SEASON'S GREETINGS

Such a busy time, but what a good time. KJ, Kurt and I were flying all around Michigan, through horrible weather and navigating bad roads, to spend the Christmas with our family and friends.

We took a trip up to Almont on Christmas Eve following mass at St. Clement's to celebrate with Kurt's family. KJ was trying to crawl down the aisle at church and kept laughing at his toys during the homily. It was cute, but a bit embarrassing. He was a good boy, just full of it. Thank goodness that Father Steve had us in and out of church in under an hour. He opened his first gifts at Grandma Schuster's house. He liked to eat the wrapping paper more than he liked the presents, but I have a feeling that the presents will grow on him.

We decided to leave Christmas Eve, since KJ was sleeping so soundly, to travel back to Kalamazoo for Christmas Day with my side of the family. KJ was excited to wake up Christmas morning to open gifts from his uncles and grandparents. Santa did not make the trip to Kalamazoo this year-- roads were too bad. He was sad that he couldn't play with his Uncle Brad since he was sick, but made sure to get lots of kisses from his Uncle DJ.

8 MONTHS OLD

KJ turned 8 months old a few days ago. He is getting more fun by the day and I think that this is my favorite age so far. He is really starting to interact with us, show affection and act independently now that he can move.

New things the little man can do this month include crawling, pulling himself up, lots of sounds (he is talking in some language, we just don't know it), he knows his name and he is eating all kinds of big boy foods like toast, pancakes and noodles with his 6 teeth.

FIRST VISIT WITH SANTA

Kurt and I took KJ to visit Santa Claus on Sunday. Kurt and I had a great time, but KJ was a bit freaked out by the big guy in the red suit. It wasn't until Santa gave KJ a candy cane to chew on that he warmed up a bit to him. He loved sucking on that plastic wrapper!

We found Santa at a local nursery, Sherwood Forest, and it was a great setup. Santa had his own little cabin, the line to see him was two people deep and we could take as many pictures as we liked. After we visited, we went into the little Christmas Shop and bought a few ornaments to commemorate the trip. Count the coffee we bought before the visit and it was a perfect Sunday.

SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER

We did a small photo shoot for Christmas for KJ's card. He loves pictures. Before we took the pictures, he was whining and crying. As soon as I got the camera out and told him it was picture time, he was all smiles. What a ham!

In his church outfit...

On the good list, for sure...

Kurt wouldn't let me put this on the card, but I loved it...