Breakfast with Santa

This morning we headed to the Fort Worth Club for their annual Pancakes with Santa so John Marshall could have his first picture made with Santa! I was so excited for this moment - as soon as I saw this event on the calendar, I immediately made reservations. The FW Club has the process/party down to a science - and it was great! We had a professional picture taken with Santa and JM - that turned out great - they give you two bigger complimentary copies (not the polaroid version that I have from my baby book pics with Santa) and of course you can order more online. Of course. They had cute crafts for older kids, a petting zoo, balloon reindeer antlers, music, decorations, an amazing breakfast buffet, and of course, mimosas for the Moms and Dads. :) We had a nice time visiting with our friends and their precious son Charlie...until both of the boys started having meltdowns due to it being their nap time. We can't wait to make this a tradition for years to come!

My little cutie pie. Who would NOT smile for anything.

I only forgive him because it was his nap time.

I love JM's expression in the next few pics...they are posted in the order they were taken. Poor guy. We just hand him over to some old, weird man in a velvet suit like it's no problem.

"Who in the world are you?"

"Dad? Help me?"

"Who are you again?"

The "money" shot. (On the Professional's camera).

After having JM's picture taken with Santa we headed over to the lady (dressed as an elf, with ears and all) making balloon animals. She made Charlie (JM's friend - older by 3 months) balloon reindeer antlers. That's what I wanted for JM, but NO, according to her (even though JM's noggin is bigger than Charlie's) she needed to make him a duck. A duck. What is Christmas about a duck? And he couldn't even wear it. Can you tell this annoyed me greatly? So we nixed the duck and the elf lady and headed over to the petting zoo. JM got to see baby goats, baby pigs, chickens, and 8 week old bunnies.

He has his, "I don't want to do this but my Dad has control of my hand," face on!

Ew. Who has these in a petting zoo?

Playing at the table while we ate.

And he's out! :)

Six Months

I cannot believe I have a six month old! On November 13th my little guy turned six months. We (or at least J and I did) celebrated with dinner at Dutch's and a cookie cake. I KNEW this little guy had been growing - he has been loosing some of his chub! His six month stats from his check-up:

• Height - 28 3/4 inches - 98th percentile
• Weight - 19 pounds - 88th percentile
• Head - huge - 99th percentile (why don't they go ahead and say "off the charts"? It's a big noggin)

Some of his "accomplishments" this month are sitting up, trying solid foods, getting his two bottom teeth, and moving to his "big boy" car seat. He also likes to swing in the park swing set now. He still sleeps great - 7PM to 7AM - but naps are another story. Some days he will take them - other days he won't. He has mastered the art of high pitch screaming and shrieking to let you know that he is SUPER happy, OR that he is SUPER mad. He smiles and laughs ALOT - and thinks I am hilarious. He still loves his exersaucer - even more than the bouncer now - because he likes to stick the "circle" piece entirely into his mouth. I need to get a picture of that. He likes to stand up on everything - and ooches, scoots, and rolls to get to whatever he wants. He HATES the sippy cup - and shudders through the first five minutes of every "solid" feeding. He is starting to look more like a mix of the two of us - although I can see LOTS of my facial expressions in him (even though my parents can't).

During his six month we took a trip to Temple with my friend Elizabeth to meet JM's future girlfriend Lilly (daughter of college friend and roommate, Katy). We already decided that Lilly will invite him to his first Pi Phi crush - and JM will ask her to EX pledge dance! ;) He attended his first Junior League meeting where he was a perfect angel minus one toot, and one burp! ha! We had a sushi lunch date with Jenn and Russell, and lots and lots of playdates and walks with friends. We took several shopping trips to Northpark, and went to Weimar and Houston for Thanksgiving. In Houston we got to go on a lunch date and shopping trip with Melissa and Luke - so fun!

This month has been great - we have so much to be thankful for - and we realize that every day we get to spend with our son is a precious gift!!! We love you John Marshall!!!

Here are some pics taken throughout JM's sixth month...