Sneak Peak

I am going to make a framed Seth collage with these photos we had done recently. These are among our Christmas photos that will be on our Christmas card and part of Christmas gifts for family.

Shutterfly Giveaway

There are a few uncharacteristic things about me that are happening here. First, I don't usually jump on giveaways or deals like this. It simply has to be too good to pass up in order for me to spend time on it. I know I could be saving money by using those coupon sites and whatnot, but my experience usually is that I end up buying things I normally wouldn't, even if it is a good deal.

Photos, however, I do spend money on... whether it be professional photography, prints for my scrapbooks, or the yearly Christmas card. Since I am a graphic designer, I do feel compelled to design my own, and I am therefore also very picky about any stock version I might order from a site like Shutterfly. However, since I am intrigued by the giveaway and impressed by some of the designs, I might just go for it this time! (And perhaps you should, too!)

We already had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago, so I have to keep those shots, poses, and color scheme in mind. Below are a few Shutterfly layouts that I like:

 I like this one because it will show off the photography plus it works with our color scheme. I am also a sucker for geometrics in graphic design.

 

 

I love how this one is simple, yet has a little ornamentation. Brown would work well with our photos, so I did a search on Shutterfly for "brown." That's a neat feature.

I like this one for the same reasons. Hmm, let me switch products and tell you about what else they have.

This is a folded card, and I love it. The best part is they give you lots of layout options for the inside! I have the perfect photo in mind for this card... it matches the saying, in fact!

This is your basic photo card (printed on photo paper, the ones above are on cardstock). Again, I like the simplicity of it and the message is neat, too... not isolated to Christmas.

By the way, this is a fun idea!

I used Shutterfly for Ian's birth announcements, so I would definitely recommend them to a friend. The friend who pointed me to this giveaway said that there were too many designs and products to choose from... I would have to agree! If I didn't select "brown" as my search field, I would have over 300 designs to browse! So, there is definitely variety... and a good sale going on right now, too! (Check out the free shipping and 30% off links on this page.) Shutterfly also sends regular emails with coupons and deals... so this could be just the beginning! Am I starting to sound like a canned advertisement? Well, good... then I've done my job. :-)

A Series of Firsts

There are two significant things going on in this photo. First of all, Seth has been sitting for over a week now. It took about a week for him to get to the point where he could do it completely unsupported, and now he'll sit there with toys in hand, happy as a lark. I think he really enjoys the upright world... he fusses when he's on his back or belly which means we're NOT making much progress in the rolling or crawling department. Oh well... the sixth month begins a series of significant firsts, so I'm sure we'll get there sooner or later.

Also, Seth has been dealing with his first cold. I suspect the germs came from Mister Ian who probably brought it home from Mother's Day Out. Ian has also been very snotty the past two weeks. Can you see his little red nose and tired eyes in the photo? Yeah, he's been pretty puny, but we're making it. Between Ian and Seth lately, it's been a chorus of coughing... can't wait till this one finally runs its course.

We'll be traveling next week for Thanksgiving, and it will be Seth's first time to meet a few family members, namely great grandparents. I'm excited to show him off, especially since he's at a pretty fun age right now. Since the kid LOVES attention, I bet he'll be pretty thankful next week.

In the eating department, he's trucking right along. In fact, he's started some of the little puff snacks while practicing his pincer grip. (We'll still need practice.) Recent new foods include apricots and carrots, and he still eats like a pro. I can tell there are some foods he's not crazy about... he eats them with less enthusiasm, but hey... he still eats them!

In other news, Seth is pretty much wearing size 12 month clothes now. He wears the same clothes at this age as Ian did at 10-12 months. Now that is crazy to me! I can't think of much else to add to this little Seth update, except that this kid loves to smile!

Los Hermanos

En el bano

Que pasa?

Mucho amor

Nos amamos, si?

Boy Band

 Of course, guess who's the star of this show?

 Brothers' jam session

 Whoa, what talent! They switched instruments!

 Guitar solo

It's not a true boy band without choreography!

This Just In...

Today Seth became a sitter. He's been working on it for the past two weeks, but mostly doing the "tripod" thing where he supports himself with his hands all hunched over. Although he's not completely "hands free" just yet, he can sit up straighter and support himself with his hands on his legs or even put one hand up. I can tell he's working on his balance, and we did take a couple tumbles today as we practiced this new skill. Welcome to the upright world, kiddo. Who knows what he'll do next!?

He's looking a little rough in this picture, I'll admit. He had been sitting a lot, and this was taken at the end of the day. He was also kinda sweaty because it was really hot in Ian's room for some reason. And I don't know what is up with that onesie... seems like the neck hole is way too big. But anyway, there you have it! I'll try to get some better pics tomorrow.

Fall Festival Fun

Probably the theme of our Halloween weekend was "bouncy house." Ian enjoyed one at a friend's birthday party (I think he spent the entire 2 1/2 hours in there) and then again at a church carnival. Here are our pics from the church event:

Golf for candy? Why, sure!

Seth liked playing with the candy in its wrapper. (He's holding a twizzler and his favorite toy keys.)

Bouncy house boy!

Ian couldn't get enough of the giant blow-up slides, either.

Daddy and Ian go head to head on the obstacle course.

Oh boy, another slide! We had a hard time with the concept of standing in line, though.

Seth was getting tired toward the end.

But he always loves his mama kisses!

Traditions

Now that we're settled in our new home and our family of four is set (read: we're not having more kids), I've been thinking about what family traditions we'll establish especially now as the holiday season approaches. On a small scale, we already have a family movie night in place on which we have oven-baked nachos and fresh guacamole for dinner. For Halloween, we carved a pumpkin, and the pictures are to follow. I picked our pumpkins out at a local pumpkin patch, so I imagine that will become somewhat of a tradition, too.

Now, on to Thanksgiving and Christmas! Well, for Thanksgiving, we'll be traveling and making the rounds to visit family (many of whom have never met Seth!) Since it our first Christmas in our new house, we plan to stay HOME for Christmas... which means it's a good time to start establishing our own family traditions. Hmm. But what should they be? How much of it will we retain from our own family traditions growing up and what will we decide to do differently? Will Santa Claus visit, and if not, how will we explain such a prominent character in our culture's Christmas?

I guess the good news is that our boys are young, and we have time to develop certain traditions. And I'm sure since our family lives far away, that Christmases might look different from year to year. As long as we're making happy memories and celebrating the truth of the season, we'll enjoy our family time no matter what we do or where it happens.

Ian started by scooping out the seeds, but got bored with this task pretty soon.

He enjoyed watching Daddy do all the dirty work.

Ian advises John as he draws the face on the pumpkin.

What did Seth do? Drool, smile, and play with his feet, of course!

Ian says, Hooray, the carving has begun!

Face to face with Mr. Pumpkin

Happy Halloween!

Kids in Costume

OK, so I realize Seth isn't really "in costume," unless you call him a Pumpkinhead. Truth is, he wouldn't really have been happy in a costume, so we opted for the cute hat and a Halloween onesie. Stay tuned for more Halloween-related fun like our pumpkin carving and the church Fall Festival.