Month 11

A lot has happened this month, so I'll do my best not to ramble too much. It was all so exciting, and I'm eager to share it!

To start, I had my very first Thanksgiving dinner. It was so delicious. I devoured everything on my plate. I had so much fun watching my dad fry the turkey, and mom bake the traditional cranberry apple crisp. We ate at our neighbor's home, and had such a great time playing games and eating way too much food.

Thanksgiving Dinner!

Afterwards, Daddy, Mommy and I went to the Agana lights to get a little taste of Christmas on Guam. It was nice to have something special with daddy before we were separated by another deployment. I also received my first birthday present early so that daddy could put it together and have some quality time playing together. I love my new tricycle!

Agana Lights

Playing with Daddy

Just one short week later, mommy and I were on an airplane to Hawaii to meet up with Grandpa to fly to Navarre for Christmas and my first birthday. It was hard leaving daddy behind knowing that when we got back, he wouldn't be there, but we've already had plenty of skype dates and he recorded himself reading some of my favorite books. I love watching them and skyping with him, and I always say "dada" over and over again when I see his face.

Jet lag was trouble, but mommy worked really hard to get me back on my usual schedule, so after a few sleepless nights and cranky days, I was back and better than ever! I'm even sleeping better than I did on Guam, but I think that might be because there is just so much to do here in Navarre.

I spent the first couple nights with my Halmoni and had a great time with her. She made me chicken soup, and it is now my favorite meal. She put all the left overs into the freezer, so I can eat it whenever I want (or whenever mommy heats it up for me).

I went to a tree farm to cut down my very first Christmas tree! It was so fun crawling around and picking out a tree. Uncle Keith cut both mine and Wesley's trees down, and then we took some silly pictures and looked at the animals at the farm. We ate some fried pickles afterwards since it was a tradition of my mommy's, and man, the couple bites I got were really tasty!

Tree Farm

I love looking at all the Christmas decorations at Grandma & Aunt Michelle's house and I especially love the lights. We went to the Zoolights in Gulf Breeze and I had so much fun! I was able to pet a bunny, some goats, and see a baby alligator up close. I saw Santa in a helicopter and it made me think of my daddy and how he flies in the helicopters, too! There were so many lights, so I was in awe the entire time I was there.

Zoolights with Mommy

I also met up with some of my old friends from Guam. My friend Leia, and my new friend Brynn flew out to Pensacola to visit their family, so we were able to have lunch together. Mommy had a great time catching up with Auntie Maria, and I had fun playing with Leia. We're sad it was such a short visit, but maybe one day the Navy will bring our families close together again.

Reunion with the Blackwell Family!

The last big thing I did this month was drive to Texas (well, Aunt Michelle & Mommy drove) and surprise my great grandparents. My Pop-pop was turning 85, and I had never met either of them, so we took the opportunity to see them for a few days. The drive wasn't much fun, but once we got there, I had a great time meeting them, and all my 2nd cousins and great Aunts & Uncles. We celebrated Pop-pop's birthday, went to a rose garden to look at the lights, and just spent some great quality time with the families.

Meeting my Great-Grandparents

I cut my sixth tooth this past month, and I took my first step just before we left for Texas. While I was in Texas, though, I took five consecutive steps! I'm getting braver, so it is just a matter of time before I'm off walking full time. I still think crawling is faster, for now, though.

Hanging with Wesley.

Now, I'm anxiously awaiting my first Christmas. I've had so much fun this last month, and I can't wait to see what the LAST month of my first year has in store! I know I'll be seeing some other of my Mommy's friends and the biggest thing will be me turning ONE! I'll make sure to fill you all in on the festivities next month!

Merry Christmas!