Baby's 1st Christmas, Part IV, Nostalgia

Not too far away from Jefferson's childhood home is the oh-so-quaint town of Stillwater (for my peeps, think Chagrin when you read Stillwater). Stillwater offers some of the best antiquing I've ever experienced, and my favorite shop of all has three floors dedicated to beautiful, and kitschy and creepy, things made in yesteryear.  I could have happily walked out of there with a mid-century white leather tufted chair, a stained glass window, an old 8-foot door, a Park Avenue couch, a faux fur capelet, an amethyst ring, and Sawyer's choice: a $500 John Deere tractor toy. Since I never could have gotten it all home, I had to turn my attentions to other forms of nostalgia, and while so doing discovered things like this:

 {some things never change}

 {please note the "scares me the most" category. The other kids had fears of the dark, fears of dogs, but Jeff? At age 6? Chuckie.}

{I also have to add "if I had one wish, I'd like: The world to be a better place." And, "favorite food: carrots." Yeah, he's certainly interesting.}

 {something bad happened to this love affair}

{my favorite! it reads: "Have a wallen (whalin') good time! Happy Mother's Day}

Baby's 1st Christmas, Part III, Mall of America

  

  

Baby's 1st Christmas, Part II, Adventures in the Snow

He wasn't afraid, nor was he timid.  He would have bathed and buried himself in snow if we let him. He didn't even care that it was a measly 12 degrees outside, he didn't want to go in once he started getting cold. And he certainly didn't want us to take his boots off-he loves the boots almost as much as he loves the snow.

Baby's 1st Christmas, Part I, Rocking the Christmas Tree

{frantic Christmas tree destruction}

We made it over the river and through the woods to Grandma's house for Christmas. First on the list of things to do: touch every ornament; second: rip every ornament from the tree. Needless to say, we anticipated the third thing to do and moved all the ornaments three feet up the tree. 

Sawyer is beside himself, and way over stimulated, with endless new areas and trinkets and toys to discover.  Aside from the tree, he is quite taken with the dog of the house and her dog food.  He wasted no time sneaking off to her bowl and grabbing fistfuls of kibble, then shoving them into his mouth with remarkable speed and accuracy.  Of course there I was, scrambling to knock the dog food out of his hands and mouth while trying not to gag in complete disgust that my precious treasure was shoveling both dog food AND dog slobber into his sweet, untainted pie hole.  I thought, "I'd rather he eat dirt," which he obliged me by attacking the potted plants several times throughout the vacation. Ah well, now that his palate has expanded, I'd say liver and onions is next on the tasting menu (and it ought to be scrumdidily in comparison).

{he rocks-Sawyer loves tickling the ivories}

Oh, Mini-Tree

We'll be out of town for Christmas so Mr.Scrooge said no tree this year.  Mrs. Claus fought tooth and nail and below the belt and finally won out with a settlement on this lovely little rosemary tree.  It happens to suit our needs perfectly: a little reminder of Christmas for the holidays that will transition to a daily dose of interior green throughout the year (at least until we use all the rosemary on our roasted potatoes). And it stays out of reach of Sawyer whom, we recently discovered, is a big fan of smashing ornaments. Sorry, Judi!!

Lately, Some Things We've Been Into

Climbing: into, onto, upon

Dragging: around, behind, along

 These pillows: snuggling, rolling, dragging, pulling, playing, loving