Merry Christmas 2010

We had a great Christmas. The kids' presents were a hit, and we got to spend a lazy morning playing before heading out to visit family. Unfortunately this Christmas will go down in my memory as the year I ruined Christmas morning by crying over the present Mike got me.

It was a smart phone.

He thought I would really like one like his, and I would, but it costs an extra $30 a month to have internet service on it, and I had said it wasn't worth it to me. He researched and found a refurbished phone with cool features like his, but I could use just as a phone without the expensive data plan. It was a thoughtful idea, and he kept it a secret really well. But I didn't give Mike the reaction he was hoping for, after all his thoughtfulness.

I didn't want it.

If it was free I would have, but I knew it must have cost a lot, and I still had a perfectly good regular cell phone. And if it didn't have internet service, there was no reason to change over to an expensive new phone just so I could play Angry Birds. I finally had to tell him how I felt, which made me cry and feel terrible.

Thankfully it was returnable. I sure love Mike for tolerating my over-emotional moments. I really lucked out when I married him!

Christmas Eve 2010

On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional dinner at my parents' house, and then had a special visitor, like always.

Lydia asked Santa for a Unicorn Pillow Pet.

Elise changed her mind several times in the weeks leading up to Christmas. For months she planned on asking for a "changing color iPod" (She wanted a music player and just couldn't decide what color, and surely Santa could make one that would change colors according to her whim). Then she wanted a real cell phone. Then at school she wrote a letter asking Santa for a Disney Princess boombox with a microphone (I'm justified in being upset that the Toys R Us catalog was distributed in class for a school assignment, right?). She finally settled on just a microphone.

Tyler asked for a train. No surprise there!

Happy Birthday Tyler

Tyler loves anything with wheels, so for his birthday party I made car invitations.


I had all of these great ideas for decorations, but December is busy, so I stuck with lots of streamers, and a pair of rear-view-mirror dice hanging from the chandelier.

We invited our extended family, and I was surprised that almost everyone could come on a December evening! We served dinner, all Tyler-friendly foods. He especially loves chicken fingers and carrots. Lots of our family offered to bring side dishes, which was really helpful.


Tyler had so much fun opening gifts. This is a good age, because he could mostly do it himself. Of course, his cousins and sisters were more than happy to help if he was going too slowly. He received LOTS of cars, and was in heaven. "Cars" is one of his best words, and he had many chances to exclaim it!


The cake was also a car. We had to re-light the candles to actually give him a chance to blow them out. Elise got a little excited the first time around and beat him to it. :)


Tyler is such a fun 2 year old. He learns new words every day. He will walk around naming things that he sees, and is interested in everything. He is very good at answering yes or no, and letting us know what he wants.
Tyler is a champ at going to nursery or staying with a babysitter. Babysitters always report that he was a perfect angel, especially at bedtime. For us, though, it's hit-or-miss whether he will lay down nicely in his crib. When he does, he wants all 4 of his blankets, plus his doggy, and definitely notices if you try to leave one out!
He loves to play with cars and trains, markers and crayons, and everybody's shoes. He also loves lotion, hand sanitizer, and washing his hands in the sink. He gives great kisses and makes a cute grunting sound when he hugs. Tyler is such a sweet boy, and we are lucky to have him in our family.