Dylan's Christmas Show & James' Birthday!

Dylan had his Christmas show at daycare Thursday afternoon and he did so well! I was afraid he was going to see a crowd of people, freak out, and cry the whole time, but once the music started he started dancing and clapping...I was so proud!

Dylan and his BFF, Jackson!

"Wait Jackson, the show isn't over yet!"

Such a cute picture :)

We love Ms. Tania!

And Ms. Maria too!

Dylan showing daddy his classroom :)

Dylan's show...

Friday was Dylan's last day with his teachers...he'll be moving up to the Toddler II class in January. It's definitely a bittersweet move...I'm so sad he won't have Ms. Maria and Ms. Tania as teachers anymore because they were both amazing with him this fall, but he also isn't talking as much as his friends so I'm hoping he can pick up more language from the older kids in his new class. It was hard to say "good-bye"to them but I know he'll still get to see them everyday. Dylan also got his report card for the 1st semester...he did well with his fine/gross motor skills, however, as I already mentioned, he's not speaking as much as his friends and as a speech therapist, that was hard for me to hear. But we'll continue to work on it, no worries!

James' birthday party was Saturday and Dylan had a blast. I've worked with his mommy for about 5 years and she's an amazing friend of mine. We were so excited to celebrate his 1st birthday with him!

Happy Birthday!

Dylan playing with James...or taking the ball away from him..

"James, high-five!"

"Dude, don't leave me hanging!"

Loving the ball pit! We had to drag him out of there, kicking and screaming :)

This weekend my parents drove up to celebrate Christmas with us since we're staying put again this year. Unfortunately Dylan's been sick for a few days and had a fever today. He was pretty fussy and clingy, but he was still able to enjoy his presents from Grandma & Grandpa!

I really hope Dylan starts feeling better...I'd hate to waste our winter break with a sick house like we did with our Thanksgiving break. Will we ever all be healthy at the same time again?!?!

Santa!!! I know him!

Well it looks like Christmas is finally in full swing, yea! The shopping, baking, and wrapping has started. Luckily all the decorations haven't seemed to have cramped Dylan's style, and he's even more accepting of the Christmas tree...only broke 1 ornament so far!

Great tip I learned for this picture: turn all the lights off, except for the tree, set your camera on the Manual setting, set your ISO as high as it'll go and open your aperture as low as it'll go (mine was at about 1.2), and set your shutter to 1/30...I love this picture :)

Last weekend we decided to take Dylan to mall in Plano to see Santa. The mall opened at 10am and we got there around 10:05am, so sure we would be in and out since we were so early. I was shocked to see the long line when we got there! But I figured, Dylan's all dressed up (in his khakis and sweater vest) and in a pretty good mood and we're already here, we'll just wait. So Keith took Dylan to the play area while I waited in line. After 1 hour and 15 minutes of waiting, Dylan was starting to get hungry and fussy and I was nowhere near close to seeing Santa yet. So I hung my head down and left my spot in line, so aggravated that I wasted our morning. It was on to Plan B: come one day right after school, before the evening rush. Tuesday I decided to try again and, as planned, go to the mall as soon as Dylan and I left school. Unfortunately, Keith forgot his backpack at home that morning, which had his juice, goldfish, and Gloworm...all the necessities I needed to get Dylan to wait in a line. So I had to rush home first before headed to the mall. Well, with my unbelievable luck, we finally get there just as they're closing the line (Santa has a cookie break at 5pm and we got there at 4:40pm). I was almost in tears as I begged her to let us in...I told her about Saturday and that I rushed as fast as I could to make it in time (I knew they closed the line early, same thing happened to us last year) and that Dylan would not make it until he got back since he would be fussy and hungry. The sweet lady pulled me aside and said, "Stick around, if all the families go through and we have enough time for 1 more, I'll let you in". I was so happy, I knew she'd let me in!

Dylan waiting to get in line...

"Look mommy, a big bear!"

Yea, they finally let us in! Dylan walking into the Snow Palace...and very confused.

"oh, snow!"

And finally, his picture with Santa...priceless!

On our way to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner we stopped at the play area and Dylan would not leave, he loved playing in that car. I was finally able to pry him away after letting him drive it.

So we didn't get the best Santa picture, but it was definitely a funny one. Hopefully he won't be so scared of Santa next year...hopefully!

Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas!

This was supposed to be our relaxing week off, unfortunately it wasn't as relaxing as I would have liked. After Dylan suffered through high fevers all last weekend without eating or sleeping much, we took him in to see the doctor on Monday. Turns out he had 2 ear infections and his throat looked pretty irritated. Once he started his antibiotics his fevers went away and he started sleeping through the night again. On Wednesday we meet the Adamo's at the Perry House to take some holiday family pics, and I think they turned out great!

Later that day Keith's parents and Stacey arrive from Houston to spend Thanksgiving with us. Plus they brought Rory, the new puppy in the family. With 2 bottles of Sangria chilling in the fridge, I was looking forward to a fun holiday with family.

Dylan watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Poor baby was so entertained with all the marching bands...he doesn't stand a chance!

Rory sitting like a good girl! Dylan loved playing with Rory...it was definitely fun to watch.

Grandpa S enjoying some adult beverages while Thanksgiving lunch/dinner cooked.

Dylan's turkey from school :)

And of course playing with mommy's iPhone while waiting for the food to be ready...it's amazing how well he can work our iPhones and iPads on his own...he is SO my child!

And finally enjoying his first real Thanksgiving meal (not pureed)...yum!

But of course, with my luck, I decided to get a fever of 102 right before the food was ready. I wasn't able to eat much and laid on the couch for the remainder of the day as my fever slowly rose, even with DayQuil and Advil. By that night it was up to 104 and I was not feeling okay. The next morning I went to see my doctor who said it sounded like I had the flu and it looked like I had strep, however both tests came back negative. He still prescribed me an antibiotic and cough syrup as well as a steroid shot, and after spending most of the day in bed, I finally started feeling better by the evening. Unfortunately that meant no Black Friday shopping for me :( Thank goodness my wonderful in-laws were in town to help Keith. They helped him cook Thanksgiving, clean up the mess afterwards, and take care of Dylan...I'm so grateful! That night we were at least able to put the lights on the tree.

Yesterday we finished decorating the house for Christmas...it's the most wonderful time of the year!!! Dylan was such a good helper, however he still doesn't realize that the ornaments need to stay on the tree...especially the ones that have his pictures and the cat's pictures on them.

Helping daddy with some ornaments...

Dylan didn't want to put up "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" ornament...he thought it was actually the book and wanted to read it.

Unpacking some boxes...

Trying to stand both snowmen up...

Yea Dylan!

Today Joey and Dylan helped Keith put the lights up outside. We still need to buy some more outdoor decorations (apparently what we've been using the past few years isn't going to cut it anymore), but other than that, we're ready for Santa!!!

Helping Daddy with the lights...

Not enjoying it...

Then running away..."you can't make me work, I'm only one!!!"

Dylan's cast comes off!!!

Well the big day finally came...Dylan's cast was removed, yea!!! In the past 2 weeks he's learned how to get around really well with it on. It didn't even phase him anymore, with the exception of not being able to play on the playground at school. And since his teacher's at school were so great with him (and me) I decided to make them a "thank you" card.

I've seen so many people using chalkboards in their pictures and wanted to try it too. However no one sells cute chalkboards, so I made my own. I just bought a cute picture frame and painted the glass with chalkboard spray paint. I made it specifically for this picture/idea, but its definitely a must for future pictures now!

Keith sneaking in on Dylan's pictures :)

While at the park there was a man there playing with his remote-controlled car...he ran to go check it out!

The last few days in his cast!

On Tuesday Keith took the morning off to take Dylan back to Children's so we could hopefully get the cast removed. Luckily the x-rays showed good bone growth and we were given the "OK" we were hoping for. We were so excited!!! Aside from a scab on his heel due to the cast shifting, his leg was okay, just a little stinky. He sometimes walks like he still has the cast on and is still turning his left foot out, but they said he should fix that in about 2 weeks. When I picked him up that afternoon I was so happy to see him outside on the playground with his friends again. I didn't realize how much that stupid cast affected me until it was finally gone...it was like a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt more relaxed Tuesday afternoon than I've felt since the trip to the ER last month. It's so great to have my Dylan back :)

Wednesday was Keith's birthday so for dinner we went to Uncle Julio's. Dylan has started to love Mexican food lately, and apparently the music too!

The cutest video I have of him so far!

Today Dylan is 18 months...where does the time fly! Daddy took him to the park this morning and we were going to take Dylan to the UNT football game tonight (his 1st this football season) but unfortunately he's had a fever of 104 all day, so we stayed home and let Keith go. I hope he starts feeling better soon, we have a whole week off to play! So excited for Thanksgiving!!!

Measuring Dylan's height!

He's grown so much in 4 months :)

My little bookworm...