Christmas with a 2 Year Old!

This is what Christmas Morning with a 2 year old looks like...

But let's back up to all of the fun things leading up to the best morning of the year! First there were the lights at Thanksgiving Point an feeding Santa's reindeer...

Then there was TONS of wrapping to do...

Then there were 50 gazillion Santa visits...

Holdyn LOVED Santa this year. Could not get enough of him!

Next came the Christmas Eve jammies...

On our way home on Christmas Eve, we stopped in a neighborhood right next to my grandparent's house. The entire circle had darling lights up... a train, snowflakes, ornaments, etc. Holdyn and I stopped there many times on our way home last December. It was such a fun little thing that Holdyn still talks about. He can't wait for next Christmas :)It was finally time for Santa to come. And he did!!!

Holdyn got his very own train table...

Cory got his very own TV...

(Look at his face!)

And I got the absolute best present ever...

We finished up the day with Holdyn helping Santa with his job. Everyone sat on his lap and told them what they wanted. Then Holdyn/Santa would give them a doll! It doesn't matter what they asked for, this Santa was only giving out dolls! He cracks us up pretty much every second :)

Here are all the extras :)

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Christmas definitely keeps getting better and better. Holdyn makes it so much more magical for Cory and I. Thank you for that, Little Pea Pod :) Not only are you teaching your folks some great life lessons, you're making it so much fun!
We hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

It's finally here!!!

Merry Christmas!!
I am so grateful for everything in my life. I really couldn't ask for more! Of course there will always be wants and desires, but really... I am very lucky to be where I am and have what/who I have in my life. I hope I put that out there enough, because I really do love my life :)

I hope everyone has a magical, safe, and beautiful Christmas!!

P.S. Holdyn's favorite Christmas movie this year is The Grinch. His very favorite part (and the part I make him constantly repeat) is when Cindy Lou Who asks the Grinch, "Why are you taking my Christmas tree? Why?"

It really might be the cutest thing Holdyn has ever done :) Thank you Fate... for giving me the most fun little boy that makes Christmas as magical as it should be!

Sneak Peak

Just a little sneak peak of what's to come in 10 days!!!!

I can't stinking wait!

Happy Everything!

Happy Thanksgiving! Merry Christmas! Happy decorating and doing all of the fun things that come along with the holidays! And Happy New Year!

Whew! We've been busy and it's only getting better! I cannot express the magic and fun we experience with Holdyn during the holidays. This was one of the things I was not prepared for when I had Holdyn. Every year, I get more and more emotional this time of year. It is just more fun than I can handle! I am so grateful for the overwhelming emotions I feel for my family during the holidays. It reminds me of all that I have and how lucky I am.

Thanksgiving was so great :) We started at the Montys'...

Holdyn and Ryn pretty much keep each other occupied which is very nice for the moms! They love playing together...

The kids had their own darling table complete with Pilgrim hats, turkey finger puppets, and olives for their fingers...

Then we headed to my mom's and Holdyn got to play with 2 of his very favorite people...

We had a great day :) Thank you to our parents for all of the hard work that goes into Thanksgiving dinner.

Cory usually makes me wait until the end of Thanksgiving weekend to get a tree, but now that Holdyn and I can gang up on him together, we convinced him that we should get one the day after Thanksgiving! Holdyn was on a tree hunt...

We quickly found the perfect tree and hurried home so Daddy and
Holdyn could put the lights on...

Next, it was Mom and Holdyn's turn to decorate...

Holdyn loved pulling out all of the decorations and ornaments. He found lots of Christmas stories in the Christmas box...

And made a train of ornaments...

We have a tradition that every year we get at least 1 new ornament. Typically we get the ornament on whatever vacation we go on that year. Here's one of our new ornaments...

(Playa Del Carmen)

And here's Buddy's ornament...

But this is my favorite of the year!

I want to go back to Disneyland right now!
The final product!

(Seriously, doesn't this face just bring you back to how magical Christmas was when you were a kid?!)

So much more fun to come! Enjoy the holidays... they always fly by :)

Daddy's Shadow

I really want to record this time in your life, Holdy... This time of you being Daddy's shadow! (I am desperately hoping you will get done with this phase soon so you can be my little man again ;)

You and Dad are never far from each other. You like to help him cook, fix the motorcycles, go to the snowboard shop, go on motorcycle rides, work on the park, or just sit with him! You love when Daddy has "sleep-overs" on your floor in your room. Just the other night, Mommy was really sick so you and Daddy had a "sleep-over/pizza party" in the basement by the fire so I could have plenty of quiet time upstairs. You are very lucky to have such a great Dad and he loves you soooo much! But I think it's time for you to be Mommy's shadow now :)

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Thanks husband :) For making mommy life a little easier on me!

Halloween

Holdyn was so fun this Halloween! He loved helping me put up decorations and talked about them all of the time. He would be so happy when we came home and all of the Halloween decorations were on. He seemed to like them, but all of a sudden, we're having "Scary Monster in my room at night" problems. That took a couple of weeks to go away! Cory told Holdyn they were just shadows he was seeing and taught Holdyn how to do shadow-puppets. That was all it took! Now he tells me that sometimes the Cookie Monster is with him at night, but that's okay... he's a "fun monster!"

Holdyn fell in love with Buzz while we were in Disneyland. He would carry his Buzz doll and gun around with him everywhere. It was darling :) He kept telling me he wanted to be a pumpkin, no a monster, no a bison! Then his aunt Amber gave us Jordan's old Buzz costume and Holdyn fell even more in love :) So, guess what Holdyn was for Halloween?

Apparently the Buzz spirit really infected him because a few days before Halloween, he jumped off of his changing table. He bit into his bottom lip and rammed his top teeth into his gums. It was pretty brutal looking, but he acted as good as new the next morning! His Dad, on the other hand, may never recover from that injury. Poor daddy :( Anyway, this is why his face is swollen in all of the Halloween pictures. So swollen, that he had a pig nose for 3 days because his upper lip was so swollen. I promise we don't beat our kid ;) Poor little muffin...


We started our Halloween off with the Monty Pumpkin Carve. Lane makes yummy chili and breadsticks, and the kids carve/paint pumpkins and they get an award in a special category. Holdyn had so much fun :) Than on Halloween, we trick-or-treated at the grandparents' houses. We did a lot of trick-or-treating in my grandma's neighborhood with Maddy and Jordan. Thanks Maddy for being Holdyn's trick-or-treat buddy!

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Cory's 9,131 Day

October 23rd, 2009 my hubby turned 25! Damn he's old :)

We had a couple family bday parties for him the week before his birthday, but on the actual day, we were so excited to celebrate with him! Right after work, we rushed home so we could help Daddy open presents!! He got lots of clothes, a new razor, and some money to buy new running shoes...

And Holdyn painted him a monster truck "money bank" for all of Daddy's spare "moneys" he leaves laying around the house ;)

After all the presents were opened, Holdyn went to Grandma's to have a campfire and a sleepover :) Because mommy and daddy were ready to party! Desi's bday was the weekend before so we decided to have a joint party at our house. We had so much fun!

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Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband who makes me laugh right when I need it.

Happy Birthday to the best daddy Holdyn could ever ask for!
We love you!