Procrastinator!

I had fully intended on catching up on my blog tonight... I have so much to write about!  Beckett is 8 months, we had a Christmas Cookie exchange, he's walking all over the place (holding hands), playing the piano, and last night was his first Christmas on both sides!  That's a lot of updating!

So what did I do instead? Wrapped presents and watched Christmas Vacation with Shonn. Oh that movie kills me everytime.  I love it.

Here are some cute pictures from yesterday morning.  I'm pretty sure Beckett is looking for Santa!

What IS all that stuff?

Someone is so curious that I'm sure this will be our last decorated tree for a few years...

"Are any of these pretty sparkly things for me?!"

"I was just looking, Mommy!"

Somebody's 8 Months Old!

Beckett is a busy little man these days.  As an 8 month old, he's babbling words like, ma-ma-ma, and his favorite, da-da-da.  He's also walking all over the place by holding onto furniture, both his grandmas'  or gramp's hands, my leg, Lexi's back, or pretty much anything he can grab hold of.  He's also giggling and smiling all the time, especially now that his cold is finally gone.  He's such a fun, happy boy.  Happy birthday, baby!

North Carolina or Bust!

Aunt Nancy, Meet Stinkerpants. Stinkerpants, your Aunt Nancy. (Thanks for the shirt!)

Beckett and Booker get acquainted.

Uncle Matthew talks to him about some serious baseball news.

Hi, Aunt Kathy!

Watch me walk all around the ottoman!

Whaaaaaaat? These aren't reindeer reins?

One of many delicious dinners. We have so much to be thankful for!

Oh my. Someone brought roast beast. And a beast seems to be eating it.

I love this shot.

Well, Aunt Kathy, the thing about this toy is that it is green.  And it jiggles.

Snuggled up with Grammy.

Beckett's first orange.  He LOVED it!

Still eating...

And this is what happened when he couldn't get anymore juice out of it!

Everybody's ready for turkey!

We went to North Carolina for Thanksgiving to visit my brother, my dad's mom, Granny Brown, and his sisters, Nancy and Kathy. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bob live in Mebane, North Carolina, and Dad's other sister, Kathy, lives in Houston, but she flew up for the holiday weekend. This was the first time my aunts and Uncle Bob met Beckett, and it has been way too long since he saw his Uncle Matthew! It was such a wonderful weekend - we had tons (and tons and tons) of great food, lots of laughs, and some great memories. Dad drove an RV so we could sleep through the night as we drove the 14 hours there. He and Shonn split the drive on the way home, while Mom and I shopped on Shonn's iPad for Christmas gifts. :)

We got to Aunt Nancy's at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, and Uncle Bob made a delicious breakfast. We sat around and talked a ton. Then we started making the food for the feast! Once it was prepped, Shonn, Beckett and I took a little nap. When we woke up and got ready for the meal, the laughs and stories really got going. It was hilarious. The meal was a true feast - I especially love Orpha's Sweet Potato Casserole, Granny's stuffing, and Aunt Nancy's green beans. Then, in addition to pumpkin pie and Granny's cookies, Matthew made this gorgeous (and delicious) key lime pie. So,in essence, we ate ourselves into a coma. Friday, we told stories and spent time eating leftovers. We watched The Godfather that night. Saturday morning, Aunt Nancy and I created some place settings for her shops. It was so much fun! After lunch and getting ready, we set up her shop for Christmas, which I loved. We also got to look around Granddaddy's, where her shops are, and I got a couple things for my sister as well as a little rocking chair for Beckett.

We left early Sunday morning and drove back to Illinois. It was so wonderful to get to spend time with my family. they make us feel so welcome and it is such a relaxing place to visit. I've missed my brother and it was good to laugh with him again. Mom, Dad, and I got to talk and I so appreciate that they drove. Shonn was so patient and loving through the trip and we had a chance to laugh together and relax. It was a very blessed weekend!

 

Bargain Hunter!

For my first Christmas, my mom and dad bought me a baby piano with a Big Bird chair. I learned to play piano on it - first by randomly hitting keys and laughing, and then through piano lessons when I was 3. Looking back, I think - what a great gift. I still play the piano today and it is a great stress reliever for me.

Flast forward 30 years, and I have wanted to buy this piano for Beckett since I found out I was pregnant.

http://www.landofnod.com/musical-instruments/toys-gifts/wolfgang-amadeus-jr.-piano/f3921

But I knew it was silly to spend that much on a gift for him - he already has more than what he needs. On Cyber Monday, Land of Nod had it 15% off plus free shipping. Land of Nod never puts things on sale, so I was very tempted to get it then. But I remembered the Christmas Wish stories I heard on the radio and reminded myself again that he didn't need it. (Images of him banging on it and learning chords at an incredibly early age kept taunting me, though...)

Last weekend, mom and I did some shopping at Kohl's - we finished buying for my cousins' kids and Shonn's side, plus Mom got a few things for family. We put our orders together because Kohl's was offering $15 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent. I wasn't sure what I could use it for, but we figured we needed to buy the gifts anyway, so why not get some money back?!

So how excited was I this morning when I randomly decided to type in "piano" on the Kohl's site and the exact same piano came up?!! With a quick coupon search on google, I found 2 promotional codes for pecentages off, plus a free shipping code, plus the Kohl's cash from Mom and I both, and I ended up getting the piano for tax only. YAY! Now he can become the musical genius I know he wants to be and I don't have guilt about spending money wastefully!

Don't you love happy endings? Pictures to follow... :)

North Carolina...

We went to North Carolina for Thanksgiving to visit my brother, my dad's mom, Granny Brown, and his sisters, Nancy and Kathy. Aunt Nancy and Uncle Bob live in Mebane, North Carolina, and Dad's other sister, Kathy, lives in Houston, but she flew up for the holiday weekend. This was the first time my aunts and Uncle Bob met Beckett, and it has been way too long since he saw his Uncle Matthew! It was such a wonderful weekend - we had tons (and tons and tons) of great food, lots of laughs, and some great memories. Dad drove an RV so we could sleep through the night as we drove the 14 hours there. He and Shonn split the drive on the way home, while Mom and I shopped on Shonn's iPad for Christmas gifts. :)

We got to Aunt Nancy's at 9:00 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, and Uncle Bob made a delicious breakfast. We sat around and talked a ton. Then we started making the food for the feast! Once it was prepped, Shonn, Beckett and I took a little nap. When we woke up and got ready for the meal, the laughs and stories really got going. It was hilarious. The meal was a true feast - I especially love Orpha's Sweet Potato Casserole, Granny's stuffing, and Aunt Nancy's green beans. Then, in addition to pumpkin pie and Granny's cookies, Matthew made this gorgeous (and delicious) key lime pie. So,in essence, we ate ourselves into a coma. Friday, we told stories and spent time eating leftovers. We watched The Godfather that night. Saturday morning, Aunt Nancy and I created some place settings for her shops. It was so much fun! After lunch and getting ready, we set up her shop for Christmas, which I loved. We also got to look around Granddaddy's, where her shops are, and I got a couple things for my sister as well as a little rocking chair for Beckett.

We left early Sunday morning and drove back to Illinois. It was so wonderful to get to spend time with my family. they make us feel so welcome and it is such a relaxing place to visit. I've missed my brother and it was good to laugh with him again. Mom, Dad, and I got to talk and I so appreciate that they drove. Shonn was so patient and loving through the trip and we had a chance to laugh together and relax. It was a very blessed weekend!

 

Thanksgiving!

There is so much to be thankful for this year...