"Photo Shoot" Fun

My friend Angie recently got a new camera. She wanted to try it out and asked if we'd be interested in a "photo shoot" with Teddy. Hmmm.... do we like taking pictures of Teddy??!!! She had to twist our arms, but since it was such a gorgeous day outside, we all walked down to the park for some pictures:

We were acting like fools to get Teddy to smile... but it's worth it!

Belly Laughing

OK so we were acting a bit crazy... the look on Teddy's face in this next shot captures his thoughts as he pretends not to know the goofy man and lady dancing and singing in the middle of the park:

But he couldn't stop smiling for long:

Teddy's more serious side:

Teddy loves his Daddy:

Obviously a staged "action shot":

Warning: this next shot shows off Teddy's finest feature:

I LOVE those cheeks!!!!

Teddy's hair in this next photo cracked us up. It shows how long his hair is- just in the middle of the top of his head (this kids is rocking a serious mullet)

Family shot:

Being a model is hard work!!!

Thank you very much Angie for taking these pictures! Also- a special thanks to cousin Jack. The model's entire wardrobe is courtesy of Jack's hand-me-downs!

Teddy is 13 Months Old!

When I started Teddy's monthly pictures with his "hug me" bear, I said I wanted to do it every month for at least the first year. Well... I am just not ready to stop taking them! So, I figured with the new year we could use Teddy's new chair. Here are a few of the shots I got before he grabbed the sign and started standing on the chair:

Teddy loves his bear:

Teddy continues to be a very happy little boy. He still takes about 3-4 steps at a time but isn't really walking yet. He is babbling a lot though and seems to be telling us some very important things (if we could just understand him). He has started to put the toy and real phone to his ear and pretend to talk on them, and he points at whatever he wants us to give to him. He is growing and changing so quickly it is so much fun! We are so thankful to have a healthy and happy little man.

Teddy Cheers on the Bears!

Over the past two weekends, Teddy and Shae have bonded together watching lots of football. They cheered on the bears and you can tell from this first picture that Teddy REALLY got in to it:

The whole family cheering on the Bears:

Even though the Bears didn't win, Shae had fun watching the game last weekend. He turned our kitchen into what smelled like a fast food restaurant as he fried onion rings, french fries, and fish that he caught from our lake:

Grandpa Steve would be so proud... Teddy ate some fried fish:

Teddy helped his dad cheer on The Bears:

All of that cheering (and all of the fried food).... of course wears you out:

The Snow Finally Melted!

After over a week of snow and ice..... (I know that does not sound like a long time for some, but remember we are in "Hotlanta") it finally started to melt! It's a good thing because I was about to go crazy staying inside for so long.

So, as it warmed up, what did we do? Well... Shae decided to take his canoe out early one morning:

Yes- that IS ice on the lake... lots of it:

His canoe ride was cut short!

Luckily though, a week after it snowed we were able to get out of the house. Since Teddy was still on antibiotics, I had no hesitation to take him to the germ-infested play section of the mall. Apparently we were not the only ones who were ready to get out of the house. It was packed full of wild children!

Teddy is not shy at all! He made lots of new friends:

Teddy had a great time playing with his Daddy!

It wore them both out:

So how else could we celebrate the snow melting? Teddy played in his purple sweatshirt...

matching his mommy! (Really WHO does that...what crazy mom dresses like her one year old son???)

Oh yeah- I do! I told you.... being in the house for a week straight.... I started to lose my mind.

What else did we do while we were cooped up inside? How about take more pictures in the new chair with all of Teddy's buddies:

We also borrowed a neighbors back pack to try it out:

And we made bear shaped pancakes (or at least tried):

And of course, there was LOTS of napping involved:

.... in our very cold house! We hope you all are staying warm!

Let it snow!

Teddy is going to think that it is "normal" for it to snow in Atlanta. He is just barely one and this is the fourth time it has snowed in Atlanta since he has been alive! We got somewhere between 3-5 inches of snow on Sunday night and as I type this on Wednesday night, we STILL have snow!! That is very unusual around here! We have been stuck at home for several days, but we have ventured out to walk around and of course take some pictures. Here is our house, covered in snow:

the backyard:

the bridge at the lake:

and the entrance to our neighborhood:

our neighborhood pool:

Shae worked from home on Monday and Tuesday because the roads were pretty bad. It is nice that he has a job that allows him to work from home if necessary. It is not so nice that he works in our downstairs... because in the winter it is really cold down there. Look at what Shae wore to "work" on Monday:

When Shae took a work break, we bundled Teddy up to take him outside for some fresh air:

and to play in the snow:

Although we were "snowed in" Teddy and I were still able to make it to playgroup on Monday thanks to Shae (who escorted us down the street). Shae pushed Teddy in the stroller for me since it was pretty icy (and I am not known for my gracefulness). On Tuesday we again decided to venture out into the snow.... but we couldn't find Teddy's mittens (just like the poor little kittens... ) So we had to improvise:

Yes, he does have socks on his hands... but it worked! Here's a shot of Teddy tasting the snow:

I am definitely a southerner for a reason. After three days of snow, I am very ready for it to melt! I am tired of our living room and am just thankful that we have friends with in walking distance that I have been able to visit with over the past few days! Here are a few other random pictures from the past week that I thought I would post. Teddy loves to play with his farm animals:

But he does NOT seem to love the sit-and-spin:

We still have the decorations up from Teddy's birthday party. I was actually going to take them down yesterday but Shae said I should keep them up until after Aunt Sam visits us this weekend... so they are still up! I wanted to get a picture of the three of us by Teddy's birthday sign, but every time someone was over who could take it, I forgot to ask. Finally Shae decided he could set up the camera with the timer to take it himself. Here are some of the pictures he took:

Since our house is split level and the sign was hanging from the upstairs, taking a picture with the self timer was just the sort of challenge that Shae enjoys. Although it took a few adjustments, we were able to get the pictures above. How did we get them? Check out what the camera was on top of:

I love my engineer husband!

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Lastly I forgot to post this video earlier. I love it because it captures Teddy's awesome laughing (and his awesomely silly daddy):