Snow

I'm going to stop watching the Weather Channel. When they predict snow we get nothing, and when they don't predict snow it snows. We got a dusting today and although it wasn't much, I've been waiting all winter to introduce Warner to the snow, so we played in it!
Not quite sure if he's going to venture out of the garage.
Distracted by an airplane.
Alright Mom, I'll sit in the sled. I'm not sure about this, but I'll do it for you.
Walking in this stuff is pretty fun.
Except for these mittens. Will you please take off my mittens?

By the end of our 25 minutes in the snow I think Warner had warmed up to the idea of playing in it. But he definitely wasn't over-enthusiastic about it. I must say I'm a little disappointed. I loved playing in the snow as a child and hope one day our kids will too (so I can re-live my childhood and play with them, of course).

But for now, I'd say today was a success.

TV

Well, we did it. We bought a new tv. Ours broke this summer and we've been using a hand-me-down from my parents as our main tv since then. After going back and forth as to whether or not to spend the money, we finally bit the bullet. I like to think we're doing our share to help the economy.
Of course Warner's favorite part was the box it came in.But Curious George in high-def is pretty cool, too.

Snack Time

Eating banana bread while sitting on the counter is so much fun ...
... but feeding dad,
and mom
is even better.

Rocking Horse

My dad built this rocking horse for me when I was one year old. Up until recently it was simply a fixture in Warner's room, but now he can get on to the horse by himself (or with minimal help):
Ride the horse for a bit:
And help his stuffed animals take a ride, too:Certainly makes this nostalgic mother's heart melt.

Sweeping Fun

Kevin got me a battery-powered vacuum for Christmas (it was the top item on my list, pretty sad) and Warner loves it. It's small enough for him to maneuver on his own and he generally cries when I turn it off and/or put it away. It's pretty handy to have our own floor cleaner in the house now.

What to do while Mom's cooking dinner

Rearrange the pots and pans.
Try to stand directly on top of Tupperware lids.Get really proud of yourself once you've accomplished your goal.
Push your highchair around the house.

Saturday night's alright ...

We've been struggling to make church work with Kevin's crazy schedule and Warner's aversion to church nurseries. After visiting many different churches, lots of prayer, and lots of time, we've decided to stay put at the Vineyard. They've moved their Saturday night service to 6pm now, which fits quite well into our schedule. And, for whatever reason, Warner enjoys the nursery during that time too. It's such a nice feeling to go through an entire service without his number being flashed in red at the front of the sanctuary indicating he's having a meltdown. I'm also going to be a part of the worship team again, which I'm excited about.

Here's Warner all dressed up in his matching sweater and hat before church (he's going to kill me when he gets older, or at the very least need years of therapy):
We got home around 7:30 and since we had an early dinner, Warner got a snack before he went to bed.
I think it's safe to say he's happy with the Saturday night routine.

Somerset Christmas and Cameron the Dog

We traveled to Somerset last Friday to celebrate Christmas with Kevin's family. As usual, Warner had a wonderful time with his cousins, Nanny, Granddaddy, aunt Leslie, and uncle Billy. Although I'm not sure Abby appreciated him sitting on her new horse ...
He finally got the hang of unwrapping gifts this time.
And thought he was quite big in his great-grandmother's rocking chair that he can now get in and out of by himself.
The funniest part was Warner's reaction to Cameron. She's definitely the biggest dog he's ever seen, and he's never sure what to think of her. But by the end of the weekend he was quite confident around her.

Christmas Day

Warner woke up to a pile of toys on Christmas morning. We weren't sure what kind of reaction he'd have. He looked at the toys, then went straight for the basketball and put it in the hoop. Pretty funny. The basketball goal and popcorn popper are so far his favorite gifts.He also likes his new Jack in the Box, but we have to turn it for him. Thankfully he's not freaked out by the clown that pops up - I must admit, I'm a little spooked by it.
We opened gifts, ate breakfast, and played until my parents and Kevin's parents arrived around noon. Warner opened more gifts (noticing a theme here?), then took a big nap. That evening I cooked dinner for my parents and Justin. We made a turkey (our first attempt) and it turned out really good! This might become a tradition.

Muncie Christmas (Eve)

Whew. It's been an eventful week. Warner and I drove to Muncie last Tuesday. We hit freezing rain 2 hours into the trip, which turned the roads into a solid sheet of ice. I drove the rest of the way with a death-grip on the steering wheel while listening to Warner whine/cry/yell in hopes of getting out of his car seat. It took us 2 1/2 hours to drive 35 miles. I finally gave Warner a whole bag of Goldfish Crackers to quiet him (it worked) and he stuffed himself silly. He's still finding Goldfish in his car seat nearly a week later, which he thinks is really neat.
He enjoyed the family as usual. Here he is helping make cookies at Aunt Kathy's house.
And sitting on his pile of presents with Emme on Christmas Eve.
Kevin had to work Christmas Eve so we drove back home late that night to spend Christmas morning together as a family.

Weekend

Nanny and Grandaddy came up to watch Warner so Kevin and I could go to a friend's wedding. Warner always loves their visits. He gets to sit on their lap for dinner, refuse pants after a diaper change, and generally be rotten when they're around. Exactly what grandparents are for.Abby once told Linda: "Nanny, I love spending time with you. You let me do whatever I want". I'm sure Warner will say the same thing one day.
Sunday night we went to Abby and Ashley's Christmas production at their church in Lexington. The girls did so well singing and dancing.
Warner didn't want to leave Aunt Leslie's house that night. She always has "little kid" toys for him to play with along with Abby and Ashley's toys. The girls certainly love him.

The world looks cooler ...

... from up high:and upside down.I'm not sure why, but Warner has been doing this latest trick for a few weeks now. It must be neat to see everything from this angle.

Warner's also pointing to everything and saying "mmm?" while he points to get our attention. He continues to find the two nearly-dead balloons in the house and says "boone" for "balloon". Yesterday, in a quick attempt to quiet Warner while changing his diaper (it's a battle every time) I gave him his light-up ducks for the bath to distract him. He looked at them for a while, then repeated "duck" for me. Later that night he said duck to ask me for them again. He's been babbling for so long that it's wild to hear him actually mean something with his words!

I guess now when his pediatrician asks me if he has three words in his vocabulary I won't have to lie anymore.

Breakfast with Santa

I took Warner to "Breakfast with Santa" yesterday. It began quite well, with the breakfast being two chocolate doughnut holes and apple juice that wasn't watered down. Notice the death-grip he has on his doughnut in the picture:
However, once he got to Santa's lap, the fun was over.
It was much safer to observe Santa from a distance ...
Maybe next year.

Happy Birthday, MaNell!

We celebrated MaNell's 30th birthday in Chicago last weekend. The group included MaNell, Aunt Debbie (her mom), Aunt Kathy, Katie, Amy (MaNell's sister-in-law), my mom, and me. We crammed a lot into a 48-hour stay, including high tea at the Drake Hotel:Drinks in the Walnut Room at Fields/Macy's (we were going to do lunch but the wait was 3 hours. Yikes!):
Shopping, shopping, and more shopping (all of the streets and stores were so pretty, decorated for Christmas!):
And dinner at one of MaNell's favorite restaurants.
Meanwhile, Warner spent the weekend testing Kevin's patience. He refused to eat anything other than graham crackers and/or macaroni and cheese, threw multiple fits, woke at 6am each morning, and generally wore my poor husband out. Looks like I won't be enjoying another "Mom's weekend away" again any time soon.

Thankful

I meant to post this last week for Thanksgiving. However, we are studying thankfulness in my Bible study this week and I realize thanking God should not be a one-time-a-year-thing. I am thankful for so much, including:

- God for creating me and wanting to know me personally
- The gift of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ
- The promise of heaven
- My sweet husband
- My precious son
- My parents
- Kevin's parents, Leslie, and her family
- Meredith
- Having a relationship with my sister that was so sweet and so special and so close for 25 years
- That Meredith is in heaven with Jesus
- That I get to stay home full-time to be a wife and mom
- Our lovely home
- Cars to drive
- Clothes to wear
- Living in the United States
- Food to eat each day
- The ability to run, exercise, and chase Warner around
- Warner's smile
- Kevin's quality time, love, and devotion as a husband and father
- The change of seasons, snow, fall leaves, all of God's creation
- Christmas music
- Our fireplace in the family room
- Laughter
- Fuzzy socks and cozy pj's
- The Bible
- Memories of Meredith
- My Bible study girls
- Friendships God has blessed me with
- My cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents ... and being close to them
- Health

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Chirst Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18