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/.