Christmas Eve

When we first got to Portland we went to Church and ran into one of Kris' friends from high school and said we should get together. So on Christmas Eve in the early afternoon we went bowling. It was great fun. I'm not the greatest bowler but it's always fun to throw a heavy ball around. I think I even got a strike or two.

Our Christmas Vacation

So our vacation was to start early Dec. 19 with a flight to Portland, OR at 6 am in Charlotte but it was foiled by this white stuff that fell from the sky. It turned out to be to our benefit because we were able to get the flight changed to the airport closer to us and we didn't have to pay the extra money we would have if we just bought tickets from Greensboro in the first place.

Denzil had tons of fun at Grandma and Grandpa's house with all the love and attention he got there. Not that we don't give him a lot of that here but it's nice to have it from everyone. He did really well on all the flights and everyone commented on his big blue eyes.

Grandma just loved snuggling and napping with Denzil so she invited all to join in.
We had lots of fun with family and friends while we were there. Christmas Eve we got together with Kris' sister Javann and her family to exchange some gifts and then on Christmas day the whole family got together to open gifts and have some chow. It was fun being with everyone and we're glad we were able to enjoy some time away.

Gingerbread Houses

Last weekend we had a gingerbread house making party at our friend's house. While Kris was busy making a house I was busy chatting with the girls and eating some of the toppings. This picture of our house doesn't do it justice. Kris was so clever to put a few gummy bears on the premises and they left a little present for all to see. He also had a little pond with a fish craved out of a Twizzler. We had a great time getting together with friends and eating treats and drinking hot chocolate and hot cider or wassail ( I don't like it but if you do you can imagine how great it was).

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we made a trip to Washington DC with Kris' parents. It took a while to get there with all the stops for feeding Denzil and for his biggest blowout yet. It took 3 washes to get it all out of his clothes. We stayed in a nice place and thank goodness for ear plugs. Denzil did really well keeping up with his trend of sleeping 7-8 hours a night. Thanksgiving day was a bit foggy in the morning and kind of chilly. We visited the Washington and Lincoln monuments as well as the WWII, Vietnam, and Korean war monuments and then we went to the Museum of American History. We discovered after a few pics and the monuments that our cameras were out of batteries.

Thanksgiving night we went to dinner at TGI Fridays. Needless to say, it wasn't like mama cooks it. At least there was some place open, I'm thankful for that.

Friday we went to the Jefferson memorial and then off to the Air and Space museum and the Museum of Natural History. We had a great time but my feet were a bit tired after all that walking and standing. There were tons of people out then too.

This is what it is like to travel with a nursing baby. I was pleasantly surprised at how well he did under the cover.

We had a great time lounging around in our hotel room in the evenings. Thanks for being a great traveler D.

Saturday we went to Mt. Vernon. I think this was my favorite part of the trip. I am so grateful for George Washington and the many other people who fought for our freedom and the creation of this great country.

This is where Martha and George are buried. George could have been buried under the capitol building but he loved Mt. Vernon so much he wanted to be buried there and his family kept to that.

And last but not least, Denzil was rooting for the Cougs in the holy war. Rah rah rah rah rah, GO COUGARS!

3 months

My how time flies. I'm now 3 months old and I am so cute. I like to talk, sometimes I even sound like I say "mamama." I'm starting to sleep through the night too. I'm a good eater and I love hanging out with mom and dad. I'm a little camera shy too so we haven't gotten any good video of me showing my skills. We will keep trying though.

Blessing Day

November 1st we blessed Denzil at church. It was really nice and we feel so blessed to have Denzil in our lives. He is getting so big and we are loving his smiles and how much he likes to talk. Sometimes it seems that he gives us a little laugh too. He is such a sweet boy.

Halloween Night

We spent halloween night at our friends for a "beer and brats" party. The Jackson's made homemade rootbeer and provided the brats and everyone else brought a side or dessert to share. We were going to go to another friends house afterward but Denzil had had enough so we just chilled at home. He was so cute in his costume for the few minutes it lasted. I decided that it is necessary to have 2 people to get the smile pictures, 1 taking and 1 to get him to smile.

Not too fond of getting this picture taken.
Our family portrait. Denzil is learning early that Reeses Peanutbutter cups are where its at for halloween candy.

Mt. Biking at Salem Lake

Yesterday Kris went with our friend Steve to Salem Lake for a little mountain biking. It was foggy and a bit wet but overall a good time.

Ward Trunk of Treat

Wednesday night we had a trunk or treat at church with games just before hand. We aren't much for dressing up but we did get another chance to wear our pumpkin shirts. I know the pants are long but the jeans are so cute!

First Hike

This week was community practice week for Kris which meant 40 hour work week and no school work plus a day off so on Monday we went for a drive to Stone Mountain then over to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Denzil went on his first hike to a little homestead in the park. He did great. It was not a very far hike but we are taking baby steps to the longer ones. The leaves were pretty but we missed the peak time by just a little bit.

2 months

After 2 months I can smile a bit, coo, hold my head pretty well, love my bath (its the afterward I'm not sure about), love my mom an dad, and snuggle up on your shoulder. I like to look in the mirror on the swing and the play mat and I'm more alert when awake. I have had a few good nights of sleep where I only wake up once too. Mom likes that. Life is good. Oh, and I now sleep on my crib at night. I like it.

This was me napping yesterday or should I say meditating;)

Adorable

This was so precious yesterday getting ready for church. Everyone loved the tie. Cute little man.

I just wanted to put some more pics up here of our sweet little Denzil. He has started to smile some, mostly when I am feeding him or changing his diaper. It sure is cute.

Summer Research

Over the summer Kris was involved in some research at the school. Last Wednesday they had a day where they presented their posters at school and they were judged. Denzil and I went over their to support our man. Kris looked great and we are very proud of the work he did.

Happy 30th Birthday

So today (the 13th) is Kris' 30th birthday and I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday and to let him know how much I appreciate and love him. Most of you know that Kris has been the cook in our family basically since day one. I have made a few things but I'm sure they could be counted on my fingers and toes. We'd be eating a lot of boxed things I'm sure if he didn't make such good food for us. He is the best. Also, even though he is busy with school stuff he still takes the time to give my arms a little bit of a break every now and then when Denzil is crying and I'm tired. Also, thanks for taking him in the morning on the weekends so that I can get just a few more minutes of shut eye. I hope that this next year will be great for you Kris and remember, Tiako ianao!

Update

Isn't he just so sweet! I love it when he sleeps with his hands under his face like this. He is a cutie.

So lately there have been lots of new babies among the people that we know and there are still more to come. This is Denzil's new best friend Lucas. They are 5 weeks apart. Funny how Denzil looks so much bigger than Lucas but Lucas weighed almost 2 lbs more than Denzil did when he was born. We are super excited!

Our friends Steve and Elise joined us for a few of the sessions of conference. Kris got us some cables so that we can connect our computer and our TV. It was pretty sweet.
This is one of the positions that Denzil likes when he is having his fussy time...right around 6-7 pm each day. Kris is so good to hold him when I'm starting to get frustrated because I'm just not doing it right.
Denzil was so nice to let me play dress up with him today. The Jackson's borrowed us this sweet monster costume and I wanted to see how it fit him and if I wanted to take him to get some halloween pictures taken. I think he looks adorable. Maybe one time he will smile for the camera.
The other night I had given Denzil a bath and Kris came in the room because Denzil was crying due to being cold and he doesn't really like it when I put lotion on him. Well, as we were putting his jammies on Kris tickled Denz' tummy and he totally smiled and he seemed to laugh too. Of course I ran to get the camera and we tried it again but all we got was 30 seconds of video of Denzil's straight face. Oh well, we'll catch it sometime. At least we were both there to witness it. It sure was cute.