Getting Ready for Christmas

Christmas is coming!  Too bad I am catching up on blogging instead of doing all of the baking that I should be doing.  But, feels good to be back in the game!

We're gearing up for Santa around here, and MP2 is not loving his holiday footwear.  We've practiced wearing the snowman slippers so that he won't get mad on Christmas morning, but as you all can see...not his favorite. Hopefully his gift(s) from Santa will help redirect his attention.

 Last weekend we headed with some friends to St.Charles, more important to MP than any festivities was the fact that St Charles is the genesis of the Katy Trail.   And more important to MP2, was a town full of trains!  Here he's at the old train station (you can see it was another warm-ish day).

 ...and at the train "museum".  This was really just an old storefront full of electric trains.  Unfortunately, they were roped off from getting too close, but knowing MP2, I know why.  He loved watching all of them.

 MP2 and I got a shot on the way out of town in front (well, on the side since the line to the front was so so long) of a super cute Christmas tree.  MP2 was a trooper with little nap and even did well at a restaurant meal.  Love that kid.  He can totally roll with the punches.  So glad he got that from his daddy.

 Then this past week, we had his Mother's Morning Out Christmas Program.  While we found it to be a Grammy-worthy performance, I am not sure anyone else heard anything other than the Christmas songs through the PA system :)  No, really...the fact that three teachers got like 10 kids under two to stand, facing front and do anything (especially considering most of them cannot talk) is a Christmas Miracle.  We love our MMO teachers, and MP2 has the best time with his class.  Even though the whole program was great, and you could tell that each class worked really hard to prepare...I think under two's stole the show (until next year anyway).  The director's cut DVD will be available shortly.  If only I knew how to edit that, I could share his portion with the blogsphere (I know you are all thanking your lucky stars right now!)

 Look at that jingle bell shaker!!!  Love him.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Living on Tulsa Time

A couple weeks ago, we were in the throes of finals.  This is typically a tough time in the Pulle household.  It means a lot of MP studying and a lot of MP2 and CP hanging out wondering when finals are over.  In years past, I have had employment responsibilities...now that MP2 is my boss, he suggested a "business trip" over to T-town to get out of daddy's hair lest we cause his law school demise.  

One of my dearest friends is going through a tougher than normal holiday season this year (though she shows only the strongest of faces and would never complain herself - thank goodness I am here to do it on her behalf!) as her husband is serving his third time in Afghanistan.  MP and I were there for a visit back in November 2010.  I have to say, I think everyone had a little more fun this time around!

Love a bath pic :)

Okay, I really, really need a digital SLR for Christmas.  SANTA?!?!  are you there, are you listening?  I would not have ruined Christmas for MP2 by making him pose for ten million photos beside the tree if I had a camera that was worth a %^&$!!  Just look at this....

Our first day in Tulsa found us at the aquarium.  It was a really fun time.  I only wish MP2 was a little more into fish.  :)  Really, it was a great way to spend a morning.  (an early afternoon, that is, since MP2 slept until 10:30 and then we went to brunch at BBDs)

Here the boys are checking out a tide pool...

...and a frog (though not sure what MP2 is actually checking out)

The jellyfish were really cool

Riding the alligator on the way out the door...

MP2 getting out of his pea pod (best baby sleeping invention EVER...I swear!).  This thing is the best ever travel bed.  We have loved it.

Sweet Robin, she must have a direct line to Santa, since she gave MP2 some train cars that go with wooden train tracks! I also think that before all birthdays and Christmas in future years, we will be heading to Tulsa to check out the latest and greatest toys!  Ben had the most fun toys.

Case in point!

Again - a horse and a trampoline (not to be used together!)

The following day found us at the park - for TWO hours.  I was able to invite some more friends out to meet us and we had four boys playing on the playground for two hours...in December.  Thank goodness for a mild winter.  I love it.  Can I pre-order for next year, please?!?

Tickle attack...

Boys playing with trains.

We had such a fantastic time in Tulsa.  I can't wait to go back!!  No, really...Robin is the best hostess around, Ben wears MP2 out (I had to wake him at 10am each day, and then wake him after 3 hrs napping each afternoon), we LOVE his toys, I LOVE the girl time with Robin and Amy too!, MP2 decided he's a great car trip companion again (hope I am not jinxing myself by saying this), and it's a super manageable distance as compared to Nashville.  Hope Robin is as excited to have us back as we are to come...would hate to have her turn us away at the door :)

Bringing Up the Rear

If you're still with me here, then you must be pretty interested in the Pulle family.  And if you are still with me at the end of this novella, then I am just not sure what to think!  Whoa.  I hate to admit defeat, but technical difficulties and too many photos to sort through have contributed to the lack of blogging of late.  Really...I wish I had more to say, but these days I tend to let the pictures speak.  So the blog minus the pictures does not an interesting story make.  

Excuses, excuses.  Let's just rewind about a month...yep, back to Thanksgiving.  You know, that holiday that is my very favorite?  We had a wonderful time.  MPs watched some football...

We had a delicious meal...

Nana and Papa were here for the weekend, and it was so great for them to see how much MP2 has grown and changed since they last saw him in early October.  On Friday, the weather was so nice that we decided to take a trip to a nearby neighborhood park.  We went on a walk along the wooded trail with MP2 and the dogs

and then took a trip to the playground.

Doesn't all of this sliding look like so much fun!?!?!

Don't be fooled!  Slides are dangerous - even when riding in your mom's lap.  In fact, I am not even sure why slides are allowed on playgrounds!!  Next time you let your child on a slide, be forewarned that your next stop may very well be the urgent care...with a bandage on your "sprained" foot and a recommendation from the doctor to say off of the foot for a few days.

Then, you may find yourself at a pediatric orthopedist a week later with a baby who still won't walk on his injured foot.  That doctor may tell you that he will be fine in a week.  Then, you may find yourself back there again...another week later (a week of very frustrated no longer mobile baby on your hands) to find that actually, while you were riding down the slide with your baby in your lap and his foot caught on the edge of the slide...yes, he ACTUALLY BROKE HIS LEG.

I am clearing a spot on the mantle now for my "Mother of the Year" award.  Thankfully, the broken leg may be a teensy bit exaggerated and it was actually a very small "toddlers' fracture"  (what???  they're common, even though your toddler never had one...and you've never heard of them before...I promise!)  He was up and about two and a half weeks after he was injured.  I won't say it wasn't a long two and a half weeks, but I am so thankful that this is the worst thing we've had to deal with as of yet in MP2's time with us on the outside.

While still not 100%, we did go out and get our Christmas tree.  MP and I have gone to the same tree farm in the mid-MO area both of the past two years.  The first year, it was so cold that there was NO chance we were cutting our own tree.  In the pre-cut tree area, we looked at about two that were frozen solid, and then just tossed one on the car.  We thought we may have sustained frostbite worthy of limb loss (okay, maybe just a pinky toe) in the five minutes we were out in the elements.  Then last year started off as a nice day.  We decided to head out in search of our tree, but instead discovered a wind and rain storm that dropped the temperatures by about a million degrees en route.  MP2 was only about 4 1/2 months old at the time, so again, we just grabbed the first tree we saw and it was a wonder that puppy made it home.

Third time's a charm I suppose.  Even though MP2 wasn't in a walking mood, we had great weather (note the lack of a coat!!) and we finally got to fulfill the dream of cutting our own tree (what, MP, that was never your dream!?!?).  We chose the perfect tree

MP cut that thing right down...

and we tossed it on the trailer with the rest.

Oh, how did we know which was ours, you wonder?  We just waited until everyone else claimed theirs since we weren't sure how to tell them apart :)

The next few minutes (okay, an hour) was spent with me trying to take cute Christmas card photos of MP2 and the tree, while MP2 was giving me poses like this:

and this:

Then, we spent the next hour tying the tree to the car so securely that had we driven through another Hurricane Katrina, that thing would still be on the roof.  (Starr Pines...please consider hiring helpers to get the tree tied to the car...I think you would save lots of $$ on using less twine and having more parking spaces available.  I am just saying...)

It sure looks pretty!

A lot of people ask me if MP2 messes with the tree.  I have heard lots of horror stories from friends of their toddlers breaking ornaments, accidentally pulling the tree over, and the like.  Fortunately, I have discovered the remedy for this - make your baby hate the Christmas tree by having him/her pose for 10,0000 photos in front of the tree as you aim to get the "perfect" Christmas card shot.  Then you can make your child feel like this about the tree:

In addition to injury and trauma inflicted by mom, we have had some fun social outings too.  We headed to our buddy's second birthday party.  MP2 has known this guy his whole life, and I think he loves to learn new things from E!

MP2 was also entranced by the electric train at E's house.  I think Santa may have noticed his interest :)

We had our first snow a couple weeks ago and took MP2 out for a walk to our neighborhood park.  He's always so serious, but promise, he had fun.

MP always knows how to get a laugh!

What a difference one year makes.  We are having so much fun, and so excited to celebrate MP2's second Christmas.

Breaking News

As reported by MP over the FaceBook:

"ESPN is reporting that Max Pulle has suffered a low-ankle sprain after a morning sliding accident at the Dublin Park Playground in Columbia, Mo. Max, who hasn't skipped a day of hard-core playtime since learning how to walk in mid-August, is expected to miss one-to-two days of walking, shuffling from side to side, crib climbing, straddling and pushing his walker. His mom has told sources that the young Pulle will also miss all playground activity for the next week. Although Max is uneasy on his feet and can't support his full weight, his vocal abilities and his capacity to communicate discomfort remain at full strength."

 

In related news and happier times, events leading up to the injury...

Hoping for a speedy recovery for our sweet MP2.

Small Town Saturday

I realize that all other bloggers in the universe have already posted the "what I am thankful for" Thanksgiving post, and I am weeks behind that...so, without further ado.  It's been a delightful fall and we've hit a really nice groove.  I love a routine, and we have finally been home, with no travel, long enough to figure that out. 

Last weekend we took MP2 to what MP hopes will be the first of many college football games.  MU took on my alma mater, Texas Tech.  It was an afternoon game, and we arrived towards the end of the second quarter.  MP2 seemed to really enjoy the game, all the people, the activity, and he hung in there really well.  We left a close game at the end of the third quarter and by the time we got to the car, drove home and turned on the TV, MU had taken the lead and we got to catch the end of the game from the comfort of our couch.  I think MP and I are also doing a much better job of knowing MP2's (and our) limits when it comes to outings and have adjusted our expectations accordingly. 

A few shots from the general admission end zone:

The next morning we went on our most classy family outing yet - to Bass Pro Shop - for our FREE picture with Santa (clearly I am a sucker for a deal).  While we were there, MP found what he wants for Christmas!

...a cammo recliner!  With a corded remote control...fancy.

Then, the main attraction - St. Nick himself.  So far, we haven't really had any stranger anxiety issues with MP2.  In fact, you may call it the opposite - at parks or the mall, he will run up to strangers and hug them, and then cry if we try to make him stop and come back to us.  So, we weren't too worried that Santa was going to scare him.  I think all the hubub around Santa made him a teensy bit nervous, then, with no introduction we plop him down on Santa's lap and start to walk away.  There were no tears, but there were no smiles either (not that he hams it up for the camera on a good day!)...and he was ready to come back to us after the photos were snapped.  

Leaving Bass Pro, checking out Santa's ride parked out front...

Hopefully I will pull together a Thanksgiving update prior to Christmas...but in the meantime.  What am I most thankful for?  Well, the MPs, of course.

Halloweenie, Part Deux

Well, it seems that holidays like Halloween only get more and more fun with a little one around.  We had a great time with MP2 this year, and he doesn't even realize that Halloween is all about candy (yet...I know the time will come).

We attended the same downtown trick-or-treating event as last year and had even more fun.  MP2 loved just walking around and looking at all of the other kids in costume.  He also loved the dinosaur/dragon (he was called both, and we're not too certain that he looked more like one than the other - luckily, they both say "ROAR!!" which is on MP2's short vocab list)

It's a bird, it's a plane!  Oh, wait - really pointing at nothing makes MP2 smile.

Heading back to the car on MP's shoulders - if we'd waited for MP2 to get there on his own, we'd still be walking...he's not breaking any land speed records (not yet, anyway :))

Between Halloweenie on Friday evening, and the actual day of Halloween, MP2 enjoyed sporting the dino-dragon jacket around, getting good use out of something that otherwise would have been worn less than 3 hours total.  We were skyping with the Pulles and wanted to show off the costume, and when we tried to take it off, MP2 started crying.  And, yes, that is a plastic measuring cup.  I promise he has lots of toys, but we spend a LOT of time hanging out in the kitchen. 

More kitchen time, getting ready to go out pseudo-trick or treating.  We decided to just drop by a few neighbors' houses and show off our little reptile, and then come home and hand out candy.  Again, MP2 was super interested in seeing the bigger kids, and he loved running around outside in his costume. 

Here are the obligatory shots with MP and I

MP2's BFF, also known as the Farmer in the Dell.  We're making some progress here - we got them both to look at the camera.  Next, will be trying to get them to look and smile...a tall order!

Who needs candy when we can play with toy trains??

We really had fun, and I am so excited for the coming holiday season.  Seeing MP2 growing and changing and enjoying all of these experiences is more fun than I ever would have imagined.