Oh Goodness...My Guinness!

Our early Christmas present...

Meet Guinness

Kev and I had been talking about getting a new "puppy" for a bit, but we wanted to wait until we were on vacation, so we had some time to devote to getting to know our new family member. Luckily for us Guinness became available and was ready for his new home on Dec. 17, our last day of work. We got him through a lab rescue organization (www.labrescuers.org), and they helped us find a dog that was the right fit for our family. So meet Guinness....He's a very handsome 2-4 years old, 80 lb. guy that LOVES attention! He doesn't care if you pull his ears, tail, or poke him in the eye...just as long as he's being loved on. He was a stray in San Bernardino, spotted by the rescue group at the shelter, and then spent some time in foster care before we got him. We're still learning about him and his training list is becoming longer and longer! Every command is "sit!" He's a mellow guy, but he loves to take Kevin on walks. So far he's been a lot of fun and a huge pain! (He didn't understand why he wasn't allowed to jump up on the bed at 2am.) He's not perfect, but we think with a little (or maybe a lot!) training, he'll be perfect for our family!

Ho Ho Ho!

For the past few weeks Kevin has asked Colin, "What does Santa say?" He'll then say, "Ho, Ho, Ho!" Colin then proceeds to laugh hysterically. Kevin mentioned this to Santa and Santa obliged by saying "Ho, Ho, Ho!" over and over again. Colin lit up and found Santa hilarious. They were both laughing so hard! It was so sweet!!!

Santa Rocks

Six Months

At six months, Colin wants to put everything in his mouth....My cell phone, car keys, t.v. remote, fingers, hair...you get the idea. If it's not within his grasp, he now lunges for what he wants. He will often miss grabbing his intended object and sit there wondering what to do next. He's not crawling (and probably not even close), but he does roll, pivot, and somehow maneuver himself all over the place. Last week, we left him to play on his quilt in the family room and came back two minutes later to find him six feet away laying smack in the middle of the wood floor. Oops! He's started eating a bit of solid food. We're taking things slowly. We first started cereal, but that didn't end so well. Five days of no poop and then BAM! Yuck! So we put an end to the cereal and started up with green vegis...so far that's worked out a bit better! He's moved from the infant car seat to the toddler car seat and infant bath tub to a big boy bath seat. Our little man is growing up. It's so cliche, but wow does it happen fast!

Let it Snow

We're loving our family time in Lake Arrowhead. Kevin and Colin experienced a first for both of them this morning...falling snow. Grant and Kevin are off now to find some snow saucers. Hopefully, we'll get home sometime today. However, we're on vacation this week, so what do we care? Let it snow!

After some more fun family photos, we made it out of there and home safely. It was wonderful to enjoy the day in the snow, but it's great to be home as well. The weekend was a great way to kick off our Thanksgiving vacation!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Happy Halloween!

Five Months

At five months, Colin...

- Has discovered his toes...He'll suck on them while getting his diaper changed.

- No longer takes the binky on a regular basis...He prefers his thumb.

- Is exclusively breast fed, but did get to suck on a carrot for the first time.

- Rolls and rolls, but mainly in one direction.

- Prefers to sleep on his side, but has learned to sleep on his stomach as well.

- Loves to dance with his daddy to Bruce Springsteen and his Uncle Tim's songs.

- Doesn't just talk anymore, but SHOUTS!

- Pulls at my hair and anything else he can get his hands on.

- Weighs just under 21 pounds

- Prefers to stand or sit rather than being laid on his back.

- Goes to sleep between 7-7:30 and sleeps until 6:00 the next morning (We're so thankful!).

- Lights up when he sees his daddy's face.

- Likes to read eat books.

- Is a very happy baby.

- Gives sloppy, adorably wonderful kisses.