Florida Christmas Trip 2010-Part 1

Yes, part 1, because as usual we crammed everything we could into a trip home to FL so there will be several parts to this trip :)

Part one chronicles our first few days in St. Pete. There was countless baby holding and reading. Luke's grammy keeps a supply of books and toys at her house for Luke (and now Brad). One of Luke's favorites is this book, which I think is called No James. Luke will ask for it to be read over and over again. He thought it was hilarious to change the name to No Lukie and made us read it that way. It is about a boy who does everything wrong and gets told no very often...wonder if that was familiar to him in some way...hmmm.



Brad, who had so many santa/Christmas related clothes I had to start with him wearing outfits early in the week!



We had a playdate at the park with my friend Jennifer and her two sons, Charlie (age 4) and James (born 5 days after Brad!). It was so nice to see them and to exchange stories on how life is going with two boys and making it through the newborn phase! I wish we lived closer so we could get the boys together all the time!

Also at the park was my fourth grade teacher Mrs. Fultz! It was great to get the chance to visit while we were in FL :) Both Jennifer and Mrs. Fultz taught school at the same school my Dad taught at in St. Pete.



Luke and Charlie playing



Jennifer and James, Me and Brad



Luke took over the camera, he's not a bad shot, you just have to squat to get in his pictures :)

2 month comparison

Do the similarities between Luke and Brad continue at the 2-month mark?
You be the judge (but I'll give you a hint, people-and I mean people I don't know but that see us out and about-still tell me now at over 4 months that Brad looks just like Luke).

Luke at 2 months (22.5 inches and 11.6 pounds)



Brad at 2 months (~23 inches and 11.11 pounds)



Minus Luke's hemangioma, they are still looking a lot alike. Luke continues to have more hair :)

Trains!

This fall and winter have been birthday party season for Luke's class at preschool and other friends in Atlanta. I counted that he has been to 7 birthday parties, including his own since October :) Just before we left to go to Florida for Christmas, we were able to go to Luke's buddy Oliver's birthday party at the Train Museum. The party was really neat, it was held on a old train car and we all got to take a ride around on a real train. Had it not been 30 degrees or so out, it would have been just that much nicer, but we all had a good time. Brad was great hanging out in the baby bjorn the whole time and bundled inside my jacket when we went outside. It is great to experience new things in Atlanta, if it weren't for these birthday parties, we'd never get out!

Luke painting a train ornament



Luke with his buddies Ben and birthday boy Oliver looking out the train car window



Pinatas are big with this age group, but always require an adult to actually get the candy out :)



Riding the real train (mommy and Brad stayed inside the covered car)

Pre-Christmas Christmas

Thanks to a couple of great aunts (actual great aunts to Luke and they are actually great too), Luke had some gifts to open before Christmas at our house. Plus, they did wonders to make our Christmas tree not look so empty underneath!

Luke by the tree with the presents



Luke with his new pillow pal



Luke is a pro opening presents this year!

12-15-10

just 'cause it is cute :)

Brad smiling in his sleep

Brad at eight weeks

This one is just for me, so that I can remember what Brad was like as a newborn. I don't expect anyone else to want to listen to this video. Basically, around 6 weeks or so, Josh and I began to suspect that Brad might be colicky. Every night around 9 he would just be very fussy and there wasn't much we could do for him. I nicknamed him Cranky McFussypants, and he was. It wasn't just at night, it would happen often during the day as well. I knew (hoped!) he'd grow out of it eventually, and I didn't want to forget (well maybe I do) what we went through with him, because neither of us remember Luke ever being like that and maybe we just forgot what a newborn was like. But our recollections of Luke are that he was a really easy laid back baby from the beginning. Brad has been much more emotional, and by that I mean he gets madder and fussier than Luke ever did, but he is also a very happy baby too. Currently at 4 months old he is so smiley and laughs easily, it definitely makes up for the crankiness! Anyway, when Brad was 8 weeks old, I shot this video of him crying in the little seat. This is a glimpse of what I listened too much of the day at this age, nothing I did or didn't do helped him, unless I carried him around all day which just wasn't possible :(

Will it be this year?

Will it be this year that Luke will sit in Santa's lap?

Well, he didn't want to sit in his lap when Santa went to his school this year, so we weren't planning on trying the mall Santa. We did go to the mall to look at the Christmas decorations and while we were there Luke was really interested in Santa, but we didn't have him dressed cute enough in my opinion for a photo right then. So we told Luke we'd come back later in the week and see Santa.

Pictures from our first trip to the mall
Luke and Daddy by the big tree



Brad


Luke looking at Santa



So we got the boys dressed for a picture with Santa and went back on a Wednesday evening. Originally we weren't going to have Brad's picture taken with Santa since he was so little, but I had a suspicion that Luke might change his mind and I didn't want to have waited in line for nothing, someone was getting their picture with Santa. We lucked out in that there was no line to see Santa!
So what do you think, how many children will be in the photo with Santa this year???




Yep, just as we thought, only Brad :) Maybe next year!