Miles has three hobbies right now: the Olympics, Dancing, and Poop. Yes, you would naturally assume these three items follow an Ice Dancing theme, but Daddy won't let Miles come near Figure Skating or anything like it. I personally think Miles would look fabulous in sequins and a salchow. (Yes, I did have to look up that spelling...I knew it couldn't be spelled "sow cow".)
Thanks to Nana, Miles was talking about hockey long before the Olympics started. Whenever Miles asked to watch "ockey", we struggled to find it in this non-NHL state. Once the Games started, he got his fix. We got a little interest out of "kee-ee" (skiing), but Miles' true passion is now "kur-ee" (curling). Considering Miles won't escape the bowling gene from both sides, it makes sense that he picks this sport. All they're missing is a glass of beer in a plastic cup and tri-colored shoes.
Whenever I hear the timpani start up for the Olympic theme, I can't help but get a little wistful. Miles and I spent a lot of time together watching the last round of the summer games in Beijing...but Miles was concentrating more on nursing, pooping, and sleeping than on Michael Phelps. It seems like it was just yesterday and -BLINK- here he is, handing me the remote and telling me to turn on Curling.
Miles is also especially adept at telling me something else...all about what's going on below his belt. I knew little boys were obsessed with bodily functions, but at this young of an age? He announces "more poop" while he does his business. He also likes to demonstrate how one applies "butt keem" to his "pee pee". Fantastic. I don't know what's worse - the fact that he does these things or that I just blogged about it.
Now, on to something cute that will only embarrass him slightly less when he grows up - disco dancing! We broke out my old Disco Mickey Mouse LP, and since then we've heard hits like "Macho Duck" about a thousand times. There isn't an hour in the day where Miles doesn't request "more tunes." Here's his talent...complete with the John Travolta point.
And yes - you heard right - that was Miles pointing out his butt at the very end. Sigh.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Snowy Surprises
Miles has had a bit of a break from his routine lately. Thanks to a foot and a half of snow, he has been spending lots of time at home with Daddy. He even got to take his second trip this month to the Children's Museum today. According to Daddy, it was slightly more successful that the last visit. Avoiding the dinosaurs at the start helped the freak outs, but he still didn't like the carousel. He had lots of fun at the water table and at Bob the Builder with his new friend Sophie.
Of course, we also got outside in the SSCCHNNNOW. Miles was hesitant at first, but he had much more fun once he realized he could make snowballs. We were hoping to get out in the snow again this week, but I'm pretty sure the boy would sink right up to his neck.
The biggest adjustment to his routine is the black hole...no football on Sundays. We went to a party for the first half of the Super Bowl, but Miles was asleep in his bed by the time the third quarter started. It was probably a good thing he didn't see the Colts lose...that, and the fact that he might have been frightened by his daddy yelling at the TV so loudly.
And, in the "surprise" category...one of the best surprises this Mommy has ever experienced. I had to go to a conference in San Francisco last week, and I was away from Miles for 5 days...the longest I've been without smooching his little cheeks. Even though I drove myself to the airport, Nana and Papa brought Miles to the airport to greet me. Surprise!! I was so intent on getting back home to see him, that I almost walked right past him! Best Valentine ever!!
Of course, we also got outside in the SSCCHNNNOW. Miles was hesitant at first, but he had much more fun once he realized he could make snowballs. We were hoping to get out in the snow again this week, but I'm pretty sure the boy would sink right up to his neck.
The biggest adjustment to his routine is the black hole...no football on Sundays. We went to a party for the first half of the Super Bowl, but Miles was asleep in his bed by the time the third quarter started. It was probably a good thing he didn't see the Colts lose...that, and the fact that he might have been frightened by his daddy yelling at the TV so loudly.
And, in the "surprise" category...one of the best surprises this Mommy has ever experienced. I had to go to a conference in San Francisco last week, and I was away from Miles for 5 days...the longest I've been without smooching his little cheeks. Even though I drove myself to the airport, Nana and Papa brought Miles to the airport to greet me. Surprise!! I was so intent on getting back home to see him, that I almost walked right past him! Best Valentine ever!!
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Senor Mustachio
Miles is growing up so quickly! He's become quite the chatterbox lately. When I ask him how his day was at school, I almost feel like I'm having an actual conversation with him, even though half of what he's saying still sounds like jibberish to me. His latest vocabulary addition is "Yeah", which is a nice change from only hearing "No" for so long. When he starts his little tantrums we can usually get him to "use his words" now to tell us what's wrong, rather than just watching him flop and flail around the living room.
He also knows the number "two" now. Not necessarily identifying the character, but he uses it in practice a lot. Blue paci? White paci? TWO pacis! Eye? Eye? TWO eyes! He can identify more of his magnet letters by name now...O and Y are his current favorites. Oy. And he's getting better at colors. He's moved on from saying "Blue-Red" any time you ask him what color something is and will just choose one. If it's a blue or red object, he gets it right about 2/3s of the time. He gets green and yellow about half the time. We still need to work on orange and purple.
He's also getting the little whisps of a mustache...
OK, so that's a popcorn mustache. Here's his REAL mustache!!
BAHAHAHAHA! I still crack up just thinking about it. I turned around for literally 10 seconds to find that Miles got a hold of my brown eye liner pencil and did that little number on himself. It took some scrubbing, but it's nothing a bath can't cure!!
We're happy to have Daddy home with us this weekend. Thanks, Snow! He was supposed to have Pep Band last night and tonight, but the 8 inches of drifting snow cancelled that. We're looking forward to playing in the snow when Miles wakes up from his nap. We'll post pics soon...plus pics from the Super Bowl.
GO COLTS!!
He also knows the number "two" now. Not necessarily identifying the character, but he uses it in practice a lot. Blue paci? White paci? TWO pacis! Eye? Eye? TWO eyes! He can identify more of his magnet letters by name now...O and Y are his current favorites. Oy. And he's getting better at colors. He's moved on from saying "Blue-Red" any time you ask him what color something is and will just choose one. If it's a blue or red object, he gets it right about 2/3s of the time. He gets green and yellow about half the time. We still need to work on orange and purple.
He's also getting the little whisps of a mustache...
OK, so that's a popcorn mustache. Here's his REAL mustache!!
BAHAHAHAHA! I still crack up just thinking about it. I turned around for literally 10 seconds to find that Miles got a hold of my brown eye liner pencil and did that little number on himself. It took some scrubbing, but it's nothing a bath can't cure!!
We're happy to have Daddy home with us this weekend. Thanks, Snow! He was supposed to have Pep Band last night and tonight, but the 8 inches of drifting snow cancelled that. We're looking forward to playing in the snow when Miles wakes up from his nap. We'll post pics soon...plus pics from the Super Bowl.
GO COLTS!!
Monday, January 25, 2010
Glass Half Full
With all the cooties floating around our house lately, I've been kind of a grumpy blogger. That's turning around TODAY!
(Miles says hooray)
I've realized that most of my posts are events-related. That's fun, but I've been missing out on the little things that Miles has been doing and saying...so that's what this post is all about.
First off - dancing. Miles is a dancin' machine. He loves to turn on the old school record player and request "tunes", usually goodies like Elton John or Simon & Garfunkel. He'll usually do a nice ballerina twirl or two before pounding on the piano to play along. That starts Keno off on his howling.
He also has a number of requests for group dancing. His current favorite is "Bock Bock" - also known as the chicken dance. He's also a big fan of "If You're Happy and You Know It", "The Hokey Pokey", and "Cute Miser". That last one is an adapted version of "The Heat Miser":
I'm Mr. Miles Joseph,
I'm Mommy's son.
I'm Mr. Miles Joseph,
I'm Daddy's number one.
They call me Cute Miser.
Whatever I touch,
Turns to cute in my clutch.
I'M TOO MUCH!
You can use your imagination for the choreography.
Next - books. Miles loves reading almost as much as dancing. He'll bring you a book and tell you "up" or "lap". He's been especially obsessed by his Sesame Street Sing-a-Long book that has little toy CDs, so you can play tunes and sing along. He's starting his karaoke career early! He can name most of the Sesame Street Characters - Elmo ("Mo-mo"), Zoe, Bert (still working on Ernie), Cookie Monster ("Kiki Mon-ter"), Oscar ("Okker"), Big Bird ("Bih-Bir"), and Grover ("Go-er").
We still read classic books - Go Dog Go and Little Bear. He also is really into some of his new Christmas books - Clifford's tab book, Curious George and the Puppies, and What's Wrong Little Pookie? He also likes to "spell" when he sees letters - on T-shirts, cereal boxes, you name it. Then again, his favorite letters are E and O, so in Miles' world, most words are spelled "E-O-E-O-E-O".
Of course, there are the toys. He still loves playing with "[f]armer" from his Fisher Price Barnyard set, and is getting pretty good at calling the animals by name. He prefers to call the cow "moo" and monkeys "ah ah", but he can say their names if he wants to. He likes to sing along with "Scout" - his stuffed dog that says his name, his favorite animal (dog), his favorite color (blue), and his favorite food (fried rice!).
Miles continues to throw, kick, or shoot any ball and can name all of them. I think it's especially cute when he says Soccer ("okker") ball and how he exasperates Daddy by randomly referring to hockey. He will clap on cue when we sing "Butler Bulldogs". Any time he sees the Colts logo, he shouts "Go Colts!" Luckily, he'll be saying that for two more weeks to cheer on the Colts in the Super Bowl.
And finally...the loves of his life: Paci and Bea[r]. Until this past week, he only got his pacifier and bear (aka Snuggie) before bedtime and naps. While he had the flu, we pretty much broke down and gave him whatever would make him feel better, so we're going through a Paci-Bea detox at the moment. We don't mind him having the bear so much, but it's never just a request for "Bea"...it's always a compound noun - "Paci-Bea".
Cheers! Things are looking up...
(Miles says hooray)
I've realized that most of my posts are events-related. That's fun, but I've been missing out on the little things that Miles has been doing and saying...so that's what this post is all about.
First off - dancing. Miles is a dancin' machine. He loves to turn on the old school record player and request "tunes", usually goodies like Elton John or Simon & Garfunkel. He'll usually do a nice ballerina twirl or two before pounding on the piano to play along. That starts Keno off on his howling.
He also has a number of requests for group dancing. His current favorite is "Bock Bock" - also known as the chicken dance. He's also a big fan of "If You're Happy and You Know It", "The Hokey Pokey", and "Cute Miser". That last one is an adapted version of "The Heat Miser":
I'm Mr. Miles Joseph,
I'm Mommy's son.
I'm Mr. Miles Joseph,
I'm Daddy's number one.
They call me Cute Miser.
Whatever I touch,
Turns to cute in my clutch.
I'M TOO MUCH!
You can use your imagination for the choreography.
Next - books. Miles loves reading almost as much as dancing. He'll bring you a book and tell you "up" or "lap". He's been especially obsessed by his Sesame Street Sing-a-Long book that has little toy CDs, so you can play tunes and sing along. He's starting his karaoke career early! He can name most of the Sesame Street Characters - Elmo ("Mo-mo"), Zoe, Bert (still working on Ernie), Cookie Monster ("Kiki Mon-ter"), Oscar ("Okker"), Big Bird ("Bih-Bir"), and Grover ("Go-er").
We still read classic books - Go Dog Go and Little Bear. He also is really into some of his new Christmas books - Clifford's tab book, Curious George and the Puppies, and What's Wrong Little Pookie? He also likes to "spell" when he sees letters - on T-shirts, cereal boxes, you name it. Then again, his favorite letters are E and O, so in Miles' world, most words are spelled "E-O-E-O-E-O".
Of course, there are the toys. He still loves playing with "[f]armer" from his Fisher Price Barnyard set, and is getting pretty good at calling the animals by name. He prefers to call the cow "moo" and monkeys "ah ah", but he can say their names if he wants to. He likes to sing along with "Scout" - his stuffed dog that says his name, his favorite animal (dog), his favorite color (blue), and his favorite food (fried rice!).
Miles continues to throw, kick, or shoot any ball and can name all of them. I think it's especially cute when he says Soccer ("okker") ball and how he exasperates Daddy by randomly referring to hockey. He will clap on cue when we sing "Butler Bulldogs". Any time he sees the Colts logo, he shouts "Go Colts!" Luckily, he'll be saying that for two more weeks to cheer on the Colts in the Super Bowl.
And finally...the loves of his life: Paci and Bea[r]. Until this past week, he only got his pacifier and bear (aka Snuggie) before bedtime and naps. While he had the flu, we pretty much broke down and gave him whatever would make him feel better, so we're going through a Paci-Bea detox at the moment. We don't mind him having the bear so much, but it's never just a request for "Bea"...it's always a compound noun - "Paci-Bea".
Cheers! Things are looking up...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Oink, Oink
Our boy has swine flu.
Yes, I said swine flu.
Our luck with illness hasn't been stellar, well, this entire winter. I thought the puke parade I mentioned in the last post might be the end of it. Then the puke parade started for Mommy. Then Daddy came down with a "cold" (the likely swine flu culprit). Then Daddy joined the puke parade.
And now this. Swine flu.
And our entire family was vaccinated. Miles had two shots. Doc says there is 20-30% chance of still getting H1N1 if you got the vaccine. He also said we were his first vaccination "failure". So honored to have that distinction.
So, we're hunkering down at home in the hopes of not infecting anyone...else. It figures that the weekend Miles comes down with the plague, we also had a house full of people...including a gaggle of pregnant ladies and children under 5. Just great. Of course, we didn't know it was the pork virus - just thought it was the beginning of a cold.
Here's a picture of Miles infecting his friend Emily:
And Miles infecting Jen:
And Miles infecting Donald Trump:
OK - so it's not really Donald Trump - just the crazy hair-do Miles has had from sweating while sleeping and a long stretch in between baths.
The good news (I have to find it somewhere) is that - in between tantrums, not eating, not drinking, staring off into space, and not sleeping - Miles does not have a fever today. And I hope it stays that way...so we can get back to normal.
At least for a few days until one of us gets sick again.
Yes, I said swine flu.
Our luck with illness hasn't been stellar, well, this entire winter. I thought the puke parade I mentioned in the last post might be the end of it. Then the puke parade started for Mommy. Then Daddy came down with a "cold" (the likely swine flu culprit). Then Daddy joined the puke parade.
And now this. Swine flu.
And our entire family was vaccinated. Miles had two shots. Doc says there is 20-30% chance of still getting H1N1 if you got the vaccine. He also said we were his first vaccination "failure". So honored to have that distinction.
So, we're hunkering down at home in the hopes of not infecting anyone...else. It figures that the weekend Miles comes down with the plague, we also had a house full of people...including a gaggle of pregnant ladies and children under 5. Just great. Of course, we didn't know it was the pork virus - just thought it was the beginning of a cold.
Here's a picture of Miles infecting his friend Emily:
And Miles infecting Jen:
And Miles infecting Donald Trump:
OK - so it's not really Donald Trump - just the crazy hair-do Miles has had from sweating while sleeping and a long stretch in between baths.
The good news (I have to find it somewhere) is that - in between tantrums, not eating, not drinking, staring off into space, and not sleeping - Miles does not have a fever today. And I hope it stays that way...so we can get back to normal.
At least for a few days until one of us gets sick again.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
What a Day!
Today was a day to go down the history book entitled, "Amazing What Moms Will Do." Don't get me wrong - I've had worse days, but this one was quite an example of the hoops we moms will jump for our kids.
I started the day with dashed hopes of "sleeping in" (that's 8:00 nowadays). Even though Daddy graciously got up with Miles, the boys barged in around 7:00 - I'll admit that I was too groggy to remember exactly why. Miles and I snuggled and sang some songs (I think), then Daddy took him back out again. I dozed for another 15 minutes when I heard the squeals. Happy squeals, but squeals nonetheless. Miles found the "echo spot" - which happens to be right at the top of the stairs, right outside our bedroom door. This went on for at least five full minutes. SQUEAL! (Giggle) SCREAM! (Giggle. Giggle.) MIMI! (Tee hee). So much for sleeping in.
Luckily we had to be up soon anyway because Miles had his first dentist appointment. I've been dreading it all week, but I managed to pump up to Miles how cool the experience would be. In actuality, he really did have fun there! He did cry while the hygienist and I held him down for the 60 seconds it took the doctor to poke around in his mouth. Miles recovered quickly though and loved playing with the puzzles and toys in the waiting and exam room. The dentist gave us good marks for teeth brushing - a miracle considering how difficult it can be to corral a toddler for that task. Although he has pretty straight baby teeth, the dentist explained why orthodontia might be in our future. He has extra-thick muscle in between his two front teeth. That's totally my bad genes...I had such a huge gap in my front teeth (baby and adult) that there almost would have been enough room for another tooth. Don't worry though - he got Jason's bad genes on the bottom with the crowded version. Might as well start saving for the orthodontist now! (I'll add the official dentist picture tomorrow...don't want to wake the boy with the scanner.)
To reward Miles for being such a good boy, we stopped off for a morning snack at the McDonald's PlayPlace. We lucked out with a big-kid-free period for just long enough for Miles and me to climb to the top and slide back down. I know I'm smaller than many moms, but I still felt like a heifer trying to navigate that thing! Miles seemed to have just as much fun trying to steal other little kids' shoes from the bin - guess we should have stuck to that. We were so proud that this herbivore ate all the meat in his Sausage Biscuit...little did we know that would come back to haunt us.
Miles woke up from his nap about an hour early pretty cranky - but that's normal. I thought I'd get him back to sleep with a special Saturday treat - watching Sesame Street in Mommy and Daddy's Big Bed. He tossed and turned for a while - also normal. Then I heard some not-so-normal sounds...and smells...and realized he tossed and turned his Sausage Biscuits. I had also been queasy and even mentioned to Jason beforehand that I had a "McStomachache", so I think the Sausage Biscuit was the culprit. Our first major experience with big kid puke...good times.
I won't go into details, but this should help give you an idea of how our afternoon and evening went. We both started out in nicer casual clothes with plans to go to church tonight. Miles is in bed now on his fifth pair of pajamas of the day. I can't bring myself to take a third shower, so I'm sitting here in my third set of sweatpants...at least they're clean.
Surprisingly, Miles was in a pretty good mood most of the day. He did get a little mad that we didn't let him play "tackle" with us during the football game, and he kept getting annoyed when we'd replace his water with "juice" (aka Pedialyte). Other than that (and the three extra loads of laundry), I actually had fun with the boy today.
Amazing what a little snuggle from your toddler will make you forget.
I started the day with dashed hopes of "sleeping in" (that's 8:00 nowadays). Even though Daddy graciously got up with Miles, the boys barged in around 7:00 - I'll admit that I was too groggy to remember exactly why. Miles and I snuggled and sang some songs (I think), then Daddy took him back out again. I dozed for another 15 minutes when I heard the squeals. Happy squeals, but squeals nonetheless. Miles found the "echo spot" - which happens to be right at the top of the stairs, right outside our bedroom door. This went on for at least five full minutes. SQUEAL! (Giggle) SCREAM! (Giggle. Giggle.) MIMI! (Tee hee). So much for sleeping in.
Luckily we had to be up soon anyway because Miles had his first dentist appointment. I've been dreading it all week, but I managed to pump up to Miles how cool the experience would be. In actuality, he really did have fun there! He did cry while the hygienist and I held him down for the 60 seconds it took the doctor to poke around in his mouth. Miles recovered quickly though and loved playing with the puzzles and toys in the waiting and exam room. The dentist gave us good marks for teeth brushing - a miracle considering how difficult it can be to corral a toddler for that task. Although he has pretty straight baby teeth, the dentist explained why orthodontia might be in our future. He has extra-thick muscle in between his two front teeth. That's totally my bad genes...I had such a huge gap in my front teeth (baby and adult) that there almost would have been enough room for another tooth. Don't worry though - he got Jason's bad genes on the bottom with the crowded version. Might as well start saving for the orthodontist now! (I'll add the official dentist picture tomorrow...don't want to wake the boy with the scanner.)
To reward Miles for being such a good boy, we stopped off for a morning snack at the McDonald's PlayPlace. We lucked out with a big-kid-free period for just long enough for Miles and me to climb to the top and slide back down. I know I'm smaller than many moms, but I still felt like a heifer trying to navigate that thing! Miles seemed to have just as much fun trying to steal other little kids' shoes from the bin - guess we should have stuck to that. We were so proud that this herbivore ate all the meat in his Sausage Biscuit...little did we know that would come back to haunt us.
Miles woke up from his nap about an hour early pretty cranky - but that's normal. I thought I'd get him back to sleep with a special Saturday treat - watching Sesame Street in Mommy and Daddy's Big Bed. He tossed and turned for a while - also normal. Then I heard some not-so-normal sounds...and smells...and realized he tossed and turned his Sausage Biscuits. I had also been queasy and even mentioned to Jason beforehand that I had a "McStomachache", so I think the Sausage Biscuit was the culprit. Our first major experience with big kid puke...good times.
I won't go into details, but this should help give you an idea of how our afternoon and evening went. We both started out in nicer casual clothes with plans to go to church tonight. Miles is in bed now on his fifth pair of pajamas of the day. I can't bring myself to take a third shower, so I'm sitting here in my third set of sweatpants...at least they're clean.
Surprisingly, Miles was in a pretty good mood most of the day. He did get a little mad that we didn't let him play "tackle" with us during the football game, and he kept getting annoyed when we'd replace his water with "juice" (aka Pedialyte). Other than that (and the three extra loads of laundry), I actually had fun with the boy today.
Amazing what a little snuggle from your toddler will make you forget.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
A Christmas Story
Preface
I attempted to follow Reader's Digest's lead and condense the last month into one concise package, with a neatly-tied bow. Turns out that woman-of-few-words is not the moniker for me. At least I didn't post every photo - for the non-abridged version, refer to my full holiday album, which I made public on Facebook. I hoped to not get into this habit, but the travel, illnesses, and craziness of December seemed to warrant it this time.
Chapter One: Advent
For those of you not indoctrinated by "The Church", Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It's only supposed to last 4 weeks, but I could have used 4 years this time! Miles and I were both sick (me twice - once with bronchitis and again with mystery stomach bug), so that made getting things ready for the big day difficult. Throw in chaos at work for both me and Jason, plus out-of-state traveling, and that made total preparation next to impossible. I was definitely thanking Jesus though...for Amazon.com Super Saver Shipping and Z-Pack antibiotics!
Miles went to the doc during this time as a totally healthy boy for his 18-month appointment. The best pre-Christmas present he could get - no shots! His stats were 27 pounds (75%) and 32 inches (50%). According to their records, he didn't grow taller from last time, but we're pretty sure they just measured wrong last visit...especially since the official Sharpie tick marks in his closet wall show a growth of a couple inches!
We did manage to find time for a couple fun things. Miles had fun with Granny while we parents went to the Colts-Titans game with Grandpa and Aunt Ashley:
Of course, we had to make time to put up the tree and break out the other Christmas decorations. Miles was happy about his reunion with his talking Christmas bear:
Chapter Two: Christmas Eve
We started the day by visiting Great Uncle Billy and Cathy. Miles was overjoyed to receive his first gift of the season...a ball! It's amazing how he can still be so excited after receiving his 47th ball.
We continued our "traditions" for the day as well...two years in a row makes it a tradition, right? Miles wasn't exactly the most well-behaved child at church, but he fit right in with the gaggle of kids at the early service. We were slightly miffed when Miles told his dad "Beep beep" (translation: get out of my way) in the middle of one of the prayers - but that was nothing compared to the kid a couple rows up who announced to his entire family that he had gas. Our pickins were slim for Christmas Eve dinner, so we stopped off at the Ponderosa. We then headed home to open up one gift a piece, put out cookies for Santa, and finally to go to sleep before Santa came.
Chapter Three: The Fat Man Cometh
Some call him Santa - Miles prefers to call him HoHo. It took us a little while to realize Santa had come at first. Miles decided to give us parents the best Christmas present of all - sleeping in! He woke at his normal time - around 6:00 - murmuring undecipherably, which is different than his normal scream of "Mimi! Daddy! Pup!". Just as I noted to Jason that he was singing Christmas carols, the tunes stopped and he went back to sleep for almost another two hours!
When Miles finally woke up, he insisted on eating breakfast with his present from the day before - talking Elmo. We eventually wandered into the family room when Miles noticed some goodies sticking out of his stocking. It was hard to pull him away from the excitement of the fruit snacks and plastic vegetables he received, but we finally got him started on the stash from Santa.
Miles had so much fun ripping the paper off his loot, especially the giant box his wagon came in. He liked most of his gifts but was especially smitten with the pint-sized Colts folding chair. Who woulda thunk it? He got to continue tearing through gifts when Grammy and Grandpa and Nana and Papa arrived that afternoon. He even helped Mommy and Daddy open their presents and was confused why he couldn't open all the gifts under the tree. The seven of us finished off the day with a true "Christmas Story" meal - Chinese! Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! I think Grammy brought enough Chinese food to feed most of China, so we were stuffed the whole night.
Chapter Four: Two Turtle Doves
The next round of Christmas came when the aunts and uncles descended upon our house for Family Christmas Part 2. Baby Lyla spent her first Christmas a sick girl, but we were fortunate enough that she was able to drag her parents up from Lexington to be with us. Aunt Kat, and the Uncles Vinny, Craig, and Dean all came from Ohio. It was a crazy day but so much fun to have everyone in one place...and even better that we didn't have to travel ourselves!
Chapter Five: Three French Hens
We got to keep the Kolbs for an extra day thanks to the bad roads. Miles spent lots and lots of time commenting on the "SSSSSSSSnow".
We also got a visit from the Kahls for a few hours that day. On his fourth day in a row of opening gifts, Miles had it down pat. No pics yet, but Miles loves his giant school bus...from the outside. He still needs to work up the courage to actually get in it yet.
Chapter Six: Auld Lang Syne
We loaded up the ol' Ford with four adults, a toddler, and two dogs to head down to the Kentucky Kahls for the New Year's holiday. Miles had a fantastic time hanging out with Granny and Aunt Ashley at the WKU basketball game while the rest of us headed to Nashville for New Year's Eve. Apparently, AA also worked with Miles all night long on this dance routine:
We spent all day on New Year's Day eating sauerkraut and watching football...most notably a win by the Buckeyes! We even converted Aunt Ashley for the day:
Epilogue
For those of you that actually made it this far...thank you! We are so blessed to have so much family and fun times to fill such a long post. Happy 2010!
I attempted to follow Reader's Digest's lead and condense the last month into one concise package, with a neatly-tied bow. Turns out that woman-of-few-words is not the moniker for me. At least I didn't post every photo - for the non-abridged version, refer to my full holiday album, which I made public on Facebook. I hoped to not get into this habit, but the travel, illnesses, and craziness of December seemed to warrant it this time.
Chapter One: Advent
For those of you not indoctrinated by "The Church", Advent is a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It's only supposed to last 4 weeks, but I could have used 4 years this time! Miles and I were both sick (me twice - once with bronchitis and again with mystery stomach bug), so that made getting things ready for the big day difficult. Throw in chaos at work for both me and Jason, plus out-of-state traveling, and that made total preparation next to impossible. I was definitely thanking Jesus though...for Amazon.com Super Saver Shipping and Z-Pack antibiotics!
Miles went to the doc during this time as a totally healthy boy for his 18-month appointment. The best pre-Christmas present he could get - no shots! His stats were 27 pounds (75%) and 32 inches (50%). According to their records, he didn't grow taller from last time, but we're pretty sure they just measured wrong last visit...especially since the official Sharpie tick marks in his closet wall show a growth of a couple inches!
We did manage to find time for a couple fun things. Miles had fun with Granny while we parents went to the Colts-Titans game with Grandpa and Aunt Ashley:
Of course, we had to make time to put up the tree and break out the other Christmas decorations. Miles was happy about his reunion with his talking Christmas bear:
Chapter Two: Christmas Eve
We started the day by visiting Great Uncle Billy and Cathy. Miles was overjoyed to receive his first gift of the season...a ball! It's amazing how he can still be so excited after receiving his 47th ball.
We continued our "traditions" for the day as well...two years in a row makes it a tradition, right? Miles wasn't exactly the most well-behaved child at church, but he fit right in with the gaggle of kids at the early service. We were slightly miffed when Miles told his dad "Beep beep" (translation: get out of my way) in the middle of one of the prayers - but that was nothing compared to the kid a couple rows up who announced to his entire family that he had gas. Our pickins were slim for Christmas Eve dinner, so we stopped off at the Ponderosa. We then headed home to open up one gift a piece, put out cookies for Santa, and finally to go to sleep before Santa came.
Chapter Three: The Fat Man Cometh
Some call him Santa - Miles prefers to call him HoHo. It took us a little while to realize Santa had come at first. Miles decided to give us parents the best Christmas present of all - sleeping in! He woke at his normal time - around 6:00 - murmuring undecipherably, which is different than his normal scream of "Mimi! Daddy! Pup!". Just as I noted to Jason that he was singing Christmas carols, the tunes stopped and he went back to sleep for almost another two hours!
When Miles finally woke up, he insisted on eating breakfast with his present from the day before - talking Elmo. We eventually wandered into the family room when Miles noticed some goodies sticking out of his stocking. It was hard to pull him away from the excitement of the fruit snacks and plastic vegetables he received, but we finally got him started on the stash from Santa.
Miles had so much fun ripping the paper off his loot, especially the giant box his wagon came in. He liked most of his gifts but was especially smitten with the pint-sized Colts folding chair. Who woulda thunk it? He got to continue tearing through gifts when Grammy and Grandpa and Nana and Papa arrived that afternoon. He even helped Mommy and Daddy open their presents and was confused why he couldn't open all the gifts under the tree. The seven of us finished off the day with a true "Christmas Story" meal - Chinese! Fa-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra! I think Grammy brought enough Chinese food to feed most of China, so we were stuffed the whole night.
Chapter Four: Two Turtle Doves
The next round of Christmas came when the aunts and uncles descended upon our house for Family Christmas Part 2. Baby Lyla spent her first Christmas a sick girl, but we were fortunate enough that she was able to drag her parents up from Lexington to be with us. Aunt Kat, and the Uncles Vinny, Craig, and Dean all came from Ohio. It was a crazy day but so much fun to have everyone in one place...and even better that we didn't have to travel ourselves!
Chapter Five: Three French Hens
We got to keep the Kolbs for an extra day thanks to the bad roads. Miles spent lots and lots of time commenting on the "SSSSSSSSnow".
We also got a visit from the Kahls for a few hours that day. On his fourth day in a row of opening gifts, Miles had it down pat. No pics yet, but Miles loves his giant school bus...from the outside. He still needs to work up the courage to actually get in it yet.
Chapter Six: Auld Lang Syne
We loaded up the ol' Ford with four adults, a toddler, and two dogs to head down to the Kentucky Kahls for the New Year's holiday. Miles had a fantastic time hanging out with Granny and Aunt Ashley at the WKU basketball game while the rest of us headed to Nashville for New Year's Eve. Apparently, AA also worked with Miles all night long on this dance routine:
We spent all day on New Year's Day eating sauerkraut and watching football...most notably a win by the Buckeyes! We even converted Aunt Ashley for the day:
Epilogue
For those of you that actually made it this far...thank you! We are so blessed to have so much family and fun times to fill such a long post. Happy 2010!
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