Deck the Halls

With Thanksgiving behind us, it officially means that Christmastime is here!  And this year it is going to be so much fun.  Wells really "gets it" this year and we can't wait to share it with him and focus all of our attention on him before our family adds one more to the mix (in just about 10 weeks)!

So this weekend we spent some time getting ready for Christmas:  buying a tree and all the trimmings, hanging wreaths, and listening to Christmas music (Charlie Brown/Vince Guaraldi is a favorite of Mommy's and will pretty much be on repeat between now and New Years Day).

Running full speed ahead through all the trees.  He could have cared less which one we picked out - he just liked running through the maze of them.

We went to the Farmers Market to pick up some garland and bows, but Wells mostly wanted to play on their sleigh/Santa...

And pet the reindeer.

We even ran into his friend James there.

And back at home helping to decorate the tree - he hung the first ornament.

He loves it all - good thing we still have 26 days to enjoy the Christmas fun!

Tool Time

No Black Friday shopping for us!  Wells spent the day after Thanksgiving in the mountains doing projects with his Poppy and watching football.

Poppy is the handiest guy around - and he got Wells a special new toolset as a gift - complete with a hammer, tape measuerer, safety googles, hard hat, toolbelt, etc.  Wells especially loved the goggles and tape measurer. 

He used his new tools to put together a gingerbread house.

Reading the directions and hammering the house together.

So proud of the finished product

And then later in the day - watching football with Mommy.


We had a great day - and no regrets about not being at Target at 4am! 

Gratitude

Today we are grateful for all the blessings God has given us.  Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!!

“They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.”
Psalm 145:7

Thanksgiving Fun

Wells had a day full of Thanksgiving parties! 

Mommy joined him at school for the class Thanksgiving lunch.  He ate and ate, and then topped off lunch with a cookie in the shape of a turkey.

Lunch with Oliver, Kate B. and Kate W.

Eating his cookie

The mommies sat with the children for circle time and the teachers asked them to go around and say what they were thankful for.  Wells said "firemen" (not bad - I can understand that one...) and "Ming Ming" (the duck from the Wonder Pets).  Hmmm...not sure about that one.

Before we left, Wells went to each of his teachers and gave them hugs of thanksgiving.  Here he is with Ms. Carrie.


Then this afternoon we hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Wells' playgroup.  Here are a few shots of the set-up:

And here they are at dinner (Clockwise:  Harper, Tyler, Wells, Sophia, Charlie, Davis).  They had the real deal:  turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, cornbread, craisins, and turkey cupcakes.

W and friends acting like a bunch of turkeys

Say Cheese!

I love professional pictures.  I love the way a talented photographer can capture a child's personality and spirit.  As a parent, to have that on paper and be able to cherish it - it's just the best! 

We've been lucky to have some great shots taken by Amy Free in the past.  But due to a move and a baby on the way, we weren't able to get her this Christmas.  Luckily, I found my way to her friend Lauren Jackson. 

I set her up for a pretty daunting task - by arranging a series of Christmas card "mini-sessions" last weekend - 6 families, 11 children, 2 baby bumps - all in one afternoon - and she somehow got great shots of all of us!!

Does it get any cuter than this???

Thank you Lauren!!

6 years

Six years ago today...

Mommy & Daddy got married!!  Happy Anniversary!

Gobble Gobble

We are getting really excited about Thanksgiving around here - it's just one week away!

Wells has lots of fun Thanksgiving events next week that we are looking forward to.  And of course, we have so much to be thankful for:  a hardworking and sweet Dad, a baby sister on the way, wonderful family, friends and neighbors.  God has blessed us greatly - and we are going to spend the next 7 days thinking about all those blessings!

The Big 3

When looking at Wells' social calendar for the next month or so, I've noticed that he seems to have a lot of girls' birthday parties to attend - all of them turning 3.  I guess this is a sign he's into older women...

The first girlfriend to turn 3 was Princess Reese.  She had a fun party at Noah's Art this past weekend.

Art projects with Carter

In his crown

Reese blowing out her candles

W getting into the Ariel cake

Happy Birthday sweet Reese!  And thanks to Rachel Delcarmen Photography for all the pics :)

Adventures with GG

We are so lucky that Mommy's mom (GG) comes almost every weekend to see Wells for a few hours on Saturday or Sunday.  They have so much fun together!!  Their favorite activites include going to the playground, feeding the ducks at Freedom Park, and going out for lunch/ice cream/cupcakes.

Here are a few shots from GG and Wells' adventures from the past few months:

Eating ice cream at Jason's deli

Playing on the rocks at the Greenway

On the way out of the bounce house at a festival (I think he was going down the slide so fast and so many times that this was the best shot she could get!)

Taking a raisin break after feeding the ducks and running around the park

Wells loves his GG time!  And Mommy and Daddy are extremely appreciative too!!  Thanks for all you do, GG!!

Thursday Fun

We headed to the playground this afternoon to get some energy out and enjoy what is probably the end of the warm weather.

Wells is such a happy guy in the swing.  He actually likes it better when Daddy pushes him at home.  Whenever I push him, it's "Mommy, HIGHER!"

Having fun in the playhouse

On the slide


And definitely the MOST fun part about this Thursday was the arrival of my dear friend Tricia's baby girl, Lillie Burke.

Baby Girl Harvey has a friend waiting for her!!  Congratulations Tricia & Thomas!  And Happy Birthday Lillie Burke!!!

The Mythbuster

Wells has been full of surprises the past few days.  Whatever we'd expect the norm to be - he's "busted" that idea.  He likes to keep things interesting I guess.

Here are a few examples:

Myth #1:  Daylight savings time is great - everyone gets an extra hour of sleep!

So here he is getting ready for bed Saturday night:

PJ's + Crocs chosen by Wells.  Nite Nite!

And then Sunday morning guess who is up at 5:30 am??  Anyone who knows Mommy knows that she does not like to wake up to any number less than an 8 (anything in the 7's is do-able, but not preferred).  And this appears to be a trend - he was up again today at 5:45.  Needless to say, I am not a fan of DST!!

Myth #2:  Children's curiosity peaks at ages 3 - 4.

I think Wells may be a little ahead of the curve on this one.  His new favorite thing is asking WHY over and over again around any given topic. I know this is very common - but I just wasn't expecting it quite yet!!

Me:  Time to go to school!
W:  Why?
Me:  Because today is Monday and you go to school on Mondays.
W:  Why?
Me:  Because those are the days we signed you up to go to school.
W:  Why?
Me:  Because you love school and we wanted you to go as many days as you could.
W:  Why?
Me:  Oh my goodness, you ask a lot of questions!!!

Myth #3:  Kids hate broccoli.

Ok, so this one is a pleasant surprise.  Who knows if it is just a food phase, but Wells cannot get enough broccoli (pronounced brocc - E) these days!!  We were at a friend's for dinner the other night and he had a meltdown because they ran out of brocc - E.  Hopefully this is a habit he got from his healthy-eating dad (I know I can't take credit for it).

Requesting a side of Brocc-E with his meal

Think Pink!

Mom may be outnumbered right now, but this boys club (watching the Carolina game and being silly below):

is going to have some much needed PINK coming their way soon!

 Mommy started shopping.  It's dangerous...

New 'Do, New Shoe...

...and Cupcakes!!

Poor Wells has not been feeling great since Monday when I picked him up from school.   He's had a constant fever so we've stayed out of all of his activities and school since then.  But this afternoon he seemed to turn a corner and I thought it was about time to venture out of this house!

Sick or not, Wells is not exactly the marathon shopper/errand runner that his mom is.  So thankfully, we were able to drive to one spot and accomplish three important tasks: Haircut, new shoes, and cupcakes!!

1st stop:  Sport Clips
Wells actually prefers this cheesy men's spot to the cute children's haircut place in town.  He likes the TV's and NASCAR paraphenalia on the walls.  His dad is a fan of his preference due to the price difference.

2nd stop:  Kixx
His feet grow so fast!  We're in an 8 wide currently.  One pair for school, one pair (furry Crocs) for play.

3rd stop:  Polka Dot Bake Shop
Cupcakes cure everything!!

Wells showing that he's healthy and strong post-cupcake