Merry Christmas from Us!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope you have a very Merry one and enjoy a special holiday with family and friends. We are spending the holidays with both husbands family and my own, hitting up southwestern PA and northeastern TN! Here's our Christmas family pic for this year! It's so amazing to me to compare last year's with this year's - the kid was a baby last year. This year - He's a little boy!

19 months old

Just before christmas, the kid hit the 19 month old mark ... wow... not only has christmas approached faster than ever, but the kid seems to be growing even faster. its so fun as he hits each new stage and begins doing new things, saying new things, and is just - fun! but a bit bittersweet to me too... as my cuddly little boy is growing up! he is no baby anymore...


We had a snow storm and the day after, got some 19 month pics as he ran around through the walls of snow...


He liked the snow the day after! Not the day of when it was pouring down and up to his waist!


Yea, our baby is now a boy - a toddler:) he talks in sentences and tries explaining things to us - most of which we don't understand but we are still fascinated;)

Santa

Last Year we took the kid to visit santa and he was just - well - nothing. no smiles, no tears, no laughter, no screaming. he just went to santa, sat with him, had his picture made. I, being a mom who wants a grin for every photo of her kid, made faces behind the camera girl, jumped up and down, did funny voices - and he looked at me like he was thinking "whats the big deal mom? its just some ole guy with a white beard sitting in a really big chair." and thats exactly how the photo came out.



This year, we expected something a little more. We had two santa visits - the first being with a santa at our township childrens christmas party. we waited in line, finally got our turn, and i handed the kid over by peeling him off of me for his turn on santas lap. he was LESS than thrilled. there were no tears. just a LOT of Shrieking. and Screaming.



There was not even a chance to grin, make silly faces and jump up and down - no, i was just trying to keep him in santas lap!



i finally took ahold of him and held him by santa. he was then allowed to hold santas jingle bells which sort of soothed him!



So for our official visit to the REAL santa at the exton mall, we were needless to say slightly concerned about how this good photo op was going to go down. we waited in line for about 20 minutes with another little neighbor girl and her dad. when it was the kids turn, it was like a live flash back of last year. see below.



the same reaction. nothing. like so what. Apparently, sitting with the real santa is blah. who cares. but sitting with a fake santa, Scary!!

More upcoming pictures of Christmas and Abram's unwrapping and traveling adventures. Until then, on a mom note, he's walking around here talking to me in sentences these days. Which i must say, i'm very impressed. But the bad part - i can't understand a darn thing he says!