Merry Christmas!

Santa shot, Take Two

Determined that this year's Santa picture would be as good as last year's, I was resolved that we'd take Jones to see Santa again. We got our chance when I discovered that he was visiting a nearby Chick-fil-A tonite. You can see the results of our visit below.  Suffice it to say that Jones survived, but he definitely didn't like it all that much.

What I don't understand is how in the world he can be so mesmerized by characters at Disney World, but a jolly man in a red suit makes him look like we just told him the Easter Bunny isn't real.

Oh, well.

Full Term

I don't often get a good look at my blooming belly. Today, though, in the absolutely awesome Ladies Room at Chapel Hill's Carolina Inn, I did. Walking by the full-length mirror, I was horrified to see myself from the side.

In spite of appearances to the contrary, I assure you that I'm NOT about to give birth to sextuplets. 

At least, I HOPE I'm not!

Santa shot, Take One

Jones spent a lot of time in Big Church today!

This morning, he was there for the first part of the service, watching his cousin Louci get baptized and listening to his other cousins singing with the children's choir. He sat quietly and - mostly - still on his Nan's lap before spending the rest of the service in the nursery.

Tonite, he was in the service the entire time. Several of his cousins were performing in the children's program, and Jones was a star, behavior-wise. Passed between Nan and Pop, Jones was as happy as a kid at Christmas.

Less happy was his visit with Santa Claus at the reception after the program. Jones didn't scream; he didn't really even full-on cry, but as you can see, there were many places he'd rather have been than sitting on Santa's lap.

To be sure our boy gets more than a lump of coal from the Man in Red, we're planning to try again this Saturday. Hopefully, he'll feel a little more like visiting then.

Like Father, Like Son

Just in case you were wondering, the similarities between Jeremy and Jones don't end with their looks.

HEY, POPPY!

Jones is pretty enamored with ALL of his grandparents. 

He especially loves going to visit his Poppy's office, which is easy to do, since we live there most of the week! During a visit today, I started snapping and got some shots that I absolutely love.

What I NEED to get is some video of Poppy "popping" his cheek and Jones doing his new trick of popping HIS right back!

Maybe next week.

"Jones Dean"

The motorcycle Nan & Pop gave him for Christmas last year continues to be a big hit with Jones THIS Christmas season.

"Ride" of Passage

When my niece Lizzie Gray was two years old, I remember her coming up to me and presenting me with a Cinderella toy that'd come out of a princess-themed set of Duplo blocks. I have no idea where she got that princess-themed set of Duplo blocks; I'd never seen it before, but from that moment until about two years ago, the child was obsessed with princesses. No one taught her to be. She just was, because, apparently, God gave little girls two X chromosomes and an innate love for things that are pretty, pink, and supposed to wear a crown.

Nine years later, I'm beginning to think that little boys have an equally innate sense for things that have engines and produce fumes. Jones has become obsessed with a really poorly-produced Welsh television show called "Tec the Tractor." Any other show, he can take or leave, but turn on Tec, and the child snuggles up in the nearest lap, sucks on his thumb, and stares at the 15-minute television program.

I thought his love was for Tec specifically. Turns out, it's for tractors in general. Yesterday, Jeremy drove Jones to and from the Pressley's house on Mr. Pressley's tractor. Jones was in hog Heaven. Jeremy said he laughed the entire ride back, though, to be honest, the laughter could've been because his very pregnant mama was so close to literally losing her britches, as she ran alongside to get the pictures and video posted below.  Who can blame him?

Regardless, I'm so glad he got to share this special ride with his daddy.  Jeremy's been talking about it for a few weeks now, and though it made me a little nervous (it's hilly here in the mountains!), I surely didn't want to keep them from this special memory. Heaven knows, I have very special memories of riding on a John Deere myself. I just wish someone had taken pictures of me and Papaw, as we rode along the Ohio Riverbank!

Of course, "the Mayor of Haywood County"
couldn't make it home without being stopped
at the end of our street to visit for a spell!

Name a man who is more handsome than Jeremy Pressley.
You can't; there isn't one. I think he looks especially handsome -
and especially like his Pa Frank - here.

If Jeremy's going to take Jones on John Deere rides,
I don't stand a chance of EVER being the favorite parent!

It was naptime when they got home from their first ride. Three times,
I tried to take Jones from his daddy and the tractor, and three times,
he cried. Finally, I just had to use the Band-Aid method -
"1-2-3 ... PULL him away ..."

Just a Pic

I don't think you have any idea how much I love this picture. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving Day. 

It started, of course, with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Well, at least, that's how it started for me. Jeremy was grilling turkeys, and Jones was napping during most of it, so, as I watched, I addressed Christmas cards and texted my dad about how bad this year's parade was. 

Speaking of bad, do NOT get me started on this re-make of The Sound of Music. Carrie Underwood should be ashamed of herself.

As soon as the Parade was over, and the nap was finished, and the turkeys were cooked, we headed to celebration numero uno at cousin Amy's new house, which is just beautiful. There, Jones matched me calorie for calorie before we headed to Greenville for dinner with the Stultz and Conley families. It was a quick visit to South Carolina, though. By 6:30, we'd headed back to Canton for the nite and had Jones home in time for bed.

Needless to say, Jones ate his fill. When I was making his plate at Amy's, I realized I was filling it as if it were for me! He ate every bite and followed it up two hours later, eating dressing and mashed potatoes (with a glass of Happy Cow Chocolate Milk) at Mom and Daddy's. 

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from a wonderful day with our wonderful families.  We have so much to be thankful for - not the least of which is the fact that my Aunt Ethel crocheted Freddie Bear a blankie in Kentucky blue! She made one for Jones in Tarheel colors, so I'm thrilled to be able to balance that out with a big blue blankie for Second Son.  That's not pictured below, but I'm sure there will be pictures a'plenty of it very soon.

Until then, enjoy these!

Jones goes to the dentist.

Before Jones was even born, his daddy and I discussed his first trip to the dentist. I know. I know, but you know what they say: "When expecting your baby, don't forget to do the important things - pick an outfit for bringing him home, a church to bring him home to, and a dentist to see him just after he turns a year old." Done. Done. ANNNND, after today, done. Jeremy was sweetly insistent in all of our discussions that we take our kids to see his childhood dentist, if it was okay with me.

It was okay with me. I don't have a childhood dentist. I mean, I went to the dentist, but because we moved around a lot, I saw a smorgasboard of them, most notably Dr. Camak, whom I remember really liking (spectacular sticker selection), and Dr. Straup, who gave away vouchers for free fries from the next door Burger King and whom I remember giving me so much Novocain that I very nearly bit my own jaw off without being any the wiser. That to say, it's been our plan from before the beginning to take Jones to see "Dr. Bill" Chambers, just like his daddy did all those years ago. I'd like to say that Jones did great. And for most of the exam he did, but when the hygienist (Kim) and Dr. Bill took turns taking a look inside his mouth, Jones made it perfectly clear how unhappy he was with the arrangement. Either he was unhappy with that OR with the blanket of Tarheel paraphernalia that covered the walls of the exam room.

Regardless of the reason why, he screamed like a child possessed each time they put him in the exam chair. I had to hold his hands to constrain him, which really broke my picture-taking stride. With the exception of those two brief exams, though, he did do really well. Both Kim and Dr. Bill were thrilled to see Jeremy - as I knew they would be - and blown away by how much Jones looks like his daddy.  If I've heard that once in the last thirteen months, I've heard it 9,876 times.

Here's what I didn't know going into our 8:30 appointment: I didn't know that Dr. Bill had played for the Tarheels in the early 1970s. Had I known, I'd NEVER have answered "What do you want to be when you grow up?" on Jones's Get-to-Know-You Form with "a Kentucky Wildcat basketball player." I was just being silly when I wrote that, but as soon as I walked into the cerulean-hued room, I instantly felt like I'd unwittingly thrown down some sort of smack talk gauntlet. 

Should make for an interesting 18 years!

Go, CATS?!?