Halloween

Andrew definitely enjoyed Halloween a lot more this year. Last year he cried when we tried to dress him up as a turtle. He picked out his own costume - Superman - and enjoyed parties at school and on the trading floor where Bridget works. He walked around telling everyone that he was "Soupman". Andrew also enjoyed trips to 2 different pumpkin patches where he went on hayrides and play on tractors. Pictures are here.

2010 Weddings

We attended 3 great weddings this fall / winter and were lucky to have grandparent babysitters, which allowed Jason and I to enjoy some out of town travel.

- We attended Sandy & Tom's wedding in Charlotte on 10/9. Bridget used to work with Sandy, who has now gone into the wedding business - opening her own Bella Bridesmaid in Cleveland, OH. The weather was perfect and the wedding was held in a really great location in Charlotte that we had never seen - the VanLandingham Estate. Pictures can be found here.

- We attended Amy & John's wedding in Columbus, OH on 10/16. Amy is Bridget's childhood friend and was the happiest bride we've ever seen. The wedding was so much fun and was a family reunion of sorts because we've known many of the guests for almost 30 years. Pictures are here.

- We attended Ryan & Kate's wedding in Sanibel Island, FL on 12/4. Ryan is Jason's college friend and this wedding was in a beautiful setting and had by far the most memborable ceremony, vows, and officiant (our friend, Len Clamp). Pictures are here.

Catching up...

Since we are several months behind with blog posts, we thought we'd post a series of updates on what we've been up to. Stay tuned!

Grandma ("Ga Ga") and Grant Charles Theesfeld

Last weekend we went to Rocky Mount to surprise Grandma Martin ("Ga Ga" as she is affectionately called by Andrew) and to meet our new nephew, Grant Charles Theesfeld. It was a wonderful family weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Martin were so excited to have both of their little boys together. Jason, Andrew and I loved meeting Grant and seeing his proud parents, Melissa and Shawn. I got to have lots of cuddle time with Grant (I forgot what it was like to hold a little baby since mine is so big now) and we got to see Andrew's reaction to the baby. It was hard to keep Andrew still for a picture with his cousin, but he did enjoy saying 'baby" a lot, tickling the baby's toes and giving kisses.

We're so glad that Grandma was surprised and we can't wait for our next Martin/Theesfeld reunion.

Check out some of the pictures from the weekend here.

Start of Summer 2010 & 18 Month Photos

It's hard to believe that July is just around the corner. It's also hard to believe that Andrew is now 18 months old! Here are some updates in terms of what we've been up to so far this summer and highlights of some of Andrew's 18th month interests, achievements and whereabouts:

* We have successfully said goodbye to the pacifier...granted, this was not by choice...a fall while running in the kitchen that almost knocked his two front teeth out meant no more 'ba' and no more sippy cups. (The verdict on whether or not he'll be able to keep his front two teeth is still out.)
* Andrew loves playing outside and especially loves playing in the pool or anything water related. You'll see some pictures of Andrew enjoying his first swim lessons at the Y in our latest photo album. He also likes to see the big kids swim at our neighborhood swim meets.
* Andrew continues to say new words - we are working on 'Grant' as of late since the most exciting news of the summer has been the recent arrival of Andrew's adorable and first cousin - Grant Charles Theesfeld.
* We are lucky to be able to see Andrew's grandparents almost once a month. He gets so excited when he seems them (and vice versa!) and they are always a big help when they are around.
* Andrew is slowly starting to expand his menu (he's a super picky eater) with his recent favorites being strawberries and turkey burgers.
* We are gearing up for the 4th of July weekend and Andrew has been practicing the Pledge of Allegiance - he puts his hand over his heart when he sees his American flag book.

Here is a link to some recent pictures. Also, check out the Watch Andrew Grow page for his 18th month pictures.

Hilton Head 2010

We spent Memorial Day week in Hilton Head with Grandma and Pop Gibbons and Aunt Katie. It was a great and much needed vacation. We went to the beach / pool every day and Andrew loved the water (especially the fountains at the pool).

We enjoyed runs / walks on the beach every morning and ate way too much food (which necessitated the running / walking). Andrew liked running around on the beach pointing at birds and chasing waves. It was much different than last year where he sat in a bumbo seat under an umbrella the whole time.

It was a great week and it was so nice to spend time as a family. We're already looking forward to next year! Thanks to Grandma and Pop Gibbons for hosting our annual getaway!

For some pictures from the week, click here.

Trip to Wisconsin

We recently took a trip to Wisconsin to throw a baby shower for Melissa (Jason's sister), who is expecting in late June / early July. Also, it was a great opportunity to see family and spend time with Jason's grandparents.

Andrew was a fairly good traveler - he was a wiggle worm on both flights and required changing on the plane. Changing a baby in the cramped bathroom of a regional jet is very difficult. On the flight home, he fell asleep when the wheels touched down in Charlotte so he didn't really help us get any sleep on the flight.

The baby shower was nice and Melissa got a bunch of stuff for baby Theesfeld. Unfortunately, we were not smart enough to remember to take pictures of the baby's room, which was done by Jason's mom and looks amazing. During the shower, Jason and Fred did work around Grandma/Grandpa Martin's house.

A HUGE thank you to Jason's Aunt Jill and Uncle Chuck for putting up with the three of us for a few nights. It was great to see Andrew interact with his second-cousin, Braden.

For pictures of the trip, click here.

Easter 2010

I just realized that I forgot to post the pictures from Easter. We had a nice visit with both sets of grandparents. It was the week after Andrew started walking, so it was the first time he could walk up and greet them, which was cute. You'll also see that Andrew is obsessed with talking on the phone. Here's a link to some of the pics.

Trip to New Jersey

Earlier this month, we made a trip to New Jersey to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday and to introduce Andrew to some of the Gibbons/Lyons side of the family. The trip started with a girls trip to Atlantic City for some gambling, good food and good times. While none of us came home winners, we had a ton of fun and made 'friends' along the way because our 'Oh No the Big 60!' buttons with my mom's picture drew a lot of interest.

The trip continued with family time at Aunt Ellen and Uncle Doug's. Andrew was spoiled with lots of love and attention (and presents!) from all his northern relatives. It was great catching up with family and we hope to see everyone again soon.

For some pictures from the trip, click here.

Andrew Walks!

Sorry for the delay in posting...we've had a busy few weeks with various events and some sick days. But everyone is feeling better now.

This past week, Andrew had his 15 month check-up. He's gotten a lot taller over the past few months and has learned several body parts and animal sounds. And...to top things off...he started walking on Sunday (finally!). For so long, he's been literally running around behind push toys, but he finally figured out he could walk without support. Within a two hour timeframe, he went from walking about four feet at a time to walking around the whole house. We managed to get some of the early steps on video (sorry for the shaky camera work - we were excited).

Andrew's 1 Year Photo Shoot

We decided to have Jamie Carney (www.oasis-photography.com) take some pictures of Andrew at one year. She took his pictures at around 3 months old and they were great, but the recent shoot was even more fun. She got some great family photos as well.

Check out the pics here.

Andrew's First Haircut

Right after Christmas, Andrew got his first haircut. His bangs were getting in his eyes and the hair in the back was looking kind of shaggy. There was no way I was going to attempt to take scissors to his hair on my own because he is a total wiggle room. So, my mom and I took Andrew to a place called Pigtails and Crewcuts down the street from our house. It was great - he got to sit in this airplane chair / ride looking thing and pretend to fly while watching cartoons. This provided all the necessary distractions required to keep him still while his hair was cut. The hair stylist put a little hair gel in his hair when she was done and he looked like a movie star (this will be the last time he uses 'product' if his dad has anything to say about it).

Here are some pictures of the first haircut experience. He looks pretty pitiful in some of them, but it was a probably more fun for me and my mom to watch than it was for him to go through it.

What a difference a year makes

I forgot to post Andrew's 1 year 'Watch Andrew Grow' pictures so check out the latest pics here.

One Week

One Year

Merry Christmas & Happy 1st Birthday!

Over the past few weeks, we celebrated Christmas and Andrew's first birthday. We had a great time spending time with family and friends over the holidays and are still in denial that Andrew is 1!

We celebrated an early Christmas with the Gibbons side of the family. Andrew was more interested in climbing the nearby stairs than opening presents, but he was spoiled with clothes, toys and love. Click here for the early Christmas pictures.

We headed to Rocky Mount where we celebrated Christmas with the Martin side of the family. We had a great time and Andrew was spoiled with more clothes, toys and love. By this time, he
had more practice opening presents and seemed to have fun with the paper and ribbons. Click here for some pictures from our Rocky Mount Christmas visit.

On 12/26, we celebrated Andrew's birthday party while in Rocky Mount. The birthday boy was a bit timid around birthday cake, but he got into it once Aunt Melissa introduced him to the icing. Click here for pictures of Andrew's Rocky Mount birthday celebration.

On 1/2, we had Andrew's 'official' birthday party in Charlotte. Poor kid's birthday is so close to Christmas, but by this point, he was an experienced present opener and cake eater (well, sort of). Click here for more birthday party pictures and other pictures from the week.

Needless to say, we are extremely blessed to have such loving family and friends with which to celebrate these special occasions. 2009 was an amazing year and we can hardly believe that our little boy is already one. We hope that everyone has a happy and health 2010!