An Update on a Little Bit of Everything

Just in case you're wondering if we've surfaced out from under all of that dust (see last post), well, after a new air filter and way too much floor mopping and dusting and vacuuming, I think that we're back to our normal, livable level of filth!

Here's an update on what we've been up to the last couple of weeks.

We spent Thanksgiving with the Brown side of the family down at the farmhouse near Timpson, and it was so nice and relaxing and tasty, too. While there, after a fishing trip with Dad and PaPa, Dane got to enjoy his first bubble bath in the claw foot bathtub there. I think he liked it, and I'm pretty sure his friends will love to make fun of him for it someday. You can't beat a good bubble bath!

After we returned home, we got our Christmas tree put up, and I always like to get a picture of Dane helping decorate it.

The following Tuesday, we all dressed in our red shirts and posed for our annual Brown family Christmas picture, the first of many with our completed family. Growing up, I always dreamed about my husband and kids and what they would be like, and whether I would have boys or girls, and it is the neatest feeling to finally get to see how God put my family together - my wonderful, one-of-a-kind husband, and my sweet, nutty favorite boy and girl ever! Fun! So, this year's pictures are really special to me. Not exactly sure what was going on with Dane's smile that night - I guess the sticky candy cane mouth didn't make things any better!

After our photo shoot, we went to the Kilgore Christmas parade, the best small town Christmas parade around. Dane had lots of fun, and Sydni slept through the majority of it. After we got home, Lane took a few pictures of me and the kids together, and then I took some more of the two of them together. They were being so sweet.

This week, Sydni has made several big developmental strides. Last Friday, she sat up all by herself for about 2 minutes. She did slump forward to chew on her toes, but she didn't fall back or to the side for a couple of minutes. Then, Saturday morning, she finally rolled from her back to her tummy, so now she is able to roll across her blanket, which is so neat! Yesterday, we got the walker out, and Dane had fun pushing her around the house.

Also, yesterday, Dane and I spent a lot of the day working outside putting the Christmas lights up. Sydni was gracious and took two really long naps during the day, so we just took the monitor out there with us and were able to get everything done. I thought it was funny that, as we moved around the yard, we would carry the monitor around with us, and Dane said at one point, "I'll just put Sydni right here", as if the monitor was actually her. While we were out there, for some reason, I asked Dane if he wanted me to help him climb the live oak tree in our front yard. Of course, he said yes. Like most all live oak trees, it's got great branches for climbing and holding on to, so Dane was able to find a spot to straddle and hold on and feel pretty safe. Obviously, I thought that was a big milestone for him, so I grabbed the camera and took some pictures of him up in the tree. It was one of those really fun moments with him that, in the middle, I had to catch myself and keep from getting emotional about how big he's getting and how fast he's growing up. Wow, I love that little boy! I have a feeling that some really fun times are around the bend with him!