This post is a massive one! Technically, Graham ended his 8th month on the 23rd of December, but in order to not get overwhelmed in January, I decided to include CHRISTMAS in this post. Hence the reason there are so many images! This eighth month with Graham has been our most fun yet. He’s coming out of his shell and is so engaging and smiley. He’s attached to me but he will go to anyone. We know that can change on a dime so we’re enjoying the fact that he loves being held by everyone now! It feels sad for me to write this, but we missed a week of his eighth month because we went on a trip to Hawaii and while it was an incredible trip and I know it was so good for us to get away, I love this little boy so much that it was hard to leave.
We came back from our trip and he had started army-crawling across the floor chasing ornament balls!!! He’s on the move and honestly, I know that some parents dread it, but I love it. He can MOVE where he wants to go instead of getting bored and fussing because he wants to explore and can’t. Previously, he would sit on the floor and rock and fuss and then spit up because he wanted the freedom to be able to move like Evy and his cousins. Now, even though he’s slow, he can move and he’s SO happy about it!!!
Here are some things I want to remember about this month of his life! :
- He currently has 8 teeth….. and he’s eight months old! Wow!
- He still loves nursing but he can’t concentrate when someone else is in the room or even if he hears a phone!
- He got his first real cold right before Christmas! ugh. But he handled it so well.
- He loves baths
- He loves water bottles, pineapple, pouches, applesauce, zucchini, & being incredibly messy
- He’s still not perfect at eating his solid food. It’s hard because I compare him to Harper and she eats EVERYTHING in sight! He likes to play with it, put it in his mouth but he hasn’t mastered when to chew and when to suck so sometimes, it just comes flying back out!
- He’s wearing 12 month clothes. He can still fit into 9 month sizes but they are tight in his length!
- He’s starting to show signs of loving music!
- He’s just so happy right now and it’s so much fun. I’ll come around a corner and he’s just cheesing at me.
- He says DADA and Michael loves it!
- He loves to rub his face against my face and giggles
- He will frantically army-crawl towards me when he wants me to hold him.
- He still lays his head down when he’s tired no matter where he is.
- He wasn’t snuggly when he was tiny but now he is!
- He’s getting chunky!!!
His crazy scrunch is my favorite!
He always stops and puts his head down when he’s tired and it’s the sweetest thing. Sometimes, now that he’s crawling (or “scooting”), we’ll find him sprawled out like this on the floor!
Gotta be on guard at ALL times, she comes out of nowhere!
My disastrous Christmas card idea! It was cute… but it was a MESS!
Isn’t it funny that I always worry that our babies won’t have any personality.
See, she came out of nowhere!
Hanging out with Knox Bear and Baby Roe! …. She’s not a baby anymore! 
Graham and Sisi reunited!!!
Too much Graham…. too much.
That’s what you get for biting her foot!
Another Evy hug….
She never stops!
This is the month that Graham started wanting to be around the big kids….
And trying to copy everything they do!
Grandaddy fixed our broken ottoman that hides the toys!
“What ornament?”
He actually REALLY started to “scoot” and move trying to chase runaway ornaments down the hallway!
My favorite picture from Christmas!
Harper is FAST these days!! She’s almost ONE!!!!
Evy likes to crawl with her!
This was Graham’s first day with a full blown cold. Poor little buddy.
Michael and I left the kids for 6 days to go to Maui and it was wonderful…. i cried leaving them…. but it was wonderful to get away. I’ll share more of that trip soon!
We hosted a staff/church leadership Christmas party after our Hawaii trip!
And then the next day was Micah’s 3rd Birthday party!!! 
My sister and her cake-making skills! How amazing is this!!!?!?!
Our van wouldn’t start and so Evy was an hour late to the party and Micah got upset that she wasn’t there. They are truly best friends and it’s the sweetest thing!
Evy also thought it was HER party and she hugged each kid after Micah opened their present. hahahahah
More Evy hugs!
Again with the hugs…..
She wanted to sing him Happy Birthday….
She also licked his candles without asking. We’re going to need to work on her party/social skills!
Micah’s face when he saw his training bike!
Our sweet new friend, Josie!
Unke Corey chased the kids for about an hour!
This is our church’s indoor playground that you can rent out for parties! The kids loved it!
Then we headed to Micah’s house so that he could get his present from Mimi and Grandaddy!
Evy’s first time driving it!
Then we headed to Kings Dominion for Winterfest and then to Mimi and Grandaddy’s house for our “James Family Christmas”!!
This lasted for about 2 mins.
Our first time with matching family PJ’s. Michael was sweating to death and Graham spit up on his immediately.
And Micah didn’t quite grasp the concept but he was SO EXCITED to take a picture with us!
“Christmas morning” was on the 23rd but it sure felt like the real deal making them wait to go downstairs just like we had to when we were kids!
It’s surreal to see our kids waiting where Emy, Corey and I waited every year!
We told them to close their eyes and I was rushing and mis-shot this but I kinda love it!
Seeing their giant OLAFS!
She looks beautiful and GROWN UP! And he is such a little nugget!
Getting her first fake MAKEUP kit from Aunt Momo!!!!
The babies’ first Christmas!!!!
Harper’s first baby doll!
Poor thing…. I swear she loved it!
Queen Elsa lived in this dress ALL DAY! And everyday after.
Then grandaddy won “Best Christmas Surprise of 2019″…. maybe even the DECADE….
He made these barrel cars on handcarts and the kids were AMAZED!!!!
Oh. my. goodness.
Our annual family picture!
Oops.
Then we headed to Grammie and Paw’s on Christmas Eve!
Checking everyone’s heart!
Princess Ana! It came in a two-set but lets put it this way…. she hasn’t worn this since this photo was taken. She’s ALL about ELSA!
This picture is magical to me. I can’t believe they’re mine.
Oh my goodness.
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
MORE RECENT POSTS
Some images are good, but others really DRAW you in and make you say WOW! But what are the factors that make an image stand out so much?
Adobe has consistently pushed the boundaries of technology in the realm of photography. With the introduction of the generative AI fill feature in Lightroom, Lightroom Classic, and Lightroom Mobile, photographers have been given a powerful tool to enhance their editing process. This feature is not just a minor update; it could be a HUGE time saver for you!
I started this 3-part series after walking through an incredibly hard season with one of our sons. But there are so many things I wanted to share in hopes of helping other mommas like me that struggle to figure out what was happening!
I may be 15 years into being a wedding photographer but I still have some bucket list locations where I would love to shoot! When Sarah told me that she wanted to do her engagement session at Virginia House, I was so excited because believe it or not, I have NEVER shot here before!!
As a professional photographer, I’ve had the privilege of capturing countless family portraits over the years. Each session presents a unique set of challenges, from managing energetic children to finding the perfect backdrops.
As a photographer, I’ve often found myself in situations where the location seemed lackluster or uninspiring. It’s easy to get caught up in the pursuit of the perfect setting, but the reality is that we don’t always have the luxury of shooting in the most visually stunning locations.
Top Personal Posts
Have a little time to read?
"Best money I have EVER spent on education! ... and I've spent a lot!”
"I love all the lessons I'm learning from KJ All Access! Thanks Katelyn!”
"I find very few educational resources worth it ... this one is!”
"Being able to see behind-the-scenes of Katelyn interacting with her clients has been SO impactful!”
"SO worth it! It's amazing the amount of knowledge you get out of them!”
"I learned just as much in one All Access as I did in a whole course! SO GOOD!"
The KJ blog
must-reads
YOUTUBE
The KJ Learning roadmap
