Kids say the darndest things

We had a wonderful week in Vermont and a fabulous Christmas holiday. Hope yours was filled with lots of joy and cheer as well :) Ashton got lots of practice opening presents and by his 822nd one, he was really quite efficient. I have approximately zero good pictures because he was like an unwrapping tasmanian devil - a total blur. But he gave us something better than pictures - his first word(s)! I am stating for the official record that his first word was "Ball". He holds them or points at them and exclaims "Ball!" loudly and proudly.

He also says car and attempts to say truck and book. There's no doubt that many more will be pouring out of him soon. The only thing that puts a slight damper on this new development was the fact that two days ago, he pointed at me (like, POINTED - that little finger was seriously straight) and said, "COW!" Well you can guess what I did. I jumped back in shock, that's what. And then I put the kibosh on that right away. We sat down with his farm animal puzzle to set things straight: "No, THIS is a cow. Black and white with spots. Moo!" He looked confused. Great, juuuuuust great. I'm going to get a tshirt that says MOM in huge letters and never take it off. COW is not high on the list of things I'd like to be called. Neither is elephant or hippopotamus, but I think I have awhile before Ashton masters those. 

Tis the Season

Fa la la la laaa la la la laaaaaa. It's almost Christmas! For those wondering how we gear up for the most wonderful time of the year, I thought I'd present a little "Nill Holiday How-To".

Step 1. MEET SANTA. Look jolly and cheerful.

Mmm, fail. There's always next year.

Step 2(a): GET A TREE.

If it were up to Jason, we'd go like the Griswolds from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and cut a tree the size of a small building with our bare hands. Thankfully, it's not up to Jason and there are lots of Home Depots around that take care of that. So off we went last Sunday - Jason had his pocket knife, his gloves, and his "weekend Dad shirt" on and he meant business. Ashton of course had no idea what was happening but was thrilled to find branches, a very long string and some mud to play around in. Home Depot = fun for everyone.

Step 2(b): DECORATE THE TREE. Help with the lights, as long as "help" is defined as wrapping them around your body and tugging at the strands so Dad has to redo everything.

Step 2(c): MARVEL AT THE TREE.

Step 3: STALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS. Every night this week, except tonight because it was too cold, I've plopped Ashton in his car for a post-dinner, pre-bedtime drive. There are so many great decorations and we go around, Ashton points and says, "DA!" (what else is new) and in general we get into the holiday spirit. Except one house has those blinking moving reindeer that scare Ashton to bits (not pictured).

Step 4: PRETEND TO HIDE IN THE CLOSET BUT REALLY, LOOK FOR PRESENTS.

Step 5: EAT SNACKS.Wait a minute. That's not really christmassy but nonetheless, an important step in any process. 

Step 6: LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC. We have a few favorite Pandora stations that are on pretty much every waking minute. This is hard to take a picture of though so you'll just have to imagine it.

Step 7: GO THROUGH ALL YOUR STUFF AND MAKE A LIST OF WHAT YOU DON'T HAVE FOR SANTA.

This doesn't take long; it's a short list.

Step 8: LOOK THE PART AT ALL TIMES. Elves are everywhere, watching.

STEP 9: JINGLE ALL THE WAY. For Ashton, this is what that looks like.

Step 10: Take the joy and pass it on :)

16 Months

Hi readers,

I haven't been the best at blogging lately. Between Aruba, Thanksgiving, selling our condo (yes, we sold!) and trying to find a new house, busy work schedules...well it sounds like I'm all excuses doesn't it. Ashton hit the big 1-6 a few days ago, hence letting him careen around on the turtle in the below video. 16 has also brought more pointing, more babbling, and a continued love for playing with inappropriate things.

On the bench behind him, you'll notice a small silver pot lid and yes, our coffee bean grinder. How does he get his hands on these things, you ask. Answer: we have one half of one cabinet that does not have a child lock on it. Why we've never installed it I don't know, but for Ashton many great things have come out of this open door - not just pots and coffee grinders but also the Great Fork Freedom Act of 2012:

This historical event released many pieces of plastic cutlery that had previously been confined to their cardboard box. One for the books.

Ashton's also been very into hiding. He will wedge himself into any tiny space or behind something like a chair and then peek back out. The funniest part is he doesn't quite understand yet that even if he can't see me, I can see him. Usually "hiding" will consist of most of his body still being visible. So anyway, he can often be found in the little gap between my closet and his crib, in Jason's closet, under the dining room table, etc.

Here he is at a toy store, behind the train display with his back to the register counter. 

So that's fun. 

He also loves to be chased and giggles like crazy when I follow behind and threaten "I'm gonna get you!" before eventually scooping him up.

Eating and reading are still favorite hobbies

as is pushing things around on the floor. Sometimes he does this with relevant things that have wheels, like a truck.

Other times it is a spice jar, a shoe, or one of his Freedom Forks. All in all, he's still quite busy - the trend continues!

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