Christmas Time is here!

Our house is ready for the holidays!  We tried to get everything up ASAP so we can enjoy it before we head on our Christmas travels.

Checking out the tree

 Carter out-take

 All decorated and oh so tempting

and it begins..

Stockings are hung by the chimney with care

 We even put up orange OSU lights to celebrate the Bedlam in December, Go Pokes!

He drank this whole bottle from daycare to the house, only a few blocks.  I was impressed.  He was still hungry:)

 Now he stands up under the saucer, cries bc he is stuck and then figures out he can still play. 

 Niles got to spend part of the day with Carter and Cayle (19 months)  They played very sweet together.  Cayle would let Carter pound this toy with his hands...

 And then he would hit it with the hammer.  I thought this was very smart of a 19 month old to not accidentally hit Carter's fingers.  He is ready to be a big brother!

Carter's poor hair!  We really do try to not make it stick out like horns or wings, but it does it anyway!

Carter's First Thanksgiving!

We have a lot to be thankful for this year! We celebrated today with just the three of us.  I miss the utter chaos of my Grandma Shaw's house at Thanksgiving, but enjoying the day with my two favorite Thomason boys isn't to shabby.  We cooked enough food for an army of Thomason men.  Turkey, Hauserman stuffing, corn casserole, rolls, peas, cranberry sauce, and a change up this year with Cheesecake.  Needless to say I am very full right now and will be eating Thanksgiving meal until Christmas.

 

Niles carving that turkey!

The dogs were very excited about it

Carter's First plate,  a lot of this ended up on the floor, Happy Thanksgiving Sadie and Liley

My parents had a very different Thanksgiving, Jayhawks lost a heartbreaker to Duke in the finals of the Maui tournament

This was a buck in our yard, the dogs acted very ferocious behind their safe fence

Tomorrow equals Christmas decorating!  My favorite time of year, can't wait to share all the traditions and purpose of Christmas with Carter!

I bought him a gift already on my trip to Target this week.  He saw me put it in the basket and then kept trying to do this

Happy Shopping!  I thought about going after the deals at the Outlet mall, and then came to my senses.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone enjoys the family time and food!  We are very Thankful  for all our blessings, especially Carter!

9 Months Old

Carter has officially been out of the belly, as long as he was in!  I don't even remember being pregnant.  If you had asked me that 9 months ago you would have seen me walking three miles and eating spicy food, trying desperately not to be pregnant anymore.  Not even a thought in my mind now.  That C-section I remember perfectly, not the best time of my life, but look what I got in return!  I made a collage so that you all could see the process of getting a 9 month old to sit and smile.  Lots of out takes.

Went to the doctor on Monday.  She said he is doing great!  Stats for this month: 18 lbs 6 oz (20th %)  28.5 in (50th %)

Things to remember about Carter at 9 months:

*Lots of teeth cutting
*crawling all over the place, pulling up on everything, and always trying to go after the T.V., heaters, and carbon-monoxide detector.  We are definitely getting a workout.  Still the army crawl.  I asked the doctor about it and she said it was fine.  When we got home I sat him down and he immediately took off crawling on all hands and knees.  He stopped and looked at me and then continued army style.  It was like he heard me talking about him and wanted to say, "I can do it, I just choose not to."  Definitely my child:)
*Eating chunkier food and starting to eat what we are eating for dinner.  Ready for his first Thanksgiving!
*Talking all the time,  only real word is still dada.  Even looking at Niles and saying it sometimes
*Likes to snuggle into anything soft, really cute.
*dancing to music
*waving, not at hello and good-bye
*hates to read (breaking his mommas heart)
*Loves being tickled and  upside down

Few other pics:

He was not very happy last week with all his teeth cutting.  We tried the swing again after months of not using it.  Quite a difference from 9 months ago.

Watching it snow and eating breakfast

 Cowboy boots don't quite fit yet, soon...

I really wanted a pic where you could see the turkey on his bum, and his face.  My model delivered.  This pic was easier to get than him sitting in the chair! (Niles is not a fan of this outfit! Grandma H may have sent a few with Santa on the bum so he has to get used to it!)

I also forgot to say a big Welcome to the world Claire Long!  Last week was suppose to be her due date, so I'm not that far off!  Look at this beautiful pic of the Long family that I once again stole, hope I'm not breaking major copyright from your photographer ME.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Tough Day

Today has been a tough day.  I wore my orange proudly to work in anticipation of the football game and ended up glad that I wore it for support.   A colleague asked me if I'd heard and I had no idea what he was talking about.  When he told me I  thought he was joking, even though that is definitely not a topic you joke about.  How could this happen again?  At OSU?  In the basketball program?  It had to be a joke.  One check on News 9 OKC, showed that it wasn't.  I was trying not to think about it, because really it doesn't have anything to do with me. Then I came to my planning period and turned on my cell phone.  I had bing after bing of texts and voicemails with people telling me they were thinking about me today.  Thank you.  Two people said it in a great way-"Hard for you to hear"  and "takes you back to that time."  It does.  My reaction today was the same as it was 10 years ago.  This could not have happened.  And now I have to add again.  Ten years ago I was a freshmen in college who had a stellar job working with the great people of Cowboy basketball.  On Jan 27 I lost seven friends in a plane crash.    So thanks for the thoughts, they are appreciated.  To my Cowboy basketball fam (Beth I think you are prob the only one that reads this)  I have been thinking about you today too.  I know it was hard to hear and took you back.  Today there is some freshmen that works for Cowgirl basketball and is about to go through a roller coaster that no one should have to ride.  Send all those thoughts and prayers to the Cowgirl basketball staff and family of the four who died.  They are going to need it, more than anyone could know.

A few videos

Carter is 9 months old!  Not taking his pic today.  He has 4 teeth coming in and has been running a fever.  Not going to try to get him to smile tonight.  Here are a few videos

This is the new thing this week.  He really does eat well... usually!

He started clapping when I was in Kansas.  And yes that is his onesie outside of his pants.  The person, who will remain nameless, that changed his diaper forgot to button it before they put his pants on!  Oh well, he didn't care.

I had been kinda working with him on the clapping, but my Grandma bought him this totally annoying dancing puppy, which he loves.  It claps, so when he started clapping.  I thought, "Oh man that puppy taught him to clap!"   I then learned that they have been doing that at daycare during their music time.  Guess I would rather him learn stuff at daycare:)  He sure likes that musical puppy though, maybe it will teach him to count!

4 more days of school and then a whole week off, thanks to mandatory furlough days.  Not enjoying the cut in pay, but I might as well get used to it.  More of that coming in a major way next year.  I will be lucky to have a job, even if it means 40 kids in my room.  No I'm not joking, apparently voters don't care about education.  Don't mean to be a drag, Happy Monday!

Winter is here...Boo!

Monday when we got back into town it was beautiful.  I decided to wear capri pants to work on Tuesday, bad idea.  By the end of the day it had turned cold and has stayed that way.  Even snowed a couple of times this week.  I know I live in Colorado, but I live here for the summers!  Let the countdown to May begin. 

Carter is sporting his winter wear, he looks like that kid in The Christmas Story when he is all bundled up and can't put his arms down.

His new thing is pulling up on everything.  He has been doing it for a couple of weeks now, but now he doesn't fall as much and can pull up quick.  Even starting to take a few steps while holding on to something. 

We went up to a big craft fair that they have at my school every year.  Usually I would have been coaching in a basketball tournament this weekend, so I have never been able to go before.  It was ok.  Lots of people set up.  I have a hard time at those kinds of things.  I feel like when I stop to look at something, the people are just hoping I will buy something and it makes me feel bad.  Therefore I tend to not really look at anything.  We did get one Christmas gift bought.  We also went to my room to feed Humphrey, which Carter enjoyed.

A few other pics...

Love this face

 Trying to stretch himself to look over the table...well reach my plate is what he really wants

 That was a toy of mine he found in his room, I can't remember which church lady made that for me?  Any idea Granny?

 Digging for toys in our new ottoman/toy box. We bought it today to hide the fact that Target and Babies-R-Us has thrown up all over our living room

 

Daylight savings tonight.  I hope Carter remembers to sleep that extra hour!

Halloween

On Saturday we went to The Self's house for their annual Halloween party.  It was a much bigger deal than I thought it would be.  People paid $500 a ticket!  They had valet parking, professional photographers, a caterer.  Much fancier than any Halloween party I have ever been to.  They raise money for Coach Self's assist foundation.  I did not have to pay, but we did dress up!  My mom, sister, and I were Can-Can girls and my dad a bartender who served orange and grape soda.   Carter was a skeleton.  He went for a little while and then went home with Great-Grandma and Grandpa.  I took a lot of pics so bare with me!

The Hinson Family...

The house was crazy decorated, my favorite would be the candy bar-candy and cupcakes all on one table!  A dream for Tiffany.

Lots of great costumes, Carter kept pulling off people's beards and staches

Conversating with the players

 and the cheerleaders

Phog Allen Fieldhouse

This past weekend Carter and I went to Lawrence to see family and go to the Halloween party for Coach Self's Assist Foundation.  My Grandma and Grandpa and sister were able to come for the weekend as well.  Carter and I landed late Thursday night. Friday we went up to Phog Allen to visit Grandpa.

 Coaches Self and Townsend

 Naismith Court

 He is staring across the court and imagining his future glory (no pressure Carter;)

I will post Halloween pics tomorrow, sorry to tired to accomplish any more tonight!