Getting ready for Christmas... or The Longest Month of My Life, part 1

The time between Thanksgiving and Christmas was pretty crazy.  Robin went nuts from all the extra stimulation and anticipation, and Liam followed Robin's example.  All in all, I'm glad the holidays are over, even though Robin still can be rather crazy--he's calmed a good bit since Christmas, and Christmas vacation, ended.

Liam's first burrito.  He didn't really like the combination of foods much.  Oh well.

We played Hide and Seek, and Dean hid under the crib

Then Liam joined him

It's getting harder to hold these two at the same time.  Together, they're pretty heavy!

Poppa gets to feel that for himself

We got a head start on seeing Santa this year--we went at the Rocky Mountain Train Show, which was the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Liam was not willing to sit on his lap

I liked visiting Santa here, because we were allowed to take our own pictures

"And what would you like for Christmas?"
"A camera."
"What would your brother like?"
"A surprise."

Robin was still a little wary of Santa this year.  He was willing to sit on his lap and talk to him--even hug him--but he still wanted us to be there with him.  Right by his side.

Robin was in train heaven at the train show.  There was stuff to look at EVERYWHERE--although I guess "heaven" is too strong, as he wasn't allowed to play with/touch most of it.  He did get to help build a tree for a train set that was being constructed at the show

Some vendors had toys available for play

Liam learning to fly

And driving a train (ringing the bell)

Robin really wanted to sit in the train too, although you can see that he looks too big

In one of the hands-on sections, Robin and I got to race model trains

Liam liked watching the trains.  (He couldn't say it at the time, but Liam recently started saying "choo choo" for "train")

Poppa purchased Robin a ride on the big train

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There was one other hands-on model train set-up, where they let kids push switches that turned various "extras" on the track on and off (a witch circling a haunted house, a windmill, street lights, the train whistle, etc.)  Robin loved it, and thankfully there was nobody waiting so he got to play for a while

Robin's self portrait, made in preschool

Before Thanksgiving, I set Liam in his high chair with some turkey pictures taped to his tray and gave him some crayons.  And he colored for a while!

On December 1st, we set up our Christmas tree.  This made Robin about as wild as he can get.  Here, he's dancing/flailing his limbs about to show how excited he is.

Standing on the tree box

As a side note, Dean measured both boys' heights on this box the day we set the tree up, and labeled it "2012."  Robin ate like a maniac for a few weeks after Christmas, and when we finally took the tree down on January 13th, I had them both stand next to the box again.  Robin grew and INCH in that month-and-a-half, and Liam (who didn't have quite as obvious of a spurt, food-wise) grew about an INCH-and-a-QUARTER!  I still can't believe they both sprouted so much in so short a time.

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Dean found an advent calendar on clearance last year, and we used it for Robin this year.  It had a small Imaginext toy inside for each day (they're a series of toys, and Robin has several action figures of theirs already.)  There were a few big items, and the rest were mostly accessories.  This was a fun way for Robin to count up until Christmas, although it made him rather wild, too

Helping to decorate

Liam helped too.  We had to keep the soft, kid-proof ornaments on the bottom, and we added a lot of toys too, so the bottom would look decorated

Yay!  Clap clap

As another side note, we trace the boys' hands on cardstock each year and have an ornament for each of them, showing off their handprints for each year to  show how they've grown.  Liam's handprint this year, at 18 months, is the same size as Robin's 26 month (2 years, 2 months) handprint.

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Putting Santa at the top.  Note the toys at the bottom of the tree

Robin regularly tells us that when he is a grown-up named Mr. Fix It, he's going to make all sorts of things.  The other night he said he'd make a door into the TV so we could go inside.