Getting ready for Christmas.

Last week was a busy week for Andrew. He was really getting into the Christmas spirit. We took him to see Santa and this year he was really excited.

Here he is entering the North Pole.

Playing in the "snow".


The place is all decked out like the "Polar Express". There were plenty of things for him to touch. Of course he had to touch everyone of them.

We also went and picked out a Christmas tree.

I tried to get a picture for our Christmas cards but it didn't work out.

John drew a huge picture of Santa to keep Andrew pumped.

They have also been working on a really fantastic Playmobil advent calendar.
Andrew loves it.
Andrew and Santa 2009.

An Evening with Andrew

It seems like just yesterday that Andrew was just a baby who couldn't talk. These days it seems like it never stops. Now we can have real conversations and he does most of the talking. Here is a conversation that we had tonight.

Andrew: I am really hungry. Should we make me some pizza?
Me: Pizza is on the oven.
A: I want to eat it on my table NOT my highchair.
Me:Ok
A: First I need to read "Cat in the Hat" and I need to hold Snoopy.

"Pizza is mm- mm good!"

Little Helper

This morning John's dad was nice enough to come over and help John with some yard work. While they were working outside I was cleaning up the kitchen. I heard a big commotion in the living room and saw that Andrew and pushed our big ottoman across the room so that he could peak out the window at them.

We decided to get bundled up and head outside.

Andrew did his part by helping Grandpa chop up some branches.

However, his job was mostly supervisory.

In case you were wondering, his cowlick is still in full effect.

He was also really into showing off his teddy bear mittens.

He loves sneaking up on us. He says "Daddy I sneaked you!!"
He has also tried "sneaking himself". It didn't work all that well.

After all of his hard work he had to take a load off and kick back.

John and I have been trying to hype up going to see Santa since last years visit didn't go too well. We have cruised by him at the mall just so that he could say "hello". We have also been talking to him about how nice Santa is and how Andrew has to tell him what he wants. Yesterday he was totally pumped on Santa and kept asking when he could go talk to him. He was very eager to talk to him about cars, trains, trucks and "db"s (db= dvd).
On an unrelated note I have also been talking to him about using the potty since we think it is time to start training him. This morning I told him he was going to start going potty on the big toilet and he told me quite emphatically that he was not going on the toilet and and that he was going to go potty on Santa's lap. Poor Santa.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Andrew hopes everyone has a great Thanksgiving. Today he is thankful for the "green eggs" that Daddy made him for breakfast. Andrew's current favorite book/ movie is "Green Eggs and Ham"and we often hear him quoting lines from it when he is in his crib.

Venice!

Way back in September John's parents very generously took us on a fantastic trip to Italy. We had a great time, took a ton of pictures and I am finally updating the blog with them. So here they are!

This is actually the second part of our trip. We started in Rome and finished in Venice. I will add the Rome pics later.

Andrew went on his first real train trip from Rome to Venice. He loves trains so this was a big treat for him.

He sat in his seat for a little while.

Most of the time was spent driving his new motorcycle everywhere.
All over the train.

All over Grandpa.

When we got to Venice we realized it wasn't very stroller friendly.

Andrew didn't mind.

He loved exploring the city from way up high.

Andrew has slept in his crib in his own room since we brought him home. In Venice he realized he could climb out of the crib they provided and insisted on sleeping in "Mommy's green bed". It worked out fine for me because he is a very snugly sleeper but poor John had kicking toddler feet in his face all night every night.

Venice!

In the courtyard of our hotel.

Worst hair ever. Taken by John.

Seeing the sights with Grandma and Grandpa D.

Riding the water taxi.

Venice at night.

Of course we ate lots of pizza, pasta, gelato, coffee and pastry. After this we were headed back home. The flight to NY was 9 hours. It was pretty stressful trying to keep a toddler happy in a confined space for that long. We packed lots of puzzles, snacks and books. John's parents helped a lot and Andrew did really well. At the end of the flight other passengers were complimenting his behavior, so that made us feel good. We had a great time and I think Andrew is wondering where we will be heading next. A big thank you to John's parents for making this possible!