Christmas Preparations

Howdy all:

December has been good so far - preparations are going well, and the big day can't get here quickly enough for Savannah. I think Grayson is just happy about getting to eat Christmas cookies.

Leigh, Brooks, and Hudson came out today, and we decorated the tree and celebrated Leigh's 30th with Mom and Dad. A few pics are below - Merry Christmas!

-Christian

Harvest Ball is ON!

It's 72 degrees, partly sunny, and breezy here at Oaksby. We are planning on holding Harvest Ball as planned. Dinner is at 6 - see you there!

Grayson turns 1!

Grayson turned one on September 2nd. Savannah was more into the unwrapping of gifts than he was. Grayson was just happy to have the tissue paper. It was a small party at home with cake and ice cream. Yum!

Beau joins the family

We have a new member in our family this fall...Beauregard Goodwin!

1st Day of Kindergarten

When we asked Savannah what her favorite part about Kindergarten was, she quickly replied "the bus!" That's not really the answer we thought we would get but we were thrilled that she was so happy. Savannah loves school and is reading lots on her own already. She has the world's sweetest teachers. This year Savannah chose dance class as the activity she wanted to participate in. Maybe we'll revisit soccer again in the spring. She also goes to Daisies (little Brownies) twice a month after school. Life is good through the eyes of our five-year-old.

Savannah turns 5!

Savannah turned 5 in July. She had a Hello Kitty pool party with bubbles and balloons by Uncle Steve. This was the first year we had a pinata and she was soooooo excited. (Even if we did have to hold it and shake the candy out.)

Summertime Fun

Here are some summer pics from our time in the OuterBanks. The kids and I got to stay for two weeks with Grandma and the rest of the gang joined us for the second week. We are growing out of our cozy cottage. Next year we will have two cousins! Martin and Suzanne are expecting in March and Leigh and Brooks are expecting in November! We can't wait to meet them.

Spring at Oaksby

Happy Spring! All is well here at Oaksby; the mercurial weather had us testing out the A/C for a few days before pulling out the raincoats and extra blankets again. We're three calves (hopefully) away from being done with the 2008-09 calving season, and the first hay cutting is right around the corner. Dad and I spent the past weekend skinning knuckles and testing out our worst language getting equipment ready. In all seriousness, our reliable old 1948 Ferguson tractor spent the winter in the shop undergoing some major overhaul work which turned out very well...kudos to Dad, and I will try to post pictures soon.


Let's see...what's been going on. Easter was wonderful; big Easter dinner over at the Speers' and multiple Easter Egg Hunts. Savannah had too much candy, so I helped her by eating it when she wasn't looking. Just kidding (mostly). She is very excited for the pending arrival of her new cousin...Aunt Leigh and Uncle Brooks are expecting in November. Congratulations!

The kids followed up Easter by staying sick on and off for the next six weeks. We ran through everything from ear infections to strep throat. I think the only reason we seem to have dodged the Swine Flu so far is the fact that they both have superhuman immune systems now after all this. I've told them both that I expect no more plagues in the house until 2015. Grayson grudgingly agreed.

Grayson has a mouthful of teeth now, at least up top. The lad's getting quite the smile, if I do say so myself. He's not crawling yet, but he's getting frighteningly close; I should be childproofing the house again instead of blogging. Savannah is nearing the end of her first soccer season. I hope she has enjoyed it as much I have enjoyed helping coach. The other coach is gone this weekend, so I will be piloting the team alone. *shiver*




Best regards to all...hope you are well.

-Christian

Snow Day!

Big snow at Oaksby last night and today...we got about 9 inches by most estimates! This was by far Savannah's biggest snow yet. It was a little powdery for true sleighriding, but we improvised with two flying saucers and some 4WD. Savannah wore herself out, and was falling asleep while Liz was drying her hair tonight.

On My Own

Hey folks. Liz took off for a girls' weekend (college reunion) so I'm here by myself. Says I: "Self, your blog is looking pretty forlorn. Thousands of readers are chomping at the bit, just waiting for fresh new material to take them away from the boredom of their lives, if only for a few moments. The noisemakers are in bed, and someone famous once said not to put stuff off." So here I sit.

Grayson is growing like a weed. He will be 6 months old in a few days, and it really seems like just yesterday that we brought him home. "Time flies" doesn't describe how quickly kids grow. He's starting to eat real food, if you consider orange mush (sweet potatoes), green mush (supposedly peas), and clear mush (applesauce) to be real food. My favorite of his recent developmental accomplishments: his ability to (mostly) sleep through the night. I'm sure my boss thinks I finally managed to kick some terrible substance abuse habit which previously eliminated my ability to focus on anything for more than a few moments. I kid...sorta.

Savannah is doing great as well. She's starting soccer soon. I'm worried about peer pressure to get one of those soccer ball stickers for my Jeep, but am otherwise excited for her. She keeps Grayson smiling and is without question his favorite family member. She loves to sing to him, and generally does so at the top of her lungs from a range of about a foot (see pic). I'm getting a little worried about the lad's hearing, but he doesn't seem to mind.


Liz and I got to spend last weekend in Virginia Beach. Well, she actually got to stay until Tuesday since she was asked to present at the Virginia Society for Technology in Education's annual conference this year. I didn't get to watch, but I hear she did a great job, and it was very relaxing to get away and spend a while without the little angels. Let's see...what else. The 2009 Spring calving season is well underway. We have had 8 since last Wednesday, and it's made for some late nights. It would be easier if Grayson would start pitching in...kid's gotta start earning his keep. I've had a few discussions with him, but haven't really pushed the issue yet. Soon enough.

That's all for now. Hope you are well.

Christmas 2008

It's been over a month since I've posted - can you tell I went back to work and we celebrated Christmas with 2 kiddos instead of 1? I was really looking forward to resting after Christmas and lived to regret those words since I did rest for a few days but only after the stomach bug hit our house! The baby escaped it thank goodness but unfortunately most of our extended family got it also. Ugh. Nothing like a losing a few days of your Christmas vacation to that!

Savannah and Grayson had a great time Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas morning at our home with the grandparents! Every year I say I'm going to cut back and somehow we still end up with too much! It's Christmas though right??? Our annual Christmas Day party was beautiful as ever. Christian got some nice shots of the kids in front of the tree in their Christmas outfits. We never got Christmas cards out this year. There was too much to do and I figured I could always send them out late. I'm hoping for Valentine cards at this point. :)

Grayson got his 1st tooth this week! He's 4 mo. old and LOVES his hands. He prefers both in his mouth at the same time. Savannah has totally taken a new interest in Grayson. I think now that he smiles, laughs, and responds so much to people she really enjoys entertaining him. Christian and I enjoy her entertaining Grayson as well! We laughed this morning while wondering if she is a bit over the top for Grayson at times but figured it was good practice for him in the future.

As Uncle Martin would say, "2008 is going to be great!" And it was! We're looking forward to a mighty fine 2009. Cheers~