Christmas!

Christmas comes but once a year - and if it were more we would have to find a bigger place to live! Santa (and all of the other little elves) must have thought Ian was a super good boy this year. Here is a peak at his favorite time of the year.

Searching for whatever is in the bottom of his stocking...........

Waking up still - and trying to decide what to take apart first!

Did you know that Daniel Boone was the conductor of Thomas the Tank Engine?

He had to go outside and ride his four-wheeler as soon as he got it.

Ready for the farm - when he can reach the pedals on his Ford tractor.

Saying "cheese" for the camera!

Standing on the sit-n-spin.

And riding his new tricycle. I think he has more vehicles than his mommy and daddy now!

So funny - when Frank helped him open the bag, he yelled "My tricycle!" like he knew it was coming or something. But, everything is "mine" these days.

And finally, giving Santa some love and a complementary ride in the Cozy Coupe for being so generous this year. What a loving little fellow!

Being Thankful.

Thanksgiving had a deeper meaning for us this year. On November 3, my family lost a dear man - my grandfather. So, even though this Thanksgiving was a sad one for us, it was also a time to reflect and be thankful for all of the wonderful blessings and time together that the Lord has blessed us with. Here are a few pics of Thanksgiving and other things Ian has been doing over the last month.

Ian loved playing in the leaves at Glenda and Wesley's house. He is still asking to go see Maggie!

And here he is saying "cheese" for the camera.

Our little family on Thanksgiving Day.

Look at this handsome little man!

Don't be deceived -- he was not even thinking about napping at this point!

Ian found this backpack and wanted to put it on. Then he said,"I go to school. I ride school bus."

He loves to listen to Frank's MP3 player. He will dance and dance!

Fall is here!

Finally, some cooler weather. Ian and I have enjoyed being able to play outside in the afternoons now that the weather has cooled off some. October was a great month for us! Ian is talking like crazy! He is even making sentences. He can repeat anything you say (I have to remind myself of that often!), and "No" is his favorite word! He has even started singing along with some of his favorite cartoon songs. Here is a little bit of what we did this past month.

We played in the sprinkler. Can you believe it was still hot enough in October to play in the sprinkler?!? Ian LOVED it!

I guess when all else fails, just attack it with the golf club!

We snacked....alot! Here is our little Elmo. Frank brought him this shirt from Minnesota. Ian loves Elmo!

We napped. Notice the bobo on his chin. I still can't figure out where this one came from?

We got clean. Ian loves to "play in the bubbles." But he just doesn't like to get dressed after he gets out of the tub. We are lucky to even get a towel around him most nights!

We invented new toys. You can see here that he turned one of my bowls into a hat. I gave up trying to get it back weeks ago. But he looks so cute when he runs around with it on his head yelling "hat."

And we did some trick or treating. Ian was a puppy this year. He actually liked wearing his costume.

Look out! Here comes one cute puppy!

Vacation....and so much more!

Once again, we went to Orange Beach with whole Whittington crew...and we had a blast! Ian really enjoyed the pool and beach this year. We all had lots of fun spending time with the whole family. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Our little family!

Look at this little diaper model.

What a cool dude! (He must get his coolness from his Mommy!)

Watch out Hollywood!

Chasing the sea gulls......

And chasing......

And chasing! Wonder what he would have done if he had caught one?!?

More of Mr. Photogenic!

My two favorite guys!

Ian was not scared of the waves at all this year. He wanted to just run right out into the water.

Look how sweet! That smile says it all.

Ian also liked playing on the splash pad at the condo.

He was a little hesitant at first...

He wasn't really sure if he wanted to go through or not....

He finally made it!

Here is my future astronaut.

Uh oh! This chef is in trouble!

Ian had lots of fun playing with Uncle Harlan!

My time off has allowed us to start doing little "projects" together. Ian loves to color, draw, count, and sing his ABC's. Here is his first drawing. He made it for his Daddy while he was at work. It is being proudly displayed on the front of our fridge. Looking forward to many more!

I have also let him start exploring in the kitchen. This morning he got the colander out and called it a hat!

He just kept saying "cheese" and smiling at the camera. I think I must have take ten or more pictures of him just standing there smiling! He is such a joy!