Merry Christmas!

We have had a couple of jammed packed days of celebration. I have even crossed the 2.5 hour nap marker today!!! That should tell you something. We have some fantastic things to celebrate this season. First of all we are so happy to celebrate Jesus' birth so that we can know how truly blessed we are and how loved we are. We also are thrilled to celebrate my dad's new job, which he starts on January 12. We are looking forward to celebrating my Opa's and brother's birthday on Monday!! So here are just a couple pictures of the past couple days to get you through. As soon as my brother gets here, we will start a site for him as well and hopefully mom can link it up correctly. Until then, have a blessed Christmas and hoping we all can learn the TRUE meaning of this day in our hearts!! My gifts were nice, but no where near the magnitude of the gift that God has given me in Jesus.
Here I am opening a few presents:

My Anakin and Obe Won guys that Chris my cousin got me...they are just like my Luke Skywalker he gave me when I went to see him...he is the GREATEST!!!

My playdough tub to play with...dad was not super thrilled with this one, but mom is pretty stoked about it.

My train set...invert the previous statement regarding my parents.

My Uncle Troy got all his kids musical instruments and after SOME of the chaos died down, they let me try my hand at the drum set!
My Aunt Diane is in town and I am having a ton of fun with her. She has been so much fun to play with and also gave me a treasure of a present. She gave me a WAY COOL box made of rock and some new shiny one dollar coins!!! They say they spend like greenbacks...fun!

Latest Outings and such

Hi there!
We really haven't done a ton of stuff lately because 1) the weather has been nasty and crazy and 2) I caught the croup. SO...here are a couple pics of the couple things we have done. We have 8 days until my brother gets here, so we may not post again for a while!! I did get to finally meet my wonderful Uncle Billy!!! He came in town for less than 24 hours and fit us in! It is soooo good to have him back from England and I can't wait to play with him again! Thank you Aunt Marcy for all the nice gifts you sent too!! I now love my Abominable Snowman, I was skeptical at first...so was Cheddar, but I woke up asking for him today!
Merry Christmas!!

Me and dad in the SNOW/ice/ sleet...whatever...wintery mix?? Also, to those who were concerned, my mother DID purchase a new coat and it has already arrived for today's cold snap.

Me and dad at Gattitown on the icy day.

Me and Frosty at the Library story time.

Me at the doctor's office trying to stay occupied while not messing with toys so other kids don't get sick from me!!!


Me in the COLD today playing with my new Little Tykes Police car...okay it was a Christmas present, that I got early because I was sick...probably not the safest way to play with it, but Dad got a bit of a workout running along side with me!!

Boy with no real coat that fits!

SOOO...winter sorta snuck up on us today! Yesterday we were at the park in pants and short sleeves...today...well, the high was 32 and we got some sleet. We realized rather quickly that my mom is in winter denial and was hoping to make it through the season with "layering" me up. Probably not going to work, so I am sure we will head out to the stores tomorrow to get a warmer coat for me that will fit! It is nice to be able to rationalize the expense because maybe my little brother could wear it too!!!
The official countdown has begun, he will be here (Lord willing) 2 weeks from TODAY!!
Boy, not sure if ANY of us are ready for that!
Here are some shots that we got before heading out...I am sure that the NRA will want to have me as the poster child, as will Ted Nugent and his hunting crew!!

Trying to not get sick!!

All my friends are coming down with a nasty virus and we are desperately trying not to catch it!! So while playing in my play room with my legos, I discovered that playing IN the box is fun!

Saturday I got to spend a lot of time with Dad and we had a good time. When mom came home we all went out and about on a hunt for 2 new items...the hunt was more for the store than the items because we knew what we wanted and where to get it. We had a tough time getting there because it was not where mom thought!!
We ended up at the new Allen Village area...it was a lot like Firewheel...gonna be chaos when it is done!
HOWEVER.... we did find the store and I came home with a new potty seat and car seat. I have been very intrigued with the toilet, toilet paper and actually tried to sit on the big one the other day. SOOOO, in hopes that the fascination continues, mom didn't want an opportunity to pass us by. The second item came by dad's initiative. He took me to Lowe's in his truck and decided that I was WAY TOO BIG to fit in my INFANT SEAT anymore...go figure that one, an 18 month old in the 70% of height is too big for a baby carrier!! :0) Anyway, we had a coupon and found one that will go up a few more lbs than my Britax. It is rated just below the Britax and we figured it was good enough. By the time my brother is ready for the Britax, we can move the other one into mom's car and be set...but for now, I have a new big one for the truck...lucky me.

Well, the new Allen mall had a little town, a Santa photo booth (we did not partake...thanks a lot Maxim IC), and REINDEER!!! So I got to play a bit and see the cool cool reindeer. Here are some pics:

Day at the Museam

Well, things have been busy as always. I have gotten to go to play with some friends and then Tuesday we all loaded up and went to the DMA for the day. The first Tuesday of every month is free and they have some kid things going on from 11 - 2. We got a later start than planned, but ended up having a great time as a family and a well needed break from the stress! I had a great time getting to spend the day with Dad, and that is the best thing ever! He has been doing a LOT of tutoring and has picked up another student. So that is actually a pretty good deal. The only bum part of that is that I don't get to spend as much time as I normally get to with him in the evenings. It really does seem like dad is busier now than when he had a job!! He is going 90 to nothing, which is no surprise to anyone who knows him. Hopefully we can get into a decent routine before too long and once this physics project is due!!




Other than that, mom has been desperately trying to keep me occupied and out of his way...sometimes with great success and sometimes with very little success. I have even conned her into letting me eat standing up at the counter while I am "helping" her cook dinner. Here is one example of a day that we were punting to keep me out of dad's way.


we also went to lunch with the Rogers' one more time before both the babies get here and there was some leftover "snow" at Frisco Square that dad taught me how to play in.

LLLOOOONNGGG Overdue!

Okay, so life has officially gotten away from us all. It has been a whirlwind of a month and we expect it only to continue. We have finished my big boy room and I spent the night there last night...went okay, but I'm still not sold. This last week I have cut 3 molars, so I have been a bit testy to say the least. I am growing a lot and I have decided to ramp up my independence and defiance levels a bit. It seems a perfect time to do this because my mom is growing infinitely more tired by the day and has less energy to battle me! SO, I think right now I am winning the game.

The name of our life's mission lately is FREE and CONSERVE...it has been a challenge for all of us. Dad got laid off last week and so we are trying to adjust to a new life. We are doing pretty good. I don't go to Gymboree anymore (for about a month now) but have picked up a couple days a week where me and mom go to some local free story times. I like it a lot and mom thinks it is really good for me to learn to sit and listen to other people. I am now practicing my manners as much as I can. I sign thank you to everyone and am a very grateful boy. I even try to tell Cheddar to tell me thank you when I feed her all the Cherios in the morning. I often take stuff that mom gives me and put it down to tell her thank you. I am working on looking adults in the eye and telling them thank you and please. My verbage has a bit to be desired, but my intent is fantastic. I have also learned that before I eat my breafast, lunch and dinner I fold my hands an pray to say thank you to God for all he has given me. I sometimes even stop mid-meal and do it again on my own. I often have to remind mom and dad to slow down and do it too!!!

So here are a couple pictures of late, and honestly we haven't done much picture worthy stuff. BUT hopefully we'll have some from Thanksgiving and I am hoping to go to the DMA with mom and dad in December. So, maybe it will pick up. My brother will be here in about 4.5 weeks so mom and dad are a bit pre-occupied and I am trying to adjust to the fact that I am not the center of the universe.
Thank God, I still have my dog!!


Here I am on the train at Collin Creek Mall...again, what sounded like what would be fun, turned out to be just so-so to me.


Here me and dad are at the table working away at our computers...mom is dreading a 3rd engineer-type coming into the house


I still love my little table and have become a VERY good sharer. This is my Monkey Aunt Marcy gave me when I was born...he is my size and now rivals Cheddar for my best friend spot.




Oh, if only mom could look at this and say "we have an entomologist on our hands!!"....actually, what may at first look like me searching for bugs is really only me and my fixation with picking up rabbit turds in the yard...lovely. I do love the hand sanitizer though!


All 4 of us hope you have a very wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Photos from the party

Hopefully you can click on these and see some of the pics that SOMEONE ELSE'S mom took!! Mom and dad realized they didn't get too many good ones!
http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=d9uv1vs.47fgyjvw&Uy=-ym3iko&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&localeid=en_US
If you copy and paste this into your browser, you SHOULD see it. We are off to take Ched on her walk.

Halloween and such

Yesterday I got to trick or treat for a couple houses on my street. Since I don't really talk, it was a bit odd for dad to say "trick or treat". My neighbors were all very nice. I loved carrying my basket around and walking in my costume. It was pretty hot out, so by the time we walked about .2 miles, I was literally sweating my ears off! Dad also found that if he held me by an ear on my costume, he didn't have to bend down as much to hold my hand...he found it a riot.

Getting a bit of a rest before heading out. One of my new things is I just sit on the front steps and watch anything that goes by!

Me and dad working the crowd!

Me and my loot!

Today we had a bunch of my friends over with their moms AND dads...which was a lot of fun. Dad really enjoyed meeting the other dads and seeing Mr. Relle again!
Mom and dad were bummed because they didn't really get to spend as much time talking to folks as they would have liked and they realized that I just ran around on my own the WHOLE DAY! I was quite neglected...thank goodness for my friends moms!! Thanks for looking out for me guys! I had a great time. I even ate a few bites from a glue stick before anyone caught me! Clearly, I have neglectful parents...I am already sniffing (or at least eating) glue! Here are some pics for you to see.
WELL, IT IS TAKING TOO LONG AND MOM IS TIRED, SHE WILL TRY THESE PICS LATER SO CHECK BACK!!

Quick Break in the Chaos!

Things have been going awfully fast around here lately! Dad is working like a fiend, we are trying to get my new room ready for me, mom is planning a halloween party for my friends and I am just trying to keep up!'
I got another hair cut on Friday with mom. I was a great boy and since the weather was so nice, and she is fat and pregnant, she took me to the Shops of Legacy and got me an ice cream and we walked around the fountain for a while.


That night we went to Oma and Opa's for dinner. The next day we took the bed dad made to their house for storage and took their old bed to the dump. Dad slept in some because he was super tired from so much work and so I got to eat some snacks and play playdough while waiting for him to get up.

Mom was busy making dinner the other night and when she turned around this is what she found!!! Apparently I am a BIG fan of sequencing things...I do it all the time now. I stack things in decreasing and ascending order by size...who knew lids could be so orderly!

I also got to help dad on my room some, I think mom erased all the really good photos, but here is one that should give you some ideas of the colors we picked out.

There is of course more, but I can't find those pictures right now...so it will have to wait!

Ups and Downs

This was a busy weekend for us. We are still trying to frantically sort through baby stuff and my stuff and organize for my brother. This weekend we got new bedding for my new room, bought paint and trim work for the room and took down the guest bed. Dad also put my new little IKEA table and chairs together and I have been loving it.


This week we are hoping to paint the trim and maybe even get my new furniture put together...now that we know we won't have any over night guests anymore, and the main goal is to get my room ready by the first of November so I can adjust a bit to the newness of it all before my brother comes!
Monday morning after I played with my new table and chair set for a bit we took Ched for her walk like always. We came in the front and I must have tripped myself on my own jammies because I biffed it pretty hard on the aggregate concrete. I am pretty dang tough, I only cried for like 30 seconds...but here is the end result of that.

We all agree that I am pretty lucky to have gone 16 months without any major facial collisions. It is really already looking much better!
This morning I went to my church music class and then this afternoon mom and I went to a local free pumpkin patch. We had a pretty good time. We were going to meet Mrs. Rogers and Grant, but his nap wasn't quite working out, so we went just the two of us. I got a tiny kooky looking pumpkin that I picked out on my own (I also forgot to tell you that I PICKED OUT MY NEW BEDDING) and mom got a nicely shaped one for dad to carve with me. I think she just really wanted to get one to get the seeds out to roast! They had a Hay Maze that I got to run through and I did pretty darn good. I enjoyed running around from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to pick them all up. So here are a few shots of the afternoon.

Just found it!

Mom has been looking for this picture for weeks now! She finally just found it. My cousin Syndey took it and she is VERY talented...plus, we think she had a pretty good subject!
No wonder mom called me her little punkin!!!