New Toys, New Year

Christmas was great fun this year as Alex really got into the spirit of giving and didn't hesitate to help open his own gifts. In fact, he wasn't sure why everyone else's gifts did not contain something related to Thomas the Train. Wasn't that at the top of your list?!?

Here is a photo of Alex in his new chair as well as the larger than life Thomas. There is also a super-sized car from the movie CARS floating around...still unloading the car!


We spent most of the week in Cincinnati celebrating with family and friends. Alex cracks us up in the backseat of the car on the 6 hour drive between Chicago and Cincinnati. He puts his arms behind his head, crosses his legs, and watches movies. He doesn't really complain much--just eats snacks, drinks some juice, and relaxes. When he reads books like this he looks like an older man settling in with his daily paper.

Merry Christmas

Alex helped me make Christmas cookies Saturday night--or more accurately, helped me unmake Christmas cookies by removing the cherries behind my back.

Today we met up with our friends Karen and Chris downtown at the State Street Macy's, formerly Marshall Fields (that is a big distinction up here). This store is an incredible sight to see. There was even a small FAO Schwartz inside, so Alex had to check out all the larger than life stuffed animals and toy racecars. We walked over to Daley Plaza as well to see the large Christmas tree below. We also discovered it is mean to give a 2 year old pretzel sticks as a snack while requiring the use of mittens to stay warm. We wound up feeding him the pretzels as they were pretty tricky to pick up.

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there. Have a very Merry Christmas! Will post more when we return from Cincinnati.

The Spirit of Giving and Our Little Buckeye

Merry Christmas and Go Bucks! This would be a great Christmas card photo if Alex's PJs said "Alexander" instead of "Chandler". Gotta love Ebay!

Alex gets into the spirit of giving with Josh. He even unwrapped it for him.

Alex and Josh are ready for New Orleans and to watch the Buckeyes crush LSU in the National Championship game.

Hug and a Kiss

Alex likes to sit in the rides at the mall. The ones where you can insert 50 cents and they rock back and forth for a minute. Today he was sitting in a little truck that had this plastic figure of a dog in the passenger seat. Alex thought it was really cool to be riding in the toy car with a dog. Next thing I know he gives the dog a hug and a KISS. It was cute at first but, ewwww, I wonder how dirty that thing is!??! Wish I had a picture of that.

What's for dessert?

Don't you just love the holidays? Everyday a new sugary treat staring you right in the face, because, well, it's the holidays. When I asked Brad what kind of cookies he wanted he said Haystacks, which are truly more of a candy, but yummy just the same.

Only 3 ingredients needed:

1 12oz bag of white chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups (plus a handful more) of stick pretzels, broken in half

1/2 cup of unsalted peanuts

1.Melt chips in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time

2. Mix all ingredients together, let sit for a couple minutes

3. Scoop by the teaspoonful onto wax paper

4. *Optional: Shake red/green sugar crystals on top for festive appearance :)

5. Let cool on counter an hour or so, makes about 36 "cookies"

We're still here

We're still here, just not much new to report. Alex has been practicing his numbers and is working on counting to 10. And there's still snow on the ground so we continue to go out and play once a day in the snow.

Snow tires

This evening we took Alex to the Festival of Lights at the Zoo (or whatever they call it here). It was beautiful, mainly because it was really snowing...really, really snowing! The snow was slowly falling at our home before we left but it picked up while we were at the zoo. Alex loved running around and playing in the snow at the zoo. Oh, and the lights were nice too.

He started out in the stroller but really wanted to play, so down he went. Each exhibit has "stroller parking" outside to eliminate congestion inside and by the end of the night we had quite a pile of snow in the stroller, on top of the stroller, in the basket underneath the stroller, etc.

Note to self...could use a set of snow tires for the stroller :)

Sorry, no photos, didn't want to get the camera that wet.

For Kids Not Adults

Last night we went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Mommy and Daddy like to eat there but usually Alex has trouble finding something he really enjoys. However, yesterday he really got into the whole BW3 experience! He was all about wearing the kids hat, doing the coloring page, and eating his dinner. He even indulged in celery and ranch dressing! We had to bring the hat home and tonight he ate dinner in it again.

Regressing?

Several days a week, the little boy next door comes over to play. After 2 weeks of cleaning up food off the floor, I finally remembered that, at 15 months, it is often tidier to reattach the tray to the booster chair.

Tonight Alex brought us the jar of peanut butter out of the pantry and asked to have some of it in a bowl, with his train spoon...very specific request. He wanted to sit in the "baby chair".

I also have a pack n play set up in our bedroom for Baby Josh to take naps. Alex likes to climb in there each morning when he gets up and drinks his milk cup in the "baby bed", with his bwagies of course!

Feeding the Birds

I think all the birds may have flown south for the winter. Kathy gave Alex an early Christmas gift over the weekend of his own bird feeder. Alex really enjoyed filling it up and watches it everyday from the kitchen table. Sadly there are no birds yet, but given time, I bet we'll have a whole flock out there to watch soon. We've also taken to feeding the rabbits. I don't know if they like frozen carrots but we'll see.

Many Thanks

Many thanks to Celia who works in Lost and Found at the Houston Hyatt Hotel. I left several items of clothing in the closet during our recent trip and not only did she find them (and still had record of them weeks later), but she mailed them to me ASAP. I thought for sure I had taken them to the cleaners but turns out I had never even brought them home! I'll send her a thank you card as I am confident she is not a reader of this blog :)

Who's having more fun here?

Big kids want to have fun too! Brad and Alex had a fun weekend sledding in the snow.

Snowball fun

This week Alex learned how to make a snow angel and how to throw snowballs at Mama and Daddy! We're still working on the difference between snowballs and those large chunks of ice/snow that are left after the plow goes through. Those are far more painful when thrown from a close range!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

It is beautiful out tonight. The sky is white and it is so bright on the street as snow continues to fall. It is supposed to fall all night and into the morning tomorrow. Just a few inches, but still so pretty.

Tickle Me Cookie Monster

Ok, we have a Tickle Me Cookie Monster. It is cute and soft and Alex loves to press his tummy and hear it say, "haha, hoho, me love tickles, haha, it fun it fun". I just about had a heart attack as I thought Alex was asleep upstairs, but this possessed sound came out of the monitor. It took a few seconds to realize it was Tickle Me Cookie Monster. That thing sounds like the devil coming through the baby monitor, I bet I jumped a mile high!

Tie Blankets

As we shopped for a tie for Brad today at Macy's, Alex picked one up off the table. The silk ties feel similar to the edge of his "bwagies" and he referred to them as "Daddy's Bwagies".

On a side note, thank goodness Alex is slated to get a child-size chair for Christmas from Santa. This is what he currently uses when he watches movies, and Scooter is a bit upset about it.

Quiet Mama!

Tonight Brad and I were belting out Christmas Carols, I'll admit somewhat obnoxiously, and Alex was having none of it. From upstairs in the bathtub I hear him yell "Quiet Mama".

Snowbird

As predicted, we had a freezing rain storm yesterday afternoon/evening. It started out as just snow but quickly changed to freezing rain. This didn't stop Alex and Brad from heading out to make snow/ice balls and trying out the shovel. By this morning it was warm enough to melt the ice and we had more of a rainy day than anything else.

Tennis Rackets and Christmas Trees

We unpacked our huge Christmas tree yesterday from the 2 large boxes Allied Van Lines used for shipping. This is what the tree looked like. We spent the rest of the evening trying to reshape the tree and put lights on it. The annual lighting of the tree is always a testy time as inevitably half the lights from last year don't work.

In the surprise of the month, we found our missing tennis rackets! The movers put them in the box with the Christmas tree. We checked every logical place when we moved in and just assumed they had been stolen from our garage. We are very glad to have them back and look forward to using them in the spring.

Ornaments

When you think about it, the concept of ornaments is kind of hard for a two year old to understand. Alex has been trying to hang everything from the tree--including those large musical snowmen you can buy at Hallmark each season. He also enjoys removing the ornaments from the tree and playing with them, as was the case with this Noah's Ark ornament that made its way to the water scene on his train table.

Tis the Season

Yesterday Alex and I put up the smaller Christmas tree in the den. It is going to be "Alex's Tree" and is decorated with lots of the softer ornaments. Although I should have taken a picture of the remnants of what I thought was a plastic ornament, as it shattered all over the kitchen floor this morning (luckily it was not a very sentimental one).

Santa also dropped off an early Christmas present today for Alex. The Thomas the Train Around the Tree set. He was very excited to set this up and since we'll be out of town the week after Christmas, we wanted him to get a little playtime in with it while the tree is up. It plays Jingle Bells and is battery powered to pull it around the tree. Our hope is that he'll set it up each year around "his" tree and that will be a fun tradition for him.

What's for dinner?

This is a new segment I'd like to try out. We get tired of eating the same foods over and over again so many nights I search for new recipes online. Last night I had defrosted pork chops (boneless, medium thickness) but couldn't decide what I wanted to do with them.

WWW.ANNIESRECIPES.COM/KITCHEN/PORKCHOPRECIPES.HTM had this super simple recipe for Saucy Pork Chops and it was a hit.

4 pork chops
1 can cream of chicken soup, add a little water
1 med. chopped onion
2 tbsp. catsup
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Brown chops in oil. Season with your favorites. Drain off excess fat. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chops. Cover and bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chops are tender. Serves 4.

I used 1/2 onion and I'm pretty sure Brad would have preferred a little less catsup, but it was a good twist nonetheless :)

Symphony in Lights

Last night, Brad and I took Alex to The Promenade Bolingbrook shopping center to see the Symphony in Lights demonstration. We were excited to see this light show designed by Carson Williams, the Mason, OH man who set his residential light display to the music of Trans-Siberian Orchestra last Christmas. It was about 15 minutes long and even the large snowflakes adorning each of the stores were choreographed to the music!

If you happen to go, know that the show is on the hour each hour at night. We got there a little after 8 and had to wait for the 9pm show. In the meantime Alex found plenty to do...

First Snowfall

Right about the time we arrived back in Illinois Sunday, we experienced the year's first snowfall here. Alex was very concerned about the white rain hitting the windshield on the highway, but couldn't wait to get out and play in the falling snow the minute we hit the driveway. Imagine his dismay when we made him get bundled up to play in the cold--snow pants, coat, hat, boots, the whole nine yards! Handmade hat courtesy of Great-Grandma Dot, new this weekend, good timing!

Yes, by the time he was all bundled up, the snow had stopped falling. Alex was still eager to check out the white stuff on the grass though. Just wait until we have a more substantial snowfall, he'll really love that!

Meanwhile, Brad and I have been drinking Swiss Miss like it's going out of style! I'm pretty sure that box has been in our pantry for years. Can hot chocolate ever expire?!? I love using this mug made from Alex's artwork :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving to you all! We spent a lovely weekend in Cincinnati visiting with family and friends, shopping, and throwing a bridal shower for my cousin Amanda. Alex and Brad visited the Aquarium with family while we attended the shower on Saturday and he loved running from exhibit to exhibit to see all the fish.

Dinnertime Entertainment

By 6pm tonight, I was out of ideas. We'd played with all the toys and I still needed to make dinner. That's where Scooter came in. Alex had noticed Scooter up on the stairs, hiding out from us most likely. I suggested Alex take a toy up and play with the cat and Alex did one better. He took the whole basket of cat toys up the steps to play with Scooter. Scoot was a good sport about it as Alex took out each toy and threw it at him, or placed it right under his nose to be "played" with. By the time he got to the bottom of the basket, tacos were on the table!

These Thomas the Train flannel jammies were a find since Alex is on a "no pajamas-with-feet" stint...and they are pretty cute :)

Why we love Chicago

The museums in Chicago cannot be beat. Today we spent the day at the Museum of Science and Industry and were in awe at all the wonderful exhibits. The "Christmas Around the World" display was what originally brought us into town today--50 Christmas trees, beautifully decorated according to customs from around the world. The "Great Train Story" exhibit was Alex's favorite, featuring a replica of the city of Chicago and showing the railroad's journey from Chicago to Seattle. This huge model train exhibit was pretty incredible! There was so much to see, I cannot possibly describe it all here, but if you are ever in Chicago do not miss this museum!!

Ready for Winter

With the temperatures dipping into the 20s each night and the highs in the 40s each day, Brad and Alex made a trek to Home Depot tonight to purchase our first snow shovel. Truthfully, we didn't want to be the only house on the block without a shovel when the first snow hits. Brad said Alex pushed it all through the store up to the cash register. Let's hope he shows that same level of enthusiasm when it comes time to shovel snow! I believe I also saw 2 ice scraper/snow brushes for the cars, and a bag of salt in the trunk, we're ready now!

The colder temperatures outside have forced us to find new fun inside. Alex's current favorite is this 48 piece wooden aquarium puzzle, or "puddis" as he says. We usually help set up the perimeter and then he goes to town on the rest of it.

Another fun option is the ball pit we've got going on in the basement. The kids slide down right into the pool full of plastic balls and think this is hilarious. The pool is maybe halfway full of balls...any guesses on how many 100-ball bags this takes?

Aggie's Bwagies

Alex loves his blankies, all of them. That is, as long as they have satin binding, which I am still learning to do. In fact I hope to make him a new blankie for Christmas with satin trim, wish me luck! He even picked out the flannel fabric the other day...cars, planes, trucks, trains...it is perfect.

While we may call these blankies, Alex has always referred to them as "bwagies". Alex has also begun referring to himself as "Aggie", which those of you from A&M should love. It is funny because his friend Ava used to refer to him as Aggie last year at his Mother's Day Out class and we could never figure out where she came up with that. Well, low and behold he has started saying it as well. He also says Alex, I guess he uses them interchangably.

Anyways, today he firmly told Baby Josh, our neighbor, not to touch his blankies. In fact he said "No Baby Josh, Aggie's Bwagies!!!"

Naptimes and Bedtimes

As much as we ALL like naptime, I suppose there comes a time when it is not necessarily a scheduled part of our day. For the past few weeks, our formerly good little sleeper has taunted us from the top of the stairwell each night after we lay him down for bed. He's full of energy and ready to play, simply not tired. Night after night we would return him to his bed only to hear the creak of his door and little footsteps running across the hallway. This routine would go on for about 2 hours, no joke.

We now have our evenings back, just with slightly longer afternoons :) The way Alex sees it, he just has more time to play trains!

Home from Houston

While Brad attended a training class downtown for work, Alex and I spent time visiting with friends around Houston. Our former neighbors made this sign for us, it was so sweet. It is amazing how many new babies have been born in the 6 months we have been gone! We were able to attend our old playgroup, visit the zoo, check out the downtown Aquarium, do lunch in the Woodlands, shop the Nutcracker Market (ok that was for Mom only), jump for hours at Jump N Jungle, and visit with our former neighbors, just to name a few. There were also our friends who were so kind to put us up for a few nights, we had a great time, thank you!

The first weekend we spent some time at Kemah, where Alex was happy to watch the boats go by. During the week we returned with friends to ride the train, carousel, and flying airplanes.

Early in the week, it was even warm enough to go for a refreshing November swim at the hotel.

This photo sums up how we felt by Saturday night when we returned home to Chicago. Alex was a champ on both flights and throughout the trip. He was happy to get back to his "twains" though!