Merry Christmas!

Well, we successfully made it through our first Christmas in St. Andrews. It was SO good to have Kay Kay here...it would not have been the same without her. It just feels right to be around family for the holidays so we are glad she braved the weather and made the trip! Our Christmas day was pretty low key, but it was a good day. We started out opening all the presents (which there were a lot of! Kay Kay packed several suitcases full of gifts from our family and friends back home). Justus was interested in the opening of the first few, and then he was over it and just wanted to play with the first things he got! Then onto the Buchanan family tradition of following string that lead from the stockings all over the house ending with a hidden pile of gifts. Justus is already a pro at this. Then we headed into town for a Christmas dinner for the St. Mary's (School of Divinity) students and their families who were still in town. It was good (and we certainly weren't going to cook a whole turkey for just the four of us, so we got to enjoy some turkey that someone else made!). Justus spent the entire time flirting with a cute little girl there who was just a little older than him. And that was it. We came home and watched 'The Duchess' - good but depressing and definitely not a new annual tradition or anything! All in all in was a good day.

Surveying the string situation...He climbed up on this chair with his present all by himself and opened it up there. He instantly loved his new batman p.j.'s (thanks Hawarahs). And don't worry Peeps, he loves his new dino p.j.'s too!!Following his stocking string with a little help from dad.
He loved his new puppy (stuffed puppy that is) that was waiting for him at the end of his string.
Justus was sending out the vibe to his cute little new girl friend :) At one point they went off together behind a couple of benches and were hugging! It was the cutest.
Way too cute for his own good!!

O, Christmas Tree

This year we decided to go pick out a 'live' tree for Christmas. We went to this little farm called "Easter Balrymonth" just outside of town. It was very low key. We were the only ones there and just knocked on the door of the house because we weren't sure what to do. A woman answered and just told us to go look around at their selection and mark which tree we wanted. I said we were the 'only ones' but there were also some pheasants (or whatever they were - large turkey-looking type birds) and chickens wandering around with us! Justus was having a blast running around and getting super muddy like a true little boy.

He found some trees that were just his size... But then, he spotted "the one"... And here it is in all it's glory - almost 7 feet tall with hardly any branches on the top! It is funky but we love it and it was fun picking it out together :) But the fun did not end there - Justus definitely enjoyed helping string on the lights... (yes, that is Kay Kay's voice for a brief moment in the background - she was on skype with us at the time!)

And here's the final product (don't judge us to harshly...we have VERY limited decorative supplies!!). I'm just happy that it is finally standing up somewhat straight!

Even More Leftovers

Okay, so here are just a few more :)

Justus loves climbing into things whenever he can: his tool bin, baskets, etc., but this is the smallest thing I've ever seen him sit (and sort of fit) in! This can't be comfortable but he sat there playing like this for awhile. And just look at all those teeth!
Yes, he does not have any pants on, but he had a serious diaper rash and needed some time to 'air out.'
Poor little buddy...this is the moment after he ate a mouthful of dirt in the backyard. Ha ha!
Love this face.
All bundled up and looking like a little cutie.

Leftovers Again

Well I know it has been awhile since updating the blog, but a lot has been going on! So I thought in the meantime I would post a few of my favorite pics of Justus that haven't made it up here yet. If you are sick of Thanksgiving leftovers like I am, here are some "leftovers" that you shouldn't get tired of (ha ha - cheesy, but true!).

Trying on a bike helmet he found in the house. Love the face.
Struttin' around the house in his cute moose PJ's. Footed pajamas are seriously the cutest.
Just being a super kid (ha ha).
Love those baby blues!!
Waiting at the gate outside Trav's class.
He even walks cute!!

Friends!

We just had our friends Joel & Kate (and their two kids, Addie & Walker) in town from Oxford. It was really good to hang out and swap stories, and it was fun for Justus to have two friends living with him! He was a little freaked out the first morning when he woke up and came downstairs and their were two kids taking over his playroom!! But he quickly adjusted and it was super cute to watch all the kids together.

Walker and Justus playing soccer in the backyard.

Playing with literally every single toy they could find in the playroom!

Once Justus sat in his tool bin, they all wanted to sit in there...at the same time! So cute.

Justus getting some love from Addie, who repeated called him 'gorgeous' :)

We all went and walked around the cathedral grounds on their last day here. I love this picture of Justus with the cathedral ruins in the background.

At one point, all three kids were chasing each other around the graves! Maybe slightly irreverent, but so stinking cute. We miss them already - the house is too quiet!!

Just Another Day

Just a glimpse into some of Justus's everyday activities...

A walk down the street (he loves pointing out birds and saying "bah" which we all know means bird!)...

Reading his favorite books (over and over and over)...

And of course, snack time while watching a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse :)

Happy Halloween!

So they do celebrate Halloween here, but definitely on a smaller scale. Only one group of trick-or-treaters came to our door (well, here they call it "guising" - as in disguising, I think) and it was our neighbors. It's probably for the best since I hadn't bought any candy anyways!! (Don't worry...the neighbors got to choose from my own personal stash of Twix, Snickers, and Mars Bars!) We started off the day at Cairnie Fruit Farm with our new friends Kendall and Andrew. It was a gorgeous day and we spent the whole afternoon outside (this is the same place we went for Justus's birthday - so once again we wore ourselves out!). We got to pick out our own pumpkin and they carved it for free. Later that night we went to a Halloween party at which we entered this very pumpkin into a pumpkin-carving contest and won!! Ha ha! We never told them that it was professionally carved but we didn't feel too guilty since the prize was a candy bar. You fools!!

Every kid needs a picture sitting with some pumpkins...this is that picture for Justus. :)

Our sweet (and fun) friends, Kendall and Andrew.

We went as a golf-trio: the professional golfer - Justus, his caddy - Travis, and the marshal (to keep the crowds quiet) - Jess. The best part about the costumes is that they didn't cost a dime (or a pence, I should say)!

Golfer and his caddy. Notice the glove hanging out his back pocket. And he carried that club around the entire night!

He's made his club selection...

Hanging out in the middle of all the older kids. What a cutie!

Cheating at a pumpkin carving contest and winning...priceless. Ha ha ha!!!

Swept Away

Lately, Justus is soaking things up like a sponge. It's so fun...we can show him how to do something and, for the most part, he can do it. So why pass up the chance to teach him how to do a little household cleaning??! We were outside on the deck the other day and he found this mini-broom. He loved it. He carried it around with him the entire time we were out there. I showed him how to sweep and he got the hang of it right away. It was the cutest. I'm sure soon enough he will turn into a smelly slob (as most boys do) but I will enjoy these moments while they last! :) Now...what else do I want him to do for me? Isn't this why we have kids in the first place (right, Kay Kay? Ha ha ha!)!

New Moves

For about a week or so, Justus had a ridiculously fun bedtime routine which involved a night time dance session to "release his wiggles." Of course, this is what some might consider the exact opposite of getting your child to calm down before putting them to bed, but still, it worked. And he loved it. And he has mad dancing skills. His two signature moves (as you will see) are waving his arms and squatting. If everyone who reads this post does these moves on the dance floor at the next wedding they attend, then their friends will see it and do it at the next wedding they attend, and so on and so forth, then this new dance craze will spread across the world like wildfire. Trust me, you want it to catch on. Then you can say, "Hey, I know the kid who started that!"

Another Birthday, Another Castle...

Ha ha! There seriously are castles everywhere over here! So the choice was obvious for what we should do to celebrate Trav's 32nd birthday...a visit to Stirling Castle and the William Wallace Monument. It was a cold day, but not raining, so we all bundled up and headed out. Justus was such a little trooper, as always.

Here is the William Wallace Monument (if you don't know who that is (mom) then rent Braveheart!).

It was a little bit of a hike up to the base of the monument. Justus had it easy, in my opinion, but somehow he was still pooped when we got to the top! (Well, let's face it, so was I!!)

But it all paid off when he got to walk around the base of the monument in the muddy grass all by himself. He is seriously loving being able to walk around on his own.

Then onto lunch before heading over to tour the castle.

Ah, Stirling Castle. One of the largest and most historically important castles in Scotland. We hooked up with a tour and learned more than we ever needed to know.

Justus even snuck off into the "King's Old Building" and dropped a bit of his own history into this place (in other words, he walked back into this little corner, squatted and pooped!). Gotta love this little guy! There's a birthday present for you, dad :)