Meet “DeeDee"

Christmas is just around the corner and with Christmas brings family! Evan and I were so excited that Ethan came to our house Friday night but I don’t think our excitement combined could even come close to how pumped Liam was (and is).

Saturday Liam finally got to see Ethan and let’s just say that poor Uncle “DeeDee” was played with and played with well. Liam did not give “DeeDee” a break from 9 am until Grandpa took “DeeDee” away at 3 pm. Of course there was a short intermission break for naptime but then Liam was right back at taking Uncle “DeeDee’s” hand and pulling him to the next toy. Playing hide and seek, making Christmas  cookies, decorating the cookies, and lots of pretend play with his little people made up Liam and “DeeDee’s” day.

Today we will be spending the afternoon again with Uncle “DeeDee” (Nana and Grandpa too) and I just hope Ethan got a good nights sleep because this kid is going to be so excited to play with him again!

Walles boys decorating cookies

How beautiful!

Walles boys with their prized cookies

First snow of the season

Last night we had a bit of a winter storm come through Bloomington. Lots of wind and just a little bit of snow.

As it is my day off Liam and I suited up and out in the snow we went!

I’m not sure if Liam really likes the snow but he definitely does not like the cold strong wind in his face. We probably were only outside for 10 minutes before he started telling me “Too cold! Too Cold!”

Butters loves the snow and was extremely disappointed that I could not find her frisbee anywhere. We attemped fetch with a stick, it didn’t work out that well.

I think I was just excited because Liam could finally wear the snow pants that I bought him two years ago. Yes, that is not a typo, I bought these pants for last winter (12 months) and due to our lack of a winter we never used them. Now that Liam is 23 months old they fit him perfectly! Little shortie!

I was also excited for him to wear his boots that I bought him to go with his Peter Pan Halloween outfit. Now they are not just part of a costume but an actual functional piece of Liam’s wardrobe.

I’m not looking forward to a lot of snow this winter but if Liam likes to play in it I’m all in!

Covering his face from the bitter coldness

A Christmas Cookie Success

Being pretty smug about the Packers beating the Bears 

Helping cut out gingerbread men

Two days later decorating the gingerbread cookies that we all made together

Super excited about the sprinkles

Do you really think I could not post a picture of my son in a Packers jersey? Especially when so many of my family members are Bears fans? HeHe

Christmas cookie making this time was a success. I remembered that Liam’s arms are short and instead of a chair for him to stand on we gave him a step ladder that is a bit more safe with the bar in the front that he can hold onto.

Liam was so excited to cut out the gingerbread shapes and I thought I was going to trick him into thinking we were all done when we had cut out all the shapes that we had room for. But when he saw me rolling the scraps into a ball and picking up my rolling pin again he dropped his toys and came marching back into the kitchen.

A patient highly recommended that we let Liam decorate the cookies as it is something he does with his grandchildren and he promised it would be highly entertaining. Liam was all business while frosting his cookies and wanted no help at all picking out the sprinkles and shaking them out. This was a serious matter and not to be taken lightly.

We had so much fun decorating our cookies that I plan on making the Fink’s Butter Cut Out Cookies next and decorating them tomorrow with Uncle Ethan! Hope you’re ready Uncle Ethan!

Our tree outings

Helping Daddy find the right one

I love this one

Helping decorate the first tree

The second tree

Awhile back I explained how the tree that we had gotten was not drinking any water and so the first pictures are of our first outing experience. I did not get any footage of Evan tying the first tree back onto our car as it was a highly stressful experience. I don’t think that me following him around with a camera would have been much appreciated.

I will say that the six blocks that it was to get back to the nursery to return the first tree resulted in us stopping twice to stop the tree from rolling off the roof of our car and into oncoming traffic. It didn’t really put us in the Christmas spirit.

Our second tree is doing just fine and even if it wasn’t we weren’t about to call the nursery back and complain again. After all the tree will be on the curb in two weeks.

Future so bright...

He’s got to wear shades! 

This kid is so cool!

Got your nose

While putting Liam to bed last night I began to sing him some songs. I have a horrible memory and there are only a few songs that I can remember most of the words to that Liam can choose from as lullabies. Usually when I ask him what song he would like me to sing “Mahna, Mahna” from the Muppets is most often the first request. But last night I was singing “Away In A Manger” and "Silent Night” while Liam listened ever so quietly.

Until he looked up at me and started to play “Got Nose.” You may be unfamiliar with the title but the game is a classic. One pretends to grab the others nose and than you say Got Your Nose! So in the midst of “the little Lord Jesus asleep....” Liam would grab my nose, laugh and say “Got Nose!” I tried to continue to sing him his lullabies so that he was aware that it was bedtime but, of course, couldn’t stop myself from laughing.

Oh this silly kid! What am I going to do with him?

Moms are great!

I love Christmas and while my previous post may make me sound like I am complaining I truly love this holiday season. The lights, the tree (as long as it doesn’t die immediately), the decorations, the music and of course what the holiday is truly about.

My mother helped me decorate the house this past Friday and I must say she did another amazing job. I try to put things together as well as she does but she just does it so much better than anything I could ever do. So thanks Mom for going through all of my keepsakes and for standing out in the rain to place the garland around the fence!  For decorating my planters with beautiful “stuff” that I am in love with when I pull into my driveway. For playing with Liam while you were standing on my kitchen counter and he was ducking underneath the ladder.

And thanks to you Mom, Evan is insisting that we have people over for dinner so they can admire your beautiful decorations.

Thanks Mom! (you spoil me like only a mother can when she's around her favorite daughter)

Bah Humbug!

Is it just our year to have bad seasonal luck?

Halloween 2012- Squirrel ate all of our pumpkins

Christmas 2012- The Christmas tree that will not drink water.

On Saturday we drove to one of our local nurseries to buy our Christmas tree. I love real trees and only have two artificial trees in my attic because of my previous apartment rental status (fire hazard).

Liam helped pick out a beautiful Douglas Fir Tree we had them make a fresh cut, drove the five minutes back to the house, put the tree up, threw on the lights, poured in the water and the tree has not drank/drunk any of it!

Seriously!?!?

After calling the nursery back they have assured me that we can come pick out another one we just have to take the dead one back. Again, seriously???? I understand they don’t want me to take advantage and get two trees for the price of one but I will be videotaping Evan wrestling this dead tree, which will be spraying dried needles everywhere, to the roof of our car. Which by the way when the employee tied it to the roof of our car at least it was shrink wrapped (?) with netting to make it easier to deal with. Evan will have to do this with a 7 foot tree that may be just as wide as it is tall.

This is going to be interesting.