Xmas in St. Louis part two

We opened up gifts Xmas eve since Gogo had to work on Xmas. Avery got some toys (from Santa) but mostly practical things like pajamas and socks. He was primarily interested in the lights on the tree. The weather here was sunny and warmish today, so Carolyn and Avery and I went for a long walk on a trail. It was great but Avery got really tired and became Mr. Crankasaurus (also known as Mr. Grumpasaurus and Mr. Cranky Pants) by the end of our 5-mile hike. Tomorrow Carolyn and I are going to use a gift certificate we received as a present to go get pedicures and then go have sushi at a place we like here. It's really nice to have some built-in babysitters so we can go out just the two of us!

Here's Avery cuddling with his Uncle Donnie (how cute is this?!):



Mama, Avery, and mom in front of the tree:


Here's our cutie pie, just wearing a diaper (he got hot) and having lots of fun before bedtime. When you tickle him (esp. his tummy and his feet), he laughs his Beavis and Butthead chuckle. He likes to grab his feet and suck on his toes and sometimes roll from side to side. Mostly he loves to kick (especially lying on his back, he kicks both legs up and down simultaneously) and jump. He can scoot around on his back, but he's doing really well on his tummy too, and is definitely getting ready to crawl. He can also now sit up by himself for much longer periods of time. He hasn't been doing so well with the rice cereal, although he had a bite of mashed potatoes which he LOVED and a little applesauce. We're having a really nice, relaxing holiday, and he's been lots of fun!