Simply having a wonderful Christmas time!

We had a wonderful time at Christmas this year! David had some PTO that would disappear if he didn't use it before the end of the year, so he took off the week of Christmas since his sister Shelley was visiting from Hawaii. We spent a ton of time with the Isgett family in Durham so that we could maximize her visit, and we had a great time! Joshua did great napping in his Pack-n-Play (in Martha's closet--the only dark place in the house) and sleeping in it at night in the computer room. We did lots of talking and eating (two things the Isgetts do well!), and there was a lot of laughter shared.

We spent Christmas Eve at our own house, and Joshua opened up his presents from us on Christmas morning: two new books. One is a touch & feel book about tractors (Joshua has probably already brought that book to me to read a million times since then!) and the other was the now-infamous "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" book. Since we knew his grandmas were going to spoil him silly, we kept it very simple. And we were right to do so! There is no doubt that this little boy is loved.

After Christmas morning at our own house, we drove back to Durham to spend Christmas day with the Isgetts. It was so fun to see Will and Ellie, two of Joshua's cousins, so excited about all their presents (the highlight for Will was a Transformer robot and Ellie's was a baby doll and baby stroller). Joshua got new books and sleepers, a push lawnmower that blows bubbles (this will be very popular, I'm sure, in the spring), a push toy that pops balls around inside...Grandma Martha obviously had a great time shopping for him!

We stayed through Christmas dinner. Bernie did an AMAZING job with the food. I'm not a big turkey fan, because I feel like it is too dry, no matter how it is cooked, so I usually stick with the ham. David told me that his dad did the turkey in a brine for the first time, and said I should try it--OH MY GOSH. It was SO good--definitely the most tender and juicy turkey I have ever had. Dinner was complete with all the yummy sides: mashed potatoes, rice and gravy, homemade macaroni and cheese, yeast rolls...yum!

Here are some cute pictures Shelley took with the new camera she got for Christmas:

Eating the yummy pancakes Uncle Brian and

Aunt Lisa made for Christmas breakfast

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Mommy and Joshua (with Grandpa Bernie

hard at work in the background!)

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Aunt Shelley apparently has some magical ability

to make me smile like nobody else!

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My little monkey in his monkey outfit :)

Having fun with Aunt Shelley!

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After dinner, we headed home to meet my mom, dad, and brother at our house. They spent the weekend with us and we had such a fun time! Grandma had a great time shopping for Little Man, too: new books and sleepers, wooden puzzles with numbers and shapes, a soft tool box with soft toys that Grandpa picked out, a Noah's ark ornament for the Christmas tree...the list goes on and on! We watched movies, ate more yummy food (and went out for Mexican one night--Joshua loves quesadillas and refried beans!), and just enjoyed being together.

We are truly blessed to have wonderful family members that love and support us, and care so much for our little guy. The holidays are so wonderful when we get to spend time with the ones we love the most!

My resourceful little Scarface

Since it has been SO bitterly cold recently, Joshua hasn't been able to enjoy time outside like we normally do. After taking all of the shoes off the shoe rack in our kitchen, he apparently decided that the shoe rack could serve as his own little set of monkey bars (fitting, since that's exactly what he is!)

Yes, Mommy...I've graduated from just making a mess

to also trying dangerous stunts with what I find.

Please note the fridge letter in his hand...

like I said in the previous post, he almost

ALWAYS has something in his hand!

That, my friends, is a look of pure pride.

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And that, my friends, is a look of pure "I'm stuck!" frustration.

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According to the doctor, Joshua's doing fine. He's a lightweight (21lbs 5oz, 10%) and about average height, (30.5 in, 30%), but he has a big ol' head (47.9cm, 70%). Looking at the stock he came from, though, none of this is shocking. The doctor laughed when I told her the story about his injury, and she said that while he'll probably have a mark for a number of months, she didn't think he'd have a permanent scar. For Little Man's sake, I sure hope not! Look at that mess--I swear it looks worse every single day!

But this little monkey doesn't seem to mind one bit!

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(And trust me, it certainly doesn't slow him down

one bit, either! Before I could even finish this post,

he had lodged himself in the shoe rack again,

this time in a standing position, and fell face first

onto the kitchen floor. What on earth have I gotten

myself into with this one?!)

Listen, Officer, I can explain...

Okay, so I've always known that boys are more active and prone to injury...I mean, I have a younger brother, right? But no one told me that it got this bad this soon! About a week ago, Joshua scratched his forehead on the coffee table (as he fell off the couch, which he climbed onto from the end table). As it was healing up nicely, he decided yesterday that it would be appropriate to pull the laptop off a desk and onto his face (the laptop was on the desk because if it is anywhere that would seem within logical arms' reach--who knew the tall desk fell into that category?!--he will bang on it or dance on it, depending on its location.

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These, however, PALE in comparison to this afternoon's disaster. Joshua is always holding something--sometimes, two somethings--in his hands. Sometimes it is a Tupperware container, sometimes a building block...but most often, it is a book. He LOVES books, and for this, I am grateful. Well, I was...until today. Because not only is he always holding something, he's almost always also running while holding something. And today, he was running while holding his prized copy of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" All was smiles and giggles until he tripped...

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The offending book

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The damage

(Okay, so first of all, who knew cardboard pages

could cause such damage?! I'm just grateful

that he obviously closed his eye before the book

gashed his face. And second, why do I get the

best smile EVER on camera when he's got

a huge gash on his eye? And finally, please

note that he has about a million teeth...

he's already got 3 molars! My little alligator...)

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Up close and personal with the wound, shiny with Neosporin

And, to top it all off, Joshua's 15 month appointment is TOMORROW MORNING. Who knows? Maybe the police or DSS will greet as we leave, and I can try to convince them that I really am a loving mother who does her best to keep her monkey-son safe. Someone, anyone, please tell me that other toddler boys are just as active and self-destructive?!