I have been more than remiss about my blogging or lack there of. So I again will just do a month of catching up. However, blogger is having some technical difficulties so all of these photos are not quite in order. That being said here we go:
For those of you that know me you know that I LOVE this time of year. Everything about it: the story of the birth of Jesus, the nativity, the tree, the lights, the Christmas hymns and music. Ok, you get the picture. However one thing I am not too keen on Santa. I am not against him, it's just that is not what Christmas is about to me. My parents didn't make a huge deal out of Santa and neither do I. Yet, when I learned that Santa would be arriving by train near our house I thought we may give it a shot. Despite the usual Washington drizzle there was a rather large turnout. The train station was all decorated and cookies and hot cocoa were abundant as well as carolers.
V was so excited to see the train's approach, although he didn't understand who or why we were there. He thought we would get to ride it and was a bit sad that we didn't. Don't worry we plan on taking the train on a real trip sometime soon.
Once he got over the dissappointment of not getting to ride the train he agreed to stand in line to see Santa. As I mentioned there were free cookies so I am sure that was a good incentive. But even the power of cookies couldn't get him to sit on the jolly man's lap. It was good effort though. And once Santa handed him a candy cane and we were on our way he was just fine again, no harm done.
Disjoint: This is actually our Christmas afternoon. Amazingly we managed to get all three of us smiling, or what passes as a smile for J! If you could hear, imagine V yelling "merry wismas cheese"! So funny. V had opened so many presents the day before at our family party's that he had no interest in the ones under our tree and was more interested in taking a bike ride and such. Finely we talked him into opening them before naptime.
Again, Christmas afternoon. Just taking a break to show me their muscles while opening presents.
If you don't know both Lowe's and Home Depot have free projects for kids on Saturdays. I thought V was too little but while we were at our Lowe's they encouraged us to let him do it with our help and he was a natural. He did all the hammering with very little guidance and no fingers were injured. He had a blast and we are planning on returning in January to make a coin bank.
Showing off his two ornaments that he made.
Disjoint continued: V was so helpful decorating our tree just after Thanksgiving. He also helped Grandma at her house too. And as far as I know only one ornament was injured in the process. Two if you count the one he broke at the store with me! Don't worry I offered to pay and they were kind enough to only make me pay cost, not mark up.
If you don't know both Lowe's and Home Depot have free projects for kids on Saturdays. I thought V was too little but while we were at our Lowe's they encouraged us to let him do it with our help and he was a natural. He did all the hammering with very little guidance and no fingers were injured. He had a blast and we are planning on returning in January to make a coin bank.
Showing off his two ornaments that he made.
Our family celebrations started with brunch at my grandparents on Christmas Eve. It is so nice now that they live next door to my parents and it's only a 12 minute drive versus the hour it used to be.
A rarity! My grandma smiling for a picture! doesn't she look cute in her new scarf and gloves.
It has been even more of a blessing to have them so close to spend more quality time with my grandfather. Although his mind is not always there, it is nice to be around more for the rare glimpses of the man I grew up knowing. The other day he even walked into the room and told me that he loved me. Usually he only says that in response to me saying it to him, so it was incredibily special to have him say it to me unprompted.
I just love this picture of V. That's my boy, smilely, happy and on the go!
Christmas Eve dinner continued the family celebrations with most of my father's side. I thought this picture was so funny of my beautiful cousin so nicely smiling and everyone else just gabbing away.
Look out Rudolph! My dad is retired and looking for something to keep him busy.
I don't know who enjoys the cousins more. Me because they keep V entertained and are so patient with him as he is the littlest, or V because they play with him! There were 6 kids there and even with all the presents and fun new toys, not one arguement ever. They all shared and play together and it was just so fun to see. V adores his cousins.
After all the excitement of Christmas Eve we spent a pretty quiet Christmas day at our house, with the exception of having my parents and grandparents over to dinner.
For New Year's we had a few couples over for some food and games. Surprisingly we all made it to midnight, which is saying something when you have kids!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I can't believe it's 2010 already!!!
V was asleep up stairs so Cathy was trying to see how quiet she could blow the noisemaker! But notice how many she has in her hand, haha!
As a Christmas gift my grandmother renewed our membership to our local Children's Museum. We have used it tons over the past year so it was a welcomed gift. And even more exciting with our new membership we can visit some of the children's museums in nearby cities for free! So today we ventured to a different museum. V knows the way to our museum so he was a bit confused as we tired to explain we were driving to a different one but once we arrived and he saw all the new things to play with he was thrilled. They had some cool stuff ours doesn't like an air cannon;
A leaf climbing gym, which really made me want to watch "Bug's Life" and wish that I was small enough to climb on it;
A life size Lite-bright! Do you remember these? My sister was a master at making signs to put in our window when we were little. I loved trying to make pictures of things. Does anyone know if they still make these b/c I would love to have one again?
And a cool treehouse with a plexiglass lookout in the floor. V thought it was hilarious if I stood under it and tried to jump to reach him. It was even more funny to watch his little mind work the first time he went up the treehouse and noticed it in the floor. He stopped and studied it, put one toe on and pushed, then his whole foot and a little stomp, then both feet. Once he was content that it was not a hole and would hold his weight then he was off playing again with no concerns about running over it. It's so cool to see their little minds work and figure things out. Not to mention a bit comforting to know that in there somewhere in there he has some sense of caution, whew!
A rarity! My grandma smiling for a picture! doesn't she look cute in her new scarf and gloves.
It has been even more of a blessing to have them so close to spend more quality time with my grandfather. Although his mind is not always there, it is nice to be around more for the rare glimpses of the man I grew up knowing. The other day he even walked into the room and told me that he loved me. Usually he only says that in response to me saying it to him, so it was incredibily special to have him say it to me unprompted.
I just love this picture of V. That's my boy, smilely, happy and on the go!
Christmas Eve dinner continued the family celebrations with most of my father's side. I thought this picture was so funny of my beautiful cousin so nicely smiling and everyone else just gabbing away.
Look out Rudolph! My dad is retired and looking for something to keep him busy.
I don't know who enjoys the cousins more. Me because they keep V entertained and are so patient with him as he is the littlest, or V because they play with him! There were 6 kids there and even with all the presents and fun new toys, not one arguement ever. They all shared and play together and it was just so fun to see. V adores his cousins.
After all the excitement of Christmas Eve we spent a pretty quiet Christmas day at our house, with the exception of having my parents and grandparents over to dinner.
For New Year's we had a few couples over for some food and games. Surprisingly we all made it to midnight, which is saying something when you have kids!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! I can't believe it's 2010 already!!!
V was asleep up stairs so Cathy was trying to see how quiet she could blow the noisemaker! But notice how many she has in her hand, haha!
As a Christmas gift my grandmother renewed our membership to our local Children's Museum. We have used it tons over the past year so it was a welcomed gift. And even more exciting with our new membership we can visit some of the children's museums in nearby cities for free! So today we ventured to a different museum. V knows the way to our museum so he was a bit confused as we tired to explain we were driving to a different one but once we arrived and he saw all the new things to play with he was thrilled. They had some cool stuff ours doesn't like an air cannon;
A leaf climbing gym, which really made me want to watch "Bug's Life" and wish that I was small enough to climb on it;
A life size Lite-bright! Do you remember these? My sister was a master at making signs to put in our window when we were little. I loved trying to make pictures of things. Does anyone know if they still make these b/c I would love to have one again?
And a cool treehouse with a plexiglass lookout in the floor. V thought it was hilarious if I stood under it and tried to jump to reach him. It was even more funny to watch his little mind work the first time he went up the treehouse and noticed it in the floor. He stopped and studied it, put one toe on and pushed, then his whole foot and a little stomp, then both feet. Once he was content that it was not a hole and would hold his weight then he was off playing again with no concerns about running over it. It's so cool to see their little minds work and figure things out. Not to mention a bit comforting to know that in there somewhere in there he has some sense of caution, whew!
Ok, well I hope that satisfies those of you who were itching for a new post. I would like to say that I made a resolution to be better at blogging but I didn't. But don't fear, I didn't make any resolutions, they are to often tossed aside. I have on the other hand made some goals, and making more time for my memory keeping is one of them. That includes blogging and scrapbooking, so you have hope yet.
Hope everyone had a wonderful and merry Christmas season and I wish you all a fabulous 2010!
5 comments:
I love all the pictures and catching up with you guys! I can't believe how big V is getting!!
Yay for an update finally! And we feel very special that we're in it!
those faces V can pull :D more and more like his dad, thank goodness the cation button in his brain works though lol
Looks like you guys had a great holiday. I had a dream last night about you. It was funny; thought you might want to hear it. In my dream you were pregnant with your next baby but it wasn't just one baby. You were pregnant with quadruplets!
Haha! We would love to have to have another, so far no luck, but I don't think we would know what to do with four at a time!!! I told J if we had quads we would be done, and he said we would be "WELL done!"
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