It's Raining, It's Pouring...

A chilly, rainy evening in Tucson...

...is the perfect time to snuggle under a warm blankie for a nap.

We Give Thanks

We have much to be thankful for this year: our health, our home, to still be gainfully employed, and especially our family and friends...and this little bundle of joy!

He turned 8 weeks old on Thanksgiving day. It's amazing to see how much he's grown!

In keeping with tradition, we joined the Rawn family for Thanksgiving. Both Colin and Mel's parents were in town and we had an enjoyable time surrouned by family and love.

Hailey was quite smitten with Baby Knox. She spent some time studying him, and even tried to share her Cheez-Its with him.

Madison, surprisingly, only had 2 wardrobe changes. This time, rather than one of the Princesses, she showed off her "Alice" dress. Adorable, nevertheless.

Baby Knox was the life of the party...even though he slept through most of it!

Maddie made pine cone turkeys for everyone's plates. Too cute!

Of course, Knox woke up just in time for dinner.

Hailey was busy putting her baby in the car seat.

Mr. Giraffe E. Raffe also went with us. Knox talked to him during dinner, since none of the rest of us were listening.

Since we didn't have any leftovers, Ib went to the store and bought all the fixins for a second Thanskgiving dinner. Laura came over on Saturday evening and we ate some more. It will be turkey sandwiches for the rest of the week!

We are so thankful for all the blessings we've received in 2009.

Raised on the Street

Sesame Street, that is.

Last week something made me think of a great set of Sesame Street books that my sister and I had growing up. We read them over and over and over. And then we read them some more! I thought it would be so fun to be able to share part of my childhood with Knox.

So, naturally, I did a bit of Google searching and came up with a huge lot of them for sale on Ebay. 16 hours later, I was (again) the proud owner of 34 fantastic books. They arrived yesterday. I've already read two of them to Knox. And he smiled and talked the whole time. I love it!

On our outing to Target (and to get my hair cut) today, I also found these little Richard Scarry board books. Another of my favorites. Knox is going to ask Santa for the Richard Scarry Best Word Book Ever (Mommy and Auntie Am used to have that one, too). And Dr. Seuss books...and Legos...

If I had only known! I got rid of all these things once...

Startling Realization

As I was taking some more pictures (of Knox, what else?) off my camera tonight, I realized that I have been putting photos in the "October" folder for the past three weeks. Where does the time go?

Somebody is seven weeks old, and counting. He is talking up a storm. Mostly to Mr. Giraffe. But we've started having some interesting conversations, too.

He is such a happy, funny boy. He smiles all the time. And smiling makes him want to laugh.

Daddy laughing makes him smile, too.

He is holding his head up really well. It still wobbles a little, but he is persistant.

He loves bath time. But since we've had some chilly nights lately, we have to take quick baths next to the heater. And when I wrap him up in the towel to dry him, he smiles sooooo big!

He sleeps through the night at least once a week now. We're working on making that a nightly occurance.

I still love to watch him sleep...

...But I have yet to find the words to describe the joy in my heart.

A Stitch in Time

Knox has received several very special gifts over the past month. This blankie was made with love in every stitch by his Auntie Gerri (not to be confused with Grammy Gerri). The aqua blue squares match his bedroom walls perfectly!

Great-Aunt Teresa made his stocking. Apparently she's predicting that he's going to be a very good boy...or I'm going to be buying a lot of coal! (Luckily, he really is a good boy!)

His Great-Aunt Donna also made a beautiful blanket. It's royal blue, with specks of rainbow colors through it.

Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa sent his first family heirloom: The Nativity Cross. It was made at Wendell August Forge, near my home, in Pennsylvania. His name and birthdate are engraved on the back. What a wonderful piece he will treasure for years to come and, someday, pass on to his Great-Grandchild.

Thank you so much to everyone for continuing to bless our family!

One Month and Counting

Amazing...Knox is already one month old. Going on 6 weeks, now! He's such a ham. He has totally mastered smiling and is very close to laughing.

It shouldn't be long now, since Ib and I both laugh every time he shows us that goofy smile. He's a charmer, for sure!

I've been lucky enough to start working from home, part-time. My boss emails me as the jobs come in, and I work on them throughout the day. It's going quite well. I'm hoping it can become a much more regular, if not permenant, deal. Only time will tell.

The puppies and I made it out to the doggy park 2 nights this week as well. We did a quick lap around the duck pond, just so I felt like I got some exercise. I should get the OK from my Dr. this week to resume normal activities. Then they are really in for it! There is a nice 3 mile walking path around the park. And I've made up my mind to get rid of the rest of this baby weight before the holiday season inevitably adds to it.

Knox is quite enamored with the dogs. His face lights up when he sees them now. And he smiles when they lick him. Usually.

They are still getting used to the fact that they aren't the "babies" anymore. But they are doing quite well, all things considered. I find Cooper snoozing (but very alert) in Knox's room during nap time.

Even more shocking is the fact that Thanksgiving is only two short weeks away! The Rawns have graciously invited us to join their family for dinner again this year. Both Colin and Mel's parents will be in town. We're excited to see them and introduce Knox. It's always a nice holiday spent with them.

Between diapers and laundry and working and playing and being a mom and being a wife, it's been busy, busy, busy around our house! But I wouldn't have it any other way. ♥

Name That Baby

Our family has been blessed with FOUR bouncing baby boys over the past year. I started looking at photos, and the resemblance between the cousins is uncanny!

See if you can pick out Amar'e, Jameson, Knox and Zander!

Good looks definitely run in the family. What a bunch of cuties!