Feet

Yes, that is his foot in his mouth!  Thomas finally conquered his feet a few weeks ago.  Now, they are just one more thing he puts in his mouth whenever he gets the chance.  He has recently started grabbing anything and everything in front of him and going straight for his mouth - it's seriously dangerous.  We've encountered hot plates, hot food, full drinks and more!  Fortunately, there have been no major mishaps yet, keep your fingers crossed.  The upside of this is that it is getting easier and easier to entertain Thomas with things like spoons, straws, sugar packets, and of course his million toys!  Just a side note, babies definitely don't need all of those toys with sounds and flashing lights for amusement.  Everything, even a spoon, is exciting, new, and fun for them.  In fact, it's fun for me too.  It's awesome watching Thomas discover something new, no matter what it is.  There seems to be a process that he goes through to explore the unknown... first, studying the object from afar with a very very serious expression, second, doing anything he can (rolling, scooting, leaning, reaching) to get to that object, and third, placing the object in his mouth.  Now, that first step only lasts a few seconds so if this new object is something dangerous there is only a short amount of time to realize what he's aiming for and put a halt to the process.  The second step is sometimes a lifesaver but can be very frustrating for T.  He gets closer to crawling every day but just isn't quite there yet!  The third step seems to be the most fun for Thomas but is hard on clothes and the newest prize, as both are subjected to tons of drool at this point (If anyone can enlighten me as to why everything must be put in his mouth, I'd love to know!).  Finally, there is usually some cooing or squealing over the object and then it is tossed aside to make room for the next adventure.  Oh, to live such a simple life!

Our Second Snow

Thomas experienced not his first, but his second snow this January.  What a cold, but kind of refreshing, way to begin a new year!  I think our final total here in Abbeville was between 4-6 inches, pretty major for this area.  We spent the snow days mostly hidden away in the warmth of our house.  On a few occasions we did venture out to play with the dogs and horses and to take some pictures.  We pulled out Trey's old baby snowsuit and dressed Thomas up for a quick "play" in the snow.  Thomas seemed pretty unimpressed and oblivious to the white blanket that covered and masked the normal greens, browns, etc of everyday life.  Now, over a week after the storm, we still have some snow/ice lingering on the ground and are crossing fingers in hopes that we will not get any more!  Spring is just around the corner right?

 To see more Christmas pictures, click here!

The ATL trip

We finally made it to Atlanta on Jan 8 to visit with the extended Moore family.  Thomas was welcomed by the big family and introduced to his final set of great grandparents.  We had a ball catching up with aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Thomas had a good time playing airplane with Trish, fiddling with his great granddad's remote, and just listening to his great grandma talk!  The big boys were able to squeeze in their annual outing to Best Buy, where plenty of toys were purchased.  Trips to visit the Moore family are always entertaining - we should do it more often!

4 generations of Moores!

 

Back Home

Thomas and I finally returned home to Abbeville on New Year's Eve.  We were exhausted from all the travels and Trey was wiped out from working overtime.  Needless to say, none of us managed to stay awake for the 12AM celebrations.  We welcomed the new year the next morning and will hopefully do better ringing in 2012!

The days and travels that followed...

After a great Christmas day, we woke up on the 26th to a white winter wonderland (Thomas's first snow!).  The Gorney family played our first annual SnoBowl on a treacherous field of snow and ice.  Joy began a petition for an additional summer game from here on out - we weren't sure if it was because of her love for the game or the desire to play in more favorable conditions, maybe both.  This year, Dad joined us for the first time and certainly held his own in a match-up with Ang the athlete!  Shortly after the game,  Thomas and I prepared for a trip to Pennsylvania while Trey readied to drive back to Abbeville in the snow.

As we started out on the 27th with an 11 hour drive ahead of us, I had my fingers crossed, hoping that Thomas would use all this time to catch up on sleep.  And he did!  He couldn't have been more wonderful the whole way up.  Aunt Ang unknowingly provided entertainment - Thomas found her amazing and simply stared at her for what seemed to be hours.  I guess he realized that Ang was our savior and constant companion on this trip, helping with luggage, Thomas, driving home, and much more.  After a long day in the car, even more excitement lay ahead as Thomas got to meet his great Grandma and great Grandpap.

In the 2 days that followed, Thomas met more great aunts, uncles, and cousins than he could ever dream!  Thomas had a big time playing with cousins Olivia and Cameron at Sarah's house.   And lets not forget, he was playing at his great Grandma's house with Aunt Katie when he first rolled over from his back to his belly!

We were able to snap a few pictures of Grandma and Pap that night with 8 out of 9 great grandkids!

It was a great trip to good old PA!  I'm so glad everyone got to meet Thomas and that we were able to meet Cameron.

First Christmas

Thomas had a wonderful first Christmas!  It all started with a trip to see Santa in Greenwood, where Thomas smiled sweetly and passed on his wish list.  Santa must have been impressed, as he was very very good to T this year.  In addition to all that fun, we had lots of time to spend with our families over the holiday.  As usual, we attended 2 church services on Christmas Eve.  Thomas was the cutest baby around in the outfit that Aunt Katie and Uncle Martin gave him.  We did have a little poop incident about 5 minutes into the first church service, but that didn't stop him from wearing his Santa outfit!

On Christmas morning, we woke up at the Moore's house for our first look at Santa's work!

Then, we made our way over to the Gorney house for more gifts and celebration.  Thomas had a ball all morning playing with his great new colorful, singing, vibrating toys and inspecting new books and clothes!  It was definitely a merry Christmas full of fun, family, and food (2 incredible Christmas dinners, to be specific!).