beach baby

I have a lot of blog catching up to do! For starters, I totally forgot that we went on a vacation recently. This happens when life is a complete blur post-vacation. I knew it would be like this, but it still caught me off guard. We went to Turks & Caicos in mid-November for a blissful week of fun and relaxation. I knew once we got home it would be a mad rush to Charlie's first birthday and Christmas, and I was not wrong....to the point that it feels like our vacation was ages and ages ago.

But it did happen, and we had a blast. It was so great to get away together. It certainly helped that traveling with baby was a breeze this time. Sure, we had to bring a lot more stuff with us, but some key items made for a smooth vacation. We brought a little travel high chair, which was perfect for meals by the pool or at places that didn't have a highchair. We also packed our nest cam video monitor. We stayed at a very small resort (I could see our condo unit from the pool) so we let Charlie nap in the room while we watched him on the monitor from the pool. 

It was almost like Charlie knew he was on vacation. He was so happy and easy-going the entire trip. He loved splashing in the pool, eating all the delicious food, and trying to figure out what the heck sand is all about. He slept great, napped like a champ, and even dozed off on the plane - I can't remember the last time he took a good plane nap. He was on a first name basis with pretty much everyone at the resort after the first couple of days. One fellow-vacationer seemed quite relieved when he told us, "Your baby never cries!" To which I responded, "There's no crying on vacation."

Like father, like son.

Yeah, but when can I get back into the water?

Lunch by the pool

What is this stuff?

No really, tell me what this stuff is.

Water, I know this!

He even woke up happy on vacation.

This might have been the highlight of Charlie's vacation.
Turns out all he needs is a large coffee table just his height + a bonus hidden drawer! 

santa baby

I owe you first birthday and Christmas rundowns, but in the meantime, enjoy these photos of our visit to Santa. The closer we got to Santa, the tighter Charlie clung to me. Poor Abby would have none of it either. Their shell-shocked faces in the last photo are priceless. But don't worry, they were both happily scarfing down french fries minutes later. 

gobble, gobble

We are busy, busy around here gearing up for Charlie's first birthday and Christmas, but we can't forget Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving because: 1) the food and 2) it's the beginning of Christmas season. :) We've been traveling out of the country (or I've been extremely pregnant) the last few years so it's been too long since we had a proper Thanksgiving.

We headed down to southern Virginia to visit Jon's brother and his family. Nana and Grandpa were able to come up from Arkansa so we could all be together. We all teamed up to make the meal, and it was quite the delicious feast.

We had to leave on Friday to head back so Jon could finish a work project, but we had time to help decorate their tree before we left....Charlie, of course, being the biggest helper of them all.

Enough of these photos. When do we eat??

Caught him standing - happens more and more each day. 

Charlie's first plate. Don't worry, this isn't all he ate.
He had at least three rolls, and he really liked the green bean casserole.

Decorating with Aunt Monica.

And a few videos of all the fun he had with Nana & Grandpa - blanket rides and head bobs!

DC Sightseeing

I often take for granted that we live in (or at least very near :) one of the most beautiful cities in the U.S. On a nice fall day, it's hard to beat. On one such day recently, we took advantage of both to do some sightseeing with Charlie. Baby's first trip to the monuments!

This is my quiet, respectful face.