Christmas Eve

This is probably my favorite picture from Christmas. It is not staged! Brett still cannot believe that my dad is so good at anything that involves hand eye coordination. So, I don't know why he thinks he could beat my dad at a Wii game. Even thought he's ever played it!
Christmas Eve is my favorite night of the year. When I was little, we always went to my grandmother's house. My mom has a large extended family and we would fill up the house with laughter, food and fun. When I got a little older, I would go stay with her and help cook and get ready for the night. It was so great to have my grandmother at our house this year. It made the night ever more special. Moses enjoyed sharing his crackers with his Mema Mollie.

Gaga got a special Christmas Eve gift from Papa. A new camera! Moses was happy to help her open it!
We had so much fun getting ready for Christmas Day. Cooking and eating lots of great food and teaching my parents how to play Wii. We probably stayed up way too late! I think it was one of the best Christmas Eve nights ever!

Christmas Date

Moses was sick for his playgroup Christmas party. I was so sad! So when Amanda asked if we were up for a Christmas date with Cameron a few days later I jumped at the chance. We both were ready to get out of the house. The kids were SO well behaved and shared snacks before lunch came. It was a nice day so we let them run a good lap around Cameron Village before getting them home before nap time. Thanks for the great visit guys!

Pre Christmas Fun

Trying to get ready for Christmas with a toddler running around is just a little difficult. I did find one good distraction method. I gave Moses some crackers for a snack. I turned around and this is what he was doing. One for him, one for Riley. Kept them busy for quite a while!
Also, we did get a little snow. HUGE snowflakes for about 15 minutes. Of course Moses was asleep, but I had a good time watching them. It was just what we needed to get into the Christmas spirit!

16 Months Old!

Moses J. you just turned 16 months old! You are well into your toddler "years!" You are doing and learning new things every day. I don't have to cut up your food anymore. You love to bite off more than you can chew! You are a great eater and are developing a snack/sweet tooth. You walk straight to the counter and point to anything you see asking to eat. Daddy is a push over when you ask for a cookie. You call anything crunchy a "cracker."

You are down to one nap a day. A lot of mornings you will have quiet time in your crib to read and rest for a few minutes. By the time lunch is over you are usually ready for some sleep! Your favorite thing right now? The dog. Riley is the best friend and toy you've ever had. You stand at the back door begging for her to come inside. You play ball and chase each other all day. Your other favorite toy is an old hair dryer. You will sit and play with it for an at least an hour. It is a megaphone, telephone, and who knows what else you think it is.

You are learning to give hugs and to smile for the camera. You love other people and enjoy trips to the grocery store or mall. You like it best when you speak to them first. You play well with your friends. You are never scared or upset when we leave you with someone else.

We love yo so much Moses! I wonder what the next month will bring!

Here comes Santa!

We finally made it to see Santa. Last year we went to the mall super early and didn't have to wait in line at all. This year, I just have not been able to drag myself to the mall for anything. Seriously, I have been once since before Thanksgiving. Luckily, the State Club had a very special brunch today with the Big Guy himself!

When it comes to kids you just never know. We told Moses we were going to see Santa. He had no clue what that meant. We got to the club and realized the baby bag (with the camera) was at home. Luckily we keep our old regular digital camera in our car.
Brunch was great, but the big hit was Santa. Moses was GREAT. He just sat there while Santa talked to him and smiled for pictures. We actually had to ask him to get up. He was super happy to get a treat from him as well. After Santa, we went on a carriage ride around the club. We had one happy little guy. Treats, Santa, and animals equals a great day for Moses!

Mr. Personality

I thought I would give a general Moses update. It seems we are going through a big changing phase. He LOVES playing with our dog Riley. He stands at the back door saying, "dog?" until I let her inside. They play ball and chase each other around and sometimes share snacks.
He is very insistent about feeding himself with a fork and spoon. Well, at least holding it. His favorite thing is chicken. He asks for chicken, crackers and water all the time. He is also loving eating bananas and cheese. I rarely cut anything up anymore because he likes to bite things.

Moses is starting to let us know what he wants all the time...and if he doesn't get it he is normally pretty upset. We are gently explaining to him that mommy and daddy are in charge. He has become quite the little helper. He can help me unload the "safe" stuff out of the dishwasher, get clothes out of the laundry room, put up toys, and put things back where he found them. He is so proud when he helps! He loves to say please, thank you and your welcome. He runs around the house yelling "GO, GO, GO!" (from his favorite book "Go, Dog, Go!"

I can't wait to see what he does doing the next few weeks!