Banner Elk

Before Tom had to start back to work, we decided it would be fun to take a trip to Banner Elk with our friends Michael, Julie and Benjamin. We did some skiing at Beech Mountain and had a great time. We took the boys sledding one day. Quaid had a big time. He was even brave enough (the no fear thing again) to go down the hill all by himself. He, of course, loved the snow and looked so adorable in his little snowsuit and snowboots. Hopefully this time next year, we will have him skiing with us. Now that will be a fun time!!

Stitches

The night before we were supposed to leave to drive back to Charlotte, Quaid decided it would be a good idea to headbutt the coffee table. Needless to say, there was lots of blood, however he only cried for about three minutes, and a trip to urgent care was in order. After having his eye examined, it was determined that he needed about four stitches. He took it like a champ. Tom thought he looked so cool with his Spider Man band-aid. Quaid seems to have no fear so I am sure this won't be the last time that stitches are needed.

Alabama trip

Tom had the last three weeks off during the month of February. We headed to our Alabama home for a mini-vacation. Quaid loved playing in the field behind our house and spending time with his Alabama grandparents and family friends. He fell in love with being outside and it was a daily ritual to spend at least a couple of hours playing outside. Quaid really started running while we were there also. It is always so amazing what can happen in a short amount of time. We also learned that we have a little climber on our hands. Tom and I were shocked when we looked in the kitchen to find Quaid on top of the table. He really is our "little monkey".

Playing in the snow

Towards the end of January, we had a few inches of snow fall here in Charlotte. Quaid thought it was the greatest thing that he had ever seen. We bundled him up the best that we could and headed out to play. His favorite thing to do was pick the snow up and eat it. Tom and Quaid attempted sledding on a cookie sheet. It would have worked, but the snow was getting too slushy. I think that Quaid would have stayed out all day and played. He just stood at the door and looked at it for the rest of the afternoon. He truly loved it.

Christmas

We all spent Christmas Eve in our traditional fashion by attending a candlelight service at church. Quaid behaved as well as could be expected, but he got really excited when the candles were lit. All he wanted to do was touch them which proved to be interesting and a constant battle.

Christmas morning was spent at our house with my family coming over for breakfast and to open presents. Quaid didn't quite grasp the idea of Santa, but he did really enjoy playing with the wrapping paper and empty boxes. He loved everything that he got, especially anything that made noise. Quaid stuffed himself at Christmas dinner. He loved sampling everything, loving the sweet potato casserole most of all. We all had a wonderful and exciting Christmas!

Cutting down our Christmas tree

Our family went on our annual Christmas tree hunt a couple of weeks before Christmas. All the men, including Quaid, were dressed in their overalls and ready to chop away. He was a big help by holding the stick that measured the tree. He loved wandering around all the trees and exploring. We all had a great time!

Oh no, not the measles!

Quaid had a very interesting reaction to one of his shots that he had to get at his one-year checkup. It scared us all to death. It started out like a little rash, but quickly turned into something scary. He apparently had a mild form of the measles from his MMR shot. We spent the weekend at Urgent Care and the local emergency room. He was quite the spectacle. It took a couple of weeks for it to go away. We were under house arrest for a while, but by the time that Christmas rolled around, Quaid was good as new.

Birthday Cake Adventure

Quaid had a great time with his own little cake for his first birthday. He was unsure about the candle at first and thought it might be a good idea to touch the flame. He ended up putting the candle out with his little fingers. Needless to say, that didn't go over well. As soon as he got a taste of the icing on the cake, everything was right with the world. Quaid got the hang of devouring the cake quickly. With both of his little hands full of cake and his face covered, he was the happiest little boy in the world at that moment. I think that he would have eaten the entire cake if we would have let him. He had a great day and wore his birthday hat proudly. It has been a great first year for all of us and we are anxious to see where year number two takes us. Hopefully it will be as full of cuddles, kisses, smiles and fun as the first one.

Quaid's first birthday

Quaid had his first birthday on November 28th. He woke up that morning to some new toys which he was very excited to see. Of course, he also loved playing with the boxes that the toys came in. Our friends, Kelly and Josh, took us out to lunch to celebrate. Quaid had a good time trying to eat a peanut butter and jelly Uncrustable and french fries. Kelly and I thought he was going to choke on the peanut butter. He seemed to like it though. Quaid and Josh had a good time babbling to each other across the table. The rest of the day was pretty laid back, because along with his first birthday, Quaid also has his first cold. He hasn't felt totally like himself, but is still happy and has been playing as much as he can. Overall, I think Quaid enjoyed his first birthday. He will be having a cake this weekend which I am sure he is going to LOVE!!

Thanksgiving

We all had a very good Thanksgiving. My parents and grandmother were able to come visit for five days. Quaid loved having them here. Tom was able to make it back in time for Thanksgiving dinner which was great and our friend Craig joined us also. The meal was wonderful. That night, Daddy and I drove down to Gaffney at midnight to go shopping. It was crazy. There was an hour wait on the interstate, but we found a back way in and hit the stores. We got home about 4:30 that morning after finding some great bargains and went to bed. I met my friend Kelly later that morning to do more shopping and have lunch. I didn't buy much, but we had a good time shopping for her grandmother. Later that evening, Daddy and I went out again and got a few Christmas presents.

On Saturday, we went to Hunter Farm to go on a wagon ride that was pulled by Clydesdales, visit the baby farm animals and see Santa while he was helping out in the barn. Quaid had a wonderul time seeing the baby goats, piglets and calves. He even got some "sugar" from the calf. He is walking full time now, so he enjoyed testing out his skills down in the barn. We had a lot of fun and it was a great time together.

Quaid's Friends

Quaid has made many friends since moving to Charlotte. He has three best friends (Dylan, Benjamin and Conner) that he plays with a few times a week, plus three other friends that we see once a week at playdates (Alisha, Aahil and Crystal). We have met many other kids that we try to see at least once a month. Quaid has the best time playing with all his friends. It has been so good for him socially and he just seems to love it.

First Haircut

Quaid has his first big boy haircut on Monday, Nov. 20th. He did so good. He got to sit in a shiny silver car and watch Dora the Explorer. Quaid even helped the lady out by combing his hair when she was all done. For his excellent cooperation, he got to pick out two suckers and needless to say, he was very happy about that. He looks like such a big boy with his new haircut.

Halloween

Quaid's first Halloween was great fun for us all. He went as Superman which made his daddy very proud. We met our friends at Pam, Derek and Dylan's house. Benjamin and his parents along with Conner and his parents were also there. The four boys looked absolutely adorable. The first thing we did was have all the boys pose for pictures on the front porch steps. We then went to the park to join in the Halloween neighborhood parade followed by eating hotdogs. After that, the moms took the boys trick-or-treating while the dads went back to the house to pass out candy. Quaid thoroughly enjoyed the M & M's. He had two small bags, plus some candy corn. The kid LOVES to eat!! It was a very fun night and a great first Halloween for Quaid.

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday, October 28th, Quaid had his first trip to a pumpkin patch. Quaid, Diann (his godmother) and I met some of our friends to visit Hunter Farms where we got to visit a petting zoo, ride in a wagon and pick out a pumpkin. We had a great time seeing the baby cows, pigs and goats. Quaid even got to sit on a saddle like a "little cowboy". Quaid really enjoyed playing with the pumpkins. He kept pointing at them and say "ba" which is what he says for ball. We had a great time and hopefully this will become a fall tradition for us.

First Auburn Game

Quaid went to his first Auburn game on October 14th. He saw Auburn beat the Florida Gators. Quaid seemed to have a great time playing while we tailgated. He gave out lots of high fives at the Tiger Walk and he even had his head rubbed by some players for good luck. It was adorable. He seemed to enjoy the game, especially eating cookies and other yummy stuff. We sing the Auburn fight song everyday and he loves it. He is already a "little tiger" at heart. WAR EAGLE!!

Welcome to our world

We wanted to start this blog so that our family and friends can see what we are up to here in Charlotte. I think it will be a good way for everyone to see how Quaid is growing and what he is up to these days. He is a busy little boy. He has three best friends that he hangs out with a lot, library time once a week, lots of playdates, plus holiday activities.

Tom and I are doing great also. Tom is super busy with TV and I have made some great friends that I get together with every week for lunches, bunco, Moms Night Out or just hanging out with the kids. We have really settled in well here and are so happy.

Hopefully this will be a fun way for everyone to keep up with us. We hope you enjoy it!!