Making a list, checking it twice

No, Santa didn't come early this year. This was our living room after an all out wrapping spree the other evening. You see, I thought I was being smart by wrapping presents and leaving the bows off. I thought that would keep Carson at bay, but oh no. Even with no bows, she tore into them right under the tree the other morning. (She only got into one or two - and they belonged to others). So Tim and I have wrapped lots of presents, but they are all stored away safely in the guest bedroom. Maybe we'll move them all down Christmas Eve and take a pic then.

Who knew that Tim was a master cookie decorator?

And Carson? We're not sure what she's signaling in this picture - maybe a countdown to Christmas?

Sunny Smiles for a Rainy Day

Hope these park pics will deliver some sunshine on this rainy, rainy day!

Saying "Hi" to Santa

So, does Carson like to hang out with Jolly 'Ol St. Nick?

Hmmmm......not so much.

And for anyone who is thinking that she might be traumatized, fear not. This was her face in the car seven minutes later.

We do want to give kudos to Santa though. We had the same sweet man last year and Carson was very content. You win some...you lose some.

She's a Big Girl!

Its getting more obvious by the day around here that our "little baby" is on her way to becoming a "big girl". Don't get me wrong, I'm not rushing anything....but here are the little things we're noticing:
1. She dips her own chicken nuggets in ranch dressing. No more cutting them up into little bite size pieces - she wants the whole nugget so she can dip away. She's surprisingly fairly neat about it when she wants to be, too.

2. She's using a spoon (well at least she holds a spoon in one hand) while she's eating. Sometimes she's just not in the mood to mess with utensils. And Life cereal, even with milk, is easier to pick up with fingers than you might think.

3. She puts her dirty clothes in the hamper all by herself after her bath at night. Tim has even handed her the dustbuster a time or two and let her make a few passes around the living room.

4. She's chatting away when she wants to. We're hearing more words and less jibber-jabber (we love the jibber jabber though). She still has a fair amount of stranger anxiety at times. She's reluctant to say "hi" to our neighbor, but will chat it up with the Charles Manson look-alike in Wal-Mart. Go figure.

5. And, she loves to go down the big slide at the park on her belly. Absolutely loves it. We have ourselves a thrill seeker.

She still loves to cuddle though!

What's been going on?

Nothing like downloading the little camera to take you on a stroll down memory lane. Here's what we've been up to in the past month....

Tailgating with friends Wynne and Alisa....UNC won!

Playing dress up with sparkly shoes that are two sizes too big,

Hanging out at the Greensboro Children's Museum,

More tailgating, but this time it was much colder. At least we have the camouflage tall boys to keep us warm...yeah, right. UNC lost....blah!
Getting ready for Tarheel basketball....Carson's ready for a seat behind the bench! Go Heels!

Aren't the Tarheel faithful the cutest?

Thanksgiving in Winston

The fam headed to Winston-Salem on Thursday a.m. to spend a couple of days with Nana and Papa Ned, and we were all spoiled by the excellent food, fun, and relaxation. Carson got to hang out with her Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Corie, who were in from Atlanta, along with their little dog Bruno. We were a little worried, for Bruno's sake, that Carson might not be very gentle, but she was so loving and sweet.

Checking out the Christmas tree...