Glamour Shots

Still in Florida! It's finally turned a little cooler (meaning you don't start to sweat when you walk outside) so I can get into the Christmas spirit! Just so you don't get bored, here are some of Brayden's 6-month pictures. I know it's a little late (he's already over 7 months!) but they were part of our Christmas gifts, so we had to keep them under wraps.

Glory boy

Hey there, people!

We hope you all had a wonderful day yesterday, and can't wait to hear all the good stories! Safe travels home!

Happy Christmas!

I love Santee!

Merry Christmas to all!

It's a hot day in Florida and we're all thrilled about Brayden's VERY FIRST CHRISTMAS!! It's such a great holiday and made even greater with a new baby. There are plenty of holiday traditions that Brayden has yet to learn, but, as many of you know, he has already met The Man. He had no idea what he was getting into when we arrived at the North Pole, but The Man was bright-eyed and bushy-hatted, ready to meet B. As you can see, he made a wonderful impression on Santa, sure to pay off tomorrow morning!

Bring on the gifts...

Nic has told B all about Christmas gifts, and he's thrilled. He can't wait to see what his favorite people have gotten for him. In preparation, he took this picture while at the North Pole. He sent it to Mia and Gigi, just to make sure they didn't forget about his presents this year (as if!). I'm sure there will be plenty of good pictures and videos coming you way very soon. Until then...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

A holiday fauxhawk

Christmas is almost upon us, so we thought you might like a little fun reprieve! Here are some pictures Nicole took a few days ago after CAE got hold of B with her hair-glue. Fauxhawks are everywhere - Maddox, look out! Such a little dude!

Sup?

Side style

Little laffy-taffy

Baby beach bum

Apparently the wait is over! Brayden had a great day at the beach (yesterday). Nicole said he loved the water and wanted to swim away. He was reaching for it and wanting to splash his hands in it. I definitely think we'll have a little swimmer in no time. Except, I suppose, that where we live pools are only open 3 months a year (which is still so odd to me). We'll have to go to the Rec Center to play in their indoor pool! Here he is:

What a great place!

Mom... let me go

Can I eat this??

CAE with Da-Cheese

A little thought

Hi all - I know that I haven't posted any pictures for awhile, but it's due to lack of material. Therefore, I wanted to give a shout-out to those who check back with hope. Hope is a great thing. Keep hope alive.

I promise a few great Christmas shots in the future!

All I want for Christmas

With Christmas just around the corner, Brayden's getting antsy! Nicole and Mia thought it would do him good to play with a few of the Christmas gifts. As usual, B made sure he was dressed for the occasion! Even at less than 7 months, he knows what he wants to play with:

Caught you!

I love Christmas!

Florida has been great fun for these Virginians. They've been rollin' all over the Clearwater area with Mia's friends (I hear there may be some pictures from the club coming soon!). 8 days to Christmas people! Git ur shop on!

B, the Waverunner

Nicole and Brayden have headed south for the winter, leaving me to claim the title of NOVA's newest bachelor! They've been enjoying the beautiful Gulf weather while I'm up here slaving away in the cold (and rain!). They have a very full schedule of social activities over the next couple weeks leading up to Christmas. BUT, they do get a little "off" time as well. They went out the lake today with Poppy and CAE to jet ski. B just couldn't wait to get going, so he hopped on with Nicole and went flying up and down the lake. And by flying, I mean slowly idling around the dock. Enjoy the pictures, and be jealous of the great weather:

Ready to ride

Zoomin' with Mommy

Preacher man

Hi all! We don't have any new pictures to post up just yet (although I'm promised that I will receive some to post very soon). In lieu of those, might I recommend some fascinating reading: my sermon from Sunday (click here). The weather in NOVA has been beautiful these past few days and I hope you've been able to share that wherever you are. As we get busy in the Christmas season, don't forget to stop, breath, and get back in that mall so you can buy me somethin' nice!

Let the fun begin

Oh yes, friends, Christmas is just around the corner. I know you just dusted off your Advent wreaths, but the spirit's working fast these days. In fact, we've already received a few Christmas packages, and below are pictures of Brayden's first Christmas gifts! (As always, they are all available on Flickr - where they don't move around automatically!) Enjoy the show, as I'm sure many more gift-pics will follow.




*For those of you who find yourself in a liturgical nightmare: Happy Advent!

Chatty

It's confirmed: Brayden has spoken his first word... and it's Dada! The official day was November 24, and he was 2 days beyond the 6 month mark. We've been waiting to post this because we actually heard "Dada" a week before Thanksgiving and were not sure if it was a mistake. However, since Thanksgiving and over this past week, it is certainly Dada. In fact, Nicole and Brayden were in the car today running errands and she said he was going back and forth between Dada and Mama (although I haven't heard this yet!). Nicole's first word was Dada, too. I'm not sure what mine was (Mom, want to weigh in?) but when I find out I'll let you know, since, of course, you're dying to know.

P.S. - Now I'm official: check out my bio.

My new chair!

B just received his very first Christmas present!! Nama sent this fantastic rain forest highchair straight to the house since he's already eating regularly. He loves it! Here he is just after chowing down:

Ooh - I like this

Yay for food!

Bucket-head

Toys, toys, toys. Brayden got some new toys the other day because he was getting bored with what he had. He loves to play with them, but he loves to wear them even more. Here are some examples:

Crazy ears

Again with the crazy ears