Mommy got a new toy...

Santa was very good to Mommy and bought her a new FLIP video camera, so I can actually post videos!  Here's one from today of Connor playing with Bailey.

Stockings Are Stuffed

Christmas in our family means a busy Christmas Eve with LOTS of people.  Connor has a very large family, with cousins by the dozens, which just means there's a playmate around every corner.  After arriving on Christmas Eve day, we almost immediately headed down to Aunt Con's for the kiddie afternoon of decorating ornaments, making Christmas cookies, and opening presents.  Each kid picked out a name of someone they would buy for.  Connor gave to Ben and gave him an Uno Game (the kind that spits the cards out).  Connor got a beautiful coat rack with a baseball, football, baseball and soccer ball on it.  Mommy can't wait to hang it in his room!  When it came to picture time, however, Connor was indeed "that" kid who didn't want to cooperate.  We did manage to get a couple decent shots of all the second cousins, so it was fine.  The best part of the afternoon was playing with Koby's lego set - nothing like big kid toys in toddler world!  After the kiddie Christmas we had a little nap before heading out to the big family gathering at Greg and Koran's.  Almost the entire extended family was there (which is is quite the crowd).   It was great to see everyone, and Connor loved playing with someone else's toys!

Then it was time to read a story with Grampy.  It was only fitting they read "'Twas the Night Before Christmas".  We've been reading that book every night for a couple weeks, and Connor just loves it.  He especially likes the pictures of Santa at the end.  He was very content to be on Grampy's lap for storytime.

On Christmas morning, Connor found two things in his stockings that caught his eye.  Shocking to us all that they were both trains.  One was a clear plastic train "Santa" got at Mount Washington this past fall.  The other was a holiday Thomas the Train character.  He would have been content with those two items - he played with them all day.  He also got a Thomas DVD that he's watched probably five times just on Christmas alone.  He loves it!

Connor also got lots of other toys, including two laptops (like father, like son).  He'll have hours and hours of quality playtime wih all of his new toys.  He's a very happy little kid, and was very content playing all day on Christmas!

We had a great time on Christmas and it was fun to watch Connor enjoy his toys.  He still didn't get the whole Santa, present, unwrapping thing, but boy did he enjoy the gifts inside! 

When all the presents were unwrapped, it was time to hang out with the dogs under the dining room table.  It DOES kind of look like a fort, right? 

Chrismas Card Photo Shoot 2009

As the weather man predicted, the rain that came down in buckets yesterday turned to snow last night.  I was secretly hoping for this so I could get a few shots that could be used on our Christmas card.  Even though Connor was sick the night before, he was a trooper and (for the most part), let Mom take lots of pictures.  The hardest part, of course, is getting BOTH kids (Connor and the dog) looking at the same time.  I think we got a few - but you can judge for yourself.  You'll see which ones we chose when you get your Christmas card!

Gobble it Up!

We spent Thanksgiving at Mimi and Papa's house in Tewksbury this year.  Paige, Auntie Heather, Uncle Mark and Great-Grandma were there to celebrate with us.  The original plan was to have Mimi and Papa take Connor and Paige to the playground, but everything was still wet from the rain, so we went to plan B:  playing on a ladder!  Papa has one of those ladders that folds and can be put in many positions.  So it was used as a ladder and as monkey bars!  Connor did have fun climbing on it, and I think Papa had just as much fun.  Although watching him balance on top of the ladder was a littler nerve-racking!

Thanksgiving dinner was very nice, and it was even better when Connor decided he liked the squash and stuffing (see, he's been a bit of a picky eater lately, so this was good news for Mom!).  He just about ate his weight in squash, and even had a bit of pie for dessert (granted he smeared it all over his face and he looked like the Joker from Batman, but still...). 

We had a very nice time with everyone and pretty much had to roll ourselves home because we ate so much.  We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Exploring Thanksgiving dinner.

Lifting himself up on the "monkey bars"

















Enjoying a little TV time with Paige.

Fall Fun

On Saturday afternoon, after a very good nap courtesy of the Enchanted Village, Connor got to play outside in the ridiculous amount of leaves in the yard (note: if anyone wants to rake, feel free). Mommy raked up a little pile of leaves for Connor and taught him how to throw them in the air and kick them. He liked the kicking because the leaves would fly up into the air. He even went to pick up the rake (Mommy was keeping her fingers crossed that he wanted to do a little raking) but he quickly put it down after he reailzed it was a little heavy for him.

I was also able to get a few shots of Connor sitting on our back steps. He actually sat still long enough to get pictures. It was a miracle!

Enchanted Village

Today I took Connor to the Enchanted Village at Jordan's Furniture. For those who don't know the story, it used to be displayed in Boston at Jordan Marsh. It was eventually sold to City Hall but due to budget restraints, they stopped displaying it. Last year, Jordan's bought the entire village at an auction and it is now on display in their Avon store... just a hop, skip, and a jump from 39 W. Vanston!

The BAD part about the visit was that we had to wait in a line to get our picture taken before being allowed in to the village. Of course, that's how they get some money for their "free" admission. Connor was a little agitated at the line because he couldn't run around. Very traumatic for a two-year-old. However, with a little snack and some cuddles from Mom, he survived. We had our picture taken and headed straight in. This is where it became a nice visit. The village truly is amazing. They did a really nice job with it. Connor's favorite parts were anything that moved, and the snow. Not the puffy snow that was part of the display, but the snow that came down from the sky. Seriously! Jordan's has some type of machine that makes it snow. It's actually a bubble mixture, but the way it's made makes it look like snow. Connor LOVED it (as did every other kid there).

By the time we were done making our way through, Connor was a bit beat. We had planned on going to the playground afterward, and we barely made it out of the parking lot before Connor crashed.

I hope you enjoy the pics! Check out all the pics in the slideshow to the right.

Connor looking up at the snow falling.

Thank a Veteran and Swing a Little

To celebrate Veterans Day, Connor and I went to the Brockton Parade with Jess and her kids. The parade is fairly small, but just the perfect length for antsy two-year-olds! Connor enjoyed a free munchkin courtesey of Jess, which kept him occupied until the parade started. Once it began he was fascinated by all of the bands playing. He loves music, so when the Brockton High band was playing, he was all ears. There were several other small bands that played as well, and all of them kept his attention. He also loved the old cars and their horns. Pretty much anything that made noise he loved. At one point, I looked down and his eyes were closed. Not closed as in asleep, but closed as in he was simply just enjoying the music. It was very cute!

After the parade ended, Jess showed us a cool playground in West Bridgewater. It was a little cool and windy, so we were sure to bundle up, but Connor and Layla had a ton of fun on the swings. Brady and Quincy were soon to join them. They both fit in one swing, getting lots of attention from passers by. In their defense, they ARE cute.

After swinging for what seemed like an hour, a lot of the bigger kids left, so we let Connor and Layla have at the playground. Connor soon discovered he could climb up steps, cross over a bridge, and slide down the slide all by himself! I was there the first time he climbed up, but I was soon forgotten once Connor realized he could do it on his own. He also discovered a tunnel that he could crawl through as well.

It did start to get pretty cool after an hour and a half of fun, and poor Connor's teeth were chattering when all the babies seemed to tell us the same thing - LUNCH! We left the playground and had a much-needed snack on the way home. Connor didn't even make it home without falling asleep, and he took a VERY good nap once we were home. Fresh air and playgrounds make for great naps!

Be sure to thank a veteran today!


YAY! The parade started!

Notice his eyes are closed as the band passes by. He loved the music!

Connor and Layla.

Connor and Layla on the swings together.

Quincy and Brady on ONE swing together.

All four of them swinging. We took up the whole swingset!

Connor going down the slide all by himself!

WEE!

Tunnels are cool.

Nothing like a steering wheel on a playground!

Happy Halloween!

For Connor's first real Halloween as a trick-or-treater, we headed up to Tewksbury to spend the evening with Mimi, Papa, Paige, Mark and Heather. They live right around the corner from a cute little neighborhood where they take Trick-or-Treating very seriously. People have fires burning and they sit outside all night handing out candy. There are very few cars, too, which makes it nice and safe for little kids who are running all over!

When we arrived at Mimi and Papa's we put on Connor's Lion costume that he received from a neighbor last year. It was too big for him then, but fits him now. I laugh every time I see it on him - he just looks too cute. We thought Mimi and Papa would like to see him in it - he was a big hit! If it wasn't SO unseasonably warm, we might have kept him in it, but it was too warm to wear a heavy hooded vest.

The real costume was Batman! We knew he wouldn't be too thrilled to wear the mask with it, but we did try to get some pictures of him with the mask. Even without it he was still a force to be reckoned with. People commented on his outfit and kept asking where Robin was.

Connor didn't really grasp the concept of trick-or-treating, but he DID grasp the concept of eating candy. I didn't load him down with candy, but he did have a few M&Ms and Sweet Tarts as the evening went on. Another family we were trick-or-treating with has a son the same age as Connor, so when they offered to go get their wagon for the boys to ride in, who was I to say no? After all, we know how much Connor loves his wagon! We did do a good amount of walking, so a wagon was good to have.

Just as the night was winding down, it began to sprinkle, so that was our cue to leave. Connor was tired and we still had a 45 minute drive back home. We had a great time and a wonderful Halloween!

Connor the Lion


I'm BATMAN!


An attempt at getting Connor, I mean Batman, with his mask on.


Ready to save the day!

Connor and Logan

A little ride in the wagon for tired feet.

Trick-or-Treating with Paige.

Paige's feet were a little blistered, so she had a go in the wagon, too.

Daddy and Connor.

Random Pics

Since I haven't updated the blog since Connor's birthday, and Halloween is still a week away, I figured I'd "borrow" some pics that my dad took during Connor's birthday weekend and post them. We did have a nice time with Grammy and Grampy, so it's only fitting we post some of those pictures.


Mommy and Connor having a little quality coloring time.


Grammy is addicted to Word Pops on Mommy's Phone and Connor LOVES it, too!


Daddy went fishing... and he caught a 23-pound CONNOR!


Reading "Guess How Much I Love You?"

Swim lessons - Connor LOVES it!

Doing the "choo choo" down the side of the pool.