Christmas in the Park (again)

My buddy Jackson and I checking out Christmas in the Park

Christmas Day

A few final Christmas pictures from after Christmas dinner at Day and Paw's

A special Christmas cupcake was waiting for Luke:

Loving playing with Uncle Todd:

Christmas morning 2009

Santa Claus came!!!

I was SO excited ... and he even brought me exactly what I asked him for - a pink lollipop and a blue lollipop. He brought a few other treats as well, but I honestly would have been completely happy with just those two items.

He also brought a new and improved guitar!

Uncle Todd and the rest of my family came over for brunch - and Todd brought his new helicopter, which he let me play with also!

From our family to yours .... MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Christmas Eve 2009

This year we celebrated Christmas Eve at our home. It was relatively quiet and mellow since we were unsure of when we might be rushing off to the hospital to meet our newest family member.

Daddy made cioppino, which was fabulous, and Day, Paw, Uncle Todd, Michelle, and Uncle Kenny joined us.

Here are a few pictures from our eve:

Opening presents - this one was one of my favorites from Great-Grandma & Papa - Percy the green engine and some ascending track for my railroad set!

Another present - this one from Day - a new baby doll for me to take care of when Mommy is taking care of my new baby sister:

Brooklyn with some of her favorite people - Uncle Todd, Michelle, and Cosmo:

Mommy and I made chocolate chip cookies to leave out for Santa ... but, I needed to take a small taste to be sure he was getting something good:

Oh, and as you might notice in the previous post, I did get a HUGE candy cane - that was from Paw, and might have been my MOST favorite present of the evening!!!

Merry Christmas!

and many more photos to come soon!

Waiting for Mia

...and a few last finishing touches to complete the nursery!

"Mommy, I tired"

AH ... it's a milestone! For the first time EVER today, Luke admitted that he was tired!!!

Of course, I knew he was tired, because he refused to take a nap at Day's house this afternoon (probably my fault since I forgot his blanket at home). As we loaded him in the car after what should have been his naptime, I saw his poor tired eyes, and he started chewing on his finger (which has started happening recently due to his 2-year molars coming in), and I knew that we just needed to get through a few hours before we could put him to bed for the night.

He talked to me on the car ride home, but as we approached our house, very quietly and completely out of left field I hear, "Mommy, I tired." Then he asked me if he could lay on the couch with his blanket when we got home .... of course, and that's exactly what he did (right before going to bed for the night at 6:45!).

Christmas Cookies

Earlier this month it was raining for days on end and I just HAD to find something special for Luke to do indoors. We ended up going to Bed Bath and Beyond and getting a cookie press, which we used to make Michael's Aunt Michele's colorful Christmas butter cookies. Luke loved this project, and the cookie press was even easy enough for him to use on his own.

So, I decided that we would make one more attempt at making Christmas cookies this year. I had a box of Gingerbread mix from Trader Joe's (my favorite place!), so I whipped up the dough, we rolled it out, cut out the cookies, and Luke decorated them.

He had fun, but this was definitely a messier project than some of the other baking that we've done this holiday season.

Are they finished baking yet? (oh, yes, we wear underwear around a lot, especially if we have an accident in the pants and Mommy is just too tired - and large - to haul herself upstairs for a clean pair!)

Inspecting his work:

Pleased with the final product (this is before the taste test!):

The downside? Luke discovered that he is not really a fan of gingerbread** ... oh well, live and learn!

**Note to all Mommies: The TJ's gingerbread mix is super gingery and spicy - yummy for adults, not really surprising that it isn't a hit with kids!

Luke's "Candy House"

After I saw the Clark family post , I decided that I wanted to try to find a Gingerbread house kit for Luke to work on also (great idea, thanks Jo!). I happened to be out and saw one, so I picked it up figuring it would be a great activity for Luke and I to do ahead of Christmas on one of those mornings that I just needed something (anything) for him to do.

Needless to say, he LOVED it! A few times I did catch him trying to eat the candy instead of putting it on the house ... who can blame him, right?!

This was definitely one of those activities that entertained and was relatively easy, both in set-up and clean-up. And, he's enjoying having a few bites here and there for a treat after dinner!

Christmas in the Park

Luke spent the day with Day and Paw so that Mommy had a little time to herself. They took him to see Christmas in the Park, which he loved. Here are a few pictures from their trip downtown.

The BEST thing EVER

is when I say, like I have a million times since he was born, "I love you, Luke,"

and the sweetest voice ever replies, "I love you too, Mommy." No hesitation, no uncertainty, clear as day, and sometimes even followed by a kiss or a hug.

We are blessed to hear these words frequently right now, but I know that there will come a day when he won't say them as often. I wish I could somehow preserve that sentence, exactly how it sounds right now, so that I could listen to it over and over forever ... I'm positive that it will never get old.

The perfect book

Over the summer I was browsing Barnes and Noble for some fireman/firetruck books for Luke when I came across this one on the bargain shelf (LOVE that shelf!).
So, for all of the obvious reasons (we wanted to introduce Luke to the idea of being a big brother, the baby in the story was gender-neutral and we didn't then know the sex of the baby, etc.), this was a great book. So, I was sold on it before I even really opened it to read it ... but once I did I was certain that Luke had to have it ... the big brother's name in the story is Luke!

Almost as if on cue just a few weeks before his new sister arrives, Luke has decided that this book, which he previously had little interest in, is his absolute favorite. We read it several times a day and the pages are suddenly starting to look worn ... and, in my opinion, there is nothing better than a book that is well worn and loved!

The Bed Bug

This kid loves to snuggle in bed ... and he would stay in his jammies all day (I think maybe that comes from his Mommy!).

Mandala Holiday Party

Luke's school hosted a holiday party last night. His class performed several songs, the older preschool class performed, a ventriliquist entertained the kids, and then Santa Claus arrived. It was a really nice program and Michael and I are constantly amazed at how many fun activities they put together for the kids.

Unfortunately, the new tape that I bought for the video camera malfunctioned, so I missed nearly all of Luke's class performance (maybe this was fortunate since I had the camera all packed and ready to go with this new tape in the hospital bag!). The good news ... we didn't miss much. Luke, although he knew all of the words to the songs and the hand movements (he's performed them many times for us at home), sat on the stage and looked as though he had never before heard any of the songs they were singing. Oh well ... there's always next year :)!

Luke and Michael went to the back of the room for the other performances since Luke was in NO mood to sit down and watch! Although, once the ventriliquist took the stage, he was quite entertained and was laughing so loud we could hear him from our seats (too cute!).

Santa Claus was definitely the highlight of the evening. I was concerned that, although we've been reading and talking about Santa coming to visit on Christmas, Luke might not want to get too close to him. However, he proved me wrong. He looked a bit hesitant, but did not hesitate at all to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas.

Patiently waiting for his turn with Santa:

What does Luke want for Christmas this year? Well, just ask and he'll tell you ...

"A pink lollipop. And a blue one too."