Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 23rd

It was another whirlwind of a day for the Jones household! We started our morning with a trip to the post office to order Easton's passport. Easton and I are hoping to go see our friends Amy & Sophie in Germany, so we wanted to be prepared and ensure that the passport arrives in time. We then had breakfast at Batson's Galley in Surf City. We had every intention of heading to Danville today to begin our holiday trip ..... the did not happen as planned. By the time we got everything *somewhat* ready to go, it was already 2pm which would put us in Danville too late. So instead we got some projects completed around the house, ran a few errands and ate out AGAIN, this time at Sawmill Grill in Hampstead. Wow, two meals out in one day, that's a Christmas present in itself to not have to cook :-)

When we got home from errands we gave Easton his gift - we saved the best for last (or worst, depending on how you look at it). The last time we were visiting in Virginia my Mom let me try out her new sewing machine to make "Jingles the Christmas Mouse." It turned out alright considering my lack of sewing skills ... this was the first thing I've ever sewn (other than a button). So I am calling this the "best" gift since it was made by me and was a labor of love. Easton didn't seem to mind the crooked seams, here is is meeting "Jingles" for the first time:

Easton seems to like Jingles!

Awe - giving Jingles a kiss

Um....don't Easton the mouse, Easton! :-)

Not the best pic, but you can see Jingles clearly in this one --- WOW, someone needs to wash those fingerprints off of the fireplace! :-)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 22nd

I spent the morning at the spa getting my hair cut/colored, eyebrows waxed and even treated myself to a pedicure! Jason & Easton hung out and played at the house while I was getting pampered - what a nice treat! When I got home we had lunch, then gave Easton his gift for the day. He received a pair of baseball Robeez ... he already has these in the smaller size, but now he has the next size up to grow into. I know, I am always planning ahead! :-)

We also opened our gifts for one another ... we decided instead of dragging all of our stuff to VA we could have a mini-Christmas together before we leave. Here are some pics of Easton getting his Advent present today:

Look! I got more shoes!!! :-)

Smiling boy....

He kept holding the box out by the handle .... maybe I just need to purchase a bunch of Robeez boxes for him to play with! :-)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 21st

Do you ever feel like there are not enough hours in the day? Today was one of those days ... not to bore you with details, but our day was packed with finalizing details for Easton's 1st birthday party, getting my Poppy's Christmas gift which required us to drive all over Jacksonville & Camp Lejeune, a grocery store trip and of course taking care of Easton in the middle of it all. We got home from our errands around 7pm, changed and fed Easton and had to give him his daily gift while he was eating! How's that for multi-tasking???

Today's gift goes along with presents from Dec 12th (Fisher Price Stack & Surprise Block Set) and Dec 19th (Peek-a-boo Frog) .... today it was the Peek-A-Boo Bee! :-)

Awe .... he looks so angelic (don't let him fool you) :-)

There's that cheesy grin we all love!

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 20th

Whew - what a day! Easton woke up earlier than usual, so the day was off to a not-so-great start. I was scheduled to keep Natalie's son, Canaan, while she went to a dentist appointment .... however, her car wouldn't start due to a dead battery so she had to cancel her appointment. Once Jason got home from work, he took Nat to get a new battery - while they were gone both kids decided to have simultaneous meltdowns .... yay for me! A quick call to Natalie made me realize that food was the answer, so out came the snacks and all was well :-)

Jason had a few issues with changing out the battery, but finally got Nat's car up and working again. While he worked, Nat, Canaan, Easton & I had a mini-playgroup with Grace, Ruthie, Diana and Esther. The kids played together for several hours while the moms had coffee and talked about everything from coupons to baby stuff ... have I mentioned lately how much I love these playtimes? I honestly think they are as good for the moms as they are for the kids!

After everyone left, Easton took a short nap then we had dinner. After dinner it was bathtime, and also an appropriate time to give Easton his gift for the day .... bath toys! It's a really cool set with a boat that comes with a captain, fishing rod, fish and other fun goodies. Easton really seemed to like his gift, check him out:

"Oh fun ... a gift for me!"

"I LOVE IT!"

Playing w/ the captain of the boat - notice the strategically placed washcloth :-)

WOW! Where did that fish come from????

Uh....Easton - you are not supposed to EAT the fish, just play with them :-)

Weekend Update: Advent Calendar Countdown Dec 17 through 19

Friday Dec 17th: My parents left around lunchtime on Friday, and Easton & I spent the afternoon hanging out and relaxing. Once Jason got home, we gave Easton his gift for the day .... another Christmas book, this one is called "Santa's in Town" and has big flaps with ornaments & presents under them. Here's Easton with his new book:

Checking out his book ---- but checking out his Dad (who is sitting off to the side) more :-)

Easton "reading" his book ..... not really!

Saturday Dec 18th: Saturday was another lazy day .... it was rainy and yucky outside, so we spent the day inside. Later that afternoon I headed out to do some shopping at Walgreens & Harris Teeter & got some great bargains. Jason fixed some tasty tacos for dinner.

Easton's gift for the day was a t-shirt from babygap that has a rock-n-roll guy on it - apparently this makes him laugh! :-)

"Check out my new shirt!"

Awe - so sweet!

It looks like he's saying, "Who? Me?" :-)

Sunday Dec 19th: The rain finally stopped, so we all headed out for lunch and a CVS trip. Naps & playtime were in order during the late afternoon, and then Jason fixed us tuna cakes and mac&cheese for dinner ..... man, I am getting spoiled, he fixed dinner two nights in a row! Easton received the Fisher Price Peek A Boo Frog, which goes with his gift from Dec 12.

All smiles with his new toy

"Here Dad, you wanna play????"

Playing "peekaboo" with his Peek A Boo blocks :-)

As a side note ..... this daily advent gift has been a ton of fun, but is starting to wear me out! There is the whole picture-taking process to deal with - even Easton, who is quite the photo subject and little poser, takes anywhere from 10 to 40 shots to get a few "good" ones. Then there is the upload process, which involves editing, picking out the best ones, etc. Then we have the "upload to Facebook" process, which in some ways is the most challenging because I have to pick my favorite (out of 20, 30, even 40 pics). Finally, there is the "update the blog" process - which is challenging simply because it requires me to recall what we've done in the past 24 hours (or in this update's case, the past 72) :-) Note to self: Do not procrastinate on the remaining updates :-)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 15th & 16th

Uh oh! I am slacking a bit and fell behind on the daily Advent posts. Here's what's happened the past few days....

Wednesday Dec 15th: My parents took us out for a nice dinner at the Cracker Barrel - Easton at SO much! He had a little off of everyone's plate and tried ham, biscuits, green beans, mac & cheese, french fries and fried apples. It's a random sampling of food, but he didn't seem to mind. :-) We stopped at a few stores after dinner then checked out Christmas lights on our way home. Easton received a Christmas Tag Jr. Book for his gift. I believe "someone" (aka Gammy & Pappy) is giving him the Tag Jr. Reader for his birthday, so these gifts will go nicely together. He's also modeling his new shirt that Gammy & Pappy got him this week:

Posing w/ his "Christmas in a Manger" Tag Jr. book

" Yay - I love my new book & can't wait to chew on it!" :-)

Smiling happy boy!

Thursday Dec 16th: Thursday was a busy day! Easton & I went to our weekly playgroup, hosted by Grace & Ruthie. My parents decided to stay home and relax while we went to play. We got back around lunchtime - Easton took a nap while I did some work, had lunch then headed out to meet Jason on base. We had scheduled to meet with an attorney to finalize our will before Jason heads off to Afghanistan. My parents watched Easton while we took care of business. When we got home my Mom had prepared a tasty dinner of chicken with gravy over rice, veggies and yeast rolls. Easton wore his gift for the day all day, here are some pics:

What a nice, warm outfit!

He loves playing w/ these Christmas coasters ... they were the only thing that would keep his attention during picture taking :-)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 14th

Brrrr - it is COLD outside! We mostly hung around the house and had a laid-back day. Later in the afternoon, my Mom and I headed out to do some shopping while Easton spent some one-on-one time with his Pappy. We had spaghetti for dinner, then gave Easton his gift for the day. He was in need of a winter coat, so I snagged a deal on a cute puffer jacket at Children's Place:

All smiles in his new, warm coat

Making faces at his Pappy

All bundled up and ready for the cold! :-)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 13th

Today we had several of Easton's friends over for a playdate ... Sophie, Aubrey, Vaughn and Canaan all came over & played for several hours this afternoon. The moms & my parents enjoyed some baked goods and hot chocolate. The playtime ended with a popcorn tin being spilled and a diaper blowout ... but good times were had by all! :-)

After playgroup we had chicken tenders and fries for dinner, then gave Easton his gift for the day ..... well, it's actually more of a gift for us right now. But the plan is to start a tradition of giving him a Christmas movie each year. This year's pick - Disney's "A Christmas Carol" with Jim Carrey! Jason & I saw this in the theatre last year while I was VERY pregnant with Easton, so I thought it would be a good choice. However, after watching the movie tonight (after Easton went to bed) I am thinking he won't be seeing this classic for quite some time .... it's kinda scary! Enjoy the pics below - WARNING - Easton is a CHEESER in these!

Easton posing with his gift for the day

"Uh .... Mama, I can't watch this .... it's rated PG" :-)

Such a cheesy (but happy!) little guy

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 12th

My parents (aka Gammy & Pappy) arrived today on Sunday Dec 12th. We had lunch at Sawmill Grill, then went to Independence Mall in Wilmington so Easton could get his picture taken with Santa! He was mesmorized by Santa and kept staring at his beard .... we finally got him to look at the camera for a photo:

After visiting Santa, we did some shopping then relaxed at the house while Easton played and entertained everyone. It was a big day in the gift department for Easton ... in addition to receiving his Advent gift from us, he also got some Christmas gifts from Australia!!! My mom's friend, Sharon, and her daughter sent Easton some great surprises. Here are some pics:

He loved his "Roo" from Erin!

Unwrapping his gift from Sharon....


Sharon gave him "An Aussie Night Before Christmas" book - thanks, Sharon & Erin!!

Dec 12th Advent gift: Fisher Price Stack & Surprise Block Set

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 11th

It was a rainy, dreary day but we still managed to have some fun. Today was Ryder's first birthday party. Easton met Ryder in our Mom & Baby yoga class and they've been good buddies ever since. We also saw his friend Ruthie at the party - these are all kids that regularly get together for playgroup so they of course had a fun time hanging out.

We celebrated with Ryder and had some tasty Brunswick stew and corn chowder to eat. Emily, Ryder's mom, made a cute car cake for Ryder and it was so fun to watch him tear into it and make a mess! Easton was all tuckered out after the party and took a long nap while Jason and I stuffed envelopes with invitations for Easton's 1st birthday celebration! When he woke up we gave him his gift for the day - a Christmas book! Take a look at the pics:

Checking out his "I LOVE CHRISTMAS" book

Hey Mama & Dada, let me read you a story! :-)

Such a pretty boy - but check out his poor chapped cheeks :-(

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 10th

Today was a low-key day ... we ran a few errands and then relaxed around the house this afternoon. I made "Husband's Delight" casserole for dinner (which is a recipe that both my Grandma Daniel & mom used to make often). We let Easton stay up past his bedtime and play with his "Dada" since he didn't get to see Jason much this week. Jason's been working crazy long hours so Easton & Jason have really been missing their time together lately.

Easton received some sippy cups for his daily gift - unfortunately, he liked posing with them and playing with the packaging more than actually drinking out of them :-( Shame on me for trying a different brand - he is "brand loyal" to the Munchkin brand cups, so I guess we need to get more of those. Check out the photos below:

Looking at his sippy cups ...

Smiling & wearing his new outfit from Day 9 :-)

Check out that drool (or "sugar" as my mom calls it!)

Advent Calendar Countdown: Dec 9th

What an exciting day!!! Today was our Holiday Gift Exchange playgroup .... a few months back we all drew names and bought a gift for one child (instead of buying for 6 of them!). The moms also baked sweet treats for a dessert swap. I have a ton of great pics from the playgroup, so I'll put those in a separate post. After playgroup Easton crashed and took a 2 1/2 nap (yay for time to get stuff done!!!) After his nap we headed out to run a few errands - Easton was all bundled up and looking cute as ever. He got several compliments and was his usual charming self. This was great since the past few days he's been a bit irritable. I think we're back on track .... it was a good day!

Below, Easton is wearing the socks from Day 5 and the shirt from Day 8 while holding his gift for today, December 9th. It's hard to tell what today's gift is from the photos .... he received a sweater outfit from Baby Gap - I had been "stalking" this outfit just waiting for it to hit the clearance rack. You know me and a bargain! :-) I'll be sure to post a pic of him actually wearing it so you can get a better idea of what it looks like. Now - onto the pics!

" Look what I got, Mama!"

"I love my new sweater outfit!"

There's that devilish face again .... it's always making an appearance!

Happy, smiling boy!

Playing w/ his new toy (thanks again, Grace & Ruthie...he loves it!) :-)