Brrrr...

We're cold and happy in Zionsville with lots of sledding and visits from friends...and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new baby cousin any day now...we can't wait!

...and a Happy New Year!

...and Christmas was merrily continued at Grandma and Grandpa Beckman's festive home on the lake. Uncle T, Aunt Em, Aunt Kim, Uncle Eric and sweet baby Koleton were all in attendance, which made the Holiday that much brighter. Grandma Carol had the Brio train ready upon arrival, which was a hit - of course. We were excited to meet our friends Jenny, Dave, Drew and Maddie at Entertrainment Junction to see the most incredible train display ever! Henry was most interested in the Thomas play tables, but will surely enjoy the amazing train displays in the future.

We spent a superfun New Year's Eve in Zanesville, Ohio with our Jersey friends Dave, Erica and sweet baby Porter. While Tim and I couldn't wait to meet little Porter, Henry was most interested in Dozer, the 70 pound Boxer, and continues to speak of him today. On our way home from Zanesville we were welcomed at the Columbus home of our good friends Liz, Nick and Stella for a delicious dinner, great conversation and some sweet playtime with Henry and Stella. Thanks friends for such a fun time!

Henry continues to "Boo-Boo" (Choo-Choo) constantly and is never without at least one train in hand. He sleeps with "Bobby" (Thomas), the Boooo (blue) train and spends most of his day at his new train table arranging and re-arranging his trains. He now has quite a selection of trains, and loves all shapes and sizes.

We are ready and excited for 2009...hope to see everyone in the near future.

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!