Christmas Stockings

We decided to go to Lincoln for Christmas this year so the night before Christmas Eve we opened our stockings. We decided to leave our family gifts until we got back from Lincoln.

Peeking in his stocking:

Checking out his new phone:

Hello? Hello? 

A new phone and bubble bath!

Admiring the tree:

Pretty sure this cute face is smiling because he got caught pulling on the tree!

Daddy and Liam rough housing!

We Have a Walker!

We officially have a walker!! Liam has been using his puppy walker and mower walker for quite some time now but hasn't really been interested in walking alone. Here's a video of him with his mower walker:

One night he became obsessed with the stockings on the stairs. He discovered the bells and wouldn't leave them alone. Craig gave him one of JJ's old bells that was attached to a string and for some reason that interested Liam and he decided to start walking all by himself!! We were so excited for him and he was so proud!

Ever since that night he has been taking off and walking everywhere! He likes to carry everything while walking, which of course makes me nervous because he's still wobbly and falls over and I'm afraid he will fall on everything he's carrying. But, he's a boy, and when he falls he thinks it's funny and giggles and rolls on the floor!

Feeling a Little Crafty!

I was feeling a little crafty when it came to wrapping gifts this year and thought they turned out pretty cute! I found some Kraft paper, stamps, bakers twine, and some greenery to use. Even Craig stamped the names on his gifts....I was pretty impressed!!

Of course, I had a little helper this year! 

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree!

Liam is really interested in the Christmas tree! He has already spotted a few favorite ornaments. We have two Westie puppy ornaments and those immediately became his favorite (surprise, surprise!!). When we first put the tree up he would crawl into the living room and go directly to the corner of the tree and point to the puppy ornament. He's not able to stand up without something to help him so he started sitting on his knees and bouncing up and down, almost like jumping. It's too cute....it's like that will get him closer to touching his favorite ornaments!!

When we put the gifts under the tree Liam started pulling himself up on those and grabbing the ornaments and hitting the branches. All of our ornaments are now halfway up the tree so the bottom of the tree is bare!

Attempting to Make Christmas Cookies!

I have never made Christmas sugar cookies before, but for some reason this year I felt the need to make them. This must be my maternal instinct kicking in because I thought we needed sugar cookies, fudge, pretzels with almond bark, and cherry mash. I have know idea why but we made them all! Liam had fun watching, helping, and definitely eating all the Christmas goodies!!

I didn't take a picture of the finished product but they sure were tasty!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

I was looking for a family picture to use for our Christmas card this year and couldn't find one where Liam was looking at the camera or with Craig and I looking at the camera. So, I decided we would try to get a cute picture with Liam, the Christmas tree, and lights. He was definitely interested in the lights but he NEVER wants to sit still so it was a little difficult to get the just right picture. 

He wasn't for sure what to think of the lights at first:

He figured it out quickly!

Trying to get a picture with Mommy:

He had fun waving the lights in the air!

Our finished Christmas card:

Thanksgiving 2013

For Thanksgiving we went to my grandparent's house in Lincoln. My grandparents, parents, Chris, Terri, and Madison were all there to celebrate the holiday. It was fun to get Liam and Madison together to play. They seemed to have fun together! 

Here they are eyeballing each others toys:

Liam has to have his blankie near him at all times!!

We tried to get a family picture. Of course Liam wasn't looking!

How most of our pictures turned out!

 Liam and Grandpa:

Liam was really intrigued with Grandpa's face!

Getting some love from Grandma!

Liam LOVED Thanksgiving dinner. We knew this kiddo liked to eat but he ate more than I did at dinner!

Liam's first time having pumpkin pie was a success. He couldn't get enough of it!

What a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for a healthy, happy, and supportive family!

Liam's First Birthday Party

For Liam's birthday party I decided to do a Dr. Seuss Oh The Places You'll Go Theme. He really loves to "read" so I thought it would be fun to do something with books. It was fun (and also kind of stressful) planning his party but it turned out to be a great day! Both of our families were able to join us and also Sarah (Liam's daycare provider) and her family. He was surrounded by all of the people who love him and he definitely knew everyone was there for him. He is normally pretty shy but he warmed up fast and was showing off for everyone! 

Here are a few pictures of the decorations:

Liam's highchair:

The snack table had Dr. Seuss themed snacks. Multicolored goldfish for the book One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, popcorn for Hop on Pop,  and homemade cake pops for the Truffula Trees in The Lorax. I didn't get any pictures, but for dinner we had Ham and green Deviled Eggs for Green Eggs and Ham and cheesy potatoes and rolls.

A few close ups of the table:

I tried to pick a picture from each month to show how much he has grown and changed. It was so hard to pick just one but I found a few!!

I found a cute sign on Pinterest where the guests signed the Dr. Seuss book Happy Birthday. 

We also had everyone fill out a time capsule card with wishes for his future. Craig and I were joking that we hope we can remember where we stored these when he turns 18!

He received some AWESOME gifts but of course his favorite was pushing around the cardboard box!!

We took LOTS of family photos. Normally Liam never smiles for the camera, but I think he knew this day was ALL about him so he was all smiles. 

Our Little Family:

All of the Great-Grandparents:

Grandparents:

Sarah and Liam:

The kids who were there. From top to bottom: Jesse, Madison, Liam, and Bailey. Lillian was there too but didn't get in the picture!!

After all the yummy food, gifts, and fun Liam had another smash cake!! He of course had to check out the balloons and definitely enjoyed his cake!!

Overall, we had a great day with the most important people in Liam's life!!