Thanksgiving Travels

This past week was very busy for me and Trent. Last Saturday, we flew to Fargo to spend the weekend with my brother and his family. Trent and Lily got along really well. Lily is only four months older than Trent. Lily is adorable. The last time I saw her, she had been about five months old so it was sweet to see her walking and talking now. It was great getting the chance to spend some time with Eric and Alicia as well. The weather was surprisingly pleasant for late November. It was in the mid 40's while we were there. It was Trent's first plane travel and he held up great on all four flights.

Trent and Sampson

Lily and Trent playing

Eric and TJ

Kristen and Lily

Next up was Tennessee. We drove up to my parents to see my aunt, uncle and cousins from Colorado. We had not seen them in a few years so it was fun to catch up. My Colorado cousins are all guys in their late teens/early 20s, so I was definitely the shortest cousin this time around. They were great with Trent. We went to Dollywood with them and had fun riding roller coasters. Two of them accompanied my mother and my aunt on the zipline.

TJ checking out his cousin Derek

Ryan and Karl

Uncle Bob and Trent

On Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day with Jesse's parents. Over this past week, Trent started fully crawling and will walk when you hold his hands.

TJ and Grandpa Dale taking a stroll

Babies Change You

I saw a quote yesterday morning that said, "Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling." It is so true. I have always been an overachiever, but I am absolutely loving staying home with Trent. I feel so blessed to be able to see him smile, discover new things, develop, and enjoy his daily moments.

Everyone gives you advice when you first have a baby. I was thinking of the things that I have taken from my first eight months with TJ. Can you believe it has been that long already??

1. Never leave a room empty handed.
There's always something somewhere that belongs somewhere else, whether it be toys, laundry, dishes, etc.
2. The crockpot is your new best friend.
What a GREAT invention. I used it some when I was working, but the fact that I can put dinner together during a morning nap and have a delicious meal ready (with very little effort) when Jesse gets home - AMAZING.
3. Having a baby fall asleep on you never gets old.
4. Always have a camera on hand.
You never know when a funny face, a sweet smile, or tender moment may happen. Be prepared.
5. Breastfeeding is cyclical.
Hang in there. There will be times when it's smooth sailing and times when it's not.
6. Your partner will never be more apparent as a partner.
You tackle everything together whether it's grabbing a burp cloth, finishing up chores that the other one started, taking turns not sleeping, etc.
7. Cloth diapers ARE just as easy as disposables - give them a try!
8. You will never be able to keep a schedule, but you might get through your to-do list.
9. Baby Smiles make everything better.
10. Shopping for baby is way more fun than shopping for yourself. Baby consignment shops are the new favorite shopping destination (especially when the baby grows as fast as ours!)

We had our first family pics taken last week. Here are just a few of our favorites:

Monkey See Monkey Do

Mollie, Chad and Luke came to visit this weekend. While they were here, we took the boys to the zoo. The weather was perfect for walking around. The animals seemed to enjoy it too. They had more personality and were a lot more active than in the summer.

Luke loves his daddy

Family portrait?

Gorilla Luke

Things have changed a bit since our Auburn days...

What's a zoo trip without some wildlife pics?

WHAT.A.MESS.

Trent has been trying to take the spoon away from us lately and feed himself. AND we let him, independence is a good thing, right? Last night's dinner was noodles and mixed veggies. He managed to eat most of it, despite the fact that he ended up wearing a good portion of it. We got a pretty good laugh at it too, despite the necessary clean up.

My spoon!

Nice Attempt!

Making Progress

How'd I do?

Happy Veteran's Day

Watching the Parade

Today we went to the National Veterans Day Parade. It is the nation's oldest and largest Veterans Day celebration. It was so nice to see everyone from small cub scouts to elderly veterans celebrating our country's heroes. The father of one of our friend's came along. He is an Air Force veteran. It was really sweet watching him get teary eyed as veterans of all ages saluted each other with such respect. I'm so thankful for freedom and those that are willing to put their lives on the line to protect it.

Trent and Bailey waiting for the parade to begin

Jack, an Air Force vet and family friend

Future Windsurfer?

Trent really likes to stand up on his baby gym, but the baby gym is not stationary. He looks like a little windsurfer keeping his balance as the top of the baby gym goes back and forth. He's really getting the hang of it! Jesse recently posted a youtube video if you want to see the full effect: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVTjMSbbRxc

Grabbing the toy

One handed!

Hard Work to be a Giraffe

Trent wore his halloween costume for most of the day. We didn't go trick or treating because both Jesse and I did not feel right asking people for candy when Trent is not old enough to ask for it or eat it. Instead we opted to run errands with a giraffe. Trent really didn't mind it and he seemed to enjoy the attention that came with being dressed up. The kids we passed were hilarious. He had one little boy come running up to him and yell to his mother, "Mom, it's a monkey, there's a monkey in the store, come see the monkey!" (I think his mom may need to take him to the zoo more often.) Smile. Anyway, we ran errands all day and Trent held up really well. He took his afternoon nap in Costco, which was a madhouse. By the end of the day, he was pretty well spent.

Morning

Day

Night