Christmas Eve: The Adventure Begins

Wyatt's Christmas experience began with a trip on Christmas Eve to visit his Grandpa and Grandma Parrish in Garland. Wyatt was a bit suspicious of papa when he was telling him about all the presents he'd be getting later on, but we convinced him it would be ALMOST as much fun as riding his purple elephant.

We loaded up the car with gifts and the little one and made the hour drive starting about 12:30pm. We arrived a little after 1:30, with a stop along the way to get Mama Dap a caffeine boost at the Starbucks. We had a good trip over and Wyatt was ready to get moving once we arrived. Grandpa took him for a tour of the house, since he'd only been there once and he was only a few weeks old then. He took him out back on the deck to look at the creek and the trees and once he got back inside, Wyatt started exploring. One of the first things he found was the angel holding a candle. She was right about his level and he couldn't help but trying to grab that candle out of her hands. My brother thinks the angel is pretty creepy, since it moves its arms back in forth in a slow and... well, creepy way. We took the angel into the other room for her own safety, and that let Wyatt concentrate on the presents.


We decided to get Wyatt going on his presents early since he was rested and in a good mood. Not to mention that the light coming in the back windows and sliding glass door was perfect for photos. After some instruction, Wyatt picked up pretty quickly on tearing the paper. Once he tore it, it was a toss up as to whether he'd be more interested in what he found inside or in putting the torn paper into his mouth.
Eventually, with some help from dad and grandpa, he found his way into his great new toys, and you can tell by his reactions that he absolutely loved the great gifts he received. He got a new Busy Zoo, which is a great wooden toy that he can stand or sit next to and find tons of different pieces and parts to play with. He also got some stackable donuts, very much like the ones I had when I was a little tike.



















He loved it all and afterwards we had some fun helping him stand. He even tried a little one-legged push-up action to get to the television remote control.



















Wyatt's aunt and uncle, Michael and Jennifer, arrived a bit later and we got a good shot of those 3 together. As you can tell, Michael is being himself. Their present for Wyatt was a fantastic 3 in 1 sports toy that has a mini-basketball goal, a baseball set up attached to a swing-arm that he can hit, and a football in between goalposts. He's pretty fond of the basketball portion of it right now, even though I'm trying to convince him that football is top priority right now with the Cowboys playoff run coming up.







Here are a couple more photos of me and my dad enjoying the rest of the day with Wyatt. I really like the shot DeeDra got of me and Wyatt on the ground with him grabbing my finger. We all had a great time and he continues to bring smiles and happiness along with him where ever he goes.

A Day at the Park: Mama has fun too part two

We have an amazing new park just across the street from us called Tillery Park. The park was designed by the children of our neighborhood with an architect who took the children's suggestions from several design meetings and incorportated them into the plans. The materials and labor were all donated and Papa Dap even spent some volunteer time doing some cutting and hammering. The park has so many great touches and Wyatt already loves it there. Here are a few shots of a recent Saturday trip to the park.


Wyatt's having so much fun on the swing, he can't stand it!











He shows off his squinch-face when he's ready to get moving.




He's checking to see if anyone's looking. If not, maybe he can sneak this leaf into his mouth!




One of the best things about the park is all of the nice little discoveries for the kids. I had no idea there was a mirror under the steps up to the slide, until I followed the crawling boy right to it.




What park would be complete without a Wyatt-sized train?





















And here's another shot to show how much Wyatt adores his mama, and vice versa I'd say from the looks of things.





I'll leave you with a shot we got of Wyatt's first trip to see Santa. DeeDra was doing a photo shoot at the Fort Worth Zoo this past weekend and Mr. Claus himself was there to listen to the requests of the boys and girls. Wyatt didn't exactly ask for any presents, and I'm not entirely sure he knew what to think of this odd man in the bright red suit. Once he gets older, I'm sure Wyatt will thank us for this photo.

Wyatt and mom have fun too!

Being married to a photographer is great since we have so many amazing photos of every family member sharing quality time with our boy. The problem is, who takes pictures of mama and Wyatt? I don't claim to be the photographer that DeeDra is, but here are a few shots to prove that Wyatt has just as much fun with Mama Dap as he does with anyone else.



And last night DeeDra got Wyatt going on one of his laughing fits just before bedtime. It would take video footage to truly get the point across, but here's an attempt with words. Wyatt was up on the big bed in his bedroom, with Papa Dap making sure he didn't scamper off, and DeeDra was ducking down beside the bed playing peek-a-boo. When she'd pop up, she'd be a scary monster with both arms in the air and quickly attack Wyatt's ample belly. Each time she came up from beside the bed, Wyatt would laugh a little bit harder. Pretty soon, DeeDra's scary-monster-peek-a-boo game had Wyatt going in a fairly constant full body laugh. He laughs so hard, then DeeDra and I laugh so hard, then he laughs some more, and pretty soon mom and dad are in tears from so much laughing. If laughter is good for the soul, then the little guy certainly is most certainly the perfect tonic.

Last few turkey shots

I just downloaded these images last night from David's camera. Wyatt wore a fun cowboy suit given to him by our friend Adelaide's grandma. He stole the show once again....charming 'em all!

November is slippin' slippin' slippin'...

The past few weeks have been more of the kind I'm becoming so accustomed to...the passing me by in a flash type. Wyatt and I had a very surreal and happy visit at Johnny and Debbie's house 2 weekends back. Our friend Allison is in town from London with her sweet little chicken baby girl. She came with her sister Anna, and Anna's son Luke. Johnny & Deb had 3 year old Kyler and 1 year old Kyra on hand to assist in hosting us all. It was very strange and wonderfully pleasant to take Wyatt into this place with a few good arm-fulls of other smaller people, and the fact that these were people I've known for so long....it was indeed a strange new experience. We had a tasty little pizza, and Allison brought a wonderful avocado/tomato salad, along with some outrageous cookies that made me forget immediately that little issue I have walking away from the sugar bowl. We all stayed and enjoyed until the smallest friends started falling apart. Our next visit is this weekend, without the babies...should be nice to try that rare child-free gathering thing again as well.


That evening, after arriving home, Wyatt had some nice guy time with David. They really enjoy seeing each other, and especially after an absent spell. I admit there are many photos posted of David and Wyatt...but they are so rugged/handsome and cute I cannot help myself. They are dear together...and the photos, well, I am compelled to share with any of you who are interested. So here you go:

And then of course, we enjoyed Thanksgiving to its fullest. We were heartfelt in our gratitude for such a wonderful year, and so deeply grateful to share it with so much wonderful family. We had a happy dozen of us at our house for an incredible meal, mostly prepared by Cici, but with great assistance by Grandpa Bob, Grandma Lucille, and Aunt Trish. And as if we couldn't be any more thankful...we have another year of wonder ahead of us as Trish works on growing another special baby to warm our happy hearts. This year must be the most joy filled year I've ever known...and I hope to see it topped by the next one!


Last note for the night must not neglect the monumental appearance of Wyatt's second tooth. We've been admiring it for about a week now, and I suspect Wyatt has tried it out on the few opportunities that he has chomped avocado, banana and tofu bits. He seems to enjoy the variety, and we're all figuring it out as we go along.

Small, but well loved

Wyatt's gramps came by to see him this morning. He was on his way to Arkansas for a few weeks, and we were lucky enough to have him stop in on his way through town to have some of David's wonderful egg sandwiches and coffee before his trip. Gramps was asking...what we hope for Wyatt to be when he grows up. Healthy and happy...following his heart. He will, of course, be experienced in building things, electrical engineering, mechanical work, soccer, martial arts, music, cooking, gardening and fishing, along with the art of telling fish stories. No pressure Wyatt....really, we all just love you so much, and have so much we want to share with you. Whatever you want to run with is okay by us.

Papa Dap had a few sweet moments today with the smallest one. It means so much to me that David is so good together with Wyatt. If love and support gives him any advantage in life, he should be gearing up for a truly great one.

Boy in a Box

Young Wyatt, as I'm told many young children do, seems to REALLY enjoy playing in a cardboard box. I'm not exactly sure what the allure is, but he seems pretty darned happy sitting and playing in a plain cardboard box. As long as he's happy, I'm happy!
















Weekend before last, Wyatt and DeeDra went for a nice Saturday bike ride. They both love to get out and enjoy the fresh air and the beautiful November weather. Wyatt seems completely at home in the bike cart, and pretty soon we'll remove the infant adapter and he'll sit in it more like a chair. And as you can see below, Wyatt enjoys waving to the masses from his chariot.

















On Saturday, Wyatt's proud aunt and uncle were in Fort Worth and came by for a visit. My brother Michael and his wife Jennifer were in Fort Worth for the annual motorcycle show over at the convention center. They got a little quality time with Wyatt before his bedtime and we had a very classy dinner... pizza from the Mellow Mushroom! None for Wyatt, of course, since he's still on the mostly liquid baby food and had already eaten his turkey-vegetable-dinner and green beans. I think he'll like pizza much better, but DeeDra tells me I need to pretend to like vegetables in front of Wyatt so he'll be fooled into thinking they taste good. If he inherited many of Papa Dap's taste buds, it'll be a VERY tough sell.