Thanksgiving Aftermath

We had a wonderful time visiting with Mike's family. Our Thanksgiving meal was yummy. Dylan really enjoyed his first turkey dinner. His favorite dish was my Sweet Potato souffle - a recipe I got from my Mom.

Since Dylan's birthday is coming up in a few days, we decided to celebrate with his Elkington grandparents so they could see him enjoy the gifts they gave him. Grandma brought him this cool crown and bib to declare who the Birthday Boy is. Can you tell that he was oh so thrilled?

He never did quite get a grasp on what to do with the paper, but he really liked a couple of his gifts. He received some clothes, pajamas, a Christmas dish set (the spoon was a big hit since he is currently teething again), and a really cool turtle that lights up and plays music.

Michael, Jamie, Ashley, Brett, & their Dad spent much of Friday and Saturday playing Risk. It was everyone's goal to make Dad lose. This is Michael plotting his world domination.

And then there were three. Mike actually did end up winning, so I guess staying up until 1am plotting did him some good.

Dylan finally decided it was okay to chill with Aunts Jamie and Ashley -- an hour before they left to go home. He is still in his 'I don't like strangers' phase. Will someone please tell this child it's okay to play with someone other than Mom and Dad?!

Dylan is a very lucky boy. Grandpa & Grandma Elkington love him so much.

In Honor of Thanksgiving

I will post pictures at a later date. The Elkington family came to North Carolina to spend Thanksgiving with us, so I'm sure there will be lots of photo op moments over the next several days. But, in honor of today, I thought it fitting that I just post a few things that I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Dylan, who smiles at me as though I'm the coolest person in the entire world. I'm thankful for an understanding and level headed husband. I'm thankful for a mother in law who was so gracious to prepare half of the Thanksgiving feast in Delaware and then transport it to our home in NC since I have no idea how to cook a turkey dinner. I'm thankful for my parents and siblings and for all the love and support they give my little family. I am thankful for my many many friends. You are all so wonderful and I am truly blessed to have you in my life. Most importantly, I am thankful for my Savior and for the unconditional love He has for me and my family.

May you all have a wonderful day full of food, fun, and love.

Pre-1st Birthday

I know it's a couple weeks early, but I didn't want to get caught up in the holiday rush and run out of time. So, on Saturday, we went and had our first family picture taken as well as Dylan's 1 year pictures. I'm not going to post the family one until after the holidays because I'm sending it out with our Christmas cards and I don't want to give out a preview. But, these are the two poses of Dylan that I liked the best. I'm glad that it's not his actual birthday yet because otherwise I would be a blubbering mess right now. I'm having a hard time with the fact that my baby is quickly moving into toddlerhood.

Not So Halloween (& other fun stuff)

Most people think I'm just being lame and boring, but I really didn't see the point in buying Dylan a costume this year. He can't exactly trick or treat and we were out of town for any of the Halloween parties. So, in honor of the holiday, he donned a glow in the dark Peek A Boo t-shirt.

I just thought this was a cute picture of him getting around outside. It was the first time I'd put him on the concrete. He just kept looking at me like "What is this crap, Mom?"

He is so darn cute. He just puts a smile on my face.

This was a few weeks ago when we were out shopping. He was in awe of the water fountains in the background. He kept trying to touch the water.

How Does He Do It?

Dylan has been up to all sorts of mischief this morning and it's only 9am! So far he has pulled all of his books off the shelf and taken all of his toys out of the bin.

Helped mom do the laundry -- and by this I mean he was pulling stuff out of the dryer just as I was putting it in. Oh, and I should mention that he has finally realized the benefit of crawling versus the army scoot.

He also decided that it was okay to stand up on his chair to get to the blind cords. I'm not sure he realized how difficult it would be to get back down.

And the big TaDa of the morning, he thought it would be fun to try going up AND down the stairs. Mom about had a heart attack! After the adrenaline rush, however, I had to just sit back and laugh. He is just learning so much and I love being able to watch it all happen. He is such a joy and I absoluetly love being his mom.

Up to no good

Since my last couple of posts, our little man has been teaching himself how to do all kinds of new and exciting things. He is now pulling himself up to standing, walking while holding onto anything, harrassing the dog, climbing into baskets, etc. I feel like I spend the entire day telling him 'No' and pulling him off of things. The upside is that I'm losing those last few baby pounds! This kid cannot stay away from poor Taz. Dylan calls him "Gog." They are so fun to watch - they behave just like brothers.

Even big boys still need naps. Somedays, this is my best chance at some quiet time.

Dylan finally decided that it had been way too long and he needed to help me unpack from our trip to Delaware.

I'm not really sure why, but he loves the clothes hamper. The other day I actually found him inside of it, but my camera was nowhere to be found.

With all the mischief he is getting into now, I had to start putting him in his own baby prison. Doesn't he look so distraught?

Excursion to Delaware

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to drive up to Delaware to visit Mike's family. We needed to drive up some stuff that we were storing for them and it was his brother Brett's birthday. Dylan ended up not feeling too good the whole weekend. He had a REALLY bad diaper rash and is still working on getting his two front top teeth in. It amounted to him being incredibly crabby, not sleeping, and only wanting mom to hold him. By the time we were ready to leave, he did seem to be in better spirits. The only time he was content was when he was outside. So, pretty much the only pictures I took all weekend are outside. Grandma Elkington and Dylan had a good time on the swing Saturday afternoon.

Dylan and Daddy posing in the backyard.

Mike and Brett decided to have a bike race. Brett won.

Awww, three generations of Elkington's.

Dylan really warmed up to Uncle Brett and soon to be Aunt Wendy.

Other than Dylan being so miserable (and mom not getting a break from holding him), we had a really good time visiting with Mike's family. His mom is a great cook, so of course we all came back home a couple pounds heavier. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a fun weekend!