My Son, the Composer

A few nights ago when I was putting little guy to bed, big guy came in the room and asked if he could sing him a lullaby. We all sat in the rocking chair together and big guy began to sing a made up song: "You are the best baby brother in the world...I love you so much. You are everything I have ever wished for...even more than a dog." :)

Holiday Magic

I have been kind of teary for the last few days, and I think it is because we are at the end of another holiday season. This was the most magical Christmas I have had since I was a child, and it is because I have children of my own to share it with now. We had an amazing Christmas, and I am just a little sad to see it end!

We went to the Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier. Both boys were thrilled with the lights...big guy especially loved the Spongebob Santa lights! We were also able to ride the holiday train, little guy's favorite thing! Lake Lanier has a beautiful Christmas shop, and we always let the boys choose an ornament for the tree. This year, big guy picked a cowboy ornament (in honor of his cowboy birthday party this past August), and little guy picked (what else???) a train.

We also took a trip to Bryson City, NC, to ride the Polar Express! Little guy is completely obsessed with this movie (of course he is, it's about a TRAIN!!!). The trip turned out to be quite an adventure, as we ended up driving into a snowstorm, but the snow really only added to the whole "Polar" experience. This trip was pure magic, and I would recommend it to anyone with kids! We sat in the first-class car and the kids feasted on Christmas cookies and, of course, hot chocolate! Their tickets were stamped by a conductor, and they were served by chefs just like in the movie (minus the acrobatic dancing). We listened to the story and rode to the North Pole (which was, unfortunately, suffering from a power outage due to the winter storm). Once at the North Pole, we picked up Santa! He spent time with each child in our car and gave us each a beautiful bell from his sleigh. On the way back we sang Christmas carols and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. The snow was so bad that we had to find a last-minute hotel room, but it just added to the fun! The best part of the night was when big guy told us that since we rode a train to the North Pole, now he knew that he had seen the REAL Santa.

Two Today!

My little guy turned two yesterday. My sweet baby boy is two. All day long yesterday, if you asked him how old he was, he would turn that heartwarming smile on you and proudly proclaim, "Two today!" For a couple of hours, actually, he was telling us he was five, mostly because it was making big guy crack up. But he knew that yesterday was a big day. He could tell that there was something special about being "two today."

His gift was a new Thomas the Tank Engine train table, and we couldn't have found anything he could love any better. Since we gave it to him, he has not left its side except to eat (a little), sleep, and get in the car. We've even changed his diaper right next to it! He cried bitterly about going to sleep last night...we think he was afraid the train table might be gone when he woke up. He has been in train heaven.

We had cake and ice cream as a family last night, and we're having a couple of little friends over for a train birthday party tomorrow. We have been celebrating this wonderful kid for a couple of days now, but if I am being honest, this birthday is bittersweet for me. Two is the beginning of toddlerhood...I realize that I officially don't have a baby at home anymore, and that breaks my heart. Two years have gone by much faster than I ever imagined that they could. Every day is amazing to me...he grows by leaps and bounds and learns so many new things. But part of me will always wish I could keep him just as he is now, my sweet, cuddly little baby who can stop the world with his precious smile. Happy birthday, my little guy. I love you more than you will EVER know!

Hooray for Holidays!

This is the last year that big guy will have a whole week out of school for Thanksgiving. Next year he will be in school Monday and Tuesday. So we are celebrating this week! I LOVE having the boys home for a few days. Yesterday we went downtown to Imagine It, the Children's Museum of Atlanta. They had a Curious George exhibit that I wanted the boys to see...they are both big fans of George! We had the most wonderful time! Big guy was all over the place, wanting to try everything at least once and usually over and over again! The George exhibit was really cute. There were lots of hands-on experiences...big guy got to direct a wind machine to make windmills turn, create a shadow play with his hands, and build with Tinkertoys! They also had a really cute "Curiosity" musical that both boys loved. I promise that little guy was having a lot more fun than he looks like in the picture! There was a train track suspended from the museum's ceiling, and little guy would have been perfectly happy to sit there and watch it go around all day! Big guy and I did talk him into trying out some of the other stuff in the museum too! After the boys had played the morning away, we stopped by Atlanta landmark the Varsity for lunch. Both boys made a meal out of nothing but Varsity french fries. I can't complain too much, though...they are REALLY good fries! We had the most wonderful day together...they are really just fun, cool kids to hang out with!

Today, we drove to Buckhead to keep our family tradition of riding the Pink Pig at Lenox Square. The Pink Pig is an Atlanta holiday tradition dating back to the mid-50's. Macy's (or Rich's, as it used to be known) sets up a little train shaped like, well, a pink pig! The pig train pulls you through a giant cutout storybook that tells the story of Priscilla the Pink Pig. Apparently this has been a popular family tradition for many years in Atlanta, but we just started visiting last year. We knew that we had to take little guy this year as he is completely obsessed with trains! The line for the Pink Pig is always VERY long, and the ride itself is pretty short! But the kids don't seem to mind the wait, and it's just one of those things that we look forward to as a family. Daddy was able to sneak away from the office and join us for a quick ride, so we were all pretty excited about that! We don't have anything on the agenda tomorrow except for Christmas decorating...hope the kids aren't too bored after two fun days!

Keep It Positive!

Big guy has, unbelievably, brought home ANOTHER filled positive punch card today!!! I am about to burst with pride. This is finally the year when he is getting recognition for what he is doing right instead of only for what he is doing wrong. I know that on Thanksgiving, I will definitely be giving thanks for the teachers that were put into his life this year, because I know that they are helping him on his way to becoming a better student. His six cards are proudly hanging on the fridge, and he is enjoying his vanilla milkshake reward. Keep it up, my guy...I always knew you were a star, and now others are starting to see it too!

The Price of Beauty

Big guy was watching me put on my makeup this morning. He watched quietly until I started to put on my mascara.

BIG GUY: If I was a girl, and I was a teenager, I would not want to do that.

ME: Why not?

BIG GUY (in a voice filled with terror): Because you are taking that spiky thing and putting it IN! YOUR! EYE!!!!!!

Wiggle Time!

Today we took little guy to see his absolute favorite musicians in the entire world, the Wiggles. Big guy had a ticket and was supposed to go with us, too, but he was up all last night throwing up and having diarrhea, so needless to say, he didn't make it. He was a remarkably good sport about it, too, saying he would just go next year. It fulfilled all of little guy's dreams, though...he couldn't believe what he was seeing! After all these months of listening to the music and watching the dances on TV, he finally saw the "Wy-Wys" in person! At first, he was a little overwhelmed. He sat still chewing on his fingers with his eyes wide. But as the show went on, he began singing along with all of his favorite songs and dancing up a storm! His favorites were all part of the set list: "Dr. Knickerbocker," "We're All Getting Strong," and "Five Little Joeys Jumping on the Bed." We also took a dozen roses for Dorothy the Dinosaur and a bone for Wags the Dog, which we were able to give to one of the dancers. The highlight of the day was when little guy had a chance to wave at Murray as he walked right by us...it was like he had seen a movie star! This was our third time seeing the Wiggles, and they always put on such a terrific show. It's fun for parents and kids alike, and it's so great to see a group who really seem to enjoy entertaining little ones. I'm adding a picture of little guy's amazed face...it really was priceless!