2009 Comes to a Close

Snow is a wonderful thing! I like to clean the trees off, but then I don't like the snow on my mittens. So then Mom has to brush off my mittens. Brutus and I played outside a lot yesterday!

A few of my favorite toys this year...a wheelbarrow, complete with bricks from Grammy and Grandpa, and a huge dumptruck from Dad. Mom didn't even know about it!

Here I am just lounging and playing with my new blocks. I put those in my wheelbarrow too.

Aren't we cute in our new Christmas pjs! And below, Dad and I are playing the game where he hides a ball under and cup and then moves them around. I'm really good at finding the ball on the first try!

I got to help with the annual cookie baking fest my mom and Grammy does with Sara and her mom. The taste testing was the best part.

I got to see my Great Grandma this Christmas, and all my aunts and cousins too! And, although my mom didn't get a picture, I enjoyed their cat too...I was chasing him everywhere...not so sure he liked it though. It was really nice to see the entire family, all the way from London and California!

Grandpa got a really cool book in the white elephant exchange, so he was reading it to me in this picture. Another favorite activity was trying to get up the stairs without anyone catching me. No luck, but worth a try.

Here's my newest favorite friend...Jonathan. Dad's best friend, Joshua, is so excited to be a new dad. We stopped by his house after we got to see Grandma and Grandpa in Union City. Check out this awesome fire truck they gave me! It is as big as me, but I like carrying it around like this. Mom and Dad still laugh at me when I do it.

I am a very determined and focused unwrapper. I also make the best surprised sounds. Oooh, ahhh...quite the crowd pleaser.

You can see I'm taking on my dad's favorite tradition...watching Grandpa Chef at work. He makes amazing food. The cookies are better than the celery though....just trust me.

Joyous December Moments

I've gotta put this picture in since I'm so proud of my mama! She ran her first 5k last week...why she picked December, I'm not sure. Dad walked with me all bundled up. I definitely think the best part was the free banana at the end.

Mom's friend, Dave, was in town from California. So, we got together and played with him and a few other couples that went to IU. One couple had triplets just a few days before I was born. We had a great time keeping all those adults under control.

A new skill of mine...I can play the harmonica! Grammy and Grandpa have been working on this with me for a week or two, and now I'm actually making music all by myself. You should see how excited everyone gets when I play.

I guess it was time for my first haircut. I couldn't decide if I liked it or not, so I had my poker face on the entire time. I didn't even move a muscle...and my parents did that paparazzi thing again. Thank goodness the haircut place had a playland for after my haircut. That was definitely the best part. The following pictures were taken by my high school friend, Bethany, for this year's Christmas card. We all had a good time at the art museum for that. These didn't make the card, but I'm sure Mom will have them in a frame somewhere soon.

A Few Thanksgiving Highlights

On Thanksgiving day, we all went to see Grandma and Grandpa Spillman. I ate a bunch of turkey and sweet potatoes. Uncle David even stopped by for a little bit. I love hanging out with my family...especially when I don't get to see them much.

On Black Friday, my parents' favorite holiday, we got up early and went to Target. They woke me up at 4:45 and I got to go in my pajamas! I was the only kid there. They figured it would be okay, since we'd be in the car all day headed to a wedding (pictures of that coming soon). So, on Thanksgiving morning, we all got in Mom and Dad's bed and searched through the ads. They sure do have a system!

You can see I loved every minute of David and Carla's visit to my house. Brutus even enjoyed play time with Uncle David. He came all the way from South Carolina to see me...man, I love that guy! He sure does act a lot like Dad though...they even make the same animal sounds when we read books together.

Christmas Preparations

Who knew getting ready for Christmas could be so much fun?? Mom and Dad even let me stand on the ladder. I only broke two ornaments, which my parents thought was pretty good. I had a great time putting the ornaments in the tree...and taking them back out again. But now I just sit in my little armchair and look at the lights once in a while.

Grammy was really proud of me leaving the tree alone when she came to hang out with me. Then we decided to try out this spiffy santa hats. You'll see below that I had a couple friends over to make Christmas presents for people. It was a bit messy, but totally worth it. And mom is so excited to use my brilliant creations as presents this year. After our moms worked us, they let us play a bit. And, of course, made us take pictures again. They are crazy.

Ryker above and Allison below...man, these kids are cool!

Here we are again enjoying Thanksgiving dinner together with the small group. Like I said earlier, our moms are crazy about this whole picture thing!