MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Jack had a fantastic Christmas! There were a few times where it was a bit overwhelming, but all in all he had a great time! The 12 Days of Daddy are still going strong and we've quite enjoyed "driving Daddy's black car" everywhere we need to go! The holiday started off with a trip to the Bluegrass Youth Ballet's production of the Nutcracker in One Act! To say that Jack loved it would be the understatement of the CENTURY!! He had so much fun! We think his favorite part was the fight of the Rat King and after they had left the stage and all the applause had quieted down Jack VERY LOUDLY announced "more mouse please please." It was very sweet!
Christmas Eve was celebrated at Nan and Poppy's and Jack had a great time trying to find Waldo with Tom and Aiden and loved the puzzles and books that he received! It was so cute watching him open his presents and not wanting to move on to the next one until the book had been read or he'd really been able to explore the toy! He loved getting to hang out with his big cousins and is STILL talking about getting to hold hands with Emma!
Christmas morning was celebrated at home with Gma Gpa Ben Josh and Meam and Tim. He woke up before everyone got here and got to see his new train table (the first reaction is the video above). It has been a HUGE hit! As with everything in life it was of course very serious at first, but he's really having fun with it now! Things were a bit a chaotic and he was a bit overwhelmed with everything going on and the added distraction of having Jasmine over for a visit, but he had a blast! He got a harmonica and figured out how to play it the next day and is so delighted to put on little concerts for us! He actually can play some pretty cute little songs!
Christmas night we went to Gma's house and he had a wonderful time playing with all the family and sharing his M&Ms with everyone!
So, Christmas was a big hit! We've spent the rest of the break trying to find a place for all the new toys and re-organizing the playroom... taking it easy and just enjoying the time at home with Daddy!
Check the photosite for some updated pictures!

Almost Christmas!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here and now that the shopping is about complete it's feeling like it too! We've been keeping busy - seems there's never a dull moment! Jack is so excited for Christmas - once we get past Kyle's b-day on the 20th that is - he's really looking forward to Kyle's b-day!! We had a little playgroup Christmas party last week and Jack received the cutest apron set from his friend Parker - to say he loves wearing it is the understatement of the century! He insists on wearing it every night and "helping Mommy and Daddy cook." There has been a lot of stirring going on in our house lately! Check the photosite for some more pictures!
As for the lead-up to the BIG DAY we're keeping busy! John's vacation starts this Friday so we're definitely looking forward to that and kicking off the holiday season with a very exciting event! We're taking Jack to The Bluegrass Youth Ballet's production of The Nutcracker in One Act! Jack is SO excited to see a real ballet! He's been talking about it for weeks!
Not a lot to report - we've just been finishing our shopping and getting things ready for the holiday - nothing too exciting! Check back late next week for some Christmas pictures/video! The video below is a special one for Jack's Great Grandpa and Grandma! We'd called them last week and Jack froze (for the first time EVER) on the phone and wouldn't talk so we just wanted to send them a special message! What he's saying at the end is that Great Grandpa plays a harmonica - he's QUITE impressed with the skill! Enjoy!

Ho Ho Ho!

Well, from the look of things in the picture to the left visiting Santa did not go well, but while he did not enjoy actually sitting on his lap it apparently made a HUGE impression on Jack and he really enjoys talking about Santa and LOVES to quote the "ho ho ho" ALL the time! He's ready for the holiday for sure! He's got his "Merry Christmas" down pat and Jingle Bells has become his favorite song! He loves the Christmas tree and demands to go out every night to see the lights outside - this year has been so much fun watching the excitement through his eyes!
In other news our Thanksgiving was great - Jack loved being the center of attention at dinner and was so happy getting to tell everyone "Happy Thanksgiving!" The video attached below is a duet he played with Uncle Josh to entertain us all before dinner.
We took Jack to the Christmas Parade this year - bundled up and braved the cold cold night! He did a lot of polite clapping, but didn't show too much excitement about the event until of course we were on the way home when he could really talk about it! "More Parade, More Parade" was pretty much the theme on the way home! He loved seeing the fire trucks and all the police motorcycles with their flashing lights - it was a very fun evening!
Not much on tap for the coming weeks - just getting ready for the holiday and trying to finish up some shopping! I haven't downloaded pictures from the camera in a while so no new pictures to post on the photosite... I'll try to get that done next week! In the meantime enjoy these and the video!