A Crossroads Christmas

So it's untraditional, but our Christmas cake was just one of several firsts this year at the Kirkpatrick household. Obviously it was the very best Christmas ever because it was the first with our little snow angel, John Thomas. It was also the first time we had everyone over to our house for a major holiday. Jason's parents, my parents, my brother's family and my aunt all under one roof. I would say that it was a raving success. John Thomas has absolutely loved having all the hustle and bustle around the house. You practically had to wait in line to get time with him. He was content just hanging out in the kitchen or in whatever room the action was in.

The official Kirkpatrick Christmas portrait of 2010. I cannot even describe how blessed we are to have our family, our faith, our health, our friends, and our home.

The lil guy loves unwrapping presents! And between grandparents and other extended family, he racked up. We had to go buy a bigger plastic bin today to hold all of his new stuff. After everyone left last night, he just sat in the middle of all his new toys and you could see the excitement on his face.

Of course, we all unwrapped some pretty cool gifts. But the best gift of all is having a loving family to share the spirit of Christmas with.

I think JT would agree that the best part of the holidays was having all the wonderful company, especially his cousin Amelia. I wonder how we'll adjust this week with our abandoned house?

...And a Partridge in a Pear Tree

We have had a fantastic week here at the Kirkpatrick abode! First off, I only had to work two days this week thanks to some wintery precipitation. Trust me when I say that this teacher loves snow days as much, if not more, than any student I know. If that wasn't enough to make my week great, my parents showed up on Saturday afternoon ready to spend the holidays with us.
We had the Bradley's over last night for dinner, and I'm pretty sure that John Thomas spent the better part of the evening in someone's arms or lap. It's amazing how much a little one can really be the life of the party.

Anyone who has ever been to our house knows that our old couch was both an eyesore and a dog bed, so this weekend our shiny new furniture showed up. Chester, who is still mourning the loss of his old couch, has already learned to stay off the new couch (at least when we're around).

Our Sunday morning started off in the most beautiful way. My parents graciously agreed to babysit so that Jason and I could go see our friend, Sarah, in an amazing musical, Behold the Lamb of God. It was, hands down, one of the more incredible church experiences I've ever had. It was a wonderful reminder of what Christmas really is all about. I'm sure that's not what John Thomas was thinking about as he was climbing all over the gifts this week.

Under the Weather

This week was relatively routine until I got the dreaded phone call from the daycare on Wednesday afternoon. I couldn't have gotten to the daycare any faster and I am thankful that there weren't any speed traps along the way. The good news is that John Thomas is feeling much better now.
I hate when John Thomas doesn't feel well, but I made a list of the top five benefits of being able to stay home with my boy.
1. I get to spend oodles of time with John Thomas, including snuggling up for a morning nap together.
2. I can remember only wanting my mom when I was sick and I can't imagine being anywhere other than nurturing my babe when he is under the weather.
3. I don't have to wake up at 5:30.
4. I finally started wrapping Christmas gifts.
5. I get to take lots of pictures of our lil bear.
One of his favorite things right now is knocking over the "tower of destruction." He'll crawl all the way across the floor just to take out the stackable cups.

This is right before impact. I think you can see the anticipation on his face.

Leave it up to dad to discover the new found pleasure of knocking things over. Jason has had lots of time with John Thomas this weekend because I came down with a nasty stomach bug yesterday. I spent most of the day in the bed or in the loo. I couldn't even carry JT around without feeling like I was going to pass out. I'm feeling a little better today, but I think daddy is wiped out after having to care for his boy and his wife all day and all night. Jason definitely wins an award for "Daddy/Hubby of the Week." We've both decided that being a single parent has to be virtually impossible. Seriously, I can't imagine how one person could raise a child all by themselves (especially feeling the way I did yesterday).

It's not really a developmental update, but John Thomas has started taking a stow-away with him whenever he gets out of the tub. I guess he's trying to "hang on" to bath time just a little longer. He can also go from laying on the floor to sitting up all by himself. He doesn't just sit up from his back, he kind of rolls around to his belly, gets his leg under him and then pushes up.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

It's really starting to feel like Christmas around here. Not only is nearly all my shopping done, we actually had snow flurries all day too! It was the perfect opportunity to try out John Thomas' heavy coat. I'm sure to my parents, who live in Wisconsin now, these flurries don't seem news-worthy. I only wish we could get a few inches more so I might get to extend my weekend at home with my cutie.
Besides the weather, our tree is fully decorated but without any gifts yet. We only had a few baby-friendly ornaments to hang on the bottom branches, so the tree is mostly naked for the bottom two feet. That hasn't stopped JT from shimmying up to it and checking out the lights and (plastic) pine needles.

Only twelve more days of school until Christmas break, but who's counting.