The end of 2010

I'm just about partied out! We had a Family party on Christmas eve, then Fred & I came home to set out Christmas. It was fun though trying to guess what Tad would go for first.
The only thing we had to put together was a little remote control car track (that I found at the DI for $8!!!)
We were off to bed by 11pm and up at 6:45am. Tad was groggy and wondering what was going on, but he did really well. He opened his stocking and a few presents before sitting close to daddy. Fred picked out a new game for me that I made a face when I opened it - "Killer Bunnies". I'd never heard of it.... I'm now addicted!

8:00am we were off to my parents' for Christmas. Tad was getting better at opening presents until he found something to play with (a new car from Paul & Nashaela). At least he was good at showing everyone what he got. He was spoiled with a box full of books and a new tricycle.

Tad opened Crystal's crockpot so she got to open his trike - it was better that way because it was up where he could see it. (He loved being in the way as we put it together. He kept picking up the tools and trying to do what we did.)

10:30am and we were off to Fred's parents'. Tad was exhausted but still trucking along. We were spoiled by all of our parents like usual!

Tad fell asleep almost as soon as we got in the car and slept while we drove to Henefer. After visiting cousins we headed back to Fred's parents' for Family dinner... and my favorite present - a new Santa painting from Gram. (This year's is the second from the right.) I've loved having a grand piano to set out my display of Santas.

Tad also got a present from his Great gram and had fun opening it. Part of what took so long to open presents is Tad would rip a piece of paper, then have to hand it to someone before he could rip another piece off. :} Finally at 10pm we headed home.

Tad got a new tie for Christmas and looks so grown up. He also got a mini trampolene from Aunt Lauralee. He loves to jump and say "ump ump ump".

Sunday was church, visiting family and another Family Christmas party - including a game of Bunco.

We got Tad the dinosaur because it scared him and I thought it would be funny. It was the first thing he noticed Christmas morning and it only took a day to warm up to him. He now shares his toothbrush with the dino & tries to feed it toy cars. :}

Fred had Monday off and we had a great day! We returned a few things and went to Salt Lake. We hung out at the zoo until their Christmas lights came on. It was fun, but I probably wouldn't go if we didn't have a membership. We stopped by the new downtown foodcourt (they close at 6pm-- but McDonald's stayed open). Then we walked across the street to Temple Square. We ran into my old roomie which was a fun surprise! Tad was exhausted when we got home.

Wednesday night we were supposed to have a baby shower for Fred's sister, but the snow was too slippery and we cancelled it. Thursday night we had our annual cousin party at our house with my side of the family. I always look forward to it - individual pizzas, WII, games, a puzzle, movies, and of course a couple rounds of Mafia.

We had a lot of extended family time this Christmas. It's nice that Fred finally has a job that gives him the holidays off. It's been really nice having him home to play with Tad.

Tad has learned how to turn his dinosaur on and roar at it so it'll roar back. I love that he plays on his belly now. Unfortunately, he's been learning a lot of other things that are going to make things more challenging.... he can now climb on kitchen chairs, the coffee table, the toilet lid, ALL BY HIMSELF.

Getting ready for Christmas

I know, it's been awhile. After Fred & I were sick, Tad got a REALLY bad cold. This kid never cries, but he sure cried a lot this week. I don't know how parents handle whiney kids-- I'd die! I guess it made me appreciate that we have a REALLY good kid.

So.... in the past few weeks we've put up our Christmas tree and saw the fun park lights. I really want to go to Temple Square to see the lights and the Zoo-lights. I doubt we'll make it before Christmas.

Funny story - After we got our Christmas tree, I saw Tad put one of my decorations shaped like a Christmas tree in the back of his dump truck. :} Amazing that a 1 1/2 year old can catch on like that!

Of course he had to stand on the stool when I wasn't. Doesn't he look so grown up?!

His favorite ornament is one of our family last year. He loves to point at it and say "daddy". He's been AWESOME at not taking the ornaments off the tree.

Daddy's buddy - one night when he was sick he cried for 30 minutes. The only time he paused was when he looked at our bed to see if that's where his daddy was. It's ridiculous how much he loves his daddy.

Tad LOVES lights! The other day we drove less than 1 mile and he said "Look" at least 10 times pointing to all the lights in the neighborhood!

Tad in his AWESOME geeky Christmas sweater. I actually really like it, Fred says it looks too Christmas-y. But, since it was the Sunday before Christmas Tad got to wear it - and then he was forced to stand infront of the tree for a picture? He'll love this picture when he's older right? :}

I doubt I'll have anything exciting to write before Christmas so HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

What did I do for entertainment before?

This kid is a riot!
We leave his toothbrush where he can reach it and he's gotten pretty good at brushing his teeth. We let him brush for a minute then help him and he does just fine. So grown up!

He continues to love bath time. The other day I told him to take off his shoes so he could get in the tub and he starts pulling at his shirt like he can't get it off fast enough. (With help) he got down to his diaper then tried to climb in- I wonder where he gets his impatience.... :} He's learned to blow bubbles in the water and has almost learned how to dump the cup of water on his own head.

The other night I was doing something in the kitchen and I looked over to see this. He likes to hide under a dishtowel and walk towards you to scare you. He runs into things all the time because he really can't see. I have no idea where he learned this, but it's hilarious!

He still doesn't love food unless it's pureed. I even tried jello jigglers the other day. He'd move them around his tray and hit his tray to make them jiggle, but he didn't eat a single one.

He's also learned how to open doors (aaaahhhhh!), unlock the front door, and open the microwave door when he knows his bottle is in there.

He loves to have you put on his shoes even if he's not going outside and he knows how to get a matching pair- yipppeee!

It's hard not to laugh when he does something he's not supposed to and runs away before we even say anything. He'll push the tv buttons then pull his arms up tight to his sides and start to run away. He always looks back to see if he got caught.

He thinks all of our remotes turn on the stereo and he'll push buttons then look intently at it waiting to hear the music.

I have to start watching what I say. I was jokingly calling Fred a "jerk" and told Tad to call daddy a jerk. Next thing I heard was "erk". OoopS!

Winter fun & not so fun

First there was that "blizzard" we were supposed to have. It was a white out for a few minutes so I'll give the weather guy partial credit. The next day it was FREEZING! - but of course I bundled Tad up to go play anyways. We walked into the yard and he did fine while he was holding my hand, but when we got to the middle of the yard and I let go he wouldn't move. (See his finger pointing? His favorite word right now is "Look"- if you don't look, he'll turn your head for you!) He liked walking on the sidewalk a lot better and followed Daddy all the way down the street. He did fine until he tried to walk in the snow and face-planted it, then he was ready to go inside.

We went to see the Ogden lights- if you've never been, you should go! Tad LOVES lights and points them out when we're driving with some excited jabbers and pointing. It was fun that he's big enough to walk the whole way and we didn't have to keep lifting him in and out of a stroller.

Of course we're starting to get into the usual holiday parties. We had my family one early this year which was nice..... except I was sick. I thought it would pass but we left the party early and I thought I was going to die for 2 days! Gotta love the sickness that comes during winter months.

The worst part was..... it was Fred's birthday! He spent a couple of hours at my family party, then the rest of the evening on Tad duty and fending for himself. I was too sick to even sit on the couch to watch a movie with him. And of course, now Fred has it himself! I really hate how sickness travels back and forth, but I guess I'm just glad we don't get it at the same time!

Here's wishing all of you a HEALTHY winter!!!!

T is for ...

Thanksgiving, Taking pictures, Tangled, Temperatures, and Toddler appointments.
THANKSGIVING= We spent Thanksgiving at Gram's with Fred's family. It was a small turnout, but nice. We stopped for a quick visit (and an extra slice of pie) at my parents'. Tad was exhausted because he wouldn't take a nap earlier. He slept about 15 minutes as we drove from one house to another. He loved playing with cousins all day.
TAKING Pictures= We only take family pictures every other year. I had hoped to do them outside, but I finally conceded that it was too cold after our mini-blizzard. We'll have to photoshop a couple of things- overall they turned out great!

The family

The girls

The boys

My siblings.

Mom & Dad

Our little fam.

Nashaela & Paul

Janae's Family.

Christopher's Family.

Afterwards we ate leftovers and played games at my parent's.

TANGLED = Saturday we took Tad to his first movie theatre! The prices are ridiculous!!! Other than that it was a delightful experience. He loved the horse in the movie and was happy to sit in his booster seat and snack on his goldfish. Fred took him for a short walk the one time he got restless. He also seemed to almost talk to the characters which was fun for Fred and I to watch.

Sunday Tad was a little fussy, we figured he was TEETHING. Lucky us! Monday night was rough! He woke up around 5am crying and the only thing that would calm him down was laying by his daddy. After a TEMPERATURE of 101 degrees and taking a nap with dad, he finally started acting better. Tuesday night he went down without any drugs and slept all night. (I did give in- for MY sanity and put him in my bed so I could get a little sleep. That was a mistake, he's a wiggly little guy and I didn't sleep well, even though he slept 10 hours.) He woke up chatty and has been fine all day!

He had his TODDLER dr's appointment today and was fantastic. He let the doctor check everything he needed to, he did fight a little when he tried to look in his mouth - he fights us too, so luckily he doesn't often put things in his mouth he shouldn't! He had to get 2 shots and didn't even whimper!!! He's 95+% for height & weight and the doctor is still expecting he'll be 6'4". I let him have a sucker after his shots, he sucked on it as we drove home, then grunted. When I turned around he handed me his sucker. (In my dreams he does that all the time instead of throwing it on the car seat.)

First day of Nursery!

Sunday, Fred & I subbed in a primary class. I thought it would be too distracting to have Tad in with us so we asked if he could go to Nursery (he's technically not supposed to go until February). They agreed and off he went. I don't think he even looked back after he took the leader's hand and she said "let's find some toys". I have to say it was DELIGHTFUL to not have to entertain him in a confined area. I kept glancing at the door expecting them to bring him back (not that he's fussy, I just didn't know how he'd do for 2 full hours). When we went into singing time I peeked in the Nursery and he was sitting quietly at the table waiting for the lesson. After church I went to pick him up and he was still sitting quietly at the table having a snack- even nibbling on cheese, which he'll never do for me! He saw me and jibbered excitedly. They said he was very good and loved to sing "The Wise Man & The Foolish Man." I don't know where he learned the actions, we've only sung it once at home. They made a little hat with feathers saying things they are Thankful for. Tad hates things on his head, but I had to take a picture because I can't believe he's old enough for Nursery!!!

(He's not afraid to take anyone's hand, last week he took our neighbor's hand at church and walked off. He turned and looked at he me when I said "bye" then kept walking. When they passed the Senior Nursery he let go because he saw the toys. They told me where he was and a little while later when I went to check on him he was happily playing. We stayed for singing time then went back to the library with Daddy. I guess we're not going to have any problem getting him to go to Nursery!)

Little red stool

Stools are not just for looking out the window. Evidently they are now the ONLY way to be able to color. :} He's also decided that anything that is about 6 inches off the ground is a stool or bench (including the dishwasher door).

We're still working on eating anything that hasn't been pureed first. Rolls, apples (only if they're whole), sometimes cereal (I've tried just about every kind out there!), and.... OREOS! I was surprised he ate the whole thing. Not the healthiest thing, but I'm trying everything to get him used to textures.

I'm excited he's also learned how to smile and say "cheese"- without too cheesy of a grin.

Tad's new hobby

I held Tad up to watch the snow the other day and he kept grunting to be lifted again. No way was I going to stand there all day. So, I brought his stool upstairs and he does it himself! He loves to move the stool all over the house to stand on it.

The funniest part is what he says when he climbs up on it. (I tried to teach him how to stack blocks by saying "stack" each time I did it. He finally demonstrated he knew how in church.... he said "stack" then proceeded to cheer for himself. What a helpful kid.) Now when he stands on his stool he says "stack".... yeah, I guess you're stacking... yourself. :}

We also played in the leaves last week. He learned quickly how to throw the leaves in the air. Aunt Crystal helped teach him how to shuffle through the leaves, kicking them. Unfortunately, that's how he walks through piles of everything, including his toys - kicking them all over.
As for the bruise on his cheek - I'm the best mom ever - I was messing around and pushed him in the stroller towards Aunt Crystal and the stroller tipped. A tiny bit of road rash never hurt anybody. :(

Drysdale (Halloween) Zoo

Tad was a Giraffe for Halloween! I have to say it is the easiest costume I've made yet (less than 5 hours!!!!) He can't even say "giraffe" but I found the material on sale a few months ago and thought it was adorable! This might be the last year I get to pick what he is, by next year he'll be talking and tell me right? (Fred says I get to decide until he moves out.... I'm sure that would go over well as a teenager.)

He tried to take the hat off every chance he got, but didn't mind the jumpsuit. He did finally leave the hood on for trick -or-treating.

I can't believe how much rain there was! Luckily, we only had a handful of friends to visit before going to Fred's parents' for Chili. (Nannie was Cindy-lou-hoo. Fred wore a "Nudist on strike" sign, and I found a halloween shirt for $2!) I was surprised how many trick-or-treaters they had.

On Halloween we dressed up a little more (I had planned to both nights, but was too lazy because of the rain). I pulled out my old Kangaroo costume, made Fred a badge that said "zookeeper" and off we went. My little sister borrowed my Octopus costume for work. My brother's little boy was a Cowboy.

Can you believe they're a year apart and my kid is almost as tall! We made individual pizzas at my mom's then my sister had made a fun Halloween game. It's like Apples to Apples, but all Halloween words. I like it a TON better than the actual game--- super FUN!

I guess eventually we'll have to start attending the "trunk-or-treats" but it really makes me miss walking between the houses, I think that was the funnest part - when else do you WANT to walk that much? :}