Christopher's first visit with Santa

Well last night Christopher had his first visit with Santa. I really wondered how he would be, would be be scared of this bearded stranger? Would he cry? Would he refuse to sit on his lap? Nope none of the above. When we got in line and pointed Santa out to him he pointed to him and said Santa- and then was more interested in the floweres and trees that were decorating the area. As we waited he would look over in Santa's direction and say Santa. He was very anxious to get in the door when it was our turn. When it was time to actually get into Santa's lap he was just a little timid, but with just a little coaxing by daddy he went right into his lap. He posed for two pictures and then sat and "talked" to santa for a minute when he was done. As I was paying for the picture, Christopher took off with daddy in pursuit, where did he head? Right back to the end of the line again- he wanted to do it again, and he knew where he had to go. :)

Where does the time go?

Wow it is already the week of Thanksgiving. Wasn't Halloween just last week? (It should have been- Christopher's costume is still out in our room :) )
We will be going to Amma and Bap Bap's for Thanksgiving. Dumplings here we come!!
Last weekend Christopher and Mommy, Daddy and Grandma Ione went over to Austin and saw two of his great grandma's. We took them out for lunch and Christopher played and showed off.
Last week Christopher got a hold of an almost full box of cereal from the counter and dumped the whole thing on the little table. He then sat down and ate some of it, the rest went on the floor. I guess what he had for breakfast wasn't good enough that day. He is getting so tall- I can't believe he can reach things from the counters now. He already is a pro at opening drawers and pulling things out. Yikes!
Christopher loves the vacuum cleaner- he always wants to plug it in and make it go - so we found a little vacuum for him. It makes noise and has a hose and everything, he absolutely loves the thing! It is amazing the things kids like.

Halloween and beyond.

Christopher had so much fun on Halloween! He wasn't so sure about putting on his costume at first. But then I took him across the street to the neighbors and he got to pick a piece of candy out of her bowl (and then another and another- he would have kept going if I hadn't stopped him :) ) Then he was really into it. He already liked carrying around the halloween buckets, but now that he was getting candy in his bucket- he was in heaven. Daddy took him out to Grandma and Grandpa's , Auntie Debbie, cousin Sammy's and cousin Jeanie's then over to cousin Robbie's work and then finally out to Uncle Bob and Aunt Kelly's. He was a tired peanut that night.

This weekend Jamie had to work on Saturday so Christopher and Mommy had a lazy morning and then went out for lunch at the Chinese place we like so much. Christopher was putting the rice in his mouth faster than he could swallow it.

Yesterday we had a good time playing together in the backyard and going out for breakfast. Today it is back to the regular schedule- Christopher took a long nap this morning and went down after nap with no problem. He is a tired little guy this morning. All the activity of the weekend wore him out I guess.

Halloween is coming!

This weekend Amma and Bap Bap came to visit and they brought Lorelei with them! Christopher loved playing with all of them. It was actually nice this weekend so we took the babies out to Oxbow to see the animals. Christopher wasn't feeling the best, so he spent most of his time on daddy's sholders, but Lorelei was in animal heaven- she was so excited about all of them. The deer that came right over to her, the bear that was "shh, nigh, nigh", the water that no otters were swimming in, yet it was exciting all the same, the fox in a box. She just couldn't get enough.

We carved tons of pumpkins this weekend and Jamie got even more decorations set up on the yard. Christopher liked climbing into mommy or daddy's laps periodically just to see what we were doing. We tried to get him to help carve a pumpkin last night, but he just wasn't interested. All this and it will all be taken down on Wednesday. He really loves Halloween and gets into the decorating! Some of the pumpkins are really elaborate, wow! I have to go get lots and lots of candles tonight so that we can light them all.

The time change makes for easier mornings, not so hard to drag ourselves out of bed before the first kid arrives at the door.

Birthday countdowns- per Amma's request

I guess knowing how old the babies were wasn't enough for Amma!

Babies countdown!

Music

Christopher has become very musical lately. He will ask for the music to be turned on by pointing at the radio and "dancing". His latest dance involves lifting each foot up, and very deliberatly stomping it down while sort of swaying to the music. If you don't turn on the music when he wants it- watch out!
Daddy has made up his own Christopher song from Hippy, Hippy, Hipopantomos (sp?)
He got a set of instruments for his birthday and now we have gotten him some additional ones from Do-Re-Me and You. Of course I couldn't bear all the "music" that would be played all day by the daycare kids (most likely by beating another child over the head with the drum sticks- yikes!!), so Christopher has to wait until they all go home to play with them. He asks for them on a regular basis by pointing and uh, uh, uh until we get them down for him. (We do occasionally use them during daycare- under very, very close supervision) He is sitting on the floor right now making music for mommy.
He also loves to dance to the Lauri Berkner Music Videos. (AKA "Dance Bee's" by the daycare kids) He gets so excited when it comes on and has started to imitate the moves they use, I think the dinosaurs stomping song is where he got his moves. Although "turning around" to another song is a big fun thing for him.

Oh My!

Oh My! Timmy and Lorelei just left a little while ago and Auntie is tired! Wow- they have a lot of energy and manage to get into everything. I loved every minute of it, but I can't imagine having all three of them all the time- Yikes!
Last night we fed the babies spagetti and the mess it made- oh my, oh my. Christopher had some baby food to go with dinner and the other two had to get in on the act. First Timmy had to compete with Christopher for just about every bite he got, then Lorelei wanted some, only she really didn't want to be fed it, so Auntie / Mommy Lexi gave her the cap to lick. And did that start something, Lorelei would lick it and then bring it to me, "more" and then I would spoon a little on it, she would lick it and back for more she would be. Timmy decided he needed a cap to lick as well- so I was trying to feed Christopher from the spoon and filling up two caps that were being shoved in front of me, along with demands for "more". We went through 4 jars before I said enough!
Into the bath they all went- they were beyond filthy! Three babies in a tub! (And one wet Auntie/ Mommy H by the time they were done)
Lorelei was so funny this morning, they were eating pancakes and some of the other kids were done with theirs and getting more. Well she decided she needed more too, so she took all of her pancakes out of her dish, set them on the table, and then held it up and asked for more. She knew she had to have them all gone to get more- so she figured out a way to get rid of them.
I was amazed over and over again by what they are able to do. Timmy put a spoon in the sink when asked to, and so did Christopher. Lorelei was able to climb up the little climbing mountain on the playset, by herself and then get onto the platform and go down the slide. (Of course she did have to be extra careful because Timmy would come by moving twice as fast on his way up and down and almost knock her off!)

The babies are coming!!! The babies are coming!!!

Well both of Christopher's little cousins are coming today!!! Auntie Lexi is bringing both Timmy and Lorelei to see us! I am so excited!
Christopher went visiting this weekend when we took the boat over for the winter. First we went to Great Grandma's house where he got to explore the farm. He loved the machine shed, in particular the little broom in it. He carried that broom halfway up to the house with him. He got to play with some of the toys that I had played with there as a little girl.
After we left Great Grandma's we headed into Springfield to visit Great Grandpa and Karen. There Christopher wanted to go over to the park across the street before he even got into the house! He got to play with their dog- he got lots of kisses from that little one! And he loved every bit of it, he even took the leash and tried to "walk" the dog. He got to have a rice krispy bar and play at the school playground across the street as well, so he loved every bit of it. By the time he got back into his car seat, he was so tired! He slept most of the way home.
On Sunday we put up some of the Halloween decorations, when Christopher saw them through the window, he had to tell us all about it. Then he made daddy take him out for a closer look, although he didn't want anything to do with shaking the ghosts hand.

Well this week Christopher has been non stop exploring. He absolutely will not leave the new set of drawers I got for daycare supplies alone. Every time he is quiet, I find him tearing them apart. Today he got a hold of an ink pad and proceeded to put his hands and mouth! into it before I could get it away from him. Luckily it was washable! What a mess.
Yesterday he got a hold of my Diet Coke can when I wasn't looking and managed to get a few drinks of it before mommy caught him. He didn't even spill any- but he sure had a mustache.
I went out with a daycare mom last night and daddy and Christopher had a boys night out. Where did they go? To have spagetti and then over to Grandma and Grandpa's house to play. Christopher got a kick out of playing chase with Grandma Ione- around and around the furniture they went.
Tonight we are going to take the boat over to Great grandma Milly's house to store it for the winter in the machine shed. Tomorrow afternoon we will be going and seeing great grandpa and Karen as we will already be over in the area. Good time for Chirstopher to see them. Hopefully tonight he will sleep on the way over. Otherwise the 3 hours in the car could be a long trip!

To the Zoo

On Sunday all of us met at the zoo. We had a picnic before going thru the zoo. I don't think Amma got much to eat, as she had two of the three eating on her lap. Not that she seemed to mind.
The ducks were a big hit- as were the monkeys. But I think the polar bear swimming was the favorite of all three. Timmy kept making the fish sign as he watched the bear swim. I guess anything in the water is a fish. Lorelei was tickled pink watching the bear swim back and forth. Christopher had to go outside to get a better look at it, especially as it came out of the water each time. It was really nice that all the babies were able to get together. It is nice that they get to spend as much time together as they do.

Christopher has discovered how to hug today. He keeps going to Bella and giving her a hug. She has been pretty tolerant of him. It is so cute to see, especially as last week they were too busy pushing each other down to hug.
He has been having a pretty tough time last night and today, I don't think he feels the best, very clingy. Yesterday he wouldn't let daddy put him down for a nap- arching his back, hanging on for deal life. And then he did the same thing when it was bed time. In the middle of the night he ended up in bed with us, he was screaming, and daddy rescued him. Today he wants to be held, and wants everything, then when he gets it he forgets about it and on to something else, when I tell him no he screams. Just not like him.

Babies on the way!

Two babies are now on the way! Lorelei is going to be a big sister!!! This joins Timmy's baby sister (or brother) who is coming in April. Congratulations!!!
Amma will not know what to do with herself. Babies and toddlers everywhere, and only two arms to hold them all, whatever will she do? (Let them do whatever they want!)
If babies keep coming in groups like this Amma will soon have so many grandbabies she won't know what to do.

Visiting the Park

Christopher got to go to a new park today with mommy. We went to the big park over by Silver Lake. Christopher was in heaven! His little pointer finger was leading him everywhere, mommy could hardly keep up. Slides and ladders and stairs and steering wheels, oh my!
He was one tired little guy by the time we left to bring lunch to daddy.
When ever he goes to see daddy at work he really, really wants to go in the back shop area, the loud noises just make him hang on tighter, but he doesn't want to leave! Such a boy. He got mad when we wouldn't take him out there today.

When daddy came home this afternoon, Christopher got to go back to the park, again! Twice in one day- what a lucky little boy! It was just such a nice day, and who knows how many more we will have this year, that nasty little word- s#*w- has made it back into the forecast around Amma's house, before long we will all have it. BRRR.

Christopher is going to be a chicken for halloween this year. Originally he was going to be a skunk as mommy and daddy lovingly refer to him as their little stinkpot. But he started making chicken noises and it was just so cute that when mommy and cousin Sammy saw the chicken costume they couldn't resist. Now whenever we go to the closet to pick clothes, he tries to grab it to wear. He started making the chicken noises at the cat. Mommy would call the cat a chicken for running away and make the noise and aparently Christopher picked up on it. Now the poor child thinks that is what a cat says. Oops.

This summer

To catch up to date I thought I would write about this summer.
We got a boat this summer, and Christopher loved it! He would ask to "drive the boat" by bouncing up and down while preteding to steer and making motor noises.
We took a vacation up north with Amma and Bap Bap. We all rented a cabin on a lake and spent a week together. Lorelei and Timmy (with mommys and daddys) came up for the last weekend. Lorelei got her first ride on the boat, and the next day she was putting on the "boat jacket" and asking to go again! Timmy got to ride in it earlier in the year and as mom and dad have a boat, is old hat at the whole boat thing.
Christopher started walking at the begining of August, I was begining to wonder when he would ever walk, now he can get around so fast I can't keep up.
Christopher loves to be outside. He will go and get his shoes and try to put them on just so he can go outside. He thinks if he gets them on he must be able to go out. He loves the swing and sandbox in the backyard. It is almost imposible to get him to come in. At Amma's house he figured out how to open the door and try to let himself out! (Good thing mommy is fast!)

Weekend

This weekend was spent at Amma's and Bap Bap's. Christopher loves seeing them and his cousins. We got to see the ultrasound pictures of Timmy's little brother or sister (I predict a sister) who is coming in April. Congratulations Nathan and Lexi!!!

Christopher continues to work on potty training. He has been going consistently a few times a day. What a big boy he is getting to be. (Where did my baby go?)

Christopher made a BIG mess in the bathroom during bath tonight, daddy taught him how to splash and he has really gotten that down, yikes. Mommy ends up soaked along with the floor, walls and everything else!