December is Here

We heart Christmas at the Vaughn house in a major way. I'm just itching to get finished with my decorating. Saw these super fun hats today at Wal-Mart and couldn't resist. Jared and Jacob have one too. So....a family pic will be coming soon (oh, and we'll be sure to remove the tags)!!! Until then Samson and I are wishing all of you a very happy and joyous Christmas season!!

A Little of This, A Little of That

So...we've been busy bees lately. Here's what we've been doing around here!!

Went out to Gran and Pappy's the other day to take some fun pictures in the leaves. Jacob had a great time playing and we got some cute shots.

Playing under the high chair

Can I eat these?

Checking out the BIG tree

We went over to my parent's house for dinner the other night. They have lots of fun toys for Jacob to play with, but he had a better time seeing what he could get into!

My little monkey

Coach doesn't let ANYONE touch his books. Well....at leat until Jacob came along. He had the best time pulling every single one of those things off the shelf.

happy guy before bedtime

That's right. His foot is off the ground. Jacob has been walking like crazy. And it's just the absolute cutest thing to watch him do it. He gets so very proud of himself. It's been hard to get good shots of him. We have caught a lot of cuteness on video though!!

Samson the loyal companion

He just LOVES to lay in this thing

practicing those walking skills

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with the entire family. Ate way to much and still wanted more. Thanksgiving is such a great day!

Us with Jared's maternal side of the family

Us with the paternal side of the family - minus one family that lives in SC

4 generations of men

the in-laws

my family

Oh what did I do?

Getting so good at walking

playing with Grammy

We've been trying to take our last few walks before it gets too cold outside. It's hard to get everyone to smile AT the camera!!

In addition...Jacob was 13 months yesterday. Here's just a few new things he's up too.

-Well, I already mentioned walking. And that's the biggest thing that's been going on

-He now has 8 pearly whites

-He got his 1st ear infection

-Jacob gives high 5's

-He can now say "woof". He says it over and over again anytime he sees a dog. So cute!!

-The Belmont mascot is a bear. We taught Jacob to respond to, "What does Bruiser say?" with his "grrrrrrr" growl that he does. Got to get him to do it at the next basketball game

-Jacob loves to scream. Not in a bad way. He's just learning new ways to use his vocal cords. Just the other morning I put him down for his nap and he laid in bed "screaming" for about 30 minutes. I wanted to pop in and record some of it, but I was afraid it would keep him from being able to settle back down

-We have discovered that Jacob has a singing voice. Everytime you sing and stop, he makes this noise like he is still singing or wants you to keep going.

-This kid really likes to dance. Especially when he is in his high chair. He'll sway back and forth and move his head...kinda like he's doing the snake. Presh!!!

-We now have a biter on our hands. Oh happy day!

-Had his first taste of chocolate cake. It was a hit.

-Jacob also says "vroom" when he plays with his cars. Crazy how they just know to do that.

-He likes to brush his own hair. He always holds the brush backwards, but it is the cutest thing I've ever seen!

-Oh and he LOVES. I mean LOVES to brush his teeth. We got some toothpaste without flouride in it and he has been having a blast. We let him brush his teeth when we brush ours and it's often hard to get it away from him. I guess good dental hygiene runs in the fam. :)

We are seriously just so absolutely crazy in love with this kid. Everyday just gets better and better. I just feel so blessed to be a part of his life. Have a great one guys!!

Happy Veteran's Day

Our sweet Pappy was in the Veteran's Day Parade in Franklin today. Jacob and I decided to go. I'm so glad we did...what a good time!!!

he's proud to be an American
Pappy's Float

Pappy

lots of marching bands

Pappy and Gran

Jared's mom went with us - this was the best group pic we got

After the parade we all went and had a nice lunch at Stoveworks in the Factory. Papa Doc was able to join. Lots of thoughts today about my grandfather who was also a Vet and served his country proudly. What a great way to celebrate this special day and say thanks to all the Vets who have done so much for us!!

In other news, our sweet little 12 month old is doing so much these days. Here's some of the things he's been up to -

-We took Jacob for his physical yesterday. He is growing so well. 90% in head circumference, and 60% and 30% in weight and height.

-Jacob is busy, busy, busy. He LOVES to play with his toys. Some of his favorites right now are his dump truck, ball pit, helicopter, and Noah's Ark. He also really likes the books that make noises.

-Jacob can know put a ball in a hole or net. And he will do this over and over and over again.

-He loves riding in his wagon

-Jacob can now point to his belly button

-Some new fave foods are mushrooms, spinach, strawberries, chicken salad, pineapple, nutrigrain bars, goldfish, quesadillas, and yellow turnips. We have such a FABULOUS little eater on our hands.

-Jacob is saying "no" and "yes" all the time now. Just recently we discovered that he DOES know what they both mean. What a big boy.

-One of the harder things right now is that J is really testing boundaries and my consistency. The other day he kept crawling towards the steps (he knows he's not supposed to go over there). I didn't even go anywhere near him...all I did was say his name softly and he would turn around, look at me, and then start crying. Oh my!

-He is learing how to manipulate things like puzzle pieces to get them to do what he wants them to do

-He can say "mama", "dada", "baaa" - which I think means ball, and I swear he says something that sounds like "Jacob"

-When he wakes up from naps he'll lay in there forever just talking to himself. He also likes to pull back the curtain and see what's going on outside. So cute!!

-He is learning to throw food on the floor - not so cute!

-He is standing up by himself all the time now and is quite good at it. He gets so proud of himself. The other day he took a 1/2 step. It won't be long!!

-J has become quite the cuddler. Which I love - NO COMPLAINTS HERE. Our new bedtime routine involved rocking him until he falls asleep while singing every song I can think of. Any suggestions?

We are just continually amazed at how much he is learning. What a joy to be the parent's of this precious little guy. We are so thankful!!

Jacob's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza!!!!

Our sweet little boy turned ONE last Saturday, October 31st...our little Halloween baby! We had a great weekend of celebration. I can't believe Jacob is already a year old. The time has gone by so fast. This has hands down been the best year of my life. This time last year I was just getting used to having a baby and now I can't imagine a day without my little monkey man. The following note was written on J's actual bday.

Jacob,
Today you are ONE. Can you believe it!?! This year has gone by so fast. I remember last year when you came early. I could not wait to meet you, and hold you, and kiss you, and snuggle you, and watch you sleep, and rock you, and read to you...I could go on forever. Now I love to watch you feed yourself, wave bye bye, clap your hands, stand up by yourself, play with your toys, and get excited about so many things. I love to watch your eyes light up - those big, beautiful blue eyes that just melt my heart. And, I love to listen to your silly, precious giggle. You can make me laugh like no one else. I love it when you want to snuggle with me and read a book. You have come a long way from the newborn I held in my arms for the first time 12 months ago. I am so proud of you and the way you are growing. It is so fun to watch you learn and explore this great big world around you. I hope you never lose your excitement and passion for life. You are such a happy, playful, loving, gentle, inquisitive child and I absolutely LOVE those qualities about you. I pray you will continue to be this same person as you get older. Oh, how I love you so. God know just what child would be perfect for me and I am so very honored to be your mommy! I have loved this first year with you. Getting to know you and pour into your life. I look forward to year two. May it brings as many blessings as this first year has.

All my love,
Mom
(Be warned - there are MANY pictures to follow....)

We had two birthday parties. Saturday was for friends and Sunday was for family. The first pictures are from the friend party. The kids came dressed up in costume. So stinkin' cute!!!

Birthday sign

Present Central

Party Favors

Waiting for guests to arrive with Papa Doc

Family Photo Time

Me and the monkey

Sweetest little monkey I know

Playing with Becca

Emma dressed as Fancy Nancy

Addy the peacock

Jacob snuggling with Matt

Playtime

Having a moment with Pops

Jeremy and the BDay boy

Taylor didn't want to wear her costume

The Corn's

Getting ready for cake

Yummo!!!!

Messy Messy

Present time

Cars

Super fun books

What's in here?

Blocks

Super cute bib that Jenny made

Noah's Ark and a Krispy Kreme hat from the Crawfords. Thanks guys!!

Aunts

The Shoe's

Daren the donut guy

Of course we had to do a little trick or treating Saturday night. Here's a family shot before we left the house.

Showing Coach his dump truck - I think this was one of his favorite presents

Balloons of Fun

Too Too Cute

LeeLee and her monkey

Sunday was the family party. It was just as fun as Saturday. Jacob was definitely celebrated well. We got yummy cupcakes from the Cupcake Connection. I almost didn't want to eat them they looked so good. Almost.

Present Central...again

Snuggling with Tara

Sweet Pappy

Mot Mot

Cupcakes 2 days in a row

Delish

Do you think he likes sweets?

Going for a ride on the dump truck

I like my caterpillar

The wheels on the bus go round and round

The wagon

Checking out his new toys

Trying out the wagon for the first time -we LOVE it

Happy 1st Birthday Buddy!!!