I think he was trying to stash it in his car. Busted!)

Henry's personality seems to be growing bigger by the minute these days. I only wish I could know what was going on in his little head sometimes, cuz those wheels are definitely turning!

• When traveling from Point A to Point B, he will almost always choose the route that requires him to crawl over something. Just to prove that he can.
• Every day at noon and one we pause for a moment of pure glee as the town whistle sounds. It's a real highlight :)
• He loves to have people notice him. Especially new people. The other day he noticed a man on the other end of the grocery store aisle. He raised his arms in "So Big" fashion and stared at the man, waiting for him to take note. Apparently the man didn't know "So Big".
• His bedhead continues to be the best I've ever seen.
• He has "Give the puppy a nice touch" confused with "Give the puppy a body slam." We're working on it.
• One of his favorite times to practice his sounds is when he's got a mouth full of food. You can just imagine how the broccoli puree sprays when he says, "Uh sssssssssat?" (What's that?)
• He loves loves LOVES his daddy. We wait for him to get home by watching out the window. When he sees him, he starts bouncing up and down. If we're not by the door, just the sound of the door opening makes him immediately perk up and start saying "Da!" Cutest ever.