3 Feet of Snow, 2 Sled Rides, & Me in a Cardboard Box Manger

 Christmas morning we jumped in our car and headed to Vermont - I think I saw Santa's boots going up the chimney because we left so early in the morning. We got there in time for afternoon fun and I made my debut in the cousins' Christmas pageant - yep, I was cast as the baby Jesus. My cousins wanted to make sure I was comfortable in the manger so they let me choose my own costume (notice the sports shirt and striped socks) and allowed me to bring in a prop (my bottle). The play was awesome and contrary to popular anticipation, I never escaped from the manager during the show - see, I can follow directions.

Christmas night it began to snow...and snow...and snow. By the next night the white stuff was taller than me! After we dug out, we played and played and played some more. I tried sledding. For the record, my mom, while a slower sledder, went straight and A LOT further than my dad. My dad went much faster but we always spun out and ended sideways about 30 feet from where we began. Both were fun but I think if I could mix my mom's direction with my dad's wild style, it would be the perfect sled ride.

While I've only tasted snow in a few states so far, I must say I like the fluffiness of the Vermont snow - mmm, mmm, good. My cousins built an enormous snow fort - we're talking 30 feet in length - it was incredible.

My mom and dad played a lot of snow football and my dad used football as an excuse to dive into the snow head first - he's nuts.

This was a fantastic Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas! We're headed to Vermont early Christmas morning (like 4am), and it's nearly midnight Christmas eve. So rather than write a lot of text for this blog, we're just including a few pictures of our December fun. Merry Christmas everyone! 

Countdown to Christmas

A few months ago we discovered some funny hash marks around the inside of Bodie's crib. We figured out Bodie was using his two bottom teeth - his only teeth - to gnaw on the sides of his crib. Dave said the marks looked like Bodie was stranded on a desert island and counting the days till he was rescued.

Recently those hash marks have shown up on the top of the wood around the crib. It was our first clue that Bodie is getting a few new teeth - on the top of his mouth. Secretly I think it's Bodie's countdown to Christmas - he can definitely feel the excitement.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm suppose to be worried about the wood he is eating or the damage it could do to his little teeth. Instead, those hash marks make me laugh every time I go to his crib, which probably sums up my parenting skills.

Santa?

So I went to visit Santa a few days ago. And while I'm told I met him last year, I was only a few days old and don't remember our encounter. First of all, the guy is big. And while he was very soft spoken and didn't bust out any billowing "Ho, Ho, Ho's" - he's still a bit intimidating. I mean the guy knows everything AND he's like 10 million years old.

I'm usually more than happy to hang out with strangers. Waiters and waitresses in the back of a restaurant, an unfamiliar dog at a park, or the random person standing behind us in line at the grocery store - I make friends with them all. But Santa...as you can see by the photo, he and I still have a bit more bonding to do. Good thing I've got a few more days to get on his "nice" list.

Update

Several people have asked how my Aunt Margo is doing since their car accident (See blog post "3am phone call") as well as how my Uncle Nick is doing in Afghanistan (See blog post "Hero"). So I thought I'd take a few minutes to provide you with an update. First, thanks for asking. We know a lot of people have added them to their prayers and you know what, that makes a BIG difference.

 Aunt Margo is a walking miracle - the walking part is a pretty big deal. At her last doctor's appointment he told her she was doing much better than they could have hoped and that no second surgery would be needed. He also told her she'd be getting moved into a soft neck brace sooner than expected. Here's a picture of her with her current neck "accessory." If you ask her how's she's doing she'll say she has no complaints and just goes on and on about how lucky she is...and I agree. We all feel pretty blessed to still have her. She posted her own blog about the car accident http://lybbfam.blogspot.com/  in case you want to check it out - it's appropriately titled "miracles." So I guess I need to get this walking stuff down so Aunt Margo and I can go for a walk really soon.

As for Uncle Nick, he sends us weekly updates and they always make us laugh. The latest update included pictures from their Thanksgiving. Apparently he decided to serve the troops ice cream - and he even wore a soda jerk hat....hmm, so many jokes here, but I'll just let you fill in the possible punchlines. Anyway, he continues to fix up the hurt soldiers and is meeting lots of cool people. We sure are lucky to have him too!

So keep the prayers and well wishes coming and before you know it, Aunt Margo will be back on her bike and Uncle Nick will be back in the U.S.