Our First Amarillo Snow

We woke up this Sunday morning to a beautiful site...the snow was falling hard and continued to fall for most of the day. The snow in Amarillo is soft and light, unlike the hard, icy snow that tends to fall in the southeast. We bundled Ian up and drove around the city for a moment to take pictures and enjoy the scenery.

Ian's Walking!

Ian started taking steps this week, but we haven't been able to get it on camera. However, I finally managed to have my camera ready this morning. He tends to take several steps then sits down. Occasionally he'll walk across the living room but he still seems more comfortable crawling. Regardless, Mom and Dad are so proud of this huge accomplishment. Way to go Ian!

Our First Thanksgiving as a Family of Three

We had a great first Thanksgiving week with Ian. Papaw came for his first trip to Amarillo. He was amazed by the flatness of the Amarillo landscape and even had to stop on the side of the road and take a picture! We ate lunch with our dear friends Milt and Barbie Jones and Ian had his first Thanksgiving meal with turkey, his mom's homemade macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and green beans. The big talk this week is that Ian took his first steps! We are so proud of him! We haven't been able to document this milestone because each time we're ready with cameras, he chooses to crawl! The 2009 Iron Bowl was quite the disappointment, but Auburn played a tough game and win or lose "It's Great to be an Auburn Tiger!"

Ian's ninth month

Holding his constant friend, "peanut butter"

As the months pass by, so do the changes that occur in this sweet little boy. For starters, he now has six teeth as his two front top teeth recently came in. Those teeth are on display in his big smile! Ian has completely mastered his crawling and initiates the game of chase several times each day. He even plays his own form of hide 'n seek: he crawls to a specific spot in the room and patiently waits to be found. When it takes too long, a quick squeal reminds us to find him faster! Fred installed a swing in a tree in our backyard that Ian could stay in for hours. He just seems so relaxed and peaceful when he's outside. He got to experience Halloween and the pumpkin patch this month and started to make small attempts with table food. The fact that he gags and vomits most of it is beside the point...During his nine month check up, he was called "tall and skinny" by our pediatrician. Fred and I got a nice laugh out of that description, seeing as how Ian has been on the "short and fat" end of the spectrum for the majority of his life! We're learning more and more about Ian, his personality, his likes and dislikes. It's amazing to see a nine month old have opinions! As always, we're thankful and feel incredibly blessed to be this amazing boy's parents.

Ian's first Halloween

We spent Ian's first Halloween at our church's Fall Festival. Though he was too young to actually participate in the activities, we still dressed him up as a sock monkey and strolled him through trunk or treat. He didn't seem too amused...as usual, he was quite and reserved in a new environment, but I suppose these early years are more for mine and Fred's enjoyment than for his.

Ian's eighth month

The "Crawling King"


It finally happened! Ian can crawl. That is the major milestone for his eighth month...along with cutting three new teeth. He nows scoots from room to room and we learned the art of "baby-proofing" our house quickly. Though it's made life a bit more hectic (chasing a baby takes more energy than we could have imagined), Fred and I love watching his curious spirit develop even more as he roams and explores every nook in our home. He stills likes waking up at least once throughout the night. I suppose he just wants to say a quick hello because he often falls back to sleep after a few minutes of rocking. And those four bottom-row teeth are just too precious. Those teething biscuits have really come in handy. As a family, we're assimilating to our new city and getting connected with our new church family. Ian's a big hit with everyone and has taken to several people in our life group already. We feel loved and blessed and see the joy of the Lord in our happy, playful son.