Crazy "Nap-Head" Hair

Nathan has a long nap every afternoon from around 12:00 to 3:00. He often gets sweaty during his nap, even with the A/C. He also likes to snuggle up with the bumper pad in his crib. Well, the combination of these two factors have one interesting outcome. It's what I fondly call "nap-head." When he wakes up, his hair is crazy! Sometimes, it's a little crazy. Sometimes, it's a lot crazy! Either way, I think it's very cute and it makes me want to hug on him even more. The downside is that his "nap-head" hairdo usually lasts until he sleeps again that night or he has bath, so everyone we see in the afternoon and evening also gets to admire his "nap-head." Yesterday, he had a particularly wild 'do. Here's the pics...

Family Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It was especially fun now that Nathan is a little older. He knew just what to do with the presents, which is remarkable since the last time he opened one was for his birthday in May. Anyway, he enjoyed ripping off the paper with great gusto! He also liked passing out the gifts at my parents house. He would walk over to the tree, pick out a present, then take it to whomever we told him to deliver it. Of course, Nathan received many fun toys and thoroughly enjoyed helping with the assembly of each of them. He didn't really care about playing with the boxes (which is unusual, since most kids his age prefer the box over the toy).

We started a new tradition this year, and it was my favorite part of the holiday! We bought Nathan a Little People nativity set, which is like a regular nativity except it is plastic and made for little ones (so it's not breakable and not a choke hazard!) Every night before we took Nathan to bed, he sat in my lap and I read him a children's book that tells the story of the birth of Jesus. As I read, I used the characters in the nativity to act out the story. Nathan loved it! Usually, he requested to do the story a second time at night and also at various times during the day. After a few days, he could point out the characters when I said their names (Baby Jesus, Mary, Joseph, angel, sheperds, etc. ); and using the characters, he would re-enact the story on his own. We all enjoyed this tradition and it seemed like the perfect way to tell Nathan about the true meaning of Christmas. I pray he will undertand it more and more each year and will come to know Christ personally at a young age.

Family Christmas picture

Nathan playing with his Nativity set

Unwrapping a present with gusto!

Light display in Granbury with my parents- it was freezing cold, and Nathan was so bundled up that he couldn't put his arms down!

Pulling the beads off my parent's Christmas tree

We hope you had a good Christmas and have a new year full of God's grace!

Our Little Engineer

For months now, I've watched Nathan learn and play in his environment and I'm convinced he could be an engineer one day. Before getting on a ride-on car, he turns it over and inspects the wheels and makes them spin. He's very interested in how things work, putting something together and taking it apart, and studying everything meticulously. Here are some recents pics of him helping to assemble his wagon with Daddy and Grandpa (my dad).

Nathan's "Snow"

Nathan (18 months) played in the "snow" at Grammy and Grandpa's house while we were at Disney World. They said he laughed and had a wonderful time!