xmas 2010 memories

Huxley:
* opening Tickle Me Elmo from Santa, ripped the paper around his face and Elmo went "Hello" and Huxley went "Hewwoo".

Lux:
* opening too many gifts and simply being overwhelmed - for her that special xmas magic didn't seem to "land" this year as it had in the past, I think in her head the American Girl wheelchair that she asked for was different from what she received and she made a few comments regarding other gifts she "asked" for, ones we have no recollection hearing about and she seemed mostly tired and edgy. note for next year, ensure she is rested for xmas day and ensure we take our time opening gifts and enjoying each one. really she displayed behavior i often feel myself about days like xmas - that the hype before never matches the actual day and you wish so hard for things that may or may not transpire.

Both kids:
* playing xbox kinect dance central and both kids along with geoffrey yelling "xbox" at the tv (well huxley was yelling a boxssss to the tv). hilarious.

I will try to take the week before xmas next year completely off, it was too hard working this week, although I didn't have much of a choice. Note for next year.

Kindy party

Lifesized card to the teacher
Gingerbread houses
Siblings (including ours - wooza what a mistake that was)
Lots of moms and dads

Gingerbread house

A sunday afternoon thing to do!

New baby Amahra!

went to see our dear old friends new baby girl Amahra Skye (born 11/24 or around then :)) on the weekend in bellingham. hard to really oh and ah over her with three other kiddos ruling the house (our two, plus zadie their other daughter 26 months). But Lux loved cuddling with her!

so many words!

Seems everyday Huxley babbles away at us, new words (tomorrow they are largely forgotten but a few that remain) - today its "happy day" - translates to happy birthday (i think), actually its been happy day for a few days now. but he attempts nearly everything and between that and madly waving his arms at us we are mostly communicating, 2 ways, and its a wonderful thing. We have very few tantrums, biting, hitting and he seems to be a much happier guy. Also he is hitting his stride finally for naps and we can count on a 2 hour, sometimes 3 hour rest in the day and at least 12 hours at night, sometimes 13 or 14.

He loves to play, he loves toys and says "pay toys". We got Lux's old kitchen out for him (she never played with it, or any toys for that matter) and he goes to town playing with the pots and pans and food and oven door, he loves it. Hard to get him to sit still with a book, he likes books but likes to cruise around while YOU read to him or he sometimes prefers just to lie on the floor on his back and hold a book above him and flip through it on his own.

I silently wonder if we are through the tempers...is it too early to say?? We never had tempers with Lux, this has been new and pretty exhausting and challenging for Geoff and I. I know we are wimps, but after Lux we weren't prepared for this little one and his big and brilliant personality!

Here is a snap of him helping us decorating the xmas tree.