Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells! - Christmas 2012

This year we spent Christmas Eve at Jimmy's Aunt Carolyn and Cousin Becky's new house, so beautifully decorated for Christmas and a lovely dinner with his side of the family.  All the kids had so much fun running around and playing together.  This is the closest we could get to a shot of the cousins...

Tessa was not at all interested in posing, and Landon wanted to touch all the decorations

At least they're both facing the camera...

...and now one is smiling and Landon is back to looking at the candles.  Oh well!

Books at bedtime with daddy in the new tent, and he went to sleep like this too.  Thanks Uncle Ben and Aunt April!

Today was a wonderful, whirlwind of a day spent with family, food, and fireplaces to keep us all warm and dry from the continuous rain pouring down outside (I can hear it as I type this!)

Landon added a new word to his speaking vocabulary: "uh-oh".  At dinner he (probably intentionally) knocked his cup and spoon over the edge of his high chair, then looked at us and said "uh-oh", very slowly and in a very cute and tiny sounding voice.  Of course once he heard all the laughter in response to what he said, he said it several more times.

Checking out his new kicks.  He's walking well in them!

Laying his head on a blanket that Aunt Doreen made for each of the boys

Caleb was telling Christa about the movie Polar Express, play by play as he showed her how the train moved around on the ice.

<Video of Landon walking on Christmas Day>:

Caleb's knows one Christmas Carol - sort of.  At story time a few weeks ago they sang 'Jingle Bells', which he hadn't heard before that.  Ever since he has enjoyed singing it, which goes like this: "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells..."  That's all.  The other day at Target he was singing in the shopping cart as we walked around the store and a lady we passed completed the line saying "Jingle all the way!"  It put a smile on his face.   In the past few days he has added a bit from hearing other songs on the radio:  "Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock...".  We will have to see if it remains a favorite next Christmas...

Though we planned on doing it earlier in the day, it turned out that we ended our day with a birthday cake for Jesus.  Although we have been telling Caleb for weeks that we celebrate Jesus' birthday on Christmas, when we asked him today whose birthday it was, he said it was his (especially since Landon was in bed already so he didn't feel like he was having to share this birthday cake).  I think he's a little confused that there is a birthday, a cake, and presents for him... In a 2-yr-olds mind, it makes perfect sense that it must be HIS birthday!  By next year he ought to have it figured out a bit more... :)

Sneaking a taste

Blowing out Jesus' birthday candles

Caleb's Christmas prayer at bedtime tonight:

"Thank you for family, and everything... Thank you for Thomas (the train), and for food, and for going to Nonni's, and everything."  :)

A very nice day.  We're so thankful for our family and for all the blessings in our lives!  And now, off to bed to catch up on some sleep... Landon's teeth are coming in full force and he (and so I) had an awful night of teething last night!

Landon at 13 months

You love 'shootin' hoops' - it has been great practice for your balance to stand under the hoop and try to reach the ball to the top.  If we lift you to help you make a basket you get very excited, although you haven't yet figured out that you're supposed to let go of the ball so it goes in the hoop :)

The lips.  You stick your lips way out and make all kinds of sound effects when playing with trucks, cars, trains, and other random times when the sounds aren't necessarily related...  I just love it.

On numerous occasions you have tried eating your food face first (as with your birthday cake), and it makes me wonder if you aren't spending too much time around Gio and Bella!!  The name Mowgli (from the Jungle Book) came to mind the other day as I watched you put your face up to a plate of goldfish crackers I gave you...  Below you were sticking your fingers in Bella's bowl to try and eat her food, and then you flipped onto your belly to try and eat it like she was!!

Your teeth have finally began to surface in this last month.  Both fronts at one time, plus the bottom right one.  It looks like your two upper Laterals are making their way in now, too.  Can't get a good look at the bottom yet to see if there are more there...

You are a very good climber...

You are now strong and sturdy enough that you and Caleb can roughhouse on the floor together and mommy doesn't have to freak out at every move Caleb makes toward you!  You two have been having fun rolling around on the floor, on blankets, on pillows, and chasing each other around the living room this past week, with lots of smiles and giggles, especially from you - I think you're excited that you can finally get in there and play like brother does!  Second child is certainly resilient to older sibling's pushing, leaning, and knocking into you..!  

Despite Caleb's rough play, and despite my greatest efforts to not practice with you or encourage you too much until daddy got home from Chile, we are still excited to say that you are finally doing some walking!!  Your first steps were last Friday, Dec. 14th, when you took steps completely on your own initiative on three occasions.  Then there was nothing for five days, and on Wednesday you were having so much fun playing with Caleb that you started doing it again, perhaps distracted so you weren't so weary of letting go :)  That night you walked several times after daddy got home to see you!!!  

Balancing on Dec. 10...

....and on December 19th.... walking!!  Yay!  After 4 months of building to a very quick crawling speed, mommy and daddy are so excited that you have started to walk!  The break from carrying such a big boy will also be a welcome change :)

< Video of Landon walking >

Hopefully there will be lots of Christmas walking performances to share with everyone later!

November

Snack time and daddy's old baseball card collection

High fashion: we didn't have Caleb's glasses so mommy's had to make do :)

Fun with friends at the park

 

We LOVE playing peekaboo these days 

Daddy built us a fort!

(Peekaboo!)

The boys had such a great time playing with the Puggle Puppies (Pug-Beagle mix) that the neighbors brought by.  They let them lick their hands and faces and climb all over them.  

A little Michael Jackson??

Playing chase on Thanksgiving

....and around they go again!

We're SO thankful to have Papa Jack back home and healthy again in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family! Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers!! 

<Video of Landon on the tricycle>:  (Does anyone else think he looks like Deacon in parts of this??)

Bundled up for a walk during a break from all that rain 

You can just see his thoughts... "Do I listen to mom or do I jump...?"

Part of the fun of living in a neighborhood with tons of leaves is that their piles are so big it doesn't even mess them up to run right through the middle :)

Rainy Day Dough Fun

It was time for a new batch of playdough, so Caleb and I made one together today.  He had fun pouring the ingredients into the bowl, and even more fun dipping his finger in and tasting them (salt and flour, yuck!).  Of course his attention span didn't last through the cooking portion of it...

The first time I made it I used a whole bottle of dye (the amount that recipe called for, wow!), which made for an extremely vibrant color, but now I am all out of blue dye.  It was fun thought to have a whole batch of one color because we could roll it out and cut it will cookie cutters or Caleb's 'cutter' (a dough scraper from the dollar store).  This time I tried a different recipe, and made the dough colorless so I could divide it in half and have two colors of dough.   I think next time I will add more dye, but definitely don't need a whole bottle.  

Here is the recipe I used: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Playdough-Play-doh/?ALLSTEPS

Looked like mashed potatoes when it was cooking...

Saying 'cheese' with a mouthful of a snack

A huge Playdough ice cream on a funnel cone

Found this cute kiddie-sized rolling pin at Target.  Much easier to maneuver than the heavy old
one that you saw in the others pictures :)