Holy Night!

So, I bet you'd like to know how this Christmas went? Well, Daddy carried me in the door Christmas night after ALL the festivities and looked at Mommy and said smiled. He said simply that it was the best Christmas ever. Mommy wholeheartedly agreed. THAT is how good it went.
It all started Christmas Eve when we got home from church and dinner. Mommy and Daddy got me all ready for bed in my Santa jammies and then headed for the kitchen to get Santa's snacks ready. I never really "got" this last year...I was too little. But now I'm BIG! So putting cookies, donut holes (yeah really, Santa likes those) and carrots on a plate with a big glass of milk thrilled me. We put it near the chimney - and I was a bit worried about Santa falling on it. But Daddy assured me he had no worries about Santa smashing the treats.
These pictures are of Mommy and Daddy pretending to eat the things we left out for Santa. Of course they wouldn't actually steal them from Santa but they had fun pretending, I'm told. I like the picture of Mommy considering the milk. I'm pretty sure that's what ironic means. Mommy has a love/hate relationship with dairy...no need to say more.
I went to bed like a champ...and woke up at 8:05am. THAT was Mommy's and Daddy's Christmas present from ME! I haven't slept that for two years! I crept over to them and said, "Did Santa come???" Daddy rushed downstairs to check on the plate of food...and brought it up to show us that he HAD come to our house! I was so excited. We all rushed downstairs and the first thing I saw was my unwrapped present. A horse!!!!! I love being a Cowboy Woody and named my horse "Cowboy" right away. I then opened my stocking and presents right away. I was screeching and talking so fast that Mommy and Daddy just laughed at me...and smiled.
I was very proud of all my prizes and we played for a bit before Mommy made chocolate chip pancakes. Yummy! We ate, got dressed, and played some more. Then we headed over to Bondi's and Poppy's for brunch. We had the greatest meal ever - breakfast pizza! I ate a big pizza with eggs, tomatoes, bacon, cheese and green peppers. Then CC, Uncle Paul, Nonny and GG came over and we unwrapped a few prizes. They all stayed over but we had to get going to our next adventure!
We piled in the car and headed out to Grandma's and Grandpa's. I got more and more presents there and was so overwhelmed all day, I could hardly look at what I opened before I went on to the next gift! Auntie Melissa, Uncle Bill and all my other loving family came over and I even got to see my cousin, Logan! We ate lots of food but I just wanted to play with my toys. I was allowed to get up from the table early. : ) What a fun time with family!!! After being there for awhile, it was time to head over to Nonny's for a late dinner. Yep, another location and another dinner. We haven't been hungry since! (haha)
Here I am riding my new bike...pronounced "bay-k". It's a big boy one so when you push the pedals back, it brakes! I got frustrated at first, but practiced all the next day around our dining room table and got the hang of it before going outside with it. I'm a pro now! Woohoo!!
Here I am working out...with my weights and workout bag. I even have an ID card with my picture on it. "Feel my muscles!!!"
At Nonny's, we had dinner and got to see Reese's and Uncle Max and Aunt Lynnie. Then stockings and a few more gifts. Before we left, Uncle Max read from the Bible and we said a prayer. I jumped up at the chance to say something and grabbed the Bible I had just gotten from Nonny. I mimicked Max and read about "the Lord" and "the Lord Jesus" and paraphrased what he said in my own words from my own Bible. Everyone just watched me intently and Mommy had tears flyin' out of her eyes by the time I was done. It was pretty amazing. Really.

Before we went home, Mommy's Uncle Matt was talking with me. Mommy said, "TJ, can you count to 10 or 20 for Uncle Matt?" I just laughed, put my hands up and said, "I don't have to, Mom. He knows!!!" Everyone roared - it was hilarious! Mommy could say nothing...I was right! Uncle Matt already knew how to count to 20. How silly of her.

So by the time we got home and Daddy carried me through the door, we had agreed that it was the best Christmas ever. We got to see all of our loving families, received the most wonderful and thoughtful and generous gifts ever, and remembered what Christmas is all about. AND...drum roll, please...I behaved like a little man all day. No whining, a little crying (just for a second), and zero meltdowns. For all the running around we did, Mommy and Daddy were quite proud.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!!!!!!!!
Love, TJ

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Little Drummer Boy

Turn up the volume for this one, guys. I am sweet!



It's hard to believe that Christmas is already nearly here! I went to a parade with Bondi and Poppy two weeks ago (yeah, that's how far behind I am in my blogs) and saw fireworks! The people actually shot fireworks out of tubes on the top of a building. It was " a little bit scary " as I describe it, but fun nonetheless. They had merry-go-rounds and ferris wheels and cookies and cocoa. All for free from the city. Pretty cool, huh! It was brrrr coldy! And when I came home, my cheeks stayed red for awhile. I looked like a little toy soldier.

Since then, I've been to a Christmas party at Uncle Michael and Auntie B's where I ate tons of cookies (most of which I thought I was sneaking...but Mommy really did see me do it). I also played with a race track in their basement. Everyone was very patient with me and Mommy appreciated that so much. Grandpa and I raced those cars down the track for nearly 2 hours. Wow! Then I got some super cool prizes! A Transformer, cool ABC and Doggie Domino games (which we play everyday) and color/craft books too. It was so fun.

I'll tell you what wasn't fun though. Worrying about Daddy in the snowstorm. He went down to Charlotte to close on our house and was supposed to be back by 7pm on Friday evening. The 7.5 hour trip turned into a 30-hour mess! Virginia was hit by a massive snowstorm and Daddy was stuck on the highway for about 9 hours without moving. The road was like a big parking lot. A freezing, snowy, lonely parking lot. At 2am when the cars started moving, they were allowed off an exit ramp where most people parked at Walmart. Unfortunately it wasn't a 24hr Walmart and Daddy was wet and freezing from having to dig his car out of the snow banks several times after spinning off the road. Of course, Mommy was a nervous wreck and actually didn't let me see it at all. When Daddy finally got home the next day, we were relieved more than words can say. Poor, poor Daddy.

But now he's on vacation and I get him all to myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love, TJ

p.s. Tonight, Mommy was telling me a story to make me fall asleep. I requested a story about Chalk the Boat (don't ask). Well, she said Chalk the Boat gave Sammy Race Car a 'high-five' and groggily, I laughed for a second. Then I said, "But mom, Chalk the Boat would have to do a high-five with his mouth since he doesn't have any hands!" Wow - I was right. I'm a good thinker.

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TJ the Photographer

These are all pictures that I took myself with my very own camera. I got it for my birthday from Uncle Ben and Aunt Val. I may be an amateur but I think these are all awesome. Mommy and Daddy sure think so! They were quite excited to upload this pics! Mommy's favorite is the one with the cupcakes in it : ) Which one's yours?

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Polar Express

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo, Whistle Blowin' WooWoo!

We went to the Polar Express on Saturday night and I got to wear my pajamas! It was an incredible trip. I've been skipping my naps lately (much to Mommy's and Daddy's dismay), but I get really tired and cranky around dinnertime. Well, Saturday evening we were driving to the Polar Express about that time and I just up and fell asleep in the car. I'm good at that lately. Anyhow, Mommy and Daddy peeked back at me and saw that I was sleeping - and they laughed.

When we got to the railway, they let me sleep in the car for a bit more. Daddy scooped me out of my carseat and we took pictures underneath the Polar Express sign. Lots of my family members came along and Nonny treated!

I got to meet Mr. Conductor as I boarded the train. We all found our seats and had about an hour to wait before the trip started. So...we went potty a few times, Daddy bought some popcorn in the refreshment car, Uncle Ben bought me a train, and we just hung out all excited to be there. Oh yeah, did I mention that there were elves and Santa's helpers on the train the whole time? Welp, there were!

When the train started chugging along, the main elf-lady (Bev) read us the Polar Express. Her little helpers showed some props and did sound effects. I listened like a very good boy. Then we got hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies. Mmmmm! I sat in my very own seat and then jumped around a bit.

A bit later, we reached....THE NORTH POLE! Yep, I jumped onto Mommy's lap and my sweet, sweaty face was pressed against the steamy window for 15 minutes as we looked at the reindeer, lights, Frosty, elves and SANTA!!!!!!!! The joy in me lit up my little face and I know Nonny got a good look at it from where she was sitting. I cried out that I wanted to hug Frosty. For some reason, he was my favorite. Well, the train started to go back but I couldn't see Santa on the way back. I was a little disappointed.

The elf-lady said the kids should have a pajama parade - so we did! I marched up and down the aisle in my pj's with the other kids and then, ALL OF A SUDDEN, Santa came onto our car! He did! I got very curious and had to wait my turn. Check out these pictures. They say it all.

Finally, when it was my turn, I couldn't think of a thing to say. I just smiled bright and said I wanted a car for Christmas. I gave Santa a huge hug and we didn't get a very good picture of it. My Mom and Dad were sad about that. But, we'll always have that memory!

Santa and my Nonny got a good pic though. Check this one out!

I got antsy and crabby on the ride back...and it was pretty hot on that train, so it won't surprise you to hear that I slept realllly well when I got home. Thanks, Nonny! We had so much fun!

Merry Christmas, Every One!

Love, TJ

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