The holidays are upon us...

The holidays are here and I can FINALLY say that I feel completely settled here in Florida. Every box (well, almost) is unpacked, pictures are on the wall, and Christmas decorations are up! So, now I feel like I can sit back, relax, and enjoy the holidays, and all of the chaos that comes with it. At least it will be a different type of chaos for the next few weeks.

It all started with Thanksgiving. We had a wonderful visit with Chris and Hannah. Jackson just adores them, although, it took him a minute to warm up to his crazy uncle Chris. We had great meals and spent some time on the beach while they were here. Thanksgiving Day was spent with the McLeans on Jessie and Rock's 20 acre property. What a wonderful place for all of the kids to run around. The day was complete with a bonfire and hayride. It was so fun to spend the holiday with a large family!

Walking to the beach for sunset...

Playing in the sand and water. This was right before going out to a nice dinner.

Jackson and Mae on Thanksgiving Day. They are only a few months apart in age.

 

This is the typical picture we usually get from Chris

Helping Jackson ride the bike. We coulnt keep Jackson off of this thing.

Family photo. Jackson was happier sitting with Chris and Hannah. Go figure!

Playing on the hay stack.

The day after Thanksgiving, Toby's parents and grandma came down from Tampa to visit us and see our new place. We explored Naples a bit and just relaxed at our place. It was a very nice visit, and great to see them since we didnt get to spend Thanksgiving Day together.

Opening a gift from great grandma Timmons.

Jackson laying on his new pillow from great grandma.

Jackson just adores his great grandma. He clung to her the whole time they were here.

Now we are full swing into Christmas festivities. The tree and decorations went up on Sunday. A visit to Santa was in order for Wednesday. I wasnt sure what to expect from this years visit. Last year was filled with tears. Well, mom and I were pleasantly suprised. It didnt take long for Jackson to warm up to him. He was all giggles on Santas lap. Next thing you know Santa was up out of his seat playing around with Jackson while we looked at the pictures that were captured. It was such a great experience. I cant wait for more Christmas fun to come!

Helping grandma put the Santa gel cling on the window. His favorite thing is peeling it off when the holiday is over, or sooner if he gets his way.

We turned around and Jackson had decorated his cruiser when we were putting lights on the tree.



Putting one of the first ornaments on the tree.



Kissing the sock monkey ornament that Grammy got for him.

Meeting Santa..

Getting warmed up to him..



Joking around...



Posing with Santa..





He's even letting Santa hold his hand..



Jackson found himself a new friend!



Happy Holidays!!!



Busy days....

These last few weeks have been quite a blur, and like Toby and I often say, hopefully some of the most stressful times we will ever know!  Along with the "downs" came many "ups". We have had a birthday celebration, a visit to the pumpkin patch, Halloween, and biggest of all, packing up and moving our entire house full of belongings from Charlotte, NC to Naples, FL. And of course in between all of this we have been working and trying to be the best parents we can be to our sweet but rambunctious little toddler. I was able to capture most of the last few weeks events on camera, so here it goes...

Helping Pa open a birthday present

At the Pumpkin Patch in North Carolina...

Getting ready to carve our pumpkin

The finished product

Playing in the moving truck...

Helping load the truck...

Our friends came over to hang out and help! Cooper and Lacey playing in the front yard

Carley posing for the camera

Cameron, helping load the truck

Anderson was eager to help as well

Our fireman getting a bag of candy from a friendly police officer on Halloween

Grandpa Timmons came to Naples to help unload the truck, so he got to celebrate Halloween with us as well!



Suprisingly, Jackson was not scared of all of the spooky Halloween decor

Opening a present from Grammy

One of the perks of living in south Florida, going to the beach in November!

Visit to Grammy and Pa's

Way back when, during the Spring time, I planned a trip to North Myrtle Beach with my best girlfriends from Charlotte. Even though we have since moved down to Florida and live about a mile from the beach, it meant a lot to me to follow through with this trip. My parents had agreed to watch Jackson at their house, so I took him and Sugar on a road trip (about 12 hours each way) up to NC. I spent the first few days in Charlotte hanging out with mom and dad. I was also able to fit in a couple of shifts at the hospital (I am still employed with them PRN) On Wednesday night I took off for my "girls beach trip" leaving Jackson and Sugar behind with Grammy and Pa. There were certainly no hurt feelings from the two of them because they had a blast the whole time I was gone. Sugar got to play non-stop with her long lost friend, TJ and Jackson got spoiled by the grandparents. On Friday evening, Chris, Bob, Katie, and Delaney joined the fun. From the looks of the pictures, it seems as if I am the one that missed out. At the end of the weekend, mom and dad were kind enough to meet me on I-95 so I could fetch up the boy and the dog. Then we were on the long road back to Naples. Here are some pictures of the fun that Jackson had while I was away...

Pajama Pals!

On Saturday, Jack and Delaney got to go to Discovery Place Kids!

In the firetruck with Pa

Look at what the kayak says on the side!

Aunt Chris helping Jack and Delaney put stuff together

My little car mechanic

I've never even milked a cow before and he accomplishes this at age 2!

Getting ready to dance on stage with the other kids

Arts and crafts time!

Watching football that afternoon in their respective jerseys

Jackson just adores his Aunt Chris

Katie and Delaney

It looks like Jackson is feeding Delaney some breakfast

We are so lucky that we got to live fairly close to the Schroeders and the Gladdens as long as we did. It is so special to see Jackson and Delaney play together. I just hope we can still manage to get them together fairly often, so that they can continue to grow up together.