Dear Davis–18 Months

     Buddy…how in the world are you 18 months old?!  You are such a big boy lately, and it’s almost too much for me to take! You’ve had a huge month celebrating Christmas with everyone, and I have loved spending this break from school with you.  It’s been awhile since I’ve done a post just for you, but celebrating 18 months seemed like the perfect time!

IMG_3853

     The past few months your vocabulary has exploded! You can say anything you want and talk all. the. time.  I love hearing what you have to say!  You have been really agreeable lately, but you definitely know how to pitch a fit.  You can be very stubborn, and when I see those eyebrows go up and your eyes cut over at me, I know you’re ignoring me.

     You have not slowed down at all. You are all go. You love to run and jump and climb and drive be silly and wild and BOY! In spite of all that get up and go, you are still so sweet. Hearing you say “please, mommy” and “wuv ooo” is just about the best thing in the world.

Loves
Eating
Going/Running/Climbing
Laughing
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
All Your People
Phones (actual phones, cameras, computers, remotes, etc.)

IMG_3807  IMG_3856

     In the past few months we have done just about everything the world has to offer!  We pumpkin patched (twice), and you showed us that you can pull your own wagon, thank you very much.  Approximately two minutes after that picture, we tried to put you back in and you stood up and fell out splat in the road…because you are busy and never still.  Thankfully you were fine, but one of us may have made a bit of a scene…

IMG_3860

     On this particular pumpkin patch day, you thought that 15 minutes was an appropriate length of time to nap…it was not.  By 6:30 you were d.o.n.e.  Side note, I still love your cute little tail in a pajama!

Stats
Length: 34.5 in. (95th percentile)

Weight: 26 lb. 6 oz. (75th percentile)

Head: 49.5 cm (95-98th percentile)

Eating: Constantly (Loving: pasta, beans, bread, crackers, fruit, grits, cheese)

Sleeping: 7 to 6 with a big midday nap (on a mat when you’re at school!)

IMG_3877

     Everyone says you look just like your daddy…but every once in awhile we are twins too! It’s a well known fact that you get a lot of your personality from Mama too…

IMG_4018

     We had a petting zoo at church to kick off Animals for Africa, and you loved it! As soon as I told you there were goats, you ran screaming for the yard. You and Suzanne love goats. #yougetitfromyourgranny

IMG_4112

     I hated that you didn’t feel too good on this particular weekend, but I did not complain when you wanted to sleep on me for an hour. It was definitely a highlight! Christmas was another big moment this month, and I was so happy to see that you actually kind of “got it.” Last year you weren’t that interested, but this year you were so excited!

     Davis Malcolm, we love so very much! You are tons of fun and bring us lots and lots of happiness! These past eighteen months have stretched us inways we never could have imagined, but they have been the sweetest and best months of our lives. We cannot wait to tackle 2017 with you!

A Wish List for Mama

     I cannot believe that we are this close to Christmas!  Yesterday I shared lots of fun ideas that we’ve been looking at for Davis this year, so today I thought I’d share a little of what I’ve got my eye on for myself! Usually I am the very last one to turn a list in to my mother (who begins asking in August), and this year was no exception.  I did however find some things that I am excited about…and may buy for myself after Christmas!    

Allyson's Christmas List.pptx

1. Fiesta Baking Dishes – We registered for Fiesta place settings when we got married, and I could not love them more.  We didn’t register for the baking dishes because I felt like we should be more practical, and our plain old Pyrex still works like a dream.  Howeverrrrr…anytime I make something to take somewhere, I find myself wishing I had a prettier dish to set out.  Enter this gorgeous shamrock 9x13 and poppy 9x9.  These aren’t the colors of our place settings, but I have visions of a mix and match Fiesta shelf in my future forever home butler’s pantry.  I thought these would be the perfect to add in a few new colors!

2. Christmas Fiesta – There is a great little pottery store right outside of town that has super good prices on open stock Fiesta, and they always have some Christmas dishes in stock. I’ve been buying the luncheon plates two at a time for a few years now, but Christmas is a good time to add to the collection. We don’t have any of the Christmas gusto bowls, but we have them in our regular dish colors , and I use them all.the.time. My ghost of Christmas future vision is replacing all of my regular dishes with Christmas for the season. Frivolous? Yes. Fun? Yes!

3. Mexican Blanket Scarf – I need another scarf like I need a hole in my head, but this one has been on my Etsy favorites list for months now. Keith would be appalled if I bought myself another scarf…but a gift is a whole different ball game!

4. Antelope Mohair Fringed Cuff – I saw this on Sheaffer Told Me To and could not resist adding it to the list! I can feel my husband rolling his eyes at this, but given that as we speak he has not one but two deer being mounted for the walls of our home…he can indulge me a fun bracelet!

5. Mustard and Fuchsia Floral Tunic – I love a good shroud and always have my eyes open for a fun new one to add to the collection. I don’t have a lot of floral, and I think this one would be good for most of the year. I love that the colors are bold and a little different…much like me.

6. The Walking Dead (Season 3) – To balance out all of the fun, girly stuff - a little zombie action! Keith and I love The Walking Dead, and I love being able to rewatch my favorites as often as possible. Because I’m a big dork.

7. Wood Watch – I’ve been eyeing the wood watch trend for awhile now, and having another option to add to my arm parties is just icing on the cake.  This seemed like a good middle of the road option.

8. Teardrop Crystal Bracelet – Another eye roll from my husband…may I direct your thoughts back to the deer heads? I love a gaudy bracelet…or necklace…or earring, and this one definitely fits the bill!

     I kind of thought I might do a post like this for Keith…but he asks for hunting things that I don’t understand…and wheelbarrows.  I love that man.

     We have no major plans between now and Christmas, and I could not be happier.  I think we’re going to see the live nativity at our church tonight, but other than that, we are settled in.  I’m hoping to squeeze a few more posts out of this year while I’ve still got time, but I can’t make any promises!  If I don’t see you before Sunday…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Davis’s Wish List

     School is finally out, and I am so excited for this season with my family!  For the first time (probably ever), I’m done buying and almost done wrapping, so I can actually have this time to rest and enjoy the break!  Davis has already gotten to open a few presents, but I can.not.wait. until Christmas Day for him to really let loose!

     Last year he had a fun time, but he was still too little to really “get” present opening.  This year, he knows that inside that paper there is something for him to play with!  I thought I might put together a little list of some of the things we’ve asked Santa for (and a few things that Santa has already bought).

Davis's Christmas List

1. Mega Bloks Mike the Mixer – Davis has three of the Mega Blok trucks (“crucks”) and the wagon, and we looove them. The blocks are the perfect size for little hands, and the trucks are just really cute! I saw this one at Target a few weeks ago and knew he would have a ball with it!

2. Eric Carle Books – I  listed only a few (here, here, here), but then I modified our list to say any of them! Davis is very into books, and he has a few that do something fun at the end or are interactive, so Eric Carle will be right up his alley.

3. Llama Llama Books – Again, we love a book around here, and I have a soft spot for Llama.  We have Llama Llama Hoppity Hop, and we’ve got it completely memorized…and Davis thinks llamas say “hop.”

4. Melissa & Doug Puzzles – Davis has gotten really good at “puzzies” lately, and the I love the quality of Melissa & Doug! The farm animal one will be an immediate hit, but I have noticed him pretend counting lately, so the clock would be a fun addition too!

5. Noah’s Ark Books – Y’all…I can’t quit with the books! I picked out a few Noah books to go with the ark he’s getting.

6. Little People Noah’s Ark – Davis is obsessed with an animal of any kind, and I know he will have such a fun time playing with these! He has a few Little People toys, but one can never have too many animals!

     These are just a few of the things we’ve bought or asked for…but Santa may have another little something for under the tree!  I am so excited for Davis to play and have fun this Christmas, but I am even more excited to see him learn about what it really means.  We are taking lots of minutes to talk about baby Jesus and read books about Christmas. 
     One of my favorite Christmas traditions is reading the Christmas story in Luke 2 before bed on Christmas Eve, and I can’t wait to read out of one of Davis’s nativity books too!  What a special time that we get to do all of the fun things and still hopefully plant a few seeds as well!

Merry almost Christmas everyone!

Christmastime is Here

     It is really and truly the most wonderful time of the year!  We’ve been decorated since a few days before Thanksgiving, and it’s all I can do to drag myself away from the decorations to go to the mailbox, or grocery shop, or work.  I’m in favor of a worldwide, month long holiday for all of December so we can settle in and be cozy.  Who’s with me?

IMG_4088[1]

     Our tree…oh our tree.  So we bought our tree at Lowe’s Thanksgiving night.  It was dark. It was rainy. I ran a buggy into the sliding glass door on the way out and knocked it off the runner.  Once we got this thing home…y’all, I think it kept growing.  I think it’s still growing!
     It’s kind of bald and skeleton-y, but it has charmed me.  It’s significantly more humongous than our tree last year, and it was not easy to attach ornaments to it…but its personality has spoken to me!

IMG_4086[1]   IMG_4091[1]   IMG_4093[1]

     My shelves are probably my favorite part of our entire house. They make everything feel so cozy and inviting, and I love decorating them for Christmas.  The giant nativity on the left is on loan from my mother.  My Nana made it, and it is huge. the camels are probably the size of a kitten.  The mantel is much more full this year, but I stuck with the “woodland Christmas” theme from last year. The shelf on the right has been one of the most fun little nooks in the house! Davis’s Christmas books and toys are on full display, and he has had the best time playing with them.

IMG_4092[1]

IMG_4087[1]

     I bought Davis several Christmas books at TJ Maxx right around Thanksgiving, and when I got home and started opening boxes to decorate, I found all of these that I had totally forgotten about from last year!  He is still really into his nativities, and will even find baby Jesus and tell me that he has a blanket and is in a “manket” (manger)…then he stares at me until I sing Away in a Manger…

IMG_4089[1]    IMG_4094[1] 

IMG_4090[1]

     That wraps up the living room.  It is so homey and glowy and perfectly us.  We don’t do fancy Christmas at our house.  We do gaudy, overdone, and busy, and we LIKE it!

IMG_4083[1]

     The dining room hasn’t changed much since last year.  We still have the carpet.  We still don’t have chairs.  I did add a giant mirror, so there’s that.

IMG_4084[1]  IMG_4085[1]

          I also added a giant green cabinet and the basket tray.  Weirdly enough, our dining room houses some of my favorite things in the whole house, but still hasn’t quite gelled in my mind yet…I think it’s the carpet.

     The kitchen has a few little happies sprinkled around, but it’s mostly the same as last year.  We’ve got the sparkly bow on our front door wreath and the ceramic carolers (also made by Nana) in the back bathroom…because who doesn’t need to be serenaded in there?

     I am so thankful to have this home and this life to do Christmas in.  When Davis gets excited to play with his nativities, my heart could burst!  The fact that he knows baby Jesus is in a “manket” is almost too much for me.  I know it’s just a “trick” right now, but more than that, it’s a foundation.  How marvelous, how wonderful, how incredible that our God wrote His story for all of us. As an adult I experience a new aspect of Christmas every year, but it’s simple enough for our children!  As I get older, I’m more and more aware of the fact that it’s not the “Christmas story.” These were real people who lived a real life in a real place in service of a REAL God. 

     The same God who formed the earth is the same God who sent his only Son to the broken world, and He is the same God who is still writing His story!  I am in awe of His first coming, and filled with hope and joy at what He is still doing and will do when He comes again.  Christmas is the best kind of reset for our spirits.  A time to rest and refocus on the fact that the Jesus in the manger, however lovely, however worthy, however precious will not return as a gentle baby but as a conquering King!  We will turn our eyes on Him in a wholly new kind of reverence and awe!  I can’t wait!  Christmas isn’t the end of our year, and it’s not the end of the story.  It is the most beautiful beginning!

Merry Christmas!