Christmas is Coming!

Well, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the Hesson's. I unfortunately forgot my camera, so no beautiful moments preserved in pictures. Last night, we bought our Christmas tree and decorated it. It's a pretty awesome tree, which we got at Lowe's. They had a great selection and it was pretty reasonably priced.

I got some shots of our decorations. Including our Elf, who comes to visit us the day after Thanksgiving and stays until Christmas Eve. He then reports to Santa whether we've been bad or good and deserve any presents. If you touch the Elf he disappears and you get no presents. He moves every night to a new location. (My mom did this with us and we seriously thought the Elf was real for a very long time. Aunt Teresa bought us our Elf last year.) Right now he's hanging out on our floor lamp.

I also got a shot of our beautiful stockings. My roommate from BYU, Nicole (with whom I share a birthday), made them for us. She sent mine and Jared's as a wedding present when we married in 2005. As per my request, she made Ethan's last year so we'd have a matching set. Hopefully she'll be so willing when more children arrive over the next several years: )

Now that we've taken photos that I actually like ... Ethan is 1!

Okay, so Ethan turned one a few weeks ago and we went to JC Penney's to take some photos to celebrate. I did not like how they turned out and groaned about it for awhile. We found out a friend is getting into photography and she agreed to do a second shoot for us. I think they've turned out beautifully. Check them out at www.blessedlittlefamilyphotography.blogspot.com
Thanks so much Angela!

Go, Go, Go

Yesterday I took Ethan to his 1 year well-baby visit to get a check up and some shots. (Boo: () While we were waiting, he started walking and running around the waiting room. While he walked/ran, he started saying, "Go, go, go" over and over again. It was so cute. There was a slightly surly teenager in the waiting room and his antics made her smile. He also saw a little boy about 9 that he thought was pretty cool. He went up to him and stared for awhile, then he just grabbed the boy's leg. I wish I had a camera to capture the little boy's face. He was certainly suprised and unsure about what to do. Pretty funny to watch how Ethan makes new friends. He's a healthy happy boy that gives high (and low)-5's, points, says five words (mama, dada, go, meow, and "gerber"--we don't know what that means yet), can walk and is learning to run. He has at least four bruises on his head at all times and is our comedic relief. CAN'T believe he's 1!

You sound like a bunch of Mormons!

Funny story... Jared and his brother, Kevin, are in this course together at UCF that is called Cornerstone. It is a requirement for anyone majoring within the school of business. All semester they've been working with a team of people, Bernardo, Sam, Yolexa, and Pedro. They are providing a teacher's appreciation breakfast for Ventura Elementary, where they've been working with teachers and students in the Junior Achievment program. With the economy how it is, they haven't been able to secure as many donations as they needed, so I offered to bake pumpkin muffins for the breakfast. Jared also got his mom to commit to making some muffins as well. He and Kevin were informing the group of this and Sam blurted out that they sounded like a bunch of Mormons. Jared happily informed him that we are Mormons. He and Kevin thought it was so funny. Sam was a little embarrassed, but it turned into a missionary experience for them. He's even going to give Bernardo, who is dating a LDS girl, a copy of the Book of Mormon. Just thought I'd share how awesome Jared and Kevin are for being such great examples.

Fun photos

Ethan looks like he's about to do something he shouldn't in this. I think he's just so cute in his sweater. Nice and cuddly!
Ethan helping Grandpa Hesson clean the floors. He loves to help out.

We love to party!

Well, we had a jam-packed weekend. After Halloween and all its festivitities, Ethan and I went to St. Augustine and attended three different parties. Our first stop was for Jennifer Hesson's baby shower (my cousin Jimmy's wife). They are expecting their first child, Caiden, on December 1. You can see just how cute she is at their blog http://www.hessonhappenings.blogspot.com/

Our next party was on Sunday afternoon for my cousin, Lauren, who is expecting her first child, Brooke Riley, on November 27. I just love Lauren and it was a treat to see her again so soon (we went to the Gator game with her and Mickey about a month ago). We visited with all our cousins, which I never get to do. Amy and I commisserated on the fact that we are always out of the loop because we don't live in St. Augustine.

Finally, we celebrated Mom and Dad's 30th wedding anniversary (which is November 4) by hanging out and eating pizzas from Dad's outdoor pizza oven. Aunt Antje, Uncle Mike, Aunt Joanna, Uncle Mark, Aunt Teresa, Uncle David, Aunt Margo, Uncle Tommy, Stacey, Joe, Tony, Ethan, and I were there to celebrate. We had a great time and I am just so proud of my parents. Here's a photo we snapped of the Hesson family, complete with Sydney and Lyla (in Stacey's tummy). I love my family!

Happy Halloween!

Well, this is officially Ethan's second Halloween. Last Halloween was his first, but seeing as it was the day we came home from the hospital, it really didn't count. This year, he dressed up as a pumpkin and was so adorable. We joined his cousins, Kalia and Nathan, for some trick or treating in Lake Conway Woods. The residents there go all out! They have their yards totally decorated, which unfortunately we were too busy with the kids to snap any pics. Oh well, maybe next year. Jared and I also dressed up. He was a man from the 50's, complete with newspaper, robe, black socks to his knees, and house shoes. We tried a mustache, but it wouldn't stick long enough. I was Hermoine Granger from Harry Potter. Jared made the little crest for Gryfindor that is on my robe. We had a lot of fun going trick or treating and at Jared's boss, Kevin's, party. Here are some photos.

Family Halloween Photo.

Jared looking dapper.

Valerie, Tinkerbell (Kalia), Melissa, Cowardly Lion (Nathan), Hermoine (Andrea), and Pumpkin (Ethan)

Halloween traditionally hasn't been my thing. I'm not the most willing participant.

Not his costume, but still so cute. Aunt Valerie got Ethan this little Liederhousen (I still don't know how to spell it) outfit for his birthday. It's a 12-24 month, and it barely fits. Maybe next year, he'll be skinnier and can wear it for longer than a few minutes. He's our little German baby!