winter wonderland.

it started snowing yesterday afternoon, so this is what we woke up to today. i love it! i always hope we'll see snow at least once a winter. and charlotte basically shuts down so everyone gets to stay home and enjoy it. (i was supposed to work today.) stetson, of course, LOVED going outside and pitched quite a fit when we had to come in...but it was freezing out there and his poor little cheeks were getting redder by the minute.

big brother.

things are getting interesting around here....stetson has reached a whole new level of getting into everything. we have been amazed. and now we must baby proof the kitchen cabinets. all this time and he never even tried to open any cabinets or drawers. not so much anymore. his favorite cabinet, of course, is the one with all the cleaning supplies. he loves those spray bottles. and can only spray it on himself. (which he did with anti-bacterial counter spray the other day when james was home with him...luckily it was all on his shirt and not his face or mouth....we have since turned the nozzles to "off".) and today i tied the cabinet doors together with a scarf.

this is only the beginning, i know...it should make for an interesting year...toddlerhood, potty training (at some point), mother's morning out (in the fall), and another baby in september. all of this is exciting/overwhelming.

the adorable culprit (excuse the runny nose)

the loves of my life.

little gentleman.

we went to amelie's (a really cute and delish bakery) on monday with james' parents and friend mark. a little post birthday lunch. (james' bday was sunday) stetson was really good and loved sitting in this chair-it spinned around.

christmas.

he just figured out he can blink voluntarily & he was super happy about getting this little car!

thanks mimi & big daddy!

we got him this little tent...he loves it! he stayed in it all christmas morning...he wasn't interested in anything else so i had to open the rest of his gifts and hand them to him. he goes in the tent and says please for you to close the doors.

cutie pie

we tried to not go overboard with presents but between us and all of our family he was very blessed! he got his little cozy coupe car, the tent, a little armchair that has cowboys on it, books, a banjo, a stacking tree, a bowling set, clothes, legos, and more. needless to say, we had to clean out his room and pack up all the baby things he doesn't need or play with anymore to make room.

more photos.

daddy's first album is here!

at a chuckecheese bday party...too busy to look up!

eating chicken nuggets with a fork!

daddy's laundry helper

just chillin' with a snack & tv

the last couple of months in photos.

playing in the kitchen is one of his favorite things

my two handsome fellas

at the doctor

hectic holidays.

the holidays were crazy to say the least. lots of work, driving, family, & friends. i worked way more than usual because james had the whole month off so he could be home with stetson. and december is the busiest month of the year at the salon. so james was mr. mom for the month of december and i missed being with my boys and being at home. hence the lack of blogging.

stetson started officially walking the week after thanksgiving (right at 18 months---i think he must've known his doctor appt was coming up & i was getting nervous!) his 18 month check-up went well...i think he's figured out the nurse is the one who gives the shots because he was still scared of her but not the doctor this time. dr. dorsey was happy with his progress (walking!) and said everything looks great. his weight percentile was between the 10th & 25th so i was glad to see it go up a little. he weighs 23 lbs 1 oz. he is still talking alot (mainly babbling) but his words have slowed down a little bit since he started walking. he is eating with a fork and spoon sometimes (the sight of this made me want to cry as i realized he is officially a toddler and not a baby). it's still a novelty to us to see him walking around. and it has brought on a whole new intolerance to the stroller. he wants to walk everywhere now in public but doesn't want you to hold his hand or guide him. he screams in protest. so i have resorted to the occasional m&m while he's in the stroller to keep him happy while he's in there. christmas shopping with him was all but fun and relaxing. he was acting so crazy the day we went to the mall to take a photo with santa that we decided to skip it. maybe next year.

aside from his momentary acts of independence, he is still so good and sweet most of the time. still a daddy's boy all the way. still LOVES music and dances to every kind of sound. he has started singing, too, and it will break your heart. it's so precious. he's starting to be able to identify more body parts, soft & hard textures, and will act like he's fixing his hair. we've been working on asking for help instead of getting frustrated when he can't get something to work like he wants it to...so we now hear "beebee" (please) ALL the time. but i'd rather hear that than screaming.

so the holidays were good...but every year i wish i could slow everything down enough to really enjoy it all. i so wanted a day at home in my pj's to bake christmas cookies and feel festive. but there's always next year i guess. and next christmas stetson will probably be able to help me make cookies so that will be more fun anyway.