Bye Bye, Baby Curls!

Daddy was getting tired of Jack's lengthening locks, so it was time for the first trim! Mommy was very sorry to see the adorable curls go away, but knows her little guy is getting to be a big boy and needs a big boy haircut. Mommy's experience at giving haircuts isn't very extensive, so try not to look too closely at the hairline... I need some practice. But he's trimmed and looking quite "dapper" as Chatty would say.

Touchdown! Jack Boyd is ONE!

Jack Attack is ONE! We had a birthday party with a lot of visitors! Mimi and Papa (Cutter), Grandma and Grandpa (Boyd) came down from Colleyville and Grapevine. Aunt Aimee and Uncle Brett have moved back to Texas for good now and we were so excited they could come! We had friends from the neighborhood, work, and school. It was such a fun day. Jack handled it quite well, despite all the people. As you can see, he loved his chocolate cake! At first he wasn't quite so sure of what to do with it, but after an initial grab and the celebratory song and candle extinguishment, the eating part came quite easily. Lots of friends "helped" Jack open his gifts. Catherine really liked having all those friends to play with in her room! She did a great job sharing her gifts!

Captain Jack is One!

Our big boy has had a great year! While he seems to be a bit more prone to illness than his big sister is, he is a fun, sweet, "talkative," and busy little boy. At his 12-month check-up with Dr. Joe, Jack weighed in at 24 pounds, 12 oz., putting him in the 75th percentile for weight. Not surprisingly, given Daddy's height of 6'5" and Mommy's of 5'8", our tall guy is 31.75 inches tall, putting him in the 95th percentile for height!

His hair is growing... it's time for a trim. Daddy says he has a mullet going on right now. Hmm... Mommy hasn't had the motivation to trim off the baby curls, just yet. Soon, though. Soon. Jack is cruising all over and pulls up on anything that will (and somethings that won't) let him. He loves to chase after his big sister and has gotten so fast on his hands and knees that we wonder if we can keep up. Put him down, turn your back, and he's GONE! His favorite spots are his sister's room, playing with the switch on the light inside the clothes dryer door, and making a beeline for the bathroom scale in Mommy and Daddy's room, to play with the buttons of course. I think my new scale profile says I'm male, 7'8" tall and 48 years old... Don't think that's quite right, Jack.

Jack likes to eat... and eat... and eat (of course)! His favorite foods are... well, anything. We've not really come across anything he doesn't like. He's pushing his eighth tooth through now, so gums are a bit tender, but he's willing to gnaw on anything he can shove in. He's not quite learned the concept of 'capacity' for his mouth, so he sometimes gets more in their than he can manage. He's looking forward to his birthday party on January 31st! I'll post again with that story! In the meantime, Happy Birthday, big boy!

A New 'Do for a New Year!

I took Catherine to get a big girl haircut today because I was starting to feel like we couldn't see her adorable face very well under all that hair! She's of course had haircuts in her life, but instead of going to "Cool Cuts 4 Kids," this time I took her to my hair stylist as I felt we needed a little inspiration. She enjoyed getting her hair washed despite not having a fun bath to go with it and sat very still in the big girl chair while Tiffini worked her magic. We are all very pleased with the outcome and I can't help but be a little sad that my little girl is growing, growing, growing so fast!

Christmas in Colleyville

Chatty and the Captain enjoyed spending Jack's first Christmas in Colleyville (and Grapevine) with grandparents and great-grandparents, an aunt, uncles, and many friends, new and old. Catherine really started to begin to understand Christmas traditions this year and it was so fun to watch her get excited and learn about what Christmas means.

Jack, of course, just thought it was pretty neat to have a new place to explore. He is finally "really" crawling now, up on his hands and knees. Sometimes I think he is imitating a tripod, or maybe a future football stance because he crawls (often on hard surfaces) with his two hands and up on his right foot, kind of dragging the left knee. I think he feels he can go faster this way. He really likes the treasure chest that Papa made for him. Catherine immediately began filling hers with all of her presents and "treasures."

For the second time in a year, my mother's parents joined us for a celebration in Texas. Earlier this year it was at Easter time for Jack's baptism. It was very special to have Jack celebrate so many milestones in his first year with his GGma and GGpa from California. Catherine and I also went with Mimi and GGma to a special tea party at the Ashton Hotel in downtown Fort Worth. What fun to have four generations of Sayer/Cutter/Boyd ladies together for such a neat experience!

Cold Comes to Texas!

It's been a winter of highs and lows, referring both to family drama and the outdoor temperatures! One day it's 25 degrees, the next it's near 80! Everyone's noses are running, but we're all pretty happy and healthy these days. Jack survived ear tube surgery (with less stress than Mommy), and Catherine is slowly figuring out that 5AM is NOT a good time to get up and get dressed. With Christmas a few days away, we're glad that it's nice and cold outside so we can enjoy our fires in the fireplace!

Aunt Aimee is staying with us while she and Uncle Brett are in the middle of a move back to Austin from Iowa. Christian has been having fun telling his brother, who is living in subzero temperatures most days, of our weather roller coaster. Catherine and Jack love having a live-in playmate, especially since she is way more fun than Mommy and Daddy! And Mommy and Daddy have taken advantage of rare opportunity to sneak away for a date! We may not let her leave!

Is it over yet?

We've been having technical difficulties throughout the month of November, here in the Boyd household. We're getting back online and back to our normal selves, but we're definitely ready for December!

November brought us illness, upon illness, Jack's 1st visit to the ER, layoffs at Freescale (where Allison works-- she still has a job), Mommy and Daddy away on business trips at the same time, our home computer crashing (we lost everything), and the list goes on and on.

We're reminded that life does just keep going and have tried not to get too hung up on these issues that will pass. Chatty and the Captain keep us laughing and it is just amazing how fast they are changing. We're looking forward to a new year... but as you can see here, we've got plenty of blessings right now...