Family Christmas Card Photos

 

The talented Tiptoe Studios came out to the farm to take pictures for our very first family Christmas card this year.

 

Although I'm horrified by my weight, and J seems to think he has more hair on his head than the pictures reflect --- we are absolutely thrilled with how they turned out.

Thanksgiving Trip, Part 2 ... As Told by August

I'm baaaaaack.

Here's how the rest of my trip went....

Mom, Grandma and I went on another airplane ride.

This time to Arizona to meet my Gigi.

I traveled like a champ.

At this point I've been in six states in six days so you'll have to excuse me if I'm a little sleepy.

By the way, one of Grandma's third graders said I look like I have meatballs in my cheeks.

I'm just storing up for winter.

Those old people in Arizona have some pretty funky rides.

But the weather was nice so I had no complaints.

My Gigi is my great-grandma Kathy.

She's a pretty cool lady and is always blinged out with diamonds and fancy nails.

Mom got a little miffed when she realized Gigi can keep me laughing much longer than she can.

But I still had plenty of smiles to go around.

I've found that the more I smile and giggle, the more attention I get.

It's worked out pretty well for me.

Speaking of smiles, my mom is a total fraud.

She sent this picture out to everyone of me in my new reindeer hat that I got on Thanksgiving Day and acted like oh my cute little happy baby looooves his new hat.

Umm, no.

That's a load of baloney because this is really what I looked like about 2 seconds before she snapped that picture:

I wasn't smiling at all in that other picture.

I was just catching my breath between sobs.

And she tried to pass it off as a smile.

You gotta watch her. She's sneaky like that.

Grandma will vouch for me.

She knows I wasn't happy.

Then my mom thought it would be so cute to get a picture of me sleeping under a palm tree on Thanksgiving Day.

Seriously, it's like I'm just her living-breathing photo prop.

Case in point:

I'm clearly waaaaaay too long for the Christmas overalls Gigi bought me.

And upon realizing that my mom felt it necessary to take 1,001 pictures of me busting out of them.

Funny, ha.

Good one mom, you're hilarious.

Good-bye Arizona.

Nice to meet you Gigi.

Next stop, Colorado, where Grandpa's team played in a tournament.

I must be a good luck charm because they won both games that weekend and have been on an 8-game winning streak ever since.

It's probably because I'm so cute.

We had a long drive from Colorado back to Kansas, so we passed the time by making fun of Grandma without her knowing it.

And then we would send the funny pictures we made of her to Aunt Shannon.

Once we were back in Kansas, Grandpa and I finally got some quality time to talk about important world issues.

And then of course before I flew home, Aunt Shannon had to go shopping and buy me new clothes.

I have three shirts talking about how cool she is.

Maybe I should add something to the back that says something like in her own mind.

And now I am home sweet home.

Still trying to figure out what in the world it is my mom has me staring at while she does the dishes.

Thanksgiving Trip, Part 1 ... As Told by August

So my mom thought it would be cool to go on an almost two-week trip with a three month old baby, criss-crossing the U.S. to introduce me to family.

First things first. I decided if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it in style.

Here's me in my new winter gear...

Alright let's get this show on the road.

Mom was all freaked out about how I would be on all the plane rides.

Pfft. Please. I got this.

So much so that I felt the need to flip off the camera just to show that this ain't no big deal.

I flip my parents off a lot. 

I'm still not sure why it's such a big deal.

Hooooooooly cow. 

What was that?

It's getting bumpy in here.

OMG, mom.

Hold me, I'm scared.

I hate turbulan.... annnnd, I'm out.

Bounced me straight to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, after we landed in Kansas City I took a nap on my Uncle Nathan and Aunt Shannon's plush, swanky guest bed.

These city people really know how to do it up right.

Then we got on the road to surprise my grandpa at his basketball game.

He's a college basketball coach.

And a goofy guy.

He gets all up in my face and is like Auuuuuuguuuuuuust, hey Auuuuuuuguuuuuuuust.

He thinks it makes me giggle.

But really I'm just laughing at him.

And then there's my crazy aunt....

She taught me how to "photobomb" at the basketball game.

Pay no attention to my grandma. She's not quite sure how to act or where to look when there is a camera present. I'm totally giving her the stink eye about it.

And then my Aunt Shannon brought me over to the cheerleaders and asked if they would take a picture with me.

Please girl, you don't have to ask.

I'm a ladies man. 

Everyone wants to take their picture with me.

Aunt Shannon is all about me.

Until it's time to check out her five-thousand social media apps.

Then I'm chopped liver.

I'm not sure what book she is facing, which vine she is climbing, why she snaps when she chats, or what in the world a tweet is. But this girl is on top of it.

I'm starting to think she's just using me to get more likes.

We stayed at a hotel that night because grandpa's team had another game the next day.

It was my first night in a crib.

My mom is such a pushover. She hasn't made me sleep in my crib in my nursery yet.

Actually, pushover may not be the right word.

I recall her saying something about being too lazy to walk down the hall in the middle of the night.

Whatev.

As long as I get attention.

So my Aunt Shannon also taught me about selfies, too.

You know, when you take a picture of yourself trying to look cool in an effort to get compliments.

But not to be outdone, mom snapped a selfie of us in the hotel mirror before breakfast.

You can't see in this picture, but I have a pretty killer duckface.

After the second basketball game we drove home to grandma and grandpa's house.

Grandma said she had a few things up on the guest bed for me.

Apparently 17 books, 3 toys, 24 outfits and an iPhone 5s are her definition of a few things.

The phone is actually for my mom though. 

Grandma said it's because she needs my mom to send better quality pictures of me.

The next morning we went to church and at the Thanksgiving dinner afterwards I got a little sleepy.

And that's when I became the centerpiece.

That afternoon we went to the house where my grandpa grew up.

There was another baby there.

We're related somehow.

Dude totally showed me up when it was picture time.

He's all cheesin' for the camera -- making me look like a doofus.

I told them I wasn't ready yet. Goshhhhhh.

Everyone made a big deal out of the fact that he's 5 weeks older than me and I'm waaaaay bigger.

C'mon people. I'm just giving you more to love.

As a matter of fact, I heard it's cool to wear 9 month clothes at 3 months old.

It makes me seem older and more distinguished.

That's mom, her brother and cousins. 

Annnnnd here I am passed out at yet another Thanksgiving dinner at church that evening.

Everyone wants to act like I eat a lot.

Seriously? 

Because I'm pretty sure it's the grownups who are out of control.

The following day we went to visit grandma at her third grade classroom.

This is my balla' look.

Mom had to go and ruin it with the fuzzy sleeping bag thingy.

Geez, mom.

When grandma's 3rd graders came back from recess they all like, oh my gosh, a baaaaaaabyyyyyyyyyyyy.

But grandma was like, stand back boys and girls, don't touch.

It's like I'm a museum exhibit or something.

Alright, I need to go.

It's tummy time.

So annoying.

I'll be back to tell you more about my trip.