Maynard

Today marks three years since Guitarman's dad died.  I can't believe it's been that long.  Guitarman is sad today.  He misses his dad.  I miss Maynard, too. 

Although I try not to dwell on it, I am sad that Maynard never got to meet Snuggles.  He would have loved watching Snuggles toddle around the house.  Maynard would have enjoyed Snuggles' contagious giggle, and I know Snuggles would have loved his Grandpa Maynard very much.  On the way to work this morning, I told Guitarman how thankful I am that Snuggles will get to meet Maynard in heaven someday.

The day Maynard died, Maynard told his pastor how proud he was of his family.  I hope Maynard looks down on us from heaven today, and I hope we still make him proud.

New Discoveries

Snuggles' mobility brings with it all kinds of delightful new discoveries.

 

He gets more agile with each day, and he often surprises us with new words.

(Listen for him saying "Down" in the video below.)

One of his favorite activities is playing with water, including the water in Taco's water bowl, and his newest discovery: the drinking fountain at church.

Church Giggles

Remember when you were a kid sitting in church, and you knew the number one rule was to stay quiet?  And all the sudden they hit you... the giggles.  Church giggles are the worst kind. They hit you unexpectedly, and they're impossible to suppress.  We weren't at church when Snuggles got the church giggles the other night, but the diagnosis was clear and the symptoms were oh-so-cute.

These Feet Were Made for Walking

Snuggles took his first steps last week.  He's going to be off and running in no time!

You have to admit, he is just cuteness personified.

Sabbath

Sabbath is a day of rest, typically observed by Christians on Sunday.  Last weekend was Sabbath for me. 

My parents came to town on Friday.  They stayed with Snuggles and Grandma (Guitarman's mom) so that Guitarman and I could enjoy an overnight get-away.  Although Guitarman and I have had lots of dates since Snuggles joined our family, I haven't been away from Snuggles overnight since he was born.  I needed a break.  And we needed Sabbath for our marriage.

I planned everything as a surprise for Guitarman.  He knew my parents were coming so we could get away, but he didn't know where we were going or what we were doing.  I used Priceline.com to book us a 4-star hotel in downtown Nashville, and I bought tickets for the Nashville Predators hockey game. I also arranged for my parents to bring with them a b-day cake from Adam's Cake Shop in Elkhart, Indiana, which happens to be the same place that made our wedding cake.  Adam's cake is fabulous.  It's our favorite.

 As soon as I arrived home from work on Friday, we packed up our stuff and headed to our hotel in downtown Nashville. It was a luxurious hotel for which I paid less than half the going rate.  (Yay me!)  We ate dinner at J. Alexander's, an upscale restaurant located near our hotel.  I had filet mignon and ordered chocolate fudge cake for dessert.  Guitarman had the Chicago ribeye and ordered carrot cake for dessert.  The food was to-die- for...  so was the bill.  But this was a very special occasion because we were not only celebrating Guitarman's b-day, but also my b-day and our anniversary as well.  (My b-day and our anniversary passed by mostly uncelebrated because they both fell smack dab in the middle of our move and the ensuring insanity.)

I was surprised that I hardly thought about Snuggles at all... I mean, sure, I missed him.  But I desperately needed the break.  In fact, if I'm honest, I really need a longer vacation... a longer period of rest with Guitarman and time where I don't have to be Mommy.

I don't think Snuggles missed us because he had a blast being spoiled rotten by Nana and Papa.

Saturday night was the Predators game vs. the Detroit Redwings.  Check out this guy's jersey.

We were pleasantly surprised to hear Vince Gill play/sing during the break between periods. Alice Cooper joined Vince, and sang "School's Out for Summer".  Classic 80's.  It was a ton of fun.  The Preds beat the Detroit Redwings 3-0, which made the experience all the more enjoyable.  We had a blast!

Random Acts of Cuteness

Snuggles' first haircut  - 12/28/2010

(Obviously this was before we said "Bye Bye, Binkie")

Snuggles sat perfectly still.  We couldn't believe how great he did.

Grandma love.

Don't fence me in!

Playing with Daddy's hat (and teeth).

He's messy, but so sweet....

... except when he's not.

Sunshiny Day

It was sunny and 65 degrees on Saturday.  That could only mean one thing... time to play outside!

It was the first time Snuggles was actually big enough to enjoy riding in the bike trailer.

(When I first watched this video, I realized I sound like my Mom.
She always narrates all her videos. *Cringe*  Ha!)

He even has a sippy cup holder.  Stylin'.

It was also a perfect day to test drive the wagon he got for Christmas.

Of course, Snuggles never leaves home without Duck-Duck.

 He loves his Daddy.

Notice how Snuggles says "Hi" in this video. Too cute.

I am blessed.