Christmas Day (lots of pictures)

Santa was VERY generous with the size of the stockings this year...note to self, buy smaller stockings for next year. Tucker gave Addie her first doll for Christmas. Addie tasted her presents. We won't be returning these gifts.This is also an effective way to unwrap presents.Tucker was very excited about getting some new pants. I thought it was so cute that he put the pants over his shoulders like this. Santa hit the jackpot with this present. Tucker got a train table and we can barely pull him away from the thing to do anything else...including eating!Then we made our way to my Mom's house in Washougal...snow, snow, snow. There were points of the drive that looked like we were driving on Mt. Hood! Huge snow drifts, snowflakes flying and a little slip-sliding on the road!After a short explanation by Uncle Dan-Dan of what the hell an aluminum tree and color wheel is, Tucker was ready to open the presents under the tree.Is it just me that thinks Addie looks too much like this Cabbage Patch doll?

We had a wonderful Christmas and we are looking forward to a prosperous, adventurous, and exciting New Year.

The Night Before Christmas

This Christmas Eve was a really special night for me. My Dad got to read The Night Before Christmas to Tucker for the first time. Reading this story was a very big and important tradition in our family growing up. Matt has read this story to Tucker every year but this year was especially meaningful because my Dad read it to him, like he used to read it to me. I remember one year me and my brother Tommy were reading the words along with my Dad and he paused, looked at us and said, "Are you going to read it this year?" and we knew that this was Dad's thing, his moment, and we both knew the answer was "NO!" We never tried to read along again. Ok, so I admitted I didn't cry at Tucker's birthday lunch earlier in the day, but this did choke me up. I think it meant as much to my Dad as it did to me.

One, Two...I'm THREE!

So, the actual 3rd birthday came and went. I have to be honest, I didn't cry this year. I think I was just too overwhelmed with the day that I didn't invest myself emotionally like I usually do. I liked not feeling over emotional, but as crazy as I am, I sort of feel like I didn't "experience" the day because I didn't get emotional about it. Oh, my love/hate relationship with Tucker's birthday is more than I can explain.

We didn't give Tucker anything at his birthday party, we save our presents for his actual birthday so that he has something to open. I can see how as he gets older, keeping his birthday separate from Christmas is going to be more and more difficult. I want him to know his day is special, even with all they hype of Christmas going on. Tucker got a Cars fishing pole. He has figured out how to cast, but I think if we went to the lake he would just cast into the dirt. His casting basically is slamming the end of the pole onto the ground and pushing the button that releases the line! It's so funny because he casts and then tells us how good he is at casting! I love the confidence. As usual, Bo was in the middle of the celebration. Addie and Bo Tucker's birthday cake

Tucker is now 3 and Addie is 6 months old.

Pastry Chef Tucker Part II

Pastry Chef Tucker is back with another lesson on "how to make cookies pretty". Tune in tomorrow when he will be teaching a class on drop sugar cookie decorating. This lesson will have specific instructions on how to frost the cookies as well as how to pile the sprinkles in the middle of the cookie. Tomorrow's program will be a special 3rd birthday edition. My beautiful boy turns 3 on Christmas Eve. What a Christmas miracle he has been for me and Matt. (I'm sure I'll blog while crying my eyes out tomorrow. I always cry on his birthday...but I think I've already written about that in a previous blog.)

Pastry Chef Tucker

Tucker baked cookies today. Here is a quick kitchen demonstration on how to put flour on top of the dough before you cut out the cookies. Stay tuned for more cooking demonstrations by this highly regarded pastry chef.

Sleep Update: Day 3 and Snow Pics

If you could see me now, I'm dancing a happy jig. Addie is taking to the sleep program like a champ. She took 2 HUGE naps today. We woke her up from both naps today because they were starting to exceed 2 hours and wanted to make sure to preserve both second nap and bedtime. She still cried at bedtime, but not nearly as much. In fact, I'm not even sure how long she cried, but I know it wasn't constant like it's been for the last few nights. With the way the naps worked out today, there were very few hours in the day where we had both kids awake at the same time. So life was good!

While Addie took her afternoon monster nap, Tucker and I went out and played in the snow (ice). We had a blast and I always enjoy spending time with him. He is so much fun. He reminds me that life isn't as serious as I make it and that if I just give it up for a while and play like a kid with him...I can forget all the worries of our life and just have plain old fun. Oh, and this first picture-Tucker's new favorite thing is to make funny faces for the camera instead of look adorable with a nice smile. He took pictures of my funny faces too. Some how those photos didn't make it on here...not sure why? ha ha ha

Me and my awesome dog Bo!

A Message From Tucker and A Day in the Life...

bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbvvvvvvvcccccccccccccccccxxxxxxxxxxzzzzzzz
uuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnbbbvvvvvvv mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,.......,,......,,,,,,,,,,mmmm,,,,,,,,,,,


Here is his interpretation of what the above typing means:
"Dear Mommy, We love you. Dear Daddy, we love you and we love you."

Ok, so on to the story. Tucker had lots of funny things to say today. Here are a few stories!

Matt was putting Tucker down for his afternoon nap and he said the funniest dang thing!
MATT: Ok, buddy I'm going to go. You need to stay in bed. I will come check on you in a little while.
TUCKER: No, Daddy, Mommy's gonna check on me.
MATT: Ok, we'll both check on you.
TUCKER: Daddy, will you send Mommy an email?
MATT: Sure, what do you want me to tell her?
TUCKER: Just tell Mommy thank you.

Tucker has recently discovered that our Mac laptop is really easy for him to use because there is no mouse and the "click" button is just one big button, unlike the left and right click of a mouse. Because it is easier for him to use he likes to play a few games online. He really likes a Curious George game where he sorts clothes, toys, recyclables, and books. Anyway, this morning he comes over to the computer and says, "Hey Daddy, can you click on P-B-S Kids dot org please? I want to play Curious George." He knew the freakin' web address!

He got a doll for Adeline for Christmas and we let him wrap it today...oh man. I think there is about 6 feet of tape on the present, but only about 3 pieces are actually holding the paper on! He was so proud of his wrapping job that he carried her present around for most of the day telling us that Sister had a Christmas present. He won't leave the dang thing under the tree. He brought it in to her when I was feeding her dinner so that she could see it. I'm sure he will get up in the morning and unwrap it for her just because he is so excited.

Today while I was getting him dressed to play in the snow he told me that we are "best buddies".

Matt was sitting in a chair and Tucker was standing in front of him. Matt had his legs locked around Tucker's waist. Usually Tucker says, "Daddy, open please!" But tonight he said, "Abre". Thank you Dora the Explorer and your animal rescuing cousin Diego.

Tonight after dinner I was feeding Addie her baby food and Tucker was hanging out in the dining room with me. He was sitting "criss-cross-applesauce" (for all you fellow teachers out there) and he said, "Mommy! I have eggs!" I said, "You have eggs?" "Yeah, look!" He leans over to one side and shows me that he is sitting on a bow that I was using to wrap Xmas packages! He was pretending that the bows were eggs and he was a chicken laying eggs!

For his birthday party, Nana and Batbah got Tucker the Diego editions of Chutes and Ladders and Memory. ALL Tucker ever wants to do is play those games. He calls them (phonetically) "Shoots and Yeah-ers" and "Mem-bore-ee". Tucker is so funny when he talks because he will say Daddy just fine, but when you ask him to say ladder he can't say the D sound. He calls Addie "Ah-ee". Matt and I were trying to get him to say a word besides Daddy that had a D sound in the middle and so Matt said, "Say Daddy."
T: Daddy
M: Say ladder
T: yeah-er
M: Say Dadder
T: Dadder
WHAT? Christy and Marta, you are speech therapists...any explaination?
He also doesn't say Ls....He must be watching too much Diego or something because they all come out as a Y sound. Too much Spanish influence, I think.

Tucker is a total riot! He never stops talking and he always has something witty to say...he is very much like Matt.