snow cakes and other treats

We woke up to even more snow this morning, along with a chilly day-time high temperature in the teens... Temporarily undeterred by the cold. Liam and I bundled up to go play outside.

The snow wouldn't pack good enough for a snow man, so instead we made snow cakes.

It wasn't too long until Liam's hands were freezing in his mittens. We came inside for some hot chocolate and apples.

Notice the big boy underwear. We are on day one of serious potty training. So far, he has peed on the floor 5 times and not one drop in his potty chair. Maybe tomorrow will go a bit better.

Christmas - round two

Ben, Carolyn, and Grace showed up at our place late on New Year's Eve. The trip from Alabama to Arkansas is suddenly much longer when you have a toddler... We should know.

We celebrated Christmas with them on New Year's morning. It was fun to watch Liam and Grace open presents. Liam was especially excited to get to open presents again.

Grace enjoyed Liam's craft table with all of the chalk. Carolyn is already telling Ben he needs to make a similar table for their little ones. I agree ;-)

Notice all of the coloring pages in the background. One of my daily crafty blog must-reads, Elsie Marley, had a new coloring page for each day leading up to Christmas. This was one of Liam's favorite festive activities.

Grace really took to her Uncle Gabriel quickly. We hadn't seen her since she was 8 weeks old, but it didn't take long at all for her to warm up to us.

We were greeted with a couple of inches of snow this morning. Ben was thrilled, even though they had to begin their drive back this morning. Hopefully their return trip went quicker than the drive out here.Thanks for such a nice visit!

In the snow

21 months

Somehow our little baby boy has turned into a toddler. His new big boy haircut only reinforces this definite change.

He now says things

Hold me, Mama

Purple cat vitamin

Doggies woof woof outside

Dahlia. Couch. Down!

Color markers

More juice. No milk.

The list goes on and on. It's fun to watch him discover new words and to let us in to his thought process, even when he is in a stinker mood.

Christmas day

Sunday morning I woke up with a sore throat, fever, body aches, and general yuckiness, and spent the day on the couch...apparently, the flu/cold was kind enough to arrive full strength on a day Gabe was home from work. By Monday I felt remarkably better, and today I feel fine other than a lingering cough. So, despite the interruption, here are some Christmas snapshots:

Christmas morning we woke up to find two miracles: a White Christmas and a still-sleeping toddler. We busied ourselves with warm drinks and reheated the coffeecakes I had made, and then finally woke the little guy.

We were all so caught up in the Christmas activities that we never took any pictures of the snow outside. There were several inches blanketing everything. It was beautiful. You'll just have to imagine it.

Liam was thrilled to find both a new pacifier (which he has lately begun calling his "fye fye" ?) and candy...

Enjoying our pastry and the warmth of a blazing fire in the woodstove, thanks to Uncle Forest.
Gabriel made Liam this incredible play kitchen.

Liam was more than excited to finally get to open all of the presents under the tree. And he did. He helped everyone open each present that he could get his hands on.

Grandpa and Grandma Hall made Liam an incredible tool set. I always knew that Kenny works with wood for a living, but the detail here is so impressive: a hammer, pliers, a framing square, a chisel, and a saw, all in a tool caddy with a measuring tape, a work apron, and carpenter's pencils. Lim thinks it is great, and it continues to be one of his favorite toys to play with.

Linda bundled up for the freezing temperatures in her new hat and scarf set from Molly. She looks cute, but sometimes you have to wonder just how much a cigarrette is worth when it is 18 degrees outside...

In the afternoon, we all decorated the gingerbread house.

But Liam thought it was much more fun if we left the decorating up to him.

Modeling a new shirt from Gabriel's parents.

When I came downstairs in this, Forest said, Whoa, Dorothy, you have a belly. I didn't notice before. He had been staying with us for the past week. Boys.

Although Christmas just isn't the same when parts of the family are missing, it was still a nice day. We stayed inside, ate good food, and enjoyed each other's company.

merry-making

This has been a very busy holiday season for me...enough that I haven't had much time for this space.

Here are some fun moments from the last week or so.

Liam has been enjoying crafting, and I tried to have a Christmas coloring page or activity for him most days. He really enjoyed making this "gingerbread baby" (as he likes to call it).
He discovered a new hat and wore it around the house for several days.

Watching Auntie Linda put on make-up was a favorite activity.

Feeding Grammie spaghetti.

Watching Uncle Forest play computer games.

I'll post about Christmas tomorrow.

A package from San Diego

Today, FedEx delivered a huge package from Grandma and Grandpa Hall in San Diego. Liam was thrilled to help me put the presents under our tree, but was even more excited when we came upon one that said Liam, Open Now.

Dahlia wanted to help, too.
A new ornament, handmade by Grandma.

Liam loves it so much he doesn't want to leave it on the tree.

Thanks, Grandma!