Christmas 2013

I decided for our Christmas post.... we would share our holiday festivities through pictures.... enjoy!

 

We made Christmas cookies with Grammy and Aunt Lindsey.

 We visited the Grove Park Inn and looked at all the gingerbread houses. 

 We met Henry Lee Gregory (this will be one of Zander's best friends!)  Henry was born on November 2nd.  He is such a precious 7 week old!

 I went for a run with Aunt Lindsey and Burke.  (It was really cold..... but Burke didn't wear these ear warmers... this was just for humor sake!)

 We spent Christmas Eve with Aunt Amanda and Grannie.  We were able to visit Mrs. Norman with GranDan and met Ruth Byrd for the first time. 

 On Christmas Eve, we opened presents at Grannie's house after the Candlelight Service.

 Zander got some new clothes for the spring!

 Aunt Amanda brought sock puppets back from her trip this summer to Peru.  (Zander is wearing a fun hat that his Grannie got him!)

 Zander made pottery for all of his relatives this year. 

Burke got a football Frisbee toy (that didn't last 10 minutes!)

 As you can see, Zander is learning how to "pull up" on people and furniture.

 Christmas Morning at the Bakewells

Uncle Boomer

 Grammy

 Family Picture

 Opening his gift from Santa

 BLOCKS!

 Aunt Lindsey

 

 Book from Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Boomer

 Toys! 

 Great Grandpa and Great Grandma

 Grandpa Buzz

 We ate lunch with Grandpa Wayne, Grandma Vicki, Uncle Grant, and Aunt Amanda.  We opened presents as well! :)

We had a wonderful time with family and friends over the holidays.  Zander's first Christmas was truly special!:)

8 months old!

Four days before Christmas, our little man turned 8 months old.  He is weighing in at 18 pounds and 5 oz.  He is starting to reach for mommy or daddy as he wants to go from one parent to the other.  He continues to army crawl and roll around.  He has two bottom teeth and is working on some more (none have broken the surface yet!)  He continues to eat solid foods with a spoon and is starting to "warm up" to the puffs.  We still can't convince him to use his teeth and gums to work through foods.  

 

For comparison sake (the even numbered months!)......

 

 

On the Nice List :)

Santa Claus is coming to town..... and we have one really GOOD boy that has earned a spot on the nice list this year.  Zander continues to make us smile each day, and we are so proud to be his parents!  He went with me to a PTA event at school last Thursday night, and he watched the performances so attentively.  Here is a picture from the show.... he stayed in his stroller for the first portion of the entertainment and then he got up and danced with his mommy during some of the festive holiday tunes. 

Santa came to visit my school today, and my principal gave me the "go-ahead" to bring Zander to meet him while he was visiting the classrooms.  This was Zander's first meeting with the guy from the North Pole and he did great!  We'll have to wait until next year to see if there are any tears or screams.  This year, Zander just kept looking at Santa and wondering what this man was all about.  Zander is not at the age yet where he could tell Santa what he wants for Christmas but I think Santa knows without Zander having to say a word. 

Mrs. Claus came too!

 Couldn't get a smile from Zander.... oh well.... maybe next time! ;)

Finally..... if you have ever seen the movie "A Christmas Story", my sister and I always laugh hysterically when the boys have on their snow suits and can barely move!  We tested out Zander in his snow suit and he struggled to even sit up!  This picture just had to be shared!

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and is able to spend time with family and friends over the holidays.  May we never forget the true reason for this magical season!  We have an amazing Savior that came to earth as a little baby so that one day He could take all our sins on a cross and forever give us the opportunity to spend eternity with our Heavenly Father.  Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Crawling and Running

We have had a lot of fun in the Houston house this week!  I think knowing that Christmas break is right around the corner makes it a little easier to get up for work in the morning and not so hard to drop Zander off at daycare.  We love the moments we are able to spend together with our little family in our home or around town.  On Tuesday, Dec. 3rd, Zander started crawling.  By crawling... I mean the army crawl.  He shows such determination as he is going after whatever object is in front of him that he would like to grasp.  He is not quick yet (which is good for mommy) but he is making forward progress which is quite evident as I start to move items further from his reach.  We are so proud of our little guy!

 

One morning before work.... Zack and I decided to have a little fun with one of the onesies we received as a gift at the Burkemont shower.  It says "Daddy's Little Football".  I think the pictures below speak for themselves. ;)

While Zander is learning to crawl.... I have started back into one of the traditions my sister and I have had for the last few years.  We decided we would try to run a half marathon together every year we are able (meaning not pregnant, etc.)  A couple years we have actually run a full marathon..... either the Myrtle Beach Make Believe Marathon (right, Boomer?!) or the NC Marathon in High Point.  Basically, the joke with the MB marathon is that it snowed at the beach.... the first time in 17 years and the actual race was cancelled.  Linds and I had trained for months to run the 26.2 miles, and we weren't about to let a light dusting of snow deter us from achieving a goal of ours..... so we ran it anyway.  No water stations or fans cheering on the sidelines....but we had a great support system of family members.  Boomer termed it the Make Believe Marathon since you won't find our names in any online database with our times that year.  The following year, Linds and I were determined to run an ACTUAL race with actual signage, refreshments, and spectators.  We accomplished our goal and ran our first regulation marathon in 4 hours and 45 minutes (which happened to be our personal goal).  Last year, I was five months pregnant when the Mistletoe Run occurred and ran the 5K portion of the race with my mom and Zack.  The Mistletoe happens to always fall on the first Saturday in December... it is typically cold and rainy/snowy..... this year was no exception.  Linds and I have run this actual half-marathon multiple times in the past 5 years so we decided this was our chance to ensure the "tradition" continued.  I couldn't use the excuse of being pregnant with Zander this time! ;)  So.... we did it!! We had a great time running together.  It is so special that my sister and I are so close that we can share in these types of memories together.  I will always cherish the conversations we have on any run (whether we are training for a race or not).