Christmas in Texas

Today Joey, Max and I are setting off on our long Christmas journey to the country of Texas. It will most likely be a 20 plus hour adventure. We'll be staying in Amarillo and Pampa until Jan. 1st and then we will be coming home. We are excited to see family, and for Max to meet Joey's side of the family. The last few days have been very stressful, trying to get things finished here as well as prepare for our trip. Today, I have a huge list of things to do before we set out. In case you are wondering, I still have to pack, walk the dog, go to the post office, etc.

Some how this advent season has snuck by. I have to confess that this has probably been the first advent where I really haven't been able to slow down and really appreciate what this wonderful season is all about. Maybe 20 hours of sitting in the car is a God-send afterall. I'm sure we will be sharing some Texas pics with you shortly.

Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year!!

Thanksgiving

We went to PA for Thanksgiving this year. It was wonderful to be with family. Max finally got to meet some of his cousins. Isaiah is only 5 months older than Max. The two of them became friends really fast. I think Isaiah is really to credit for Max taking his first steps while we were there. Max had to keep up with his new buddy after all.

Here's Jael trying to get something from Joey. :-) Ethan is in the background.

Abby and Jael were all over the place all the time. You had to have a lot of energy to keep up with them.

Here we are on our way to go sledding. I can't believe how big Gracie, Nathan, Dan and Caleb have gotten. Thanks for a great time you guys!!

Max actually seemed to like sledding down the hill, even when snow got in his face but...

...he didn't like sitting in the snow by himself.

I thought the lighting in this picture was kinda fun. Actually, I think the lense was fogged up when Joey took it.

Here he is all bundled up. I had to get a picture of this since this will never happen in SC.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

One-Year-Old Pics

Hard to believe he is a year old already. He has been changing a lot recently. Although, he is not yet walking, he is getting into everything and exploring everything. One of his favorite activities at the moment is to sit in the driver seat of the car and pretend he is driving. His favorite book is I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak. However, his favorite book always seems to be changing. Max also loves to taste all that mom and dad eat and drink. This morning he was getting into dad's coffee. The one thing that never leaves his side, is his fork. He eats with it, plays with it, takes a bath with it and sleeps with it. I can only imagine what the next year is going to be like.

Happy Birthday Joey!

To my dear hubby! Happy Birthday, my love. I pray that God would show himself to you in a mighty way this coming year. You are a wonderful husband and daddy. I couldn't have asked for more. Alles Liebe zum Geburtstag!

Enjoying November

Max loves going outside, especially if Dash is around. I got this picture while Dash was making Max smile and really happy (as you can tell.) Some of our neighbors got some alpacas recently so we are going over to see them this evening since Max is into animals so much right now. Look for some pics in the near future.

Assessing the Damage

Ok, so the title is a little dramatic, but I will say that I am really bumbed! Our dear computer got a virus last week, and eventhough we did our best to salvage our files, we were unsuccessful. For all of you moms out there, that means Max's baby pics are gone! :-( I cried a little. Well, I am very thankful that we have this blog because that means we still have quite a few pics of Max. However, we didn't put all of the pics on the blog, and my heart aches about the ones that were lost. Lesson learned: don't only save important files on the hard drive. My mom has been great though. She thought they had around 50 pics of Max, and it has ended up being around 130. Hmm, thank God for grandparents!! Love you, mom and dad. (I love you too, Michi!)

Once we find out what we still have, I'll be posting more pics on the blog. Until then, keep putting pics of your kids on your blogs, so we can enjoy their beautiful faces. Love you all!

~ Charissa

Outside Adventures

I took the first 2 pics on a day when it had finally cooled off. It felt like the 1st day of Fall, so Max and I had to go out and enjoy the cool air. This was also one of his first times to explore the front yard.
Here Max, Dash and I are getting ready to take a walk in the rain. It was a big hit!!
Here he is the back yard. Dada was doing some yard work and Mama was picking up pecans. So Max had fun standing and pretending he was sword fighting.

Birthday Friends and Family

davis


lexi & janet
judy
gigi %gpa
amy % tif
rich
us after the party :-)

Hey Guys

1st Birthday

One Year Ago Today

As I got Max out of the car on this chilly yet sunny Autumn morning, my mind wandered back to a year ago. I had already finished teaching and was just waiting for the arrival of our dear little boy. I remember journaling and asking God for a safe and soon delivery. That afternoon, a very sunny day, I drove to visit Lainie at CIU, and it was there that the first signs of labor began. So it was one year ago today that the journey of motherhood began in full force. It has been an amazing trip so far, and I count myself very blessed to have such and amazing and sweet little boy. (Although he is very upset as I write this because he doesn't want to take his nap. ) Tomorrow at 2:39 PM Max will have been living on this earth for exactly one year. We are going to celebrate on Saturday, so keep looking for Birthday pictures. Thanks to all of you who have blessed us and him in so many ways. We love you.

Charissa :-)

Sneaky little fella

Pay close attention !

The Back Yard and...

This is our back yard from different angles. I love how green it is. There are 2 or 3 pecan trees, 2 fig trees, a grapevine and a fenced-in area for a garden. I am so thankful and grateful for this blessing. Amy suggested I try selling the pecans this season as many people need them for pies. (Plus, they are so expensive in the store.) Thanks, Amy!! :-)

The last 2 pics are of Max eating bubbles in his bath. I have started putting them in because he gets soooooo dirty. It is so much easier to clean him if he soaks for a while before I get the wash cloth. He likes the bubbles a lot, too. But I think he is learning that they are not the best snack in the world