the day after xmas

We had our full family xmas celebration the day after (with the full yummy dinner since we enjoyed chinese food on xmas day). Here are some magic movie snippets:

The Day After Xmas 09 from LB on Vimeo.

art museum

We had such a nice morning at the Cleveland Art Museum. Aiden was mesmermized by the Hall of Armor. It is fun that the new wing looks out over J's old stomping grounds at Case. We also really enjoyed lunch at Mi Pueblo mexican restaurant right down the street.

A Nice Morning from LB on Vimeo.

xmas snapshots

I haven't take the photos off my camera yet, but here are a bunch mostly taken by my dad.
Aiden likes to call this the Gingerbread Boy Tree - He says here, "I helped Izzie!"

I think Uncle David, the new camera guru, took this one:
Playing piano:
Woah, that is a big canister of playdoh!
Juju cuddles:
Lizzie likes to strike a deal while playing Chutes and Ladders:
Poppop caught me running:
My favorite present was a watercolor of our first real home as a family painted by my amazing mommu aka. grangran:
Lizzie and David's house portrait and There's a Hippo in My Tub old record (with Aiden's photo pasted over poor Anne Murray's portrait):
Apple yum! It has a big layer of peanut butter mixed with cream cheese and chocolate:

xmas fun!

We are still having fun-o-la, but here are some snippets from our double xmas day fun - half in MA and half in OH:

Xmas Day in MA 09 from LB on Vimeo.

Xmas Day in OH 2009 from LB on Vimeo.

happy bday

We had big plans for all the birthdays coming up to have Aiden send happy birthday ecards, but he was only saying mommy and daddy and occasionally mumbling the name of the birthday girl/boy- Lotsa birthdays coming up kicked off with H's big day today! Happy Birthday H, K, K, C, X, A, L and T! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you all!

treat for nana and gramp

Here is an xmas treat for the Brennan's - Cousins playing on Xmas Eve - We miss and love you! Have a merry day!

Aiden loves his new truck - Thanks!

Zoom Vrooom from LB on Vimeo.

merry!

hippos for xmas

The 2009 edition (that isn't quite right but I couldn't get moviemaker to cooperate) - It's still fun and continues the tradition:

Hippo for Xmas 09 from LB on Vimeo.

Here is 2008.
Here is 2007.

matching

Year two of poor J's torture - much to Aiden and my delight:

Here was last year.

What a sweet man I have in my life - I'm one lucky lady to have this guy smile after shoveling/moving what he figures is 1,000 cubic feet of snow:

teach em early

Never too early to learn the different types of guitars:

Aiden loves it when J shows him the different guitars and instruments in his music catalogs. He learned how to identify a stratocaster, which I'm not even sure I could pick out.

jingle bells!

He then breaks into full on jibber jabbering/screaming... which I will spare you so your speakers don't blast out.

snow play!

We're breaking some records with this snow fall and it's still coming.

Here's Aiden with many layers out to "help" dad with all the "tall snow." He was most excited to "jump" in the snow (see the end of this video) he lost his boots in two separate spots with the jumping shenanigans. J had to shovel them out so he came back inside with socks packed with snow.

Legendary snow! from LB on Vimeo.

snuggles

What do you do if you have snow like this?

Play with an early xmas present - Uno Moo! It's Uno for the preschool crowd with colored animal figures instead of cards. Aiden loves to "match animals!" We play without hiding pieces and he loves it.
More stretching on tv - Family Yoga ;)
Sorting the big boy rummi-uno tiles:
Yesterday was the day before the storm or the day to watch all my friends report on their massive snowfall in places where they only have approx one snow plow. J had to give a final exam to some poor kids that will probably be stuck here because flights are canceled. Aiden and I played in our jammies all day long. Staying inside avoiding any cold blustery overcrowded places...although there wasn't any snow yet.

I did almost venture out with Aiden because I had a craving for a snuggie. You know those blankets with arms. I have an absurd number of blankets so I don't really need one, but it does seem like a good idea. Then in a lucid moment I realized that I could make one by sticking two blankets together. So easy - zip stitched along the top 1/3 on each side leaving 1/3 for the head hole. I now have my own schnazzy homemade snuggie to snuggle for the rest of the weekend ;) Under my snuggie I have the new one piece extravaganza my secret santa bought because they clearly have a sense of humor - ha!
Also if you are looking to waste some time on this snowy lazy day, I just have to post this link that made me laugh:
http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000749.php
It's a dad that measured the different reactions his son had to getting a wrapped box of raisins for xmas - what a difference a year makes!

cars!

Here's Aiden snuggling his Cars at lunchtime! He was very excited to recieve his very own xmas card from L and D - Thanks!

7,000

This goodie is the 7,000th photo taken on my new camera (you know the one I got in June!). That doesn't include all the other video and photos I've taken on my point and shoot and my work camera. Woo, that's a tired trigger finger.

tgif video

making the rounds

It's that time of year again! Here's Aiden grooving on Jib Jab. I know that these videos are deleted, so I took some screen shots to save. We'll call these the "dress rehearsal" photos:

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Here's a link to the Portable North Pole - Aiden actually liked watching Santa talk to him:
http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/98432f7c847437be4ef230cd9ab0fa2b

good list

Tippy Top of the Good List this month: We look forward to welcoming a new nephew in the Spring - Lucas Michael! Congratulations to M, J, and big sister K!

Xmas cards - I just love getting big batches of xmas cards to open when I get home. This beauty was painted by my mommu!
Yo-yos as xmas decorations - I strung these together to make garland strands - So easy! Best part is that you can buy them off etsy to save time.

My sweet husband bought me this xmas cactus on one of his many shopping trips to help Aiden find me a present...still don't know what they found, but I hope it's better than the Cars stuff that Aiden wanted to pick out for his dad when I took him to the store and asked him what he wanted to get his dad ;) wink.
When we whipped out this early xmas present, I wasn't sure if he'd be into it, but he now asks for "stretching on tv." He has favorite parts of the yoga abcs like the hot air balloon and the moo/meow. He likes to say hi to the yoga kids and the teacher, which makes me smile. My favorite part is that it stretches out all my tired muscles from carrying this 30 lb baby.
Birthday shout outs on ohdeedoh: "Happy 2nd Birthday to our little lion fan! It is hard to beleive it was two years ago that you were our dark haired baby full of blinks and wiggles. Now you're our little blondie boy full of cuddles and stomps and lotsa lion roars! We loved celebrating how much that little lion roar has grown over the last year at your Lion Party."
Bogs boots! A woman in my RISD class had these schnazzy boots (hers were a really cool pattern that I wasn't brave enough to own, since J would like to make fun of them probably). She swore that they were the warmest, most comfortable boots she'd ever owned. I was sold when I realized the top was this really comfy neoprene type stuff - and totally waterproof. She was iffy on where you could find them outside of going to the Berkshires, but thanks to zappos.com I ordered my very own pair (for about half the price too!).

cookies!

We made some cutout sugar cookies yesterday. I think that Aiden may have added his special "ingredient" (aka. boogers) to some of them so we don't plan to share them, don't worry. It was mainly just a big mess for fun ;)

jumping santa giggles!

Jumping Santa! from LB on Vimeo.

dance party

Friday was our Engin Winter Party. Despite it really feeling like winter around here, we had quite the turnout. The best part was that a group of our professors put together a band over the last year and they really made the party. The kids were in full on dance party mode most of the night. The other half they were running in circles around the huge room and playing at the craft table.