We were home just in time for the annual Goodwin Family Christmas Party! It was so much fun- it's one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. I love my family and we all have so much fun- especially when Santa gets there and we get to laugh at all his funny jokes! He's the best Santa and we look forward to him coming all year! :-)
Connor had so much fun on Santa's lap! He wasn't afraid at all and while Santa tried to hide from him so he wouldn't scare him, Connor eventually looked right at him and didn't blink an eye! Reminds me of his one year old doc appointment when he just watched the nurse prick his finger and draw his blood...he never even whimpered! Such a good baby...
Here are some pics of the fun party!
The cream puff tree Ben made from scratch!!! MMMMM....
And with that...I'm all caught up on blogging until tomorrow! :-) Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Wow oh wow did we need a vacation. I can't believe we survived the last semester. It's amazing what you can get done when you just know you have a lot to do! Here is how our typical week went: Monday, Wednesday- Kirsten at school from 9-2 then Ben at work from 2-5. Tuesday, Thursday-Ben at class from 8:50-11:20, fast switch off with Connor, Kirsten's class from 11:30-12:50. Friday- Every other Friday Ben has a class at 9, so grandma Betsy drives up to watch Connor while we are both in school. Otherwise it's just like Mondays and Wednesdays. Saturday- Family/Study day Sunday- RELAX DAY NO HOMEWORK!!!
We did this for about 16 weeks...so it's easy to see how exhausted we were. I also had my two online classes with Dixie that I had to maintain. I hate to brag..ok I am happy to brag that I got 7 A's and one B+...with 24 credits. And Ben survived his SICK accounting class...yay us! I've never done so well in school..and I think it's knowing if I'm going to take time away from my baby I'd better make it worth it!
So without further ado...some pics from our cruise!
We had a beautiful ship, with no bells and whistles like a water slide or climbing wall, but it suited us. We splurged a little for a room with a balcony, one of our best splurges since we didn't get to go to one of our ports and had 2 1/2 days straight on the ship. We were sad to not get to go back to Grand Cayman, but if I had to choose I'm glad it was somewhere we'd already been and we still got to go somewhere new. Cozumel was beautiful when we got to the ruins. They were really awesome, and the beach was the most gorgeous beach I've ever seen...aside from Hawaii I suppose.
We had a ton of fun eating our brains out...which also made up for us not getting to go to Grand Cayman. We loved being able to chat with Connor on Ben's ipod. We had service in some crazy places in Mexico and actually got to face chat with him and Desi while we were watching the sun set on the beach in Cozumel. Technology never ceases to amaze me!
The trip was just long enough to be enjoyable, and short en0ugh that we didn't get bored. We were SO ready to come home to our sweet baby though! I never knew I could miss anyone so much!!!
I know I should document more detail about the trip...but it was pretty mellow and not a lot to go into detail about!!! It was just what we needed!!!
I am so behind on blogging..I'm determined to get caught up over the next few weeks of no school! It is so wonderful to just spend time with Ben and Connor without feeling like I need to do homework! Anyway....here are some fun picture collages from the big birthday party! I didn't really want to do a themed party...but if I had to call it anything I'd say the theme WAS party..ha ha. I figured Connor would know something special and exciting was going on when he saw the 24 balloons of red, green, blue and yellow, as well as his special birthday balloons, and streamers. Needless to say it was a PARTY! He was so fascinated with all the decor and it made me excited as his mommy to see his wonderment at all the bright colors and fun decorations. The birthday cake was a little bit stressful for me...it didn't turn out exactly right but they did make some minor corrections after I called and sounded totally frustrated, which I was. All in all it was a perfect, simple and fun party! Connor's grandma and grandpa Woolsey came, as well as his great-great grandma Zina, his aunt Desi and aunt Tasha, great uncle Steven and his kids Kaylee, Lauren and Ryan. Also in attendance were his great-grandma Irene and her husband Jack, his great aunt Jill, my cousin Carli and her three kids McCoy, Daxton and Taytum. Also Marilyn and Zach were there to enjoy the festivities! We watched Connor open his fun presents then undressed him to eat his cake. All my little sisters were nervous about their first cakes, and we had to really urge them to dig in..so that's what I sort of expected. NOT SO! My child is NOT afraid of food....he ate about half of his cake. Gross...lots of sugar...but hey you're only a birthday boy once a year!!! He loved and I mean LOVED all the frosting. He had so much fun and he probably would have kept eating it if we wouldn't have moved him into the bath tub! He had a grand ole time and we all had fun watching him.
He's such a special happy boy. I am proud everyday to be his mother. I love it when we are out and about and people not only comment on how cute he is, but how sweet and mellow he is. He definitely loves people and is rarely shy around strangers.
I love watching the world through his little eyes. I sometimes just watch him for minutes on end, seeing him discover everything around him. He is SO BUSY! He never stays focused on one thing for very long which is so funny...I just love him to bits!
I remember people telling me before I was pregnant, and then even more when I was pregnant how HARD it was going to be....that I'd better be ready for a big change. And yeah it HAS been different...a total adjustment..but WOW it's the BEST thing I've ever done!!! And there were hard times...still are some small hard times...but it sorta makes me wonder why everyone felt the need to say WAIT to have kids. I can't WAIT to have more!!! Connor is the best thing I've ever done and I feel bad for those who choose not to have children. What an awesome blessing they are!!!
Anyway, here are the pictures of the big day! I'll add videos later. :-) m d
Well I'm posting this from 39,000 feet in the air...weird! We are flying to Florida and our cruise leaves tomorrow! Just happy to report we finished the semester! Ben passed his incredibly hard accounting class among others and I completed 24 credits with almost all A's!!!! Miracle really... And a lot of hard work! Can't wait to re-charge our batteries and then come home to play with Connor for 3 weeks without classes, homework and craziness!!!
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I can't believe he's one. I've been saying this all day, and have been saying it for many days leading up to today. Where did the year go? While it seems like it raced by, it also feels like so long ago that he was first put into my arms. What an amazing blessing and joy he's been in our lives!!! I can't believe it's been a year since I became a mother for the first time. I feel bad that I haven't done a monthly post for Connor in a while...I guess time has gone by a bit TOO fast. But he is doing so many hilarious things lately I have to post before he stops doing them and I forget!
Remember the nose scrunch that started back in July? Somewhere in October or November he started snorting and being a goof ball when he scrunches up his nose. He breathes really heavy through his nose...best I can do at describing it. Maybe someday I'll get a video up here...
He learned a little bit of sign language, he learned the sign for "more"..which confused him with patty cake, so he does a sort of mix between the two. He has also figured out how to "roll it and a roll it" when he does pat a cake, and my favorite- PEEK A BOO. We could play Peek a boo for hours and he wouldn't get bored. It's the cure-all when he's fussy, having a meltdown or tired. He has learned how to be "soft" with the puppies, but sometimes he surprises me with how smart he is, and will give me a look like, "Watch mommy..I don't have to be soft if I don't wanna.." and he'll hit the dog really hard...ha ha. He also has learned to hit me, and loves "messing me up" as I call it. When he gets frustrated he starts fumbling his hands all over, and when I'm holding him he'll fumble them on my shoulder and chest, to show me how made he is. Another lame description...but oh man it cracks us up! How do you teach a one year old how to be nice when it's SO funny when he's mean?! Sometimes I just stare at him when he's having a melt down because I love trying to figure out what could possibly be going on in his mind!
He loves finding things I've hidden from him, like my cell phone or ipod in the morning. He will dig through the covers to find it. He loves, I mean LOVES the dogs. When he gets in bed with us in the morning he immediately looks for the dogs if they're not already on the bed with us as well.
On that note, a few times we have heard him say, "Puh- Pee"...but it's staggered and he doesn't say it often. Mostly he says "Puhp" when he sees the dogs. SO funny and cute! He of course says "mamamamamama" all the time, and I think sometimes he is trying to call out for mommy..but who knows at this point.
He giggles like nobody's business, he is SO busy...which can really be nice because as long as a room is somewhat baby proofed he can play for hours without fussing. Makes it easy for mommy to get stuff done! He also loves to follow me around the house which I LOVE. I could hardly wait for him to crawl so I could call for him and he'd actually respond!
Today I couldn't hear him in any room so I kept calling his name. Nothing. So I started getting nervous, and I ran into the kitchen to find him just standing beside the towel drawer looking at me like, "What mom? I'm just standing here!"
No walking yet, but he has taken a few staggered little steps. He stands up for long periods of time..but I seriously love that he's not walking yet. I hope he waits as long as possible...
For a special birthday surprise I found him swishing his hand in the toilet today. I sound like a mom who never watches her kid...but it was one of those split second moments where he somehow got into the bathroom and decided it'd be fun to play in the toilet. Wow. Happy birthday to you baby! ha ha..
There are so many more things to say, but I'm going to be better about posting so I can get it while it's fresh! I love my baby, I'm so thankful for him and his sweet happy spirit of innocence, trust and complete love. Happy Birthday Baby Boy!
