A Very Merry Bob and Papa Christmas

We have just celebrated Christmas #1 with Bob and Papa...and trains and underpants abound. Henry woke Sunday morning to a brand new, hand-crafted, big-boy train table made with love (and some tears) by daddy. Though it took many more hours, many more trips to Lowes, many more paint colors, many more late (or all) nighters, and many more dollars than anticipated, it is truly the most amazing train table that ever was...thank you daddy. Complete with a figure-8 track and a few Thomas (pronounced Bobby) trains, our piano room has been instantly transformed into the greatest play area ever. It was such fun to have Bob and Papa here to celebrate with us..and to provide the Thomas big-boy underpants. You can't have a big-boy train table without big-boy underpants. We're working on wearing the underpants UNDER our clothes, though for now it is more fun to wear them over our clothes so we can see the colorful pictures.

We have a couple of days to rest and regroup before heading to Grandma and Grandpa Beckman's house for a festive family Christmas...we can't wait!

Happy Holidays to all! Hope to see you in 2009!

ALL ABOARD...

...rings through our house from sunrise to sunset. Henry has become a conductor, and if he is not carrying a train, driving a train or choo-chooing like a train, he is shouting "All Aboard" at the top of his lungs. We're really into trains. So, it was a wonderful surprise to arrive at Bob and Papa's house only to discover a real train set for us to play with for the whole weekend. It was quite a hit. As was Thanksgiving dinner - delicious! Thanks everyone for preparing such a feast. Our weekend included a fun trip to see Cowboy Jim and Aunt Sheila (ant-eeya). Henry got to ride a horse and drive the Ranger around the farm - what fun! It was great to see Uncle John and Aunt Kiley's new house and Hopalong's super cute jungle nursery. It is so cute, in fact, that I must include a picture. Our weekend wrapped with a fun evening spent with our good friends Reagan and Cooper - thanks for making the drive to come play!

Hey Bob

From Grandma Hacker to MooMoo to Meeps, it's been hard enough to keep track of what Henry should call his maternal grandmother - until now. As predicted, Henry determined that from now on she shall be called "Bob." We're not sure from where the name came, or why...but it seems to fit. "Hey Bob" can be heard around our house daily, either when Bob is visiting, or when Henry simply sees something which reminds him of his fondness of and affection for Bob. That said, we so enjoyed our 15 days with Bob and really appreciated all of her help. Her visit ended with a fun 4 day visit from Papa...whose name remains Papa, though sure to change any day...perhaps Shirley? We'll keep you informed....

Shortly after Bob and Papa left last week, Henry was asked by his mama to sit in the corner for one minute. As usual, he happily sat (problem: it doesn't seem to bother him at all to sit in the corner) in the corner until I left the room. When I peeked back in to be sure he was still "thinking about what he had done," I caught him still sitting in the corner, though with his beloved Thomas the Train book. So, not only do I believe he thinks it is okay to bite as long as he sits in the corner, but now it is especially fun to sneak a book into the corner too.

Otherwise, we're having lots of fun. Henry loves the cold weather...just like his daddy. He is completely in love with trains. So in love, in fact, that we've had to notify Santa Claus. We spent two hours playing with the trains at the library Friday morning...nearly as long playing with the trains at the Children's Museum on Saturday morning...and just as long playing with the trains at Barnes and Noble on Sunday morning.

Words and phrases are proliferating...my favorite today: Green Beans, please...which actually sounds like "Geen Been, Peas." My other favorite is his "O'Mama" response when asked who the president is, and his "Joe" response when asked about the VP.

That's all for now...enjoy your week!

Peeps and Poops and Trick or Treat....

A BIG week around here. Not only did Meeps (Grandma Hacker) make a last minute (literally) decision to hitch a ride to Indy last Sunday afternoon...and not only has Henry spoken many new words everyday...and not only was he a supercool Superhero at our various Halloween events...and not only did he take Grandma and Grandpa Beckman to the pumpkin festival last weekend...and not only did he see his best friend Liam at the pumpkin festival...and not only did he deliver sugar cookies to our friends on Halloween......but he also did peeps and poops on his new potty.

Pudding, Hayrides and Superheros!

We had a perfectly fall weekend at the lake with Grandma Beckman, including a fun day of hayrides, hotdogs, pumpkin picking and friends at the Glassmeyer Ranch in Kentucky. Thanks Matt, Andrea and Wyatt for the invite...we are already looking forward to next year!

This week Henry dressed as a superhero in the costume parade at the nursing home. He was a very good boy, blowing kisses to all of the residents, while giving lots of love.

All of a sudden, new words appear every day...today's words have been blue, boat, and yogurt...and it's only 11am...there's no telling where we'll be by the end of the day.

Hope everyone is enjoying warm soup, apple cider and cozy blankets...we've always got some here, so come see us anytime...

More fun...

Two weekends ago Uncle Scott came to play and we played all weekend long! We played in the backyard for Daddy's 30th birthday party, complete with a surprise visit from Uncle Terry. We played on the hiking trails and played in the pumpkin patch. Henry even took his first pony ride and loved it! We had such a fun time...thanks for coming Uncle Scott...come see us again soon.

We just returned from our annual fall visit to New Jersey. Henry and I enjoyed every minute of our time with Laura, Jeff, Olivia, Sophie and the rest of our New Jersey family. We had an action packed weekend with a trip to the zoo, the museum, soccer games, the park, swimming lessons, and much, much more. We miss you all already, and look forward to our next visit. Thanks for the delicious food, the cozy company and the super-fun adventures. Henry is especially thankful for all of the cars, trucks and things that go.





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