Camo Christmas

Today we went back to our roots and visited Santa in a Bass Pro Shop outside Houston. Luke shot, built, and pretended to ride all morning. Even Santa Claus fit in--when Luke announced that he wanted tools for Christmas, Santa wanted some clarification on whether he meant mechanical tools or carpenter tools. (Luke said mechanical)

Poor Baby D, in true second child fashion, was dragged along in his ill state (double ear infection!), forced to sit on some weird guy's lap,  and then relegated to the baby carrier. 

To round out the morning, in true Idahoan fashion, Luke peed in the bushes in the parking lot before leaving. 

Sugar Plum Fairies

Last night, for the third (and possibly last) year in a row, Suzanne and I made it to the fantastic Houston Ballet's Nutcracker. I don't think we have pictures from every year, which is a shame, because they provide a fun picture of where are lives are every December. Every year seems to get progressively harder (Suzanne was in labor last night, literally, and Baby D cried the entire time I was gone) and every year we inevitably end up running late, sliding in just as the lights dim and the ushers start to get anxious, but still the tradition lives on!

Look at those two: would you ever guess there were almost five children between the two of them? 

Holiday Cheer

So remember all of my holiday activities last year?

Turns out I was creating a monster. Luke started his enthusiasm early this year when I brought home a gingerbread house kit and unfortunately put it on the counter for little prying eyes to see. After asking to do it every day for over a week, his patience finally paid off and we got to decorate his "gingerbread cookie house" (as he calls it).

Baby D helping...

The house now sits in a place of honor in the middle of the table, where Luke can touch it and sneak sprinkles while he's eating. Just give Luke a call! He'll tell you all about it.

Over and over and over.

7 Months

And now he's standing! Don't worry, he's only been doing it for a few weeks. :)

Baby D now has four teeth, with at least one more trying to break through, and has the most adorable little smile with his giant chicklets and little gap between his teeth. He's got dimples and giant, bright blue eyes and crazy blond hair and is just so squishable! Strangers cannot get enough of him--I have had two separate men (that's right, men) in the past month say that my children must have been purchased from a catalogue.

See? Catalogue.

And what's really fun is that he looks so little but is so mobile! We had a little get-together with other moms and babies from our ward and Derek was crawling all over them. Literally. Almost in a taunting way. Stealing their toys and making a break for it.
Derek is also just so very happy, usually. He loves to shriek and laugh while he's crawling or getting his diaper changed or when he's playing and has the best little giggle that comes out all the time.



And it's a good thing, too, because Baby D is not at all easygoing. He has already made his dislikes clear and they are intense. He refuses to eat anything from a spoon--he will feed himself for a while but usually loses interest after a few minutes (and absolutely will not stay in his chair after Luke has finished and has gotten down)--and often resorts to a full-face scrunch to avoid having something put in his mouth. (He can also resort to some effective spitting if he feels it's warranted) He also has the worst case of FOMO I have ever seen in a baby and gets very offended when he gets left behind. But above all, his hatred for his car seat is unparalleled.



It's a good thing he has such a nice, un-opinionated, easygoing, calm, malleable older brother as a role-model, right?