Christmas Activities

Ok, so I'm a pretty active guy (when you're this good looking you can't help but to be busy with so many friends) and did a lot in December leading up to Christmas so I'm just going to give you a brief summary.

First, we went to see the largest Christmas tree in the world (that would be in my world) at the Galleria in the middle of the skating rink. I even saw Santa Claus there.

We had our annual playgroup Christmas party and book exchange at Madison and Mason's house.

Next, Mommy joined my class for another Christmas party and book exchange.

One night we visited Frisco's Christmas in the Square like we did last year and watched all the lights choreographed to the holiday music. I even saw Santa Claus there.

That same night we stopped by Frisco Fire Department's Safety Town (it's a mini-city designed to educate children about public safety . . . hence the name) to see their holiday light displays and activities. I even saw Santa Claus there.

As you can see I was really busy before Christmas. But apparently not as busy as Santa Claus.

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Daddy's birthday and Mommy almost forgot. We were down in San Antonio for Christmas and everyone had already celebrated the night before at Mommy's favorite restaurant (funny how that worked out). But the next morning we were packing up, getting ready to go back home, and everyone forgot the big day until we were walking out the door. Daddy was so nice and never said anything all morning.

When we made it home finally (no tantrums the whole trip!) we gave Daddy our presents and, with my persistence, sang "Happy Birthday" about 20 times (seriously). I think I wore him down and he was satisfied with our recognition of his 29th birthday . . . could that number be right? Anyway, sorry that we almost forgot (even though Mommy would have killed you if you did the same)! We do love you lots- you're the best!

Third Visit with Santa

I finally made it to see Santa Claus before he went back to the North Pole to collect my gifts. I was extremely hesitant to sit in the man's lap but Mommy promised me candy afterwards (she does that with haircuts, too). Her bribe worked because I did not try to "escape" like last year. So we took two pictures (the first one I had a bigger frown) and I hopped right off to receive my much-deserved treat. I don't get candy very often at all so I wouldn't mind a few more visits; I might even muster up a smile after a while.

Children's Parade

Mommy and Daddy were brave enough to take me to the Neiman Marcus Adolphus Children's Parade this year. Each year our group gets tickets together and makes a trip to downtown Dallas. You have to get there early to get good seats (but isn't that why we bought the tickets?), and then wait a while in the cold for the parade to start. Although I was getting quite antsy for the show to begin, I really enjoyed it once it started. I saw many characters from tv, Miss America, Miss Texas, and Miss Dallas, some of the Dallas Stars and Rangers, lots of bands and dancers, and of course elves, Rudolph, Frosty and Santa. My complaints were minimal, but once the parade was over I was ready to get the heck out of those tight quarters. My parents were quite shocked that I tolerated almost two hours in one spot. That will be my Christmas present to them.

Trains

My first girlfriend, Isabelle, was in town from Little Rock for Thanksgiving so the next day we went on our first real train ride. We met at the depot to take the North Pole Express (i.e., Grapevine Vintage Railroad), but we never actually made it to the North Pole. Santa did come to visit us on our train, though. It was very cool, and I was in such awe that I actually behaved myself.

For playgroup last week we went to see the Trains at Northpark Center exhibit and saw elaborate displays of miniature cities/landmarks with vintage locomotives. There were so many trains going back and forth and I loved watching all of them . . . wondering how I could get my hands on those cars to disassemble them.

Thanksgiving 2008

I had so much fun this year Nona and Papa's house on Thanksgiving day. They had their house all decked out again with Christmas trees, Santas, nutcrackers, etc. everywhere. Nona even organized an official "lighting" of the house. It was pretty cool except that not everyone turned their remotes on at the same time. We'll practice counting down again before next year's gathering.

It had been summer since all of the cousins have been able to play together. This was Natalie and Gavin's first Thanksgiving since arriving from Russia but they have adapted well to the chaos. We made lots of noise and a big mess, but minimal tears were shed and no one got hurt.

Everyone ate so much good food. Well, not me of course. Nothing irritates Mommy more than my exceptionally picky choice in nutrition. I don't change my game plan and alter my diet even during special occasions.

We also enjoyed watching the Cowboys beat the Seahawks 34-9 and then the Longhorns KILL the Aggies 49-9. Daddy was so so happy. It was another great Thanksgiving with so much to feel grateful for. (By the way, it also irritates Mommy to end a sentence with a preposition.)

School Picture

As you know, I'm camera shy but I'm making some improvements. I'm screaming less at Mommy when she has that darn device pointed at me, and I'm interested in seeing the pictures after she takes them (of course I'm still having difficulty with the concept that the image needs to be captured prior to the viewing). For my school picture, I didn't have my blanket like last year (thank God- that was so embarrassing!), but I didn't exactly smile either. In any case, I'm still quite the cutie. I can say that with absolute objectivity.

October Fun

October was a lot of fun with all sorts of activities. We made a trip to the pumpkin patch (just in time to kick up our allergies again) complete with hayrides, animals, and of course pumpkins.

For Halloween Mommy was a bit limited on my costume options again since I will still not wear anything on my head. So she got me a UPS delivery uniform this year (last year I was a doctor) and I wore it a few times. First, I had a party at school with everyone dressed up.Then we had a party for playgroup, but Mommy didn't take many pictures and we never got the group together as in the past years. But here I am "driving" Cade around.

Of course, I wore my costume again to go trick-or-treating. I had so much fun getting all that candy in my "pumpkin bag." Mommy let me eat one piece that night. Of course, I picked a sucker and finished it in my bath. Just like at Sam's house.

Poor Daddy

Daddy's Horns lost their #1 BCS spot to #7 Tech due to the loss on Saturday night. He and the other dads were so upset; he actually equated his feelings about it to having a girlfriend break up with him. I don't know what that's like so I'll just have to trust that it hurts a lot. But on Sunday the updated rankings came out and Texas only dropped to #4. Daddy got his hopes up again for a national championship. He then said that the good news was just like feeling like there was a possibility of getting back together with the girlfriend that broke up with him. Again, I don't understand and Mommy wants to know which girlfriend he is talking about. Hopefully he gets to see the tower lit up this season with a "1" again.

Get out and vote!

I may be feeling under the weather but I still went and voted early. I'm not the most patient person so I didn't think that anyone would have appreciated my tantrums while waiting in those long lines on election day. So be a responsible citizen and vote! That is, unless you support someone who resembles a Marxist and seeks to "change" the core fundamentals of our capitalist society to a socialist nation. In that case, wouldn't it be a great relief to finally complete that long "to do" list that has been hanging over your head within the next week?

Six Years

October 26th was Mommy and Daddy's wedding anniversary. They celebrated on Saturday night with dinner at a hibachi restaurant and then a Halloween party (yes, they even dressed up). I always miss out on all the fun. Sunday was their actual anniversary so Lola and Papo, who are in town waiting for my newest cousin Joseph to arrive, took everyone out to eat at Texas de Brazil. The flowers? Oh, they're not from Daddy. They're from Lola and Papo. Mommy was just glad that she got roses from someone.

New Playground

So, there is a new trail in our neighborhood that leads to an ergonomic-looking playground. I don't know if you can call it ergonomic since it seems very unsafe. It's not completely done yet (or at least I'm assuming since the swingset is missing swings), and I'm not quite sure how anyone under 34 y.o. plays on it (I picked that age because even Daddy had trouble). How does this equipment function and do you need to sign a liability waiver to use it?

Longhorn Pride

As you know (unless your "new" to us) Daddy is a HUGE Texas football fan. Actually, he is a GIANORMOUS fan. He claims that his diploma will be revoked if he does not watch each and every game (or at least that's the excuse he gives Mommy). Right now he is very proud (and shocked) of his team beating Oklahoma last week to take their spot at #1. Daddy and Mommy went to the game on Saturday (yet another trip without me) with several friends when the horns pummelled #11 Mizzou. Next they play #6 Oklahoma State and then #8 Tech. Very tough schedule this year, but he is hoping for a to a trip to Miami for the BCS National Championship game in January. Maybe they'll take me on that excursion if they go.

* As you see in the picture above Mommy is wearing more of a crimson orange than a burnt one because she no longer fits in her Longhorn shirts (and refuses to get a maternity one).

It's a . . .

Obsessed

Lately I have been a bit infatuated with shapes, numbers, and letters. I love relating everyday objects to different shapes, can identify most numbers up to 20, and can name all the letters and their sounds. Mommy does not feel that she can take the credit for my interests though since she hasn't exactly been spending much time teaching me these things. Is it possible that Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has provided me all of this knowledge in just 25-minute segments?

The folks had been trying to get me on video doing my alphabet puzzle but I haven't let them until lately (as you may recall my aversion to cameras).

Balloon Festival

Last weekend (ok, so I'm slacking on my postings) a large group of us went to the Plano Balloon Festival. I've missed past years' outings because I wanted to go to bed so early, but not this year. When Mommy mentioned in the morning that we were going to see hot air balloons later, I got a little impatient and threw a few fits because I just couldn't wait. Well, I probably would have thrown a few for some other reason whether I knew that information or not.

And so it begins . . .

August 30th started the weekly rituals of wearing my Colt McCoy jersey on Saturdays, staying up late at friends' houses for night games, and competing with the tv for attention during game time. Yesterday kicked off the weekly rituals of wearing my Tony Romo jersey on Sundays and competing with the tv for attention during game time (we typically watch the Cowboy games at home so I don't have to stay up late).

The Heard Museum

Mommy and Daddy have been so tired of the heat this summer so since it was a little cool this morning, they decided to take me to the Heard Museum here in McKinney; every year they have the Dinosaurs Alive exhibit. Mommy tried to prepare me for the visit- we looked at the website with the dinosaurs and talked about what they sound like. We even practiced "roaring" in the car. But, just as she anticipated, I was scared of them and kept my head turned to the left (those creatures were all on the right side of the trail). I guess that I was not expecting them to move and "talk." Aren't they extinct? Despite my fears, I kept talking about the dinosaurs and playfully imitating their noises when we left. At home, I keep asking to see them on the internet again. When asked if I want to go back to see them again I say "No, all done dinosaurs!" Maybe next year . . .

Back to School

I finally went back to school (Mother's Day Out) on Thursday and Mommy was very happy about my return for some reason. On Tuesday the church had Open House so I saw my new classroom and met my new teachers, Mrs. Monica and Mrs. Kristy.

In the morning I said goodbye to Daddy and Chopper, and I seemed eager to get to school. When Mommy dropped me off, I was such a big boy and didn't cry at all (which was a huge improvement from last year). I did ask her for my blanket, but when she gave it to me I just walked off and didn't pay anymore attention to her even when she tried to kiss me goodbye. When she came to pick me up though I started whimpering and told her, "All done school!" My daily report said that I had a great first day and was very friendly. My teachers also added that I was one of the few to take a nap- me miss an opportunity to sleep? They have so much to learn about me!

Summer with the Suttons

Mommy didn't have anywhere to "put" me while she worked over the summer since I was out of school. So, I got to spend a lot time with Carter and Cade at their house which I did not mind at all. Their mommy lets them do fun stuff like eat lots of candy (even in the bathtub), scream in the house, and get dirty outside. One weekend when our Dads were out of town together, we spent the night at their house. I had a good night's rest but Mommy was very tired the next morning. Apparently she's a light sleeper while I made a lot of noise and moved around often. How does she normally sleep with all of Daddy's snoring?

Bumbo Chair

I may not like taking pictures but I love to look at pictures of myself. When I come across this one, I usually comment "Go pee pee in potty." Mommy just laughs. I wonder if she finds it funny because she used to put a potty chair in the living room- how inappropriate is that?

Camera Shy

If you haven't noticed lately, there haven't been any pictures of me smiling. That's because every time Mommy gets out the camera, I get mad and start crying. So, she has to sneak the camera out and capture this blank look on my face before I scream at her. My parents even tried to get my two-year pictures done, but I wouldn't cooperate with the photographer even though she tried all her "kid" tricks. If this continues, my future career as a model will be quite hindered. Fortunately, my Nobel Peace prize candidacy should not be affected.

The Blob

This is a picture of inside Mommy's tummy; she had it taken a couple of weeks ago. Whatever that thing is in the picture, it's making her really sick and tired a lot. She must have had this in her tummy before because she said that last time she didn't feel badly. I hope that it goes away soon because Daddy and I want Mommy "back". But, unfortunately they said it's sticking around until February.