Happy New Year!

Dear Wil,

It is 8:30pm, Friday, December 31st. New Years Eve! I just put you to  bed. Here you are, all snuggled in tight and hopefully having sweet dreams. What am I doing? Thinking of you. The year of your birth is coming to an end... and what a year it has been - the best really!

You were born in the middle of a cold March night. Did you know it snowed on March 20, 2010? It did! I remember looking out the window in our hospital room, just before you were born, and seeing little, white flakes floating softly from the clouds.You came into this world so quietly & so peacefully. You looked all around, eyes wide open. You hardly cried. We loved you instantly - still in shock that we brought you into this world.

This year you've changed so much. You are now 9.5 months old. You love to eat at your highchair - graham crackers, bananas, and puffs are your favorite foods. You also love EVERY kind of fruit you try... veggies, well, not so much. You have 3 teeth - two on the top & one on the bottom. You learned to crawl a couple of weeks ago - now you are getting into everything! But, we secretly love it. You say "DaDaDaDa" all day long. You hate your diaper changed! You get excited about everything from new toys to our vaccuum cleaner (you show your excitement by saying "ooh-ooh" and flexing your arms & legs). You are so funny! You love baths. You love visiting your Grandmas & Grandpas & Auntie Kayla & Uncle Tony. You love meeting new people too. You love Gravel (pulling his hair & playing fetch with him is the best). But, most of all, you love your Mommy & Daddy!

I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring for our family. You will be 1 year old in less that 3 months. How is that possible? You are the best thing to ever happen to us & we love you so. Here's to a beautiful 2011.

Love,

MaMa & DaDa

It didn't take long.

You know my child is crawling, right?!? I'm sure you do. I announced it to the entire world! I was just so excited! Well. That excitement has faded fast. Due to this:

That is a picture of my son's Christmas present. Adam strategically placed it in the very front of the tree (in front of all of the other presents. PERFECTLY wrapped). He did this so Wil would only have access to IT. Did I mention that I turned my back for what seemed like a nano-second?

Apparently, fancy ribbons are yummy as well. Mmmm... dreamy!

The next evening... it was all over.

Inspiration: Rudolf!

Chubba

We think he's huge! Remember, we were blessed with a little, runt of a boy in the beginning. Now he's all rollie-pollie & what not. He's a lug to carry too!

Still bald though.

I. Will. Not. Crawl.

Wil refuses to crawl. Instead, he gets everywhere he wants to go scootin' on his butt! He's also really good at REACHING, especially for things ON our TV STAND. He doesn't get on his knees though... if he does that, he ends up on his belly & is not happy! He's learned this strategy: s-t-r-e-t-c-h  AND  r-e-a-c-h  BUT keep one leg nice & straight so you don't end up anywhere near the crawling position!

You'd think he'd be interested in learning a new way to get around & a new way to get ahold of his favorite things... maybe someday. Until then, I'm happy. He can't get too far; my tree is still up & my presents are still wrapped!

'Tis the Season...

for baking Christmas cookies!

Wil and I spent ALL afternoon baking sugar cookies & molasses (my personal fav). Of course, we couldn't be done until we each tried just one!

Wil "accidently" fed some of his to Gravel (who was waiting patiently for Wil to give in). Do you see the yellow frosting on my dog's nose?

Once Wil realized that feeding Gravel left him with only one teeny-tiny bite, he got straight to work. He almost looks paniced, like if he doesn't eat it quick, he might try to steal some more!

St. Nick Via UPS

Did you know St. Nick sends stockings via UPS? It's true! It's a very exciting time in the Geurts household. This year Wil got to experience the joy of Mr. St. Nick!

You can tell by the look on his face - Wil is thrilled! His first stocking. What's the first thing he spots?!? A new digger truck! He's such a boy. How do they know at only 8 months old to drive their trucks back and forth, back and forth?!?

St. Nick also sent this little, festive number. We LOVE new clothes!

Just another shot of the toofers. Only because I love them!

Yep. Two of 'em!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We went on our annual hunt for the perfect Christmas tree Thanksgiving weekend. This year, we had more to carry than just the tree! It was FREEZING as we approached the hill where the hunt begins and after walking for say, 5 minutes, I shouted, "that one! It'll be fine! We're freezing!"

So, I sat my little bundle in front of the tree as his Daddy cut it down & we hustled on out of there!

Here's Wil helping with lights. Who knew it would be this hard putting up a Christmas tree?!? Wil can't even move, but he was all up in my business. I was so busy keeping him under control, I didn't even get a picture of the final product. Oh, how times have changed...