Our Charlie Brown Tree

The day after Thanksgiving Aunt Dolores and Cousin Albert took us to cut down our first family Christmas tree. We bought one of the smallest, our very own "Charlie Brown" tree. Albert was not impressed. (He is his father's son and kept steering us toward the BIG ones.) Here we are with the tree and "Flat Stanley." (Don't ask, it's some sort of school project for a friend from Riverton... photograph this cutout kid at different locations is my understanding.) Being protective parents, we bundled Gus up tight, but oh did he wail during the car ride there, "I'm TOO HOT." (I knew better than to overdress him, he's a major heat generator, but for some reason I did it anyway!) When he finally got out into the cold he slipped into his usual "comatose baby." (For some reason he does this anytime he's out in nature, except when he's in the woods... he loves looking up at trees.)

Here's our tree all decorated on Christmas Eve.

A Very Thankful Thanksgiving!

So much to be thankful for but good health is the big one. Gus has been home from the NICU for 7.5 months and he's doing great! He was a hit with his cousins. Here he is chilling with Willy and Aunt Dolores...

Playing and banging with Albert...

Brendan was fascinated by his hair... or lack of it!

ALL the cousins together - Albert, Willy, Brendan, Gus, Nicolette, Delaney.Three generations...

Visiting the Kid Table. (Due to Gus's inability to feed himself, he got to sit with his parents at the Adult Table.)

After dinner? Football, of course! (Yawn.)

The morning after with Grandma Bert and Aunt Dolores.

Our Son Elmer

Awesome winter hat from Great Grandma Betty. Did you catch any rabbits, Mr. Fudd?

A walk in the park

Lady Killer Wearing Turtles

Lady Killer watching the cat with dad...

To Grandmother's (& Pop Pop's) House We Go!

Highlights from our first visit to Grandma Bert and Pop Pop Pat's house in Delaware.

Gus LOVED the fireplace!
Check out his sneakers!He's getting really good at turning. Checking out Grandma and Pop Pop.Reading with Grandma by the fire.SMILE!Untying his shoelaces, of course! Pop Pop, stop encouraging him! Gathered for Matt's birthday dinner: ham and potatoes in milk gravy and Boston creme pie
Gus got excited about Matt's gift: pancake breakfast fixings.

It's not all fun and games

Sometimes it's hard being a baby, especially when you get stuck under furniture. Of course, sometimes it IS all fun and games, especially when Dad is around.

Grandma Jamie + Grandpa Steve's Fall Visit

Some photos from Grandma + Pa's fall visit.

We went to Claude Moore Colonial Farm Park, a living history museum in McLean, Virginia. It "captures an earlier age in American history by portraying family life on a small, low-income farm in the county, just prior to the Revolutionary War."

It was a gorgeous, warm, Mid-Atlantic fall day so... we took group photos!

We had a little picnic too.Gus played while we ate!

Fall Leaves

Rolling around in the fall leaves is serious business.
Gus was deep in thought.

He may have been pondering why I'd squeezed his feet into these newborn sized Uggs. (Answer: Because they are so darn cute, I wanted to see them just one more time!)

There's a smile!