Jack's back!

It sure was quiet around here...... but all good things must come to an end :) Jack enthusiastically ran to his Christmas presents and insisted on opening a few more the second he walked in the door. Theresa got Jack this car and he is having fun driving it around the house. Now he and Daddy are playing with his new superheroes. Little Theo is going through yet another growth spurt and is eating us out of house and home. And I think he's getting a tooth, or working on one? He lives with his hands in his mouth and loves to chew on stuff..... hmmm.

Football schmootball

Theo has really discovered his legs and feet recently and loves to kick away in the bouncy seat. He's also finally bearing weight on his legs for more than a second, hence the nickname "lump". He still loves to seek out the TV if football happens to be on though..... but in this rare instance he was content to play!

Only child for a few days

Jack is spending time in Houston with Mimi and Popa. It's kind of a tradition now that they take him for a couple of days after Christmas. It's been interesting having Theo by himself. It's quiet around here, that's for sure! We gave Theo his first bath in the "big boy tub" since he's outgrown the sink. Theo is also proving to us that he wants to suck his thumb no matter how hard I push the nunu. This is how I find him most times..... Dave and I have gone to lunch a few times and taken Theo along with no problems. We can't wait to get big brother back Sunday though!!

Christmas continued....

Here are more pictures from yesterday. Blogger got slower and slower so I broke up the entry! Theo got a new activity mat and he loves to lay underneath it and grab at the objects.

We ventured over the Pat and Theresa's house before the Baton Rouge gang headed over to give Aidan and Alyssa their gifts. Jack and Alyssa just love each other and posed for this cute picture. Here are all the boys sitting together for a quick pic. Theo is wearing a Christmas sweater that never fit Jack (who was 9 months old at Christmas). I'm glad that I hung on to it :)

Christmas!!!

Eli the elf must have told Santa what a good boy Jack has been this year because Santa hooked him up! Both boys got up at 6:45 am and were very excited to see what presents were under the tree. Santa and his elves put together a neat parking garage for Jack that he absolutely loved. He can park his hotwheels and drive them down the ramps for hours (thanks Santa!). We actually opened gifts in two shifts since there were so many presents. A lot of things are getting held back for Jack's upcoming birthday.... Here Theo is wearing his stocking stuffer bib "I love my Auntie". Chi, I know you feel that!

We hosted Christmas dinner for both sides of the family and loved having everyone here. The best gift of all was having Gigi and Dada around for the holidays..... which is another entry in itself. Theo enjoyed looking at the green octopus that Aunt Robin got him and loved the sounds that it made. All the boys enjoyed putting together the tool workshop together since it was assembled using the tools provided!! Yea boys! Everyone was too generous with presents.... our boys are very loved, that's for sure. Even the little things were big hits with Jack..... like the harmonica that he loves to play or the super heros that he loves so much. It was fun having a baby around for Christmas again. We have been richly blessed this year for sure!

Baptism reception

We had the nicest luncheon at a local plantation called Annadale's after Theo's baptism. We had a private room, which anyone with a toddler can truly appreciate, and the food was just delicious! Everyone got a turn holding Theo, who was an angel the entire time. Big brother Jack was equally wonderful considering the luncheon started during his naptime. What a great time we all had together celebrating Theo's special day!

Theo's baptism

All the family came to Mandeville for Theo's baptism today. Jack told people that Theo was wearing a "white dress", which was the same white dress that Jack wore 2 years ago. The church was decorated for Christmas and served as a beautiful background for pictures. Theo wasn't too happy during the ceremony because we had taken him away from his bottle to sprinkle his head with water! That is why his gown is all bunched up in the picture with the pastor. He quickly fell asleep once we sat back down and gave him his bottle back though. We were so blessed to have so many people attend this special moment in Theo's life.

That's the spirit

I dug out this Santa hat of Jack's from his first Christmas.... mind you he was 9 months old for his first Christmas. Well, the hat was a pretty good fit for Theo's large melon! At first he liked the hat and was all smiles...... later on I don't think he was feeling it anymore. He really wasn't digging it when it fell down over his eyes while he was crying :)

Cookie swap

Cameron and Anne had a cookie swap yesterday (my first one ever!) and it was a big hit. Everyone's cookies were delicious :) Here is cousin Katie at 18 weeks pregnant...... yes, really...... I'm betting boy, but we'll find out Thursday. Thanks for having us over girls!!

Like father, like son

We lit the advent candle at church on Sunday, so we made sure to dress Jack in his sports coat to be just like his daddy. He certainly charmed his way into a few hearts, let me tell you!!!! It's so cute on him that I think I'm going to have him wear it again to 3 more important events. And the best part is.... I got it at a consignment sale for like $5!!!

Opposites

Jack is really into books and silent "reading" right now. His class at school has time for sustained silent reading each day so I know that's where he got it from. He picks a pile of books and sits down to read them. He points out pictures or identifies letters "spelling" words. Here is how I find him most mornings! Theo on the other hand loves to watch TV and will seek it out. No matter how I position him, he will turn his head around to find the TV. This amazes me since Jack could have cared less about TV when he was that little (thank goodness) and never sat still for a second. We call Theo our "lump" b/c he's content to sit around all day, and if he had his choice, watch TV! Ha ha.

Hair twirling

Theo loves to twirl his hair when I feed him his bottle. He does this every time he gets fed, so I'm wondering if he's going to grow a bald spot on that side. He's always loved his right hand/arm (it was always up around his face when he was a newborn), so this is not surprising to me. He's also jumped into mostly 6 month clothing with occasional 6-9 month stuff.... at 3 months old. Yep, he's a biggun.

Double stroller of fun

Since Theo is in semi-isolation for 2 weeks, we've been taking walks around the neighborhood every afternoon. I busted out the double stroller that I scooped up at a garage sale 2 years ago (hey, it was a deal) and away we went. Jack loves riding in the front and Theo is nice and secure in the back. It's harder to steer than a grocery cart with the car attachment at the bottom (moms, you know what I'm talking about right?) and literally weighs 20 lbs. Insert 30 lb toddler and 14 lb infant, plus 5 lb carrier..... and you get the idea. At least I'm walking straight for the most part!

Making Christmas cookies

Jack and I made and decorated Christmas cookies today. We didn't have a rolling pin (not sure if I had one previously... hmmm) so we improvised. He enjoyed icing the cookies and then licking the spatula. Apparently I don't have red sprinkles either, so we substituted pink instead! Oh, and the cookies are freaking huge because the only cookie cutters that I had were ginormous. We'll have to try this again :)

Santa's village

Here is Jack riding the train around Santa's village today. To think that just a couple of months ago he wouldn't step foot near any rides or the train at City Park makes me laugh! He hopped in the train today without so much as a thought. He was so good that I let him ride it twice. Heck, we may be going back a few more times before it's all said and done!

Santa 2007

I braved the mall today with both boys dressed in their holiday best. I wasn't sure what to expect since this was Jack's first encounter with Santa..... but it was a success! I take no credit for their smiles because it was all the photographer's doing. Jack had a great time and told Santa that he wanted "Bertie the Bus" from the Thomas and Friends line (Santa better get busy finding that so he's sure not to disappoint). There was a train in Santa's village and Jack rode it twice. I even got some shopping done for an upcoming Christmas party. What a great trip!

Attention ladies.....

Theo was dressed to impress today. Mimi got him a bunch of clothes for Christmas, but seeing as my boys grow at a fast pace, she gave him his clothes early. Good thing because this sweater was a perfect fit! He looked so cute in it and stayed warm in this crazy weather. In other news, I put a chair at the table for Theo since he sometimes fusses while we all eat dinner. I used this chair with Jack and now will use it for Theo. Looks like I won't need the highchair at all since he was so content! Thanks for the chair Shannon..... you sure got your moneys worth :)

Better late than never, right?

Last year for Christmas, Mimi and Mama gave Jack money to put towards a backyard playset. Dave and I just could never decide which one we wanted..... to build or buy for that matter. Yesterday we picked up this playset and finally used the money they gave him almost a year ago! We told him it was from Mimi and Mama and was his Christmas present from last year. Pretty confusing stuff for a 2 year old to grasp, but he seemed ok with it all.