A White (Sandy) Christmas

We spent Christmas in St. Petersburg, Florida, with Glenda's family. Oliver's dressed up for a Christmas Eve party. Alhough you can't tell from his Santa outfit, we were enjoying 80 degree weather. Quite a change from the chilly northeast. :)

Oli's cheeks, as you can probably tell, are GROWING. He's a hefty little guy who loves to smile, squeal, and squirm with laughter.

Hard to believe this was the day after Christmas. No snow, but white (and sandy) nonetheless.

I love this picture of Glenda and Oli - the waves, the ocean breeze, and Oli laughing in the warm sun.  It was a beautiful day.

Thanks, Jasmin, for this picture. You made this Christmas special.

It was fun watching Oli enjoy the beach for the first time.

Check out Oli's beach figure - three love handles and no six pack. People tell us he looks like he hasn't missed a meal. Yet the little guy still got the attention of all the ladies. Lucky man. :)

In case you don't remember, this was Oli in the same hat four months ago.  What a difference! As you can see, the hat's become a snug looking helmet-type-thing.  Notice how much looser the chin strap was.  There's a reason we call him "gordito" (i.e., "little chubster").  

Grandma and Grandpa Hayden sent a new hat just in time!  Thanks for the Christmas gift! We love it.  Bula bula bula!

6 Months Old

Oliver is 6 months old today! He is sitting up and eating solids (so far butternut squash, carrots, banana, and sweet potatoes). He loves bouncing, playing in his exersaucer and his jumper. He rolls over several times in a row and squirms in every direction to reach whatever he wants. I think we'll get a playpen soon! 

This was today at Books A Million.

Eating sweet potatoes...

Eating bananas... 

Thanks to the exersaucer I can now get dressed, cook, fold the laundry, play on the computer, etc. without him screaming to be picked up. It keeps him busy for at least half an hour.   I love it!

Brian bathes him a few times a week; what an awesome daddy!

This is Lake Ella where we walk at least once a week. It's so peaceful!

The past 6 months have been full of joy, tears, exhaustion, laughter, many changes and challenges. We have been amazed at what a blessing being a parent is and at how much you can love someone. We ask each other almost every day "How is it possible that I love him more today?"

MY FAVORITE SEASON

I know it's almost Winter, but I just have to share why I love the Fall.

-The colorful leaves are beautiful.

-I love hearing the leaves crunch as I step on them.

-Drinking hot apple cider with Brian at night is so relaxing.

-We got married in the Fall.

-Going for walks while drinking hot chocolate is fun.

-Getting ready for the Holidays is super fun!!

Believe it or not this is Florida.

I love to walk by these trees every day.  (Click on the picture.)

Our Christmas tree is up, we're ready for the Holidays!

This was at a Festival a few days ago.

Thanksgiving Day

My mom's turkey is sooo juicy and so yummy!

Oliver wanted to try some.

We had a great weekend! Uncle Rigo, Grandma and Grandpa got to spend lots of quality time with Oli while Brian and I enjoyed some much needed sleep and even went on a few dates.

Oli is 5 Months Old

 If I had to describe him in one word it would be... 

HAPPY  

We've been going to the little playground in our apt. complex almost every day. It's been so cold lately that it's the only place I manage to walk to sometimes. Maybe to him it looks like a huge park? 

 

He's been sleeping 10 to 12 hours at night but doesn't really have a consistent nap pattern in the day time. He does get fussy/tired every 2-3 hours, but he fights it and is particular about how he falls asleep.  For example, he will sleep up to 2 hours if I go for an outdoor walk but will not be fooled if I'm walking at the mall or a bookstore, so I'm forced to exercise if I want him to take a nice long nap!  Or if we're at home I feed him, read and sing to him and put him in his crib and he'll sleep for about half an hour to an hour (when he feels like it). He hates being in his car seat and will sometimes cry the entire car ride (not fun!). The Horstmeyers got to witness half an hour of that! He hates his swing at home but really likes the outdoor swings. Maybe he doesn't like confinement? He's ok on the bouncy chair and does well in the carrier. He loves being cuddled in the nursery on Sundays and loves to socialize wherever we go but he's more picky around bedtime. In Summary, Oliver is a happy but particular little person.

I have a feeling we're going to enjoy seeing life through his eyes!

Weeeeh!

The First Five Months

Here's our latest video.  Be warned:  It's 4 minutes long!

  

Catching Up

We have a lot of catching up to do! It's definitely feeling like Fall in Tally; tonight it's supposed to be in the 30's. What's funny is that some trees have lost their leaves but right next to them are bright green palm trees.  I'll have to post a picture of that when I get one.

This is at Lake Ella where I (Glenda) go walking at least once a week. I like it because it kind of reminds me of NY.  It's a public place where you see people walking, jogging, sleeping on the grass, families having picnics, young and old couples falling in love, couples arguing, people doing martial arts, mommies pushing their strollers and children feeding the ducks. There is so much going on all at once; I love it!

Fall and Hoodie Sweaters.

Oli squealing with excitement, just because.

Daddy reading "Where The Wild Things Are" at Barnes & Noble. Oli is so curious and his little hands reach for everything so we have to be quick to make sure he doesn't rip the pages off.

Um, he also tries to eat everything.  

He has been rolling over and enjoying every minute of it! 

Have I mentioned how squeezable he is?

This is what Brian and Oli do every night.  Male bonding...

Oli loves it!

The little guy got tired.

Daddy and Oli making strange faces.

By the way, Brian found out there are 61 parks in Tally so we have a lot of exploring to do in the next 2 years.  Today we went to Tom Brown Park.

pinchable cheeks...

Life is good!

Weekend in Atlanta

This past weekend we drove to Atlanta to meet baby Pace for the first time!  He is so cute. It was fun to visit a new city, spend time with good friends and enjoy beautiful weather!

A view from Piedmont Park in the midtown area.

  

Oli is 4 months old and Pace is 2 months old.  We decided they are going to be best buddies :) They were so adorable together.

Saying good bye.

 Times have changed!!