Christmas 2010

We are so blessed to live so close to our families and to be able to celebrate Christmas with them each year.  We had another busy holiday and Alex was spoiled with gifts everywhere we went.  Santa came to our house Christmas morning and left some neat gifts too for Alex to find in the morning.  He wasn't too excited about unwrapping the gifts this year but once he saw what the gift was, he wanted to immediately open it and play with it.  He received several different cars which were a big hit this year and a big garage ramp for them to roll down.  Alex was such a good trooper all weekend long and even stayed up until 11:00pm on Christmas Eve so he wouldn't miss any of the fun.  It was so enjoyable for Dave and I to watch the excitement on his face.  What a wonderful Christmas we had as a family!      

Unwrapping presents with Alex.

 

Cool!  A sit-in-spin!!



The Michna Family

My very own choo-choo train rocking chair!

Alex and Daddy

 

Every year, Rob asks for "Peace and Quiet" and this year he got it (sorta) from my Dad who had him in our secret santa exchange.  Peace (dove) + Quiet (earplugs) and if that doesn't work, pull the red cord to find alcohol.  Way to be creative, Dad!

 

Christmas morning and Alex is busy playing with all his new toys!

Play Date / Cookies / Xmas Caroling

We got together with our friends, Katie & Zack and their son Ty on Saturday and had SO much fun together as usual.  Ty and Alex are just 6 months apart and it's neat to see them interacting together now that they are getting older and can play and have fun together.  I think they may be double trouble in future years but for now we're enjoying their innocence.  We took them to Kids in Motion to burn off some of their endless energy.  They both loved it and didn't want to leave!  Alex played his heart out and was asleep before we even pulled in the driveway. 



Come on Daddy, this way to the slide!



Nice to see there are some fruits in there, Alex!

Wheeeee...that was fun! 

Ty and Alex getting dirty with the dump trucks.

 I hosted Christmas cookie-making this year with my mom, sisters and Hailey.  We started early and made every cookie that was on our list this year.  At times, we were talking more than baking so we had a few mishaps along the way.  But, overall, it was a success!  Now I just can't wait for Christmas to try them out!



Miss Hailey carefully helping with the kiss cookies!



Hailey and Alex - Best Buds



Last week, Jenny got together a group of parents and kids to go Christmas caroling at one of the nearby nursing homes.  We had a great turnout with the kids and everyone enjoyed spreading the Christmas cheer to all the residents.  Hailey made Christmas cards for every person we saw and we handed out cookies so it was really neat to see all the smiles.



The little Christmas Carolers











Tree Cutting / Christmas Brunch



How 'bout this little tree?  It's just my height!

We had a jam-packed weekend of Christmas fun!  We went to cut down our Christmas tree on Saturday.  The weather was perfect and we beat all the snow Hartford started to get later that day.  We went for a wagon ride out to where all the trees were.  Santa Claus was even the driver!  We pulled Alex on a sled through the snow in hunt for the perfect tree.  He wasn't a real big help in choosing as his favorites seemed to be the size of him but we did find a beauty that Dave cut down to bring home and decorate.  It finally feels like Christmas now that our tree is up, decorated and sparkling in our living room!    



Grandma, don't lose me down that big hill!



Goin' for a wagon ride but Alex is a little unsure of it all.



 On Sunday, our daycare provider, Sharon, had a Christmas brunch for all the kids and their families.  The food was delicious and it was fun to see all the kids interacting together since they see each other on a daily basis.  Sharon always does something special for the kids and this year was no different.  She bought each one a Christmas outfit and had their pictures professionally taken and then put together a collage of all the kids in their special outfits.  It's darling!  Plus, Alex made an ornament for Mom and Dad to hang on the tree.  Sharon, we're so lucky to have you taking care of our little Alex Man all year long!





Look at all my daycare friends!



Kisses from Vivian:)



Thanks, Sharon, for taking such good care of me while Mommy and Daddy are at work.





Happy St. Nick!

St. Nick stopped by our house and filled Alex's stocking with fun toys and treats.  He knows Alex all too well and got him some matchbox cars with a race car mat to go with.  There must be something magical about them (which I have yet to figure out) because it keeps him entertained literally ALL day long!  I think it's a boy thing.  He loved the M&Ms too but could have cared less about the rest of his stocking once he set eyes on those cars!



St. Nick was good to me!



Taking his cars for a spin around the race track.



Traffic Jam!





M-ies are my favorite!



Enjoying our first snowfall! 



Ho! Ho! Ho!

We had breakfast with Santa at Grandma Michna's work to get into the holiday season.  Alex was a little timid with Santa but didn't cry or squirm away.  Mrs. Claus was even there and gave Alex a big stocking full of treats.  Alex's favorite was the messy candy cane!  Alex was in all his glory with all the other little kids running around.  Thanks for such a fun morning, Grandma!

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Have you been a good little boy this year?

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 Santa wishing the Michna's a Merry Christmas!

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 Thanks Grandma:)  I had so much fun!!

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 Checking out the pretty ornaments with Daddy.

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Alex stubbed his toe so had to kiss his owie. 

What a silly goofball!

Happy Turkey Day!!

We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving Day with our family of which we are so thankful to have in our lives! Thanks to Auntie Joan and Uncle Don & Aunt Karen for hosting this year. There was so much food and it was all delicious! I thought Alex would enjoy the feast more but there was just too much excitement for this little boy so he was busy playing and entertaining all day.

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Auntie Ann giving Alex some snuggles:)
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Gracie was Alex's girlfriend for the day!
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Alex & Jill
. Alex had to give the newest little Beyer one of his sweet kisses.

Facial Expressions

Alex has been cracking us up lately with the many faces that he makes. I don't know where he picks it up from, but he comes up with some good ones and right at the appropriate times too! My favorite is that lately he has been (voluntarily) blowing kisses to us. It's a lot easier leaving him at daycare when he smiles at me and blows me a kiss as I walk out the door. Alex, you're too cute!

.I didn't capture his fish lips in time but here's his "O" face.

.In heaven, playing with all his cars and trucks.

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My little soccer man.

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Mom, can I have a little privacy please!

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Night, night!

Tumbling Fun

We drove to Illinois to visit my college soccer teammate and her family and to celebrate her daughter's 4th birthday. It was so good to see them and long, overdue! Reese's birthday party was at a gynastics facility so all the kids could run wild and burn off some energy before enjoying pizza, cake and presents! The trampoline and foam pit were a big hit with everyone (adults included) but I think Alex's favorite was the bounce house. We might have to sign this kid up!

.Stretching beforehand...

.Somersaults!

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Jumping, Running and Tackling!

.Stuck in the foam pit!

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Jump higher, Daddy!

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The birthday girl and all her party friends!

18 Months

Alex had his 18 month appointment today with Dr. Richer and everything looks great. He now weighes 27 lbs 2 oz and is 33 1/4 inches tall which puts him in between the 50th-75th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. We've got one healthy and happy, little boy on our hands! I can't believe our baby is a year and a half already! He's got such a playful personality all the time. He loves to play with his cars and trucks and enjoys paging through his books, especially when he finds "Melmo" in them. He's a bit more picky when it comes to his meals and he could probably eat yogurt all day long if we let him. His vocabulary is exponentially growing and I'm amazed at how much he learns each day.

. Our little man at 18 months!

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All that yogurt is packing on the pounds!

.Struttin' his stuff before the Doctor comes.

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Havin' some fun with Daddy!

The Big 3-0 "Surprise"

We celebrated Dave's 30th birthday, World Series style, with a big surprise party with all his friends and family. We pulled off the surprise perfectly and Dave was in his glory all night long. We all watched Game 3 together and enjoyed pizza, beer, birthday cake and many stories. It was a fun night and definitely one to remember. Thanks to everyone for coming and making Dave's 30th so special!

. Happy 30th, Dave!

.Cheers to the birthday boy!

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Celebrating with Dave's family.

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Alex in a sugar coma.

. The last of the party-goers.