The Christmas Picture Shoot

Now that I have officially sent my Christmas cards out, I feel that I can now display the "better" pictures from the 60+ shots that were taken. Let it be known that Christopher was an absolute nut during the entire session...completely uncooperative. We ended up using my iPod touch as a manipulation tool to get him to cooperate. He's a very hyperactive young boy, but he is a beautiful hyperactive young boy...

First, the poses that we opted to buy:

One of these poses is on the Christmas card that many received, and the rest were disbursed among our families.

There were some photos shot that were much more appropriate depictions of our every day life....we opted NOT to purchase them.

If you didn't get a Christmas card from us, I apologize. The reasons that you wouldn't have received one is probably due to one of two reasons:

1.) I simply forgot

2.) I don't have your address

If you'd like one, you'll have to make sure that both areas are covered with me...more than likely I forgot, so remind me. If you'd like a copy of one of the pictures here, let me know and I'll print one out for you and send it. Thank you.

Snow Day = Snow Play

Snow day for Mommy and Daddy...so Christopher and Daddy went outside to play in the back yard.....

After we got too cold (Christopher absolutely refused to keep his mittens on, so we practiced natural consequences today), we decided to come in and do some inside play. During this game, we were counting how many little bears we can fit into his big police car...

(The answer is 6, in case you're keeping score)

...And, of course, as Matthew is not yet old enough to trudge through the deep snow we just received from Mother Nature, he had some good floor and play time inside with Mommy, then with Daddy (while Christopher was recovering from his discovery of Natural Consequences getting his hands warm again)

This Potty Training Stuff is for the Birds

We've officially started potty training in the Kane house, circa November, 2010. As you can tell, its going swimmingly.

The Crayola Factory

We took an impromptu trip to the Crayola Crayon factory today. The factory is located in Easton, PA, which is located along the New Jersey border not far from "The Northeast Extention" (A PA tollway that runs north and south, connecting I-76 - central and southern PA to I-80 - northern PA and the Poconos).

I have to admit that it was a bit overrated, especially since it was an 1 1/2 hour drive for us to get there along very windy, slow-moving highways, but the kids seemed to enjoy it. We thought that a visit to the Crayola factory would include a tour of the plant...or at least parts of it...followed by activities for the kids and the obligatory "gift shop" where people who are excited about the things they saw and caught up in the ambiance of the whole situation. We couldn't have been more wrong. There was no tour or display of the manufacturing of the famous crayons, only 10-15 different "activity centers" where the visitors could use Crayola products to create their own exhibits to bring home. Crayola provided the materials and the visitors used the materials to create to their hearts' content. There were some very cool activity centers, such as one that featured glow in the dark temporary markers (visitors used the lighted - yes, the tips of the markers were actually aglow - markers to draw on a white-board...the pictures they drew remained visible for approximately 30-seconds, then disappeared for the child to create anew.) and another that used laser-technology inside a generously-sized enclosure to create very cool laser-light-show-esque images along a huge screen (the images that were displayed in the vast arrays of designs and colors along the screen were actual silhouettes of the visitors who were running, dancing, standing, acting silly within the enclosure).

Other than those two, there wasn't anything there that couldn't have been done at my dining room table or patio...well, except for hundreds of kids running around and fighting (while not actually throwing blows) for sitting spots at these activity centers. It was crazy. But, aside from 2 Time Outs, Christopher seemed to have a good time. Given that, I suppose it was worth the trip.

Below is the link to the website that describes the exhibits.....

http://www.crayola.com/factory/exhibits.cfm

Christopher and I snuck off from the group and took a much needed break from all the festivities at the adjoined McDonalds...great bonding time.

Christmas Day

Christmas Day at the Kane house.

We were all pretty excited about how Christopher would respond to his third Christmas morning with this being the first Christmas morning where he actually got the whole Santa Claus concept. It was as good as we expected it would be...

Christopher is a very sound sleeper, and very difficult to rouse in the morning (already, right?). Christmas morning was no different. He had to be roused from bed and was told that Santa Claus had come to the house and left presents. Skeptical of the whole situation, he begrudgingly drug himself from the bed, blanket in toe, and groggy. He was able to drag himself from the bed, down the hallway, and into the kitchen...where he wrapped himself back in his blanket and lay on the floor to attempt to get back to sleep...

...After a few moments, we let him get his mental bearings about him and reminded him that Santa had come and left presents. He was a bit more appropriately responsive to the concept this time and perked up replying, "Santa?" We reaffirmed what we had claimed , using the mostly eaten dessert treat and mostly empty glass of milk (which we had left for Santa the night prior) as proof positive of Santa's coming and leaving gifts. Christopher was very satisfied with the proof Santa left on the table...

...and ran into the living room. He remembered the evening before, when our tree was bare of presents...only offering a dazzling decorative design and light display. When he ran from his "new" table (where Santa had consumed his Christmas treats) to the tree only to find that Santa had left presents a plenty for not only him, but for Matthew, Mommy, and Daddy as well. I would have to say that we were all happy with the results from the day...and given the bittersweet circumstances.

Hilariousness...

This was made by Colleen's cousin Emily and features Christopher, Matthew, and her nieces and nephews, Benjamin, Camryn, and Darrien...