Red Boots

A while back, Jane picked up an extra pair of Winter boots for Simon's at Mardens because they were cute and inexpensive, and she figured they'd be good "back-ups" in case his regular boots were soaked one day. Because we had them and he hadn't seen them yet, we wrapped them up with his Christmas gifts. Who would have thought they would be the highlight of Christmas morning? Or heck, everyday since?

Simon wants to wear these boots all.the.time. So much so that he has been wearing other boots to go to someone's house, just so he can bring the red ones along to wear like slippers when he gets there. One night, he insisted on wearing them to bed. He hadn't had a nap and was particularly grouchy, so we obliged. Of course, we had to snap a quick picture of sleeping beauty in his boots before we took them off when we went to bed that night.

Christmas 2010

Our Christmas was, in a nutshell, busy. It was a lovely time with some beautiful memories, but also a little rushed as we had lots of people we wanted to see and things we wanted to do, and Josh was only off work for the weekend.

We woke up at home at opened the presents under our tree...with some coaxing. The boys were more interested in looking at all the wrapping and moving gifts from one place to another than tearing into paper.

 Here is Simon having just opened his new boots. They were an unbelievable hit, and have been worn indoors ever since...including to bed one night. (Photo evidence to follow!)

 After mass, we went to Nan and Pop's for the adults' stocking exchange. Of course, the boys were showered with love and gifts from everyone too. Here they are, trying out the sit-and-spins that Auntie gave them. Once again - a hit!

 Simon really enjoyed sharing some clementines with Joe too.

 On to Grammie and Grampy Logan's house! In honour of their fun Halloween costumes, Josh's parents gave the boys Woody and Buzz Lightyear dolls. Very fun for pretending, and they talk. The boys love them! :)

 Isaac, helping Buzz fly through the Logans' living room

We went back to Jane's parents house for dinner with her family, including Nanny McNulty and Aunt Kaye. All-in-all, it was a great day that was evidenced when the boys fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillows.

Yum!

Our neighbour, Melissa, makes the cutest cake pops ever. And lucky for us, she likes to share!

 Hey Melissa - did you see anyone else enjoy them this much? HA! Thanks again!

Christmas Eve

Our first stop on Christmas Eve was to have dinner with Jane's family for Pop's birthday. 

The kids had fun helping Pop put together his new floor puzzle.

 And nothing ever goes as smoothly as planned. Here's what was caught on video when Pop wanted his grandsons to help him blow out the candle:

After dinner with the Donahues (and a quick recovery from Isaac), we headed over to Josh's parents house for a visit over lobster rolls. Josh and Isaac were both very sleepy after eating so much and nearly fell asleep on the couch.

Isaac and Simon both fell asleep in the car, and were slipped right into bed when we got home. "Where visions of sugar plums danced in their heads..."

Gingerbread Men

Isaac and Simon love to help in the kitchen. 

Here they are, helping Jane make gingerbread men for a Christmas treat.

 

I wonder why Isaac got at least twice as many cookies from his dough?

(And Jane wasn't into the wine - It's our rolling pin. You'd think with all the baking she does, we'd buy a real one, eh?)

From Our House To Yours

Can You Tell?

A random woman complimented Jane's coat several days ago, and asked her where she got it. Jane answered, but wondered if the woman realized that she was pregnant and it was a maternity coat. 

After seeing this photo that a friend posted on Facebook, we're all pretty sure that everyone who sees her knows she is pregnant. (The camera adds at least 10 Lbs, right?!)

Feliz Mommydad

Simon's misinterpretation of these lyrics is currently in the running for "Cutest Thing at Christmas". As Pop so aptly described from Simon's point-of-view: "What else, except Mommy, goes with Dad?"

A Little Too Literal?

Jane asked Josh to water the Christmas tree the other day. Isaac went into the living room with his glass of water, and proceeded to pour it over a branch and all over the floor. He seemed legitimately shocked that it made a mess on the floor. I guess he figured that's how we watered plants all summer?

Holiday Spirit

Sorry to have so many photo-less posts lately, but the little dudes just keep saying such funny things that we want to share! Here's today's. (Keep in mind, this came out of nowhere. As in, Isaac came up to Josh as he was getting out of the shower...no previous talk about Christmas, etc)

Isaac: So how do you like Christmas so far, Dad?
Josh (laughing, obviously): I like it a lot. How about you?
Isaac: I like the tree. I liked making the snowman. I like my digger and dumper out in the snow. I like the holiday spirit the most.

Where does he get this stuff?!

Best Friends

We were in the kitchen the other day, and overheard the boys talking in the living room.

Simon: Isaac? Best friend you.

Isaac: Thanks Simon. You are my best friend too.

Can't lie...Jane teared up.

Tree Cutting 2010

We set out today in search of the Griswold Family Logan Christmas tree. Erin borrowed Kevin's truck so we could easily throw the trees in the back, and we headed to our favourite tree-cutting spot. (Our favourite because the couple is SO kind and generous, and 'the Mister' will bring your tree from the lot to your car on the back of his ATV. Can't beat that service!)

Auntie and the boys, starting our trek across the field.

 Josh, pulling Simon in the sled. That lasted about 10 seconds.

Then Isaac wanted to pull Simon in the sled. That lasted another 20 seconds. Then the boys spent the rest of the time taking turns pulling the empty sled. (Note to self: leave the sled home next time!)

 

Isaac was delighted to be there, even though his nose ran the entire time.

Simon loved walking around the lot and pulling the sled....so much so that he didn't want to leave. I wonder how many other families leave with their Christmas tree and a child in full-out-tantrum-mode?

Doting Dad

Josh had a few days off last week, and the boys loved every minute he was home. Here are some pictures of the boys and their doting dad playing in the snow.

Suited up and ready to go

Working on their snowman

 Umm...who is building this thing anyway?

Josh, pleased with his creation

 

Trying to take a photo of Josh pulling the boys on the toboggan...

... And he came to the other side of the deck without them!

 But they happily just climbed back on and were ready to go again.

 Wheeeeeee!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Simon!

Josh was off work on Simon's actual birthday. We did some errands in the morning, and planned to go to the museum in the afternoon. The museum plan got squashed when Simon took the longest nap he has taken in ages. Apparently, being two is quite tiring!

For dinner, we let the boys make their own pizzas. Simon LOVES pizza (is there any food he doesn't love?), but Isaac isn't much of a fan. We thought that he'd like it more if he made it himself, but that didn't really pan out.

Here are our two little chefs in action.

Please note how messy Simon's face is during the assembly process. For every piece he put on the crust, he put two in his mouth. And he licked the sauce spoon. Repeatedly.

Yay! Pizza!

 Ta-dah!

Post-pizza, it was time for a cupcake. Take a look at this video to see how excited he was to be sung to, even though we had just done it the day before at his party. And if you listen closely, you can hear him singing along.

  

Isaac might not have been a fan of the pizza, but a cupcake? Now there's something he can get behind! 

 

After supper and their bath, the boys snuggled up to watch their new favourite movie, Babies. (Have you seen this documentary? It's beautiful. And it's amazing how much a movie without a script or dialogue can captivate two toddlers. Just look how they are mesmerized by it!)

Simon's Seussical 2nd Birthday Party

We had Simon's Dr Seuss themed birthday party last weekend, and he had a ball. We generally try to plan their parties for just after nap-time, so we can do last minute preparations while they sleep...and it's so fun to watch them wake up and discover a party all ready for them. Simon walked around pointing out all the decorations and then worked his way around the food table like the little piglet he is. It was so sweet! Here are some quick shots from the party.

Swiping blueberries off the table

 Enjoying his cupcake, after singing along bright-eyed with his guests.

Clara, Simon, and Isaac chowing down on cake (or mostly icing)

 Ginger, the rockstar, serenading us

We have some pics of the decorations that are still on the camera that we will have to add later. This was such a fun theme to play with! And the boys are very interested in their Dr Seuss books right now (and Isaac loves making up rhymes), so they recognized every little detail. So fun!

**Edited to add some photos of a few of our DIY decorations. They stayed up for a week because the boys liked them so much!