Look out . . . he's mobile!

My child can crawl.  This is a day that I have waited for, yet now that it is here, I find that I can't turn away from him for one SECOND, or else he - and therefore me - gets in trouble.
On the other hand, it is really great to see Mckay explore his new world.

Though I wish that look of excitement was because he was crawling towards ME, the next picture will show you his favorite toy . . .

Yes, that's right, my baby is already in love with cell phones.  They develop expensive taste so young!  This picture also captures the first time he accidentally phoned someone . . .  I apologize in advance if you get a phantom phone call from me:)

Ah yes, let's not forget the "boingy thing".  Is this thing called a door stop, or a wall guard?  Whatever it is, it is a Mckay magnet.

Sorry, I thought this image was properly rotated.  Anyway, the heating vent is the new, coolest thing!  He literally spent 15 minutes running his hand down it.

Thus begins a new and exciting chapter in Mckay's development.

My Favorite Things

I have been reading several blogs lately that have people sharing some of their favorite things, and I thought, "Hey, I have some things that are MY favorite!"  So I am taking this opportunity to share them with you all.  Caution:  viewing people's favorite things will leave you with a desire to buy/try/rent them. . . you have been warned.

1. Guittard Chocolate chips.  Can I just say yum?  These chocolate chips are not only really good, but they are really big, and since chocolate is my favorite part of any cookie, this is a must-have for a cookie-phile like myself.  In fact, just posting this makes me want to go open a bag . . .

2. "Matched", by Allie Condie, is my new favorite book.  For those of you who love Uptopia/dystopia books like Hunger Games,  this is the book for you!  The only downside to this book is that it is the first book in a series, so I am, once again, stuck waiting to see what happens.  Oh well, I guess half the fun is looking forward to these type of things, right?

3. Ticket to Ride is my favorite game.  If you love board games, you will love this one!  If you don't love board games, I'm willing to bet you will still enjoy this one.  'Nuff said.

4. I hated winter until I bought these boots from R.E.I.  But ever since I bought these little babies, winter and I get along fabulously.  I can tromp through the snow or just a wet slushy parking lot, and my little toes stay toasty warm!

5.  Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags are wooonnnndddeerrrffffull!  They are not cheap, but I am willing to skimp in other areas for this bag.  Considering that I lug the thing everywhere, there are worse places to sink your dollar.  My favorite thing about this bag, besides being cute, is that they have back pack straps so that you don't injure one of your shoulders and a built in changing pad.  

 

6.  I had to give a shout-out to my favorite cooking blog,  simplysogood.blogspot.com.  Looove this blog.  It has some fabulous recipes and the author, Janet Barton, gives you the step-by-step instructions so even a dummy in the kitchen (like me) cannot possibly go wrong.  I also like that her recipes contain mostly basic household ingredients.  You may have to go buy one thing, but not six.  

So there you have it folks.  These are some of my favorite things. . . I had so much fun writing about these things, I will probably have to do this every couple of months.  Let me know what your favorite things are, I love learning what makes others happy . . . and usually I want to try/see/know about them too!

Cruises and Christmas!

The Christmas season is over.  I always feel like after Christmas I am completely exhausted from doing a lot of relaxing.  But on the other hand, what a lot of fun, relaxing things we did!
Our Christmas present from Todd and Jeannette this year was to go on a cruise to the Caribbean!  We left early the 18th of December for San Juan, Puerto Rico, and from there, on to St. Croix, Antigua, St. Lucia, and then back to San Juan.  The weather was hot, the beaches were beautiful, and the islands lush and green.  We enjoyed going to the beaches, shopping, and just spending time on the ship with family.

Mckay and Chase at the beach.  In the background, our ship, the Serenade of the Seas, is in port.

Mckay was afraid of the ocean (see the first picture) , but he looooved the swimming pool.  Check out my white legs. . . yeah, instead of bringing back a tan,  I only brought back a few freckles.

Most nights we opted for the fancy dinner rather than the buffets.  It was so fun not having to cook or clean up.

Chase and I spent our last day walking around historic San Juan.  We both thought this part felt like a hot, humid Europe.

We arrived home to cold and snow, just in time for Christmas Eve.  We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day on the farm.

As per tradition, we read the story of the birth of Christ, and the grandkids acted out the nativity.  Talia and Aerom were the cutest Mary and Joseph!  Mckay was sick, so the role of baby Jesus went to Talia's old doll.

 Christmas morning on the stairs!

Mckay was quite sick on Christmas, but he still managed to love and play with his new toys.

All in all, it was a spectacular day.  The rest of the holidays we spent relaxing, eating, visiting family, relaxing, eating, getting sick, getting better, and watching movies.  It was a perfect way to say goodbye to 2010 and hello 2011.