Christmas Recap

Santa's elves got a break this year at our house.  We didn't have a single toy to assemble.  With such requests as a kite, a boat, an airplane, and Toy Story 3, there's not much assembly required.  I was a little sad Wes didn't get to don his handyman hat (that is hilarious for anyone who knows him because a handyman he is not) because he enjoyed it so much last year.  It was like a rite of passage to becoming a father.  Instead, I was in bed by 10 and he was soon to follow (with our hoot owl, we try to get our sleep whenever we can!).  

The next morning, Colin was up by 7.  Surprisingly, he didn't ask to hurry downstairs - further proof he really didn't get the whole Santa concept.  Instead, he went about his normal routine of watching cartoons and barking his breakfast orders to me.  It wasn't long before Wes must have planted the seed because Colin was ready to go down to see what Santa had brought him.  I was feeding Sawyer, so I missed the initial excitement.  Wes was in charge of the camera and we had left the "good" camera at my mom's the night before.  Therefore, these pictures aren't the greatest of quality but in a case like this, it's more about preserving the memories.

Here's our Christmas in pictures (and a few words since I have diarrhea of the mouth).  These first 2 are actually from Christmas Eve when he got to open 2 gifts.  One was from my friend and the other was our new tradition of pjs.

Christmas morning.

The first present from Santa, the kite.

 FOOD!  No surprise, this was one of the favorite gifts.

 And to complete the outfit, all chefs need a hat.

Our elf, Poof Guy, had to get in on the giving too.  He left a gift for Colin and one for the family - Super Why computer game for Colin and CandyLand for the family.  Wes took on the role all by himself, completely unprompted.  What a guy!

This is an adorable mohawk-style hat Wes' family gave Colin but Colin hated it.  He refused to wear it and would say, "I told you I don't like it" every time we asked him if he wanted to wear it.  It was later exchanged for some corduroy pants that he liked much better.

Sawyer got one too, a little different though.  His thoughts were similar to Colin's but his was TOO darn cute to return!  He has since accepted it.

Some family shots.

Colin hugging Granny.

Helping Buff open her present.

Grandpa reading "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."  His eyebrows are starting to look sort of grinch-ish!

Poor Sawyer is going to have a life of hand-me-downs.  I think he had 2 gifts under the tree but like he knew the difference.  I'm frugal, remember?  He did get 3 of the same toy from 3 different people.  I guess the glow worm was a popular gift this year!

 Just look at my precious baby!

I've saved the best for last.  This could be the only picture I'll ever have of the boys willingly holding hands.  Wes said we'll look back on this picture in 20 years and wonder what happened to our little boys.  And on that tear-jerker note, I'll conclude our Christmas 2010 slideshow.

Christmas Eve

This was the first Christmas Eve in many years that I haven't had to work.  It was a real treat to wake up and get to spend the entire day with my family.  After 8 hours though, I was ready for a change of scenery. We headed over to my mom and dad's for dinner.

After a yummy, belly-filling dinner, we exchanged gifts with my sister and her family.  It was organized chaos as paper flew, boxes were ripped open, and thank you's were exchanged.  It was all over in a matter of minutes and the kids were off playing with their new toys.  I prefer the one-at-a-time routine but there was none of that going on.

Everyone had a good time though and before we knew it, it was time to head home to get in bed so Santa could come.

Here are a few pictures from the melee, I mean festivities.

My beautiful nieces.

Colin with one of his favorite people, Grandpa!

Sawyer enjoying his after dinner snack - daddy's thumb.

Elise showing Foxx how to ride his new bike/car.

Sawyer fighting to stay awake on comfy Buff.

A Funny For Your Wednesday

I'll preface this story by saying this is only funny because it didn't happen to me and I didn't have to deal with it but I did feel terrible for my mother! 

A bit of background before we begin.  Colin has had nap issues for a while now.  It began pre-Sawyer, so that's not the cause.  We've tried a lot of different things and now he'll basically sleep for me and at one of his schools (the other one is ends at noon) but that's it!  My poor mother has tried to duplicate my every step but alas, Colin refuses to sleep at her house - to the point where he'll blatantly tell you that, "I'm not going to take a night-night."

So after asking me again exactly how I got him to take a nap, my mom braced herself to try again.  She took him to bed, kicking and crying, and laid him down.  After 5 minutes, she heard nothing and she was encouraged.  She held her breath and went on about her business.  A few minutes later, here comes Colin with no pants and no underwear on.  He told her that he had pooped but he had cleaned it up!  He was very matter of fact about it.  In his hands was his underwear that was wringing wet!  My mom started to get up, only to be told, "No Buff, you just sit right there, I've taken care of it.  I don't want you to come back to my room right now.  I'll can get my own underwear."

My mom is no dummy and waited about 2 minutes before heading back there.  When she opened the door, she found him with his underwear on inside out, still no pants, an entire cubby of books spread out all over the floor, and the markers.  THE MARKERS!  He had used them to draw tattoos on his feet, legs, and a throw rug.  Thank goodness the carpet was spared but I'm sure it would have only been a matter of time before it was colored on as well.  My mom asked him why he did it and he didn't know.  She said we don't color on these things, do we?  He said no, we color in coloring books.

I'm not sure if he was bored or just being mischievous but whichever it is, he's getting very good at it!  My mom didn't see any traces of the poop or any wet spots.  She asked him where it was and he said, as if she was a total moron, "In the toilet!"

I later asked him why he went in his pants and he said, "Sometimes you just have to go so badly that you don't make it to the toilet.  I just couldn't make it." 

What could I say to that? 


No Buff, you just sit right there, I've taken care of it.  Don't come back to my room.

The Birthday Festivities (Part 2)

Even the hot sun and running at the blueberry patch doesn't guarantee a nap!  We've been fighting this for several weeks now but that's a post for another day.  He chose pizza for dinner and wouldn't you know it, fell asleep on the way to the restaurant (despite my best efforts to talk to him, rub his arm, etc).  He woke 2 minutes later when we got to the restaurant.

After a full belly, it was time for presents!  He loved his new books but especially loved the matching game Wes picked out for him.  I was afraid it might be a little too old for him but he proved us wrong almost immediately.  Many games later, it was time for bed.  Thankfully for all involved, he didn't protest and went straight to sleep.

Playing the memory game with daddy.

Sunday we had a small cookout for him.  He was very excited about it nonetheless and talked about it all day.  He loved being the center of attention but loves to have visitors in the house even more.  He opened his gifts from my family and unfortunately took several trips to the timeout chair.  I reluctantly gave him his cupcake (for the reward and sugar factors) and he proceeded to slowly eat all the icing off it.  He left most of the cake but kept coming back several times for another bite.

Daddy reading one of the many books Buff got him.

He told me again that it was the best birthday ever.  So even though I felt somewhat guilty about the lackluster fanfare, apparently he was none the wiser and thought it was just great!

The Birthday Festivities (Part 1)

According to Colin, this was "the best birthday ever!"  He has so many to compare it to but it's a sweet comment nonetheless.  The birthday festivities started at the blueberry patch with blueberry pancakes, followed by blueberry picking, and a horse ride.  It's hard to say which was his favorite, as he was drenched in sweat, yet still kept going.

Colin and Buff heading towards the blueberries.

Examining the berries.

A productive day!

Dripping with sweat but couldn't care less.

Getting ready for the big ride.

Next up, the presents and cupcakes.

Change Will Do You Good

It's been a weekend of firsts as our humble abode. Colin had his first successful attempt with the potty and he got his big boy bed in his room! Let's not get carried away though, neither are by any means mastered accomplishments. The fact that he was even willing to sit on the potty though is a step in the right direction. And his giddy laughter with his bed is a bonus as well.

The potty. Lately he has been telling us either as he's peeing or immediately afterwards that he's "made a shooie." We took this as a sign he was uncomfortable with a wet diaper and therefore maybe ready for the potty. He was ready and willing to go commando on Saturday. We went to the potty no less than 10 times, with no luck. I tried to make up a song, a dance, we took toys, we went without toys, but nothing seemed to do the trick. It wasn't until he started peeing in the floor that I was able to pick him up and get him to dribble a little more in the actual potty. He was so proud of himself. He immediately jumped up to look at his prize (the pee in the potty). Ten minutes later he proceeded to pee in the living room floor and then immediately in a diaper. So in the span of 15 minutes, the kid peed 4 times! Seriously, is that normal?!

This probably wasn't the best weekend to start this seeing as how Wes and I had a date night Saturday and Colin stayed with Buff and Grandpa. Mom eagerly picked up where I left off but he didn't manage to hit the target any more there than he did here.

We continued the nakedness today but he's either holding it in or he didn't drink enough because the child only peed 1 time all afternoon and that was, unfortunately, in the floor (at least it was hardwood this time). Practice makes perfect but I hope he doesn't lose interest in the meantime. You experienced moms can feel free to weigh in with any tips or comments. I have the stuff to make a reward chart and I plan to start that tomorrow or Tuesday. I'm not a fan of sweet treats as rewards but I'm not opposed to stickers or small toys after so many stars.

The big boy bed. I consider it an accomplishment in and of itself that he even likes the thing. He's not a big fan of change and I worried that this would be too much, too fast for him. Wes' family was here when Colin came back from Buff's and got to see his surprise in his room. He immediately got the biggest grin on his face and wanted up.

Silly me, I thought this would mean he'd also be so excited to sleep in it. Well after Wes' youngest sister wore him out from running with him for 2 hours, he was exhausted. I thought this would be the perfect situation for the inaugural event. No so luck. He sang, he read books that he has memorized, he talked to his critters, and eventually just got out of bed. After putting him back up twice, laying with him, leaving him alone, I realized no nap was in the cards. The bed had become a play zone, not a nap zone.

Tonight he was SO exhausted, as were Wes and I, that he went down straight away. He's been down for 30 minutes or so and I'm just crossing my fingers that I don't wake up eye to eye with a little being about 3 in the morning! I added some extra pillows to make him feel more blocked in than he was during his nap. Here's hoping we'll all get a full night's sleep! Again, tips of the trade are greatly appreciated here.

I wanted to share the sweetest Colin story with you. Last week he had a rough day where he hit and bit Buff. He got scolded from all directions and apologized, for what that's worth in a 2-year old's mind. The next day he had school and when I asked him how his day went, the first thing he told me was that he didn't hit anyone, he only gave hugs. I told him that was very nice and he said, "No, Buff said that was sweet of me." Sweet or nice, I'll take either!