Christmas with the Stephens!

Wow! Is this really all for me?

Thank you Aunt Lauren and Uncle B!

Enjoying Griffin playing with his toys

I LOOOOVVVEEE Christmas!

Gigi and Papa J gave me my cool car!

Love my little red wagon

Special ornament from Bop

I LOVE presents!

Wednesday night we had our Christmas with Jason's family. Gigi made us her delicious spaghetti and meatballs. Then Griffin opened all his wonderful gifts! Aunt Lauren and Uncle B really spoiled him up with a baby laptop, piano, bath toys, and lots of very cute clothes. Gigi and Papa J got him a precious Radio Flyer Wagon, lots of precious clothes, and a push car which he LOVES! Griffin also got a very special ornament from his Great Grandmother Bop. I know each time he hangs it on the tree we'll be reminded of this special first Christmas! We are so very thankful for all of our gifts and most of all for the time spent with family!

Amazing 10

This has been the most life changing, amazing, exciting, 10 months of our lives! We love you Griffin! Thank you for showing our hearts a love we never knew existed! You make each day worth living. We are so excited about your first Christmas, and can't wait to see what the next year holds for our family!

SANTA...not so scary after all!

We took Griffin to see Santa last week, and I totally expected a melt down since we are dealing with separation anxiety. However, Jason set Griffin on Santa's lap and he didn't make a peep. No smiles but no tears either and that's what I call success!

Christmas Parties

We had two Christmas parties last Saturday. The first was The Annual Gullo Family Christmas Party! This year it was held in Uncle Antone's car museum in Magnolia, TX. This place is awesome, and the guys were in heaven. Jason, James, and Brandon loved looking at and taking pictures of the hundreds of collectible cars in this private museum. Some of the highlights were a Hemi Cuda valued at around 3 million, the Delorian from Back to the Future, Elanor from Gone in 60 Seconds, and I'm sure Jason has many more favorites! Papa J was so sweet and took Griffin on a merry go round ride and to see the train. It was a great party!

They have an amazing Christmas light display outside the Gullo's home

Riding shotgun with Santa

With Papa J on the Merry Go Round

Uncle Antone was offered 3 million for this car several years ago!!!

The boys with Elanor

I love this one...gotta have that thumb!

After the fun at the car museum we headed to our friends the Soler's for a Christmas dinner party! We put the babies to bed in their pack and plays and then we had so much fun (maybe too much)! They had a Rocklette (sp?) set up for dinner which is a hot grill where you cook your own veggies and meat. We also played Catch Phrase and Guitar Hero. It was a great night, but we were so tired from too much holiday fun!!!

Holly, Me, Lluvia, and Heather

Jason beating me at Guitar Hero

It's Beginning....

It's Beginning

To Look

A Lot

Like Christmas!!!

Twinkies

My mom bought Griffin this little doggie outfit at a garage sale and I thought it was too cute! Jeter wasn't so amused!

9 Months

We can't believe our sweet baby is already 9 months old! He has brought us more joy than we ever have thought our lives could hold. This has been a tough month for sickness (double ear infection and a stomach bug), but our little one has been such a trooper. Griffin is really changing from a baby into a little boy. It makes me kind of sad, but proud all the same. He is moving around everywhere, and loves to pull up on anything he can get close to. He also LOVES to walk around (with help), but the Dr. told us to keep making him crawl so he learns the natural progression of walking. Makes sense, but Griff is not too happy about it. If you get your hands anywhere near him he will grab your fingers and try to get you to walk him around. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Jason's family EXCEPT...poor Griffin had a stomach bug that he passed around to just about everyone!!! Jason and I never got it, but his parent's, sister, friends, and other family fell victim to the Griffin Bug :(. We ended up still going to Austin for the weekend and had a wonderful shopping day in Fredricksburg on Saturday and a great time relaxing with family! Here are some things Griffin is doing at 9 months:

- weighs 20 lbs. 8 oz. (37 %)

- height 28 in (39 %)

- Still has his own funny style of crawling like a caterpillar or inch worm but has gotten quite fast!

- loves to pull up on anything and everything

- loves to snuggle up with a book

- loves bath time and going for stroller rides

- not so much a fan of the nursery at the Y anymore :(

- making many sounds (dadada, nanana, bababa, no mama yet!)

- claps his hands

- loves to play with water

- can crawl up stairs

- still takes two hour and a half naps a day and sleeps 11 hours at night

Oh yeah, the pictures are from a session with had with a great photographer. Griffin was not feeling well at all and I probably should have rescheduled, but she ended up getting some really good pictures! http://www.kristinkingphotography.blogspot.com/.

WHAT!!!

"MOM!!! Did I hear you right? Did you say I'm getting another cousin in May?!?! YIPPEE!"

That's right Griffin, Aunt Lauren and Uncle B are going to have a baby!!! Baby Fisbeck is due May 25th and we couldn't be happier for them!!! We feel so blessed that Griffin will have cousins to grow up with, and we know they will be best buddies!

Fuzzy Wuzzy

FUZZY WUZZY WAS A BEAR
Where did this child get his crazy hair? From his momma of course!!! Griffin's hair stands straight up and the more that grows in, the wilder it gets. We try everything to comb it down for special occasions, but give it ten minutes and the finger is back in the socket!!! We happen to think Griff is going to be a genius because with that hair, he must be related to Einstein!!! It's really pretty stinking cute...spoken like a true momma of course!

Precious Time

We just got back from spending some precious time with my new nephews! It was such a blessing to be able to get to know these two sweet boys, and I got plenty of snuggles. Griffin enjoyed meeting his cousins and loved playing with all their toys! Jason flew in from Japan on Friday, and we had the baptism on Saturday. We are so honored to be Carson's Godparents. Lyndon and Carson weigh just above 9 pounds now, and they are such good babies. They look very similar, but I can definitely tell them apart now. Lyndon looks so much like Leslie's family, and Carson has a little more Conner in him. Carson is the squeaker of the two and Lyndon has a bit of a temper. :) They both love to snuggle and totally stole my heart! They almost had me convinced I was ready for another baby, until my mom and I took the night shift. It was a gentle reminder of how little sleep you get with a newborn! I enjoyed every precious moment with these two, and I miss them already.Lyndon on the left and Carson on the rightJason getting a snuggle from CarsonOur sweet boy at the baptism



Leslie and I getting the boys readyMommy and GriffProud Papa (Lyndon-left Carson-right)

I love my cousins! (That's Lyndon)

Missing Daddy

Jason left Saturday morning for a business trip to Japan and we sure are missing him. I can't even imagine being a single mom full time, and I've had good help. Papa J came to babysit Griffin on Sunday so I could get a head start on Christmas shopping. I think the two had a fun time, and how special for Griffin to get some one on one time with his grandpa. Griffin and I are leaving for San Antonio today to meet the twins!!! I can't wait to finally snuggle my precious nephews, Lyndon and Carson and I'm excited for Griff to meet his cousins. Jason will fly in there on Friday and the twins will be baptized on Saturday. We are so honored to be Carson's godparents. I'll post pictures when we get back! We love you and miss you Daddy!

A Trip to the Zoo!

Last Friday when my parents were here we decided to take Griffin to the Houston Zoo! It was a beautiful, chilly morning and we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Of course Griffin is a little young to fully appreciate everything there, but he liked looking at the bigger animals (giraffes and elephants) and the trees, birds, trash cans....ect. :) He also liked the goats at the muddy petting zoo. It was wonderful to see Griffin having such a good time with his Mimi and Pops! Hey Mr. Goat...down hereMimi took him on the carouselGot Sophie...Let's go!

In the aquarium tunnel

Almost as tall as the giraffes

Happy Halloween!

Wow! What a fun filled, crazy Halloween weekend it was! We started off Thursday with a Halloween party at the library. Griffin, RJ, and Elijah were all skeletons. They had a great time eating blueberry muffins and looking at all the other kids dressed up. My parents flew in Thursday evening for a visit! We went to the zoo on Friday (more pics to come) and out to eat sushi that night. Saturday was a busy day. The weather was beautiful but much too hot for the dinosaur costume, so Griffin was a skeleton again. We went to a Halloween birthday party for Dylan who was turning two. They did an amazing job decorating and the kids had so much fun. Griff was obsessed with the blow up Dracula and witch and couldn't take his eyes off them. Then we went back to our house to grill out and watch football. We had quite a crew with Mimi, Pop, Gigi, Papa J, Aunt Lauren, Uncle B, Great Aunt Annie, and Aunt Lindsy. We all took Griffin to a few houses to trick or treat. Some of our neighbors have a very scary set up, but Griff loved looking at the red eyes on all the zombies and skeletons! It was the best Halloween and even though I know Griffin won't remember it, we sure will!!! He was one tired baby by the time he finally went to sleep!Ready for the party! I gave Griff a little mow hawk :)The Skeleton Crew...impossible to get a good picture!A ride on Papa J's sholdersLoving the DraculaNot sure about the ghouls...Going Trick or Treating

Pop's carved the Jack o Lantern...Griff was one tired pumpkin!