No Christmas is Complete Without a Little Fire

The St.Jeor family sent us the coolest gift - lanterns to "light up the night" on Christmas eve, so Santa could see his way to our house. The lanterns are made of biodegradable paper, about 4 feet tall, and have a block-like candle that gets attached to wire at the base of the lantern to make it float into the sky.

This all seemed pretty simple to me, however my parents decided to not only read the directions, they decided to debate their contents. One small challenge here - the directions for the lanterns were written by someone who's first language was definitely not english. And while very entertaining to read, some of the gaps in the directions made my parents over analyze the basic instructions.

As they debated back and forth, I sat - as I was told to - on the planter box. As my dad lit the lantern and they went back and forth on how it would eventually fly, I sat patiently saying "light, light, light." Then suddenly - just as the directions had stated - the lantern self lifted in to the sky. WOW! It worked! None of us could believe it. It just kept going up and up and up and OH NO!

While my parents focused so heavily on the process, no one cared to look up and realize they were lighting the lantern directly under our 50' pine tree in our front yard. Yup, the lantern, and 4' paper enclosure, and it's fire - floated right into the tree, then up, and up and wedged itself into the middle of the tree where it burned.

In what is considered a "less-than-merry" family moment, my parents tried to decide who's stupidity was responsible for what we hoped wouldn't be a call to the fire department on Christmas eve. I got my football helmet on (wouldn't you?) and came back and sat calmly on the planter box, which was directly under the burning fire in the pine tree. I pointed - in case no one had realized - and said, "tree, fire!" Neither of my parents looked amused but I was quickly moved to the porch to watch the spectacle.

Fortunate for all of us, the lantern eventually burned itself out without igniting the tree or our house on fire - whew, that would have been a little too much "merry and bright" for us. Thanks St.Jeors for the cool gift and the story to last a lifetime!

The daytime was far less eventful. We visited the National Christmas tree and went to the National Harbor to see the water skiing Santa and his reindeer. They had elves that did flips on knee boards and air chairs - a descent show for guys skiing in 43 degree water, brrr!

As you may have heard, I'm not too thrilled with the idea of sitting on Santa's lap this year. Attempts have been made and well, it hasn't ended well. So my mom and I compromised. Below is my official "Photo with Santa" for this year. While it's not the real guy, we both look happy in the picture!

And finally, the joys of Christmas morning came today. We got up to find our living room filled with cool stuff. Here are some photo highlights from the morning.

I got a new ski helmet and goggles for skiing!

 This is me giving an M&M to my Grandma and Grandpa on the webcam - they spent Christmas with us "electronically."

 My grandparents gave me my first bike - I love it!

 Like my new swim goggles!?!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Merry Everything!

Another action-packed week; this Christmas stuff is awesome.

We checked out "ZooLights" for the first time and LOVED it. The national zoo stays open late during the month of December and has a ton of lit animal shapes - very cool. If you've never been, I highly recommend it. And if you don't live in the DC area, I'd like to once again, thank you for your tax dollars that make all the stuff in our town free.

Next was my buddy Dru's birthday. She had it at the Hidden Oak Nature Center and we got to see lots of cools stuff like live turtles, snakes, and a giant lizard (but the guy who worked there kept correcting us saying it was a fancy dragon name - it looked like a lizard).

We saw a stuffed fox, climbed an indoor tree house, and compared stuff like leaves and butterfly wings under a microscope. Dru and I just needed white lab coats to look "official."

Then it was off to four parties in one day - whew. Let me just say, our friends know how to throw parties. One house had more than 20 desserts displayed on the table. Oddly, they were just high enough that I couldn't reach a single one without asking for help - hmm, I'm sure that was an oversight. Another house had decorated an entire twelve foot Christmas tree with blown glass elephant ornaments - yes, they're Republicans. It looked really cool. They had kids' crafts - I made an ornament and a wreath, they had treats, and they had lots of fun people. The day was slam-packed with fun.

We topped off our week with a caroling party. My dad absolutely LOVES to sing Christmas carols. The odd thing is that he doesn't know all of the words to a single Christmas song, and really isn't too worried about learning them. But what he lacks in skill he makes up for in spirit. He sings the loudest and does lots of wild motions with his arms as he sings. He definitely has the most fun. So every year my mom invites friends over to go caroling and every year she prays people show up - because with or without a crowd, my dad will head out to knock on doors and sing his heart out - he's the best. We had a great group this year. My buddy Jackson and I were in charge of the bells. We stood in the front with our Santa hats on and shook the bells while everyone else sang. We did add an occassional "Hey!" once in a while.

I have been practicing my Christmas songs. A few of my favorite lines that I sing completely out of context in the middle of conversation are, "You better not cry. You better not pout. He sees you when you're sleepin. To town!" and "Santa baby!" Oh, and jingle bells," check this out...

'Tis the Season

Tis the season for endless Christmas parties and I have definitely joined in the festivities. We hosted our annual Christmas brunch at our house a few weeks ago, then my parents were in charge of the Christmas party for our church last week, the theme was "Home for the Holidays"

The hallway to get to the party

 The entrance to the party

The party

That's my dad putting the bow on top of the GIGANTIC, real Christmas tree!

I got to go to my dad's office for his office Christmas party (this is me playing in his office before the party - loved it!)

And this weekend we have FIVE Christmas parties - I can't wait. Though my calendar only shows four parties on it. Hey, did I get left off the late-night cocktail party!?!? Maybe that was a mistake. Hope your holiday is packed with fun too!

The Bodester

This post is largely for me and Dave; so we don't forget this moment in time. We hope you find some entertainment in it as well.

Since birth, and especially since Bodie started talking, we've made an intentional effort not to use the word "mine." You naturally learn to be possessive, so why jump on that bandwagon at an early age. You'll hear us say, "This is mommy's," or "This is Bodie's," as we are referring to items such as a toothbrush. Bodie has really learned from this and (currently) has no real use for the word mine. We're total geniuses, I know. That's what we've been thinking until...

Several friends have recently pointed out that Bodie talks about himself almost exclusively in the third person - often calling himself by his own nickname, Bodester. This is apparently not typical for a 2 year old and provides an opportunity for every one of our friends to make fun of us! Oh well, so much for perfect parenting.

So here are some of our favorite third party comments he makes about himself:
"Wake-up Bodester!" - as we get him out of his crib in the morning
"Bodie eat it up" - referring to his meals
"All done Bodester" - when he's finished with breakfast, lunch, or dinner
"Bodester happy, no nap" - if you're grumpy you must take a nap in our house. He's eternally trying to convince us that he is only happy so therefore, no need for a nap.
"Go Bodie Go!" - something he yells at full volume while kicking or running with any type of ball
"Could go all way...Bodester touchdown!" - this starts out in normal voice and then by the word touchdown is yelled at full volume when he reaches the touchdown destination with his football.

Thanks for making us laugh out loud Bodester!

Now I Know How the Elfs Feel

This season is non-stop, whew! Between Oct 31st and January 16th (just 77 days in case anyone is counting), we have three major holidays, a big Christmas brunch, and three birthdays in our house - not to mention a few trips. Don't get me wrong, I love it. It's just hard to keep up on the blog posts.

I had an awesomely fun play date with the Stransky Brown family - they are funny. We went to Francesca's soccer game, shot baskets, and ran around and around their house. Apparently talking about yourself in the third person isn't normal for a two year old so it prompted lots of jokes later in the evening. I tried to explain that I wasn't tired and said, "Bodie happy, no nap." Then as I ran by everyone in lightening speed I'd yell, "Bodie fast!" And after the frequent crash (from running so fast) I'd say, "Bodie wipeout." My mom says I, and a guy named Bob Dole, have a lot in common, whatever that means. Anyway, thanks Stransky Brown family for such a fun day.

We headed out Thanksgiving morning to Utah for a little Turkey dinner with my Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Rick, Aunt Margo, and cousins Lindsie, Troy, and Mallory. The trip was slam-packed with fun - bowling, a trip to the aquarium, a trampoline bounce house, golf, a visit to see the temple lights at night, a day at the zoo, endless turkey and treats, and a huge birthday party (for me!) where I got my own 49ers football helmet - does it get better than that!

I got off the plane with my turkey hat on. Lots of people pointed and laughed at me - thanks mom. But it made my grandparents laugh, and that was the goal, so i think i'll keep this turkey head around for a while.

My grandpa Jacquie got a new hip two weeks ago. "WHAT??!?!!!" many of you are saying, "I had no ideas!" Exactly. She decided to tell no one so she could spend the time recooperating. She looks good and is moving around great. Her plan is to be golfing this month (if the snow holds off) and then back on snow and water skis in 2012 - what a cool grandma. My dad explained to me that she got a new hip so when I saw her I said, "Nice hip Grandma," because that's what you say, right?

Thanks to the dozens of family and friends who came over on Saturday to help me celebrate my first two years. If the next 98 are anywhere near similar, this is going to be one VERY fun adventure.

 

Let the Birthday Month Begin!

There's something to be said for having your birthday right after Thanksgiving and just before all of the holiday parties start. My parents are both January birthdays and have great, personal sympathy for being born too close to Christmas. So, to remedy that, they've begun a pattern of celebrating my birthday in early to mid November. This is great because I get my party early in the month and then, by law (or at least it should be a law), they must celebrate again on my actual Birthday at the end of the month; and wa-la, the birthday month is born!

My Nana and PopPop sent me my gift in time for my party - way before my actual birthday - so I scored a new tennis racquet that's just my size. I've already been out on the court - check out my form (but pay no attention to the large amount of missed balls sitting near my feet).

Ten of my buddies came over this weekend for a football party. And while we may be short in size, we sure looked tough with our football eye glare make-up. We jumped in the sports moon bounce, attempted field goal kicks, made playdough creatures, played in the band, and ate football cupcakes and hot dogs - a 2-year olds paradise.

The photos provide MUCH better commentary than I can, so here are a few pics - enjoy!

49ers, Hope, and Happiness

GO NINERS! That was my motto this past week and it totally worked. We went to the 49er vs Redskins  game on Sunday and my Niners came out victorious! This was my second NFL game - last year I got to see the Dolphins play Baltimore (not as good of an outcome in that game) - and I can now comfortably say I'd like to own an NFL team when I grow up; football is fun.

My dad even got in to it and wore 49er gear (rather than his usual Dolphins attire). And while I was one of the smallest fans at the game, I showed my big spirit by running through the crowds in the parking lot and the stadium yelling "Go Niners!" Even the Redskins fans were nice to me - probably because I'm short (and I winked at them as I passed).

Then my buddy Hope came to town with her mom Amy. Amy and my mom have been friends since they had a food fight at sleep-away camp when they were 12 years old - pretty cool. Anyway, we had a blast and spent the day at the zoo. I showed Hope all of my favorite spots - Amazonia, the O line, and the pandas. And this is how she showed me her appreciation... Yes, I'd be happy to take her to the zoo again - shazam!

Then last night two of my favorite people, Christine and Uncle M.O. came to visit me. Christine gave me a cool  bowling set (but my parents have already commandeered it for themselves and are competing to see who can knock down the most pins - good grief!). This is why I love Christine and M.O. - they love to play. They let me wear their shoes, they put on goofy hats, and they're just plain fun. Thanks for a great evening.

Spooktacular Weekend

We jammed in as much as possible in the past three days - trick-or-treating, yard work, Halloween parties, bike ride, cookie decorating, birthday party, church, soccer - and we even got SNOW! Does it get better than this?

Here's a photo recap of our fun...
Halloween cookie decorating, yes, that is frosting in my eye

 First party of the weekend - we went as pirates to that party

Yard work with a a break for a soccer game through the graveyard

Another party - this time I was a UPS delivery guy and my parents were UPS shipping boxes

Then the main event - total chaos in our neighborhood. This is the fifth straight year with more than 400 trick-or-treaters.

I worked the smoke machines and strobe light

Loved every minute of it!