Christmas Tour 2008, Part 2: Electric Bugaloo

Here are several cute photos taken at Jackamo's house, AKA Stop 2 on our holiday travels. If my inlaws send me their photos, I'll be able to include shots of Stops 3 & 4.

Aunt Jackie, Watoosa, and Mr. Finger Sucker:


Ben and Uncle Blake:


All ready in his peppermint cap for the next car trip:


I also forgot to mention one more first experience for Ben this week: He sucked on his toe while sitting on Cousin Mary's lap at the farm. He's had his eye on those toes and was working toward them for a while now, and when he finally folded forward enough and latched onto the big piggie, it was a mouth full of bitterness and disappointment, followed by a holler of dismay. Toes are not as tasty as they appear.

Christmas Tour 2008, Part 1

This is my favorite photo from the holidays; wouldn't it make an ideal Christmas card? Note the big smiles in this photo, as well as Uncle Scott ready standing by with burp cloth in hand.

The first stop on our Christmas tour of the Southeast was Pensacola, where Ben met his Aunt Anne and Uncle Scott. They all seemed to love each other.

During our week of traveling, Ben experienced the following:

• His first plane ride: Ben was perfectly content throughout all ticketing lines, TSA checkpoints, flights, delays, and various bureaucratic nightmares. He rarely cried or barfed and thoughtfully pooped his pants before we would board a plane to make diaper changing easier. Thanks, Son!
• Meeting Aunt Anne, Uncle Scott, Great Grandma Ruth, and several of Watoosa's high school friends in Pensacola: Each new person got a smile. (He's much more outgoing than his parents are!)
• Meeting Jackamo's family on our drive north: We all wished we could have stayed longer, and seeing Jackie for such a brief time made me miss her in a very heartsick way as soon as we left.
  
• Meeting Great Granny and Grandaddy in Tennessee, as well as Ickie's aunts, uncles, and cousins: Ben has officially replaced Ickie as "The Big Man." (That's okay, as there will always be only one Dr. Cwisco.)
• Ben rolled all the way over from his back to his tummy at the farm! Notorious cheater-at-cards Great Granny helped him cheat a few times.
  

Below are a family photo, Watoosa laughing at a gift box full of drool, a rapt Ben playing with holiday napkin holders, and The Old Man angrily awaiting his dinner in solitude:

My Foot and My Feets

Tonight Ben discovered that his feet are the fascinating things attached to his pudgy legs.
















Here's a preview of the cuteness for all the family members who'll get to see us this week:

Baby's 1st Christmas

Ben is having a good old time this December. He got to see his first snow. He made it through the ice storm, only having lost power for about an hour (thank goodness!). He went to the college Christmas party and was the most popular guy there (and didn't get upset by all the attention and noise). He sat on Santa's lap and was only mildly alarmed. He got a reindeer blanket toy in his stocking (we opened our presents early because we're getting ready to travel). Each night his mom sings Christmas carols to him, and he listens to his dad read out loud this year's Advent selection, The Midnight Folk. In a few more days he'll get to see all his grandparents, great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousin.

Festive Whatnot

Ben is not especially interested in our tree, our stockings, our porch lights, or even his gifts under the tree. I'm sure that will change with time. Today we had a couple of inches of lovely snow. I baked a turkey pot pie and some chocolate chip cookies, and then we bundled up and walked over to our park for the local tree lighting ceremony. The high school band played Christmas carols in the gazebo while families milled around enjoying free hot cocoa and doughnut holes (just what we needed after all those chocolate chip cookies...). As usual, multiple grandmas came up to admire Ben in his winter weather finery.

Our Christmas tree, my homemade wrapping paper, and our bit of snow:










Ben and I at the tree lighting ceremony and our house lit up at night: