A Christmas to Remember!

Harper's first Christmas was just perfect. Can you believe we had a WHITE CHRISTMAS!? Although little mister is still too small to enjoy the snow, it was so beautiful and fun to see it fall on Christmas morning. We started off the day at our place. Erik, Harper, and I opened our gifts and stockings. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast made by my sweet husband. And we tried to capture everything on video. Now that was a little tricky. I had to hold the baby in on arm and unwrap gifts with the other arm while Erik filmed everything. We had a blast. Santa was very good to Harper this year. He brought him a Radio Flyer wagon, a ton of books, and more toys than we know what to do with. 

Next, we drove to Greenville to spend Christmas afternoon with Mimi and Papi. Nonnie, Brad, Chastity, Rayne, and Skylar joined in the fun. We ate a traditional turkey dinner with all of the fixings. Yum! And once again Harper was spoiled with a ton of gifts. We can't wait to see him play in his Baby Einstein jumper! It must be nice being the first grandson. Actually I am the first grandchild on both sides of my family, so I can relate. Haha! 

After Mimi and Papi's, we headed to Nana and Papa's in Spartanburg. We opened gifts first. There were so many gifts under the tree that the actually trickled over the couch and all the way underneath the piano. And lets just say a good majority of these were for the baby. He got all sorts of awesome toys. Auntie Jenna got him a Seasame Street walker, an awesome frog that projects the constellations onto the ceiling and plays nursery rhymes, and a ton of other fun things. Nana and Papa went a little crazy with the gift giving. I think they really enjoy buying baby things. He got a monogrammed baby chair. It is adorable!! A Leapfrog music station, play mats, an elephant gym, a V-tech 3-in-1 learning walker, DVD's, books, toys, rattles, and the list goes on an on. Mom decided to cook prime rib this year. It was amazing. We had a mint chocolate cake from Stroussner's Bakery for dessert. One of the best cakes I have EVER tasted. It was incredible. 

Now all the traveling on Christmas is slightly stressful but it is so worth it. We feel very blessed to live close to both sides of the family. We are so excited that Harper will get to grow up around so many people that love him. 

And although the food, festivities, family, fun, and gifts are wonderful it is also important to remember the true meaning of Christmas.

Isaiah 9:6-7

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. (7) Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Luke 2:8-12; 13-14

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields near by, keeping watch over their flocks by night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.""

Free Chick-fil-a!!

My favorite breakfast item?? That would be a chicken biscuit from Chick-fil-a. Wanna hear really exciting news!? Now they are going to offer a SPICY chicken biscuit. WOOO HOOO!!!!

Want a free one!? Sign up here! Yay for free Chick-fil-a!! (it says on the 27th but I did it today and it still worked.)

A Letter to Harper

Harper,

My sweet son, you are 3 months old. What an incredible 3 months these have been. At first I was a little scared and wrapped up in trying to figure out how to be a mom. But after a few days, all of the initial fears were gone and being a "mom" really came naturally to me. Not to mention, you have been a wonderful baby and have really made things easy on your mama. For the most part, you only cry when you are hungry. Now that cry comes loud and fast, and often but as soon as you start eating, you let out a little smirk and become happy again. You are just like your daddy, you love to eat!

You are animated and so alert, all I want to do is wait and see what you do next. You were born with bright eyes checking everything out and you still love to stare at everything around you. It is like you are taking every little thing in. We get stopped several times every day by complete strangers and their number one comment is that they can't believe how alert you are at such a young age (and they always throw in a comment about your beautiful blue eyes.) And when people stop to look at you, you almost always smile for them. It is adorable and everyone gets a kick out of it. Everyone loves your sweet smile and your amazing dimples.

It is crazy how much you change and grow every day! You love to cuddle and nuzzle into my arms. You always try to nuzzle your head into my neck. When I lay you down on the changing table, you immediately laugh and kick your feet up. You love to laugh and your sweet smile lights up the room. You love when I talk to you in a high-pitched voice. And you respond with the most adorable coos and sounds. I think you are trying to talk back.

Harp, you are my little sidekick. For the past 3 months we have done everything together. It is amazing that I can get so much joy from sitting there and staring at you. I love to hold you in my arms, sing the ABC's, and read you books. You let out the sweetest little laughs when we sing and read and they melt my heart! I love the way you sleep with your arms stretched above your head. When I go to pick you up after a nap, you keep stretching those little hands over your head and you usually let out a yarn. I love the way you grasp on to my index finger when you start to fall asleep.  I absolutely love being your mother. I savor and enjoy every moment we spend together.

We call you our little angel. You were an angel before you were born. When Nana learned that we were pregnant with you, it gave her a reason to keep fighting her cancer. When the doctors gave up, she didn't, because she was determined to meet her first grandson. You have humbled me and your daddy. You have already taught us the true meaning of happiness. We are beyond blessed to have you as our son. We love you more than you will ever know!

Love always,
Mommy

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

I am dreaming of a white Christmas!!! And it looks like a pretty decent possibility. HOW COOL would that be!? Harper's first snow and first Christmas. So I am keeping my fingers crossed. This is the current forecast and it looks GOOD! It is hard to believe considering it is gorgeous outside today but I am very excited at the possibility.

Today Sunny Hi 45 °F

Tonight Mostly Clear Lo 29 °F

Friday Mostly Sunny Hi 47 °F

Friday Night Snow/Sleet Lo 34 °F

Christmas Day Snow Likely Hi 37 °F

Saturday Night Snow Likely Lo 26 °F

Sunday Partly Sunny Hi 39 °F

Sunday Night Partly Cloudy Lo 20 °F

Monday Sunny Hi 37 °F

In other news, I think little man is teething. This means poor baby and poor mama. We went to Wal-Mart to try to pick up some teething tablets and they have all been pulled from the shelves. Just my luck! And to make matters even worse, they don't know when they will be back on the market. Do you ladies know of anything else that helps ease the pain. We got baby Orajel and a teething ring but that is all they seemed to have. Every mom I know swears by the teething tablets. So let me know if you have any other good remedies. I am kind of surprised he is starting so young. I thought we had another month or so. But he cries, sticks his little hand in his mouth or grabs my hand and bites on my knuckles. So it looks like he has started.

The big daycare debate has come to a close. As of right now I don't think I can send him to daycare. I had a huge scare yesterday and it really shook me up. I researched every daycare in the area and I went to visit a few. I had my top two. One in particular seemed very safe because they had surveillance and allowed the parents to watch their kids online. It was gorgeous facility and I was pretty impressed. Last night I was watching the news and a woman was arrested Wednesday with four counts of lewd act on a minor. She was a worker at the very daycare facility that I liked.  Talk about SCARY!! It made me sick to my stomach to think about. So back to the drawing board. I just can't stand the thought of putting little man at risk. I am sure this is rare but the fact that it was at one of the nicest, most expensive, and what I thought to be "safest" facilities really upset me.

I thought I would share a few of my favorite Christmas card photos with you all. Miss Lauren Gossett took these for us and I thought they came out fantastic.

Liberty Taproom and Grill

In college I worked at a restaurant as a server for several years. It was at a place called Liberty Taproom and Grill. In Columbia, it is located in the Vista. They opened one a few years ago in downtown Greenville. I loved working their because their staff was amazing. I actually met a few of my best friends at Liberty. The managers were great! And I really enjoyed the employee discount. I was spoiled in college and ate steak on a regular basis. My favorite meal was their prime rib... I always got them blackened. They also have the BEST crab dip appetizer. If you like salads go with their seared Ahi tuna salad. The asian honey lime vinaigrette on it is delicious! If you love Sunday brunch, I definitely recommend theirs! My favorite brunch items are the west end omelet, shrimp and grits, and the banana fosters toast! YUM.

Today on Living Social, they have a great deal. You can get a $40 gift card for $20!! Can't beat that!

Check it out here!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

This holiday season has been wonderful so far. We had a great Thanksgiving. Because both sets of grandparents live so close to us, we have two Thanksgiving feasts. We eat at Erik's parents for lunch and my parent's for dinner. So we are usually beyond stuffed by the end of the day. We decided to do a little black friday shopping but not nearly as much as we usually do. This year Wal-Mart split up their black friday sales. The first sales started at midnight and then the electronics went on sale at 5AM. Luckily, we did not need any electronics this year. When we arrived at Wal-Mart at 11:45PM there were already tons of people waiting in the electronics lines. 6 hours is a LONG time to wait. But they seemed to enjoy themselves. Some people had lawn chairs, some were knitting, others napping. And hopefully they all got what they were waiting for. I was just getting a few fun items. I bought a Shark steamer mop (normally $89) for $29, an electric blanket for $18,  and a few other things. My dad bought me and mom a Cricut machine for Christmas. I am still figuring it out but that little machine is pretty amazing! So it was a successful shopping trip. Plus, the lines were not long at all (I wouldn't want to see the lines at 5AM!) 

We decorated the house for Christmas. We actually went up to Cashiers, NC for the day to get our tree. We had a delicious lunch at a local cafe, Cafe 107,  and then we went to a tree farm and cut down our own Christmas tree. We went to a place called Ty-Lyn Plantation and it was beautiful! It was a little chilly so we wrapped baby up in more articles of clothing then you could imagine. When you arrive at the plantation an old antique fire truck comes to pick you up and take you to the tree field. Then you get a giant measuring stick and a saw and go cut down your tree. It was such a fun day. After you cut down your tree, they bring you hot cider while they tie down the tree to your car. We are going to make the trip a fun family tradition.

I am almost totally finished with Christmas shopping. Shopping for a baby makes is so much more enjoyable. I LOVE getting him baby books. I found a few great books at TJ Maxx...I swear that store has everything. I found great Baby Einstein gift sets at Costco. And I found his Radio Flyer wagon at Toys R Us during their midnight madness sale for & 69.99! And for fun, I bought him a special dvd/book set that teaches little ones how to speak Spanish. I have a feeling it will teach mommy Spanish too.

Here are a few updated photos of the little man. I took these yesterday. He is getting so big and handsome! 

Feeling Ambitious!

As a new mom I have learned a few things. The first thing is that my precious "blog time" is now pretty much non-existent. To think I actually thought when Harper took a nap, I would have time to blog. No sir, that is my only time to try to clean the house (and try to take a 5 minute shower.) And Harper prefers napping in the car and late-night. So for the most part, I struggle to find time in the day to sit down and write. But man I miss it! And I have missed all of my sweet blog friends. I hope you are doing wonderful this holiday season.

Well I guess I will start off we a brief re-cap of the last few weeks. My baby is growing up right in front of my eyes. It is so amazing. I am truly blessed because he is a WONDERFUL and "easy" baby for the most part. Now I still have rough days here and there but most of the time Harper is an angel. He LOVES to laugh and smile. We wake up every morning and he just giggles and smiles for a good 30 minutes. It seriously melts my heart. He stares right at me and when I say, "Harper smile for mommy," he starts cracking up. And his little laugh is so sweet! I could sit there and watch him laugh all day. I think he is going to have a big personality and be very social. When we are out at the store, I literally get stopped on average 10 times per store. And when someone stops to look at him, he gives them a huge smile and shows off his dimples. Of course, people get a kick out of this and end up standing there and watching him for several minutes. So as you can imagine, grocery trips take quite awhile these days. But I don't mind at all, I love the fact that people adore my baby! 

Harper cries for one reason... because he is hungry. It makes things pretty easy on me because when he screams, I know a little food will make him happy. 

When Harper turned two months old, we had to go get his first set of shots. Talk about MISERABLE! I hated every second of it. He reached out for me and screamed. It was a horrible cry, one I had not experienced. My heart sunk and I wanted to help him but as all mamas know, you just have to stand there and watch your little baby suffer. I will admit, I cried a little myself. I couldn't help it. So I think Erik is going to go to the next shot appointment and I am going to stay in the waiting area. I brought my camera to the appointment with us, I pretty much take photos of EVERYTHING for little man's scrapbook. The photo below was taken right before the nurse came in. He was so happy and cheerful but that changed real fast! 

As I mentioned before, Harper has some seriously cute dimples. It was inevitable that he would end up with dimples since both Erik and I have them. I always try to snap pictures when he gets in his giggly mode. Here is a cute one I took with his handsome little hat on.

Harper's dark hair is still falling out and it keeps coming back in lighter and lighter. So we have no idea if he will end up a toe-head like me or have dark curly hair like daddy. But it is fun to guess! We are pretty positive he will have curly hair because it is already growing in wavy in the back. And Harp ended up with big "Dugan eyes." I actually have 27 first cousins on my dad's side and we all have these big round eyes. Right now Harper's are a gorgeous blue (they look dark in photos but they are actually light blue.) 

We are so excited to celebrate his first Christmas. I have had such a good time shopping for baby gifts! Even though he is still a little young, Erik and I are planning on getting him a little red Radio Flyer wagon for Christmas (I think one of you all suggested that, so thanks for the great suggestion!) I had one growing up and I LOVED IT!! 

Well I am off to eat lunch with my best friend, Marisa. We are going to Grouchos, yum! They opened one in downtown Spartanburg which is very exciting because that was one of my favorites in college. STP Dipper all the way! I can remember waking up, feeling a little rough from the night before, gathering the roomies, then heading to Grouchos in our pajamas. Gotta love college! 

O and I am really excited to share our new family portraits with you all! We had a wonderful photographer, Lauren Gossett, shoot them for us. They are amazing. I am going to share some information about Lauren and some of of family photos this week!! So yes, I plan on blogging again this week... I guess I am feeling ambitious! HAHA