Merging blogs

Up till now, I have been writing about Chris on this blog, and writing about other things in my life on my other blog. However, in an attempt to simplify my life, I am going to merge the two and only write on my other blog, www.carolinenicolephotography.blogspot.com. So check there for updates!

Sweet repentance

In my precious little boy, I am seeing a sweet picture of repentance. Now, I know you will find this hard to believe, but there are times when Chris can be a bit of a stinker. He'll often try to touch things he shouldn't, or open cabinets that I don't want him in, or start to wander to the street. When he does start to act up, we have a wooden spoon that we'll pop him with, just hard enough to get his attention. Usually he'll hold him arm where we popped him and just look at us. However, lately he has started doing something else: as soon as we spank him, he runs over to us and wraps his arms around our legs like he is saying "I'm sorry!" Tonight he was trying to get in the dishwasher (not allowed), so I gave him a little pop. He looked up at me, gave me a hug, and then ran off to play. What a sweet picture of repentance! It occured to me that I think that is how God wants us to respond to discipline. It is for our good, and for the purpose of drawing us closer to Him. I am thankful for that reminder in my son.

Funny little man

At almost 17 months, Chris has developed quite a little personality - he really makes me laugh! He discovered that he can open my pajama drawer, and this morning he pulled one of my tops out and put his head through the arm hole. He looked so funny! I've also seen him putting one of my baking pans on his head, which looks silly.
His newest trick is that he can climb up on the couch all by himself! I am sure it is only a matter of time before he falls off, though, as he has no concept of heights - he thinks he can just walk right off the edge.
This kid is a bottle of energy - but I love him so much!

Modeling my pj's...

and my cake pan!

He likes animal crackers!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday, and that you are enjoying the new year!
Christmas was a relaxing and peaceful day. We got up that morning, had pancakes, and then opened our presents. That afternoon Mark's parents and sister came up and we opened presents with them and then had a yummy turkey dinner. Chris really enjoyed all of his presents, though I think his favorite was the bulldozer from Mark's parents that he can ride on! Here are some pictures from that day, as well as some other random shots from the rest of the week.


Chris's new favorite game involves one of us "hiding" behind a wall and then jumping out and yelling "boo!" He laughs hysterically every time!

Life doesn't get any better than this - sharing an apple and a football game :)

Playing with his lawnmower and daddy

He likes his trucks from Mom-mom and Pop-pop

Opening his new train set
Opening presents with Aunt Melissa
What a face!

Family Christmas

It never ceases to amaze me how busy the holiday season is! And the past few weeks have been no exception in our home. The biggest news at the moment is that Chris is finally healthy again. Two weeks after his previous diagnosis (see last blog entry), he woke up screaming in the middle of the night with a 103.4 temperature - never have I felt someone so hot! He fell back asleep, though, and the next morning I took him back to the doctor. This time, he had one very bad ear infection and strep throat. I decided to go ahead with the antibiotics, and he is now back to his normal energetic self, praise God!
The weekend before that drama, we headed up to Jacksonville to celebrate Christmas with my family. We stayed at my sister Kristin's house, which is really fun for Chris because of all of the activity and cool toys! My mom stayed there as well, and Melanie, Adam, and Isaiah also came over to celebrate. It was so much fun to watch all 10 kids opening their gifts! Chris's favorite gift was the blue truck from Nanny (my mom). The next day we stopped by Sherrie's house to exchange gifts. Here are several pictures from the weekend:

Three generations attempting to figure out an ATM machine :)

Gabe loved his new pool table
One of the twins, Joy
Jane, the other twin
Isaiah loves balls!

Chris and his new truck
Sweet Dawn and her kitties
Little Rosie
Adam and Isaiah
Last weekend I had another opportunity to shoot a wedding in Clearwater with a professional photographer. I had such a good time- I loved every second of it. Mark watched Chris; even though his mom came up to help he did pretty much everything on his own. I am so grateful for such a supportive husband! I will post pictures from the wedding as soon as the photographer sends them to me on my other blog... click here to see them.

Last, (I know, this is another long one!) last Wednesday marked the 6 year anniversary of the plane crash that took the life of my dad and three other passengers. In some ways, I can't believe it has been that long - I still remember every detail of that day. But in other ways, it seems like forever since I last heard him call me "sweetie doodle". I miss him terribly, and more than anything I wish he could have met Mark and Chris in this lifetime! I know he would be crazy about them both! But I am so grateful for all the things he taught me, especially this time of year. He LOVED Christmas - think Griswald - but not just because of the lights and presents (though he loved those). He was truly excited about the meaning of the holiday - the birth of our loving Savior, Jesus. And I feel as though each year my own excitement grows as well - I am really excited about Christmas because of what it means. It means that God loves me, and has a plan for me, and will never leave me alone... and it means the same for you. I pray that if you are reading this and you don't know that love, that God will reach out to you through the tiny hands of the baby in the manger. I can't wait to see my Daddy in heaven and thank him for the childlike wonder that I saw in him and that I am beginning to experience myself. What a gift!

The Best Gift of All

If there is one thing I am trying to learn right now, it is to slow down and appreciate the simple moments in life. To quiet my mind and put aside the 6000 things that are going through my head and take the time to just stop. Because there are so many precious moments! My baby is growing up so quickly - I wish I could just drink in the sweetness.

Chris adores playing with cars, especially with his daddy. As soon as Mark comes home from work, Chris gets his cars out and begins "driving" them all over the floor, the furniture, himself, his daddy... And Mark immediately drops everything and joins him. It is so much fun to have the two of them crawling around on the floor - getting in my way - as I am attempting to cook dinner. But I am not sure which one of them enjoys it more!

It has been a long couple of weeks, as Chris has been sick. He developed a cough right before Thanksgiving, and within a few days the cough worsened and he started acting really lethargic. When I took him to the doctor, he was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and two ear infections. I had to give him a breathing treatment every 4-6 hours as well as drops in his ears. He definitely did not like that, but after the first few times he got used to it and would sit quietly (most of the time). Fortunately his cough is almost gone and he is back to running around like usual.

I have recently decided that my favorite word is hope. Because of Christmas, we can have hope! Hope that one day we will leave all of the pain and suffering of this world behind and fall at the feet of our precious Savior. I hope that you are able to take time this season to stop and bask in the love of a God who gave everything for you.

I let him try feeding himself... he did a pretty good job!

First haircut

Getting a breathing treatment

Playing cars with Dad

A big milestone!

I am so happy to report that Chris has reached a major milestone: he is officially weaned! He'd been sleeping through without waking up, so last Friday I decided that it was time. When he woke up Saturday morning, I got him up and immediately put him in his high chair for breakfast. He didn't seem to mind at all! And it has been the same ever since. It is bittersweet for me. I enjoyed having him nurse, as it was pretty much the only time my active little boy would lay still in my arms. But it was definitely time.
It is funny how even at such a young age he has developed preferences. Here are pictures of two of his favorite things. In the first one he is licking the butter off a piece of toast. It was funny to watch him eat: he would lick the toast, then take a bite. Then repeat. And the second picture is him emptying out my tupperware cabinet! He tries to do it at least on a daily basis... I can't wait until he is able to clean them up :)