Poor Santa

10 month old heartbreaker

Okay, I know he's our son but he sure is cute. And will probably break some hearts someday.

Here's the proof: (Sorry Chris, pretty sure Avery took the lead on that one)

I just did some catching up on the blog (a little out of order) so scroll through for a few new posts.

Cookies and more cookies

The Knowles ladies gathered to bake - and bake we did. Some recipes were more successful than others but we were very proud of the fact that we never had to run to the store...all items were produced from what we found in our pantries!

Grandma teaching Maya how to stir the fudge - and Maya teaching Grandma that eating the fudge is more fun.

Bennett is crushing the peppermint candies - kitchen appliances that make loud noise are fun!

Especially once you figure out which button makes it happen!Reading the newspaper with the Uncles (aka the taste testers).

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving was a fun combination of both families this year. Here is Bennett and Grandpa getting excited about turkey and fixings.Lexie set the table - and made sure there was a special place for the smallest guest.
Eyeing all the goodies, wondering when the feast can begin (looking a little concerned that we might forget to share with him). A little cautious at first (it is the size of his leg)...But enjoying it! Teether/dinner - how convenient!Lexie helping with the yummy yummy sweet potatoes.

And post dinner lounging and snuggling was had by all!

Oh Christmas Tree

Riding on Grandpa's shoulders while we wait for Dad to come down the mountain from his quest for the perfect tree. Thank goodness it was sunny because it was COLD!

We got one!

Keeping warm all snuggled together for a little hiking.

Cousins obliging the posed first snow picture.

Warming up in the car. Look Mom, a mound of giant trees!

The limit was 12 feet tall - no limits on girth!

Helping Daddy with the lights.

Admiring our work!

Our New Friend Maeve

Welcome home baby girl...we love you already and can't wait to get to know you better! Congratulations Shauna - you are a natural mother.

Long Overdue

Sorry about the lack of posting - I can't believe I've missed both the 8 and 9 month updates. Learning how to balance life with a crawling, climbing baby with a serious case of separation anxiety has been harder than I anticipated. I generally nap or clean when he rests hence, less computer time. Here is a bit of a whirlwind of a catch up. (Sorry about the less than photogenic pictures in the rocking chair, he is no longer interested in cooperating with that tradition)

Things he loves: to be naked and to watch the world go by through any baby height window.

On Bennett's 8 month birthday, he officially graduated to being a crawler. And man is he fast and fearless. I had to work that day so the boys went to the pumpkin patch with the Knowles family - mostly fun was had (until posing babies with pumpkins became less fun for babies). He did a little tailgating with us at a sunny Husky game and wore the purple proud. He's quite the "helper": laundry, mail, books, anything he can "organize" and rearrange is fun. I baby proof something new everyday and he finds something else mischievous - like dumping Lola's water bowl over his head!

Our 9 month old loves to stay busy; he can walk along the furniture, wave goodbye, give slobbery kisses, shake his head "no", feed himself finger foods, clap his hands, and dance to the music. Dinner time is messy - He really, really likes to do it himself and will use any means necessary to get the stuff in his mouth! And he just learned how to be Lola's BFF - sharing his foods with her. He loves bath time (thank goodness) and is often plunked, high chair and all, into the tub right after dinner. He was 20 lbs 2 oz and in the 50% for all measurements, right on track! This month we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, Avery's Birthday and Halloween - lots of fun! And he got his first pair of cowboy boots!

Run Happy

Fall makes me happy. And there is nothing better than a crisp fall run - so we headed to Leavenworth last weekend to run the half marathon. I am pretty sure I had a goofy smile on my face the whole 13 miles...the weather was amazing, the scenery fantastic, the course was lovely, a handful of folks were running in very entertaining costumes, and I had great friends along. And there were beers and brats at the end...score! This is definitely going to be a new tradition - why again did we ever run the Seattle half, up and down the hills through the snow?

Bennett has perfected his army crawl and is working on the real thing. Everyday he strings together a longer combination of crawls before landing on his belly. He's also learned to pull himself to standing in the crib so we made some adjustments to the mattress height. (He won't wear socks for more than 1 minute - and loves to chew on them, hence the sock in his mouth; and he still loves to blow raspberries, which he doesn't understand isn't possible with a sock in your mouth, hence the goofy face). He has two good sized teeth on the bottom now.

Bennett spent his first overnight away from Brent and I (thank you grandma and grandpa!). Our dear friends Marco and Tanya threw a wonderful wedding celebration and we had a fantastic time with all our friends...the next day was a bit painful but we took Bennett to the fair to keep us all upright and entertained.

Happy 7 Months!

Bennett is a rolling machine now...he can get around a room pretty fast. He's become a belly sleeper (I would have bet money he would never sleep on his tummy). He wants to crawl but hasn't quite figured out the details of how to make it happen - he gets really frustrated when he can't get where he wants. He can pull himself up to standing with a little help. He's sporting the first glimpse of a couple bottom teeth - and with that has come a new affinity for sucking his thumb and rubbing his tongue along his gums. He's enjoying more foods so I've started making the baby food and he seems to be expanding his palate nicely. We've been really bad about pictures lately (it's a lot harder to capture a moving object) but here are some cute ones from around the house. Assuming the pose in an attempt to move forward - for now just resulting in slapping of the floor with hands and feet.

Gazing up at the camera from our playmat.

Sitting on the rocker is a little dangerous these days...the series of photos I took is hilarious, between him trying to crawl off and me trying to prevent a fall, there are some "artistic" shots.

Sleeping soundly on his tummy.
The tongue may be for concentration, but I'm pretty sure he's exploring those emerging teeth.