January 1st, bonus pic! It’s my face. Wow, that’s a big face. See this image larger.

January 2nd, the kids were playing so well together here, it was neat to see. In this shot we’re out in front of Barb and Ray’s house on the walkway. See this image larger.

New town square? I suspect we should go check it out, right kids? See this image larger.

The boys, gettin’ a lil car sick thanks to the roundabouts. See this image larger.

Our lil’ peanut! See this image larger.

Just a gorgeous shot of Nina at one of the town square outdoor stage areas. Worth looking at bigger. See this image larger.

At a park with a pirate ship, Captain Nina at the helm! See this image larger.

Arrrr, Maties! See this image larger.

The kids may never understand that they’re re-enacting a scene from Titanic, but we can enjoy it, right? Little bit of photoshop necessary on this one to get both kids looking at the camera, but good luck finding it. See this image larger.

Went out for a little walk, and headed back for the ship… the kids wanted to go back and play immediately, so they may look a little impatient in this shot. See this image larger.

Melissa and I enjoying the beautiful weather! This was pretty much the end of our Florida trip, but still not the end of Christmas! Thanks everybody for having us! See this image larger.

(Alright, so this entry and the previous entry are super long, you’ll be scrolling for awhile. The good news is that this should help me catch up faster.)

December 25th, I couldn’t get Ian to NOT make this face on Christmas morning. Words cannot describe how excited he was. See this image larger.

Alright kids, come on down! See this image larger.

So happy to have them home on Christmas morning! See this image larger.

*We made it through December, sister, oh thank God we made it! And look! Santa thinks we were good! LOL!* See this image larger.

These were gifts from Aunt Jill! She’s so awesome! And look, I think she’s dropping hints that she wants us to come visit her in Arizona! See this image larger.

A joker vehicle! See this image larger.

Nina battles for lens time with Ian’s noggin. See this image larger.

A lego toy! See this image larger.

What the heck are these? Pfft, towels? See this image larger.

WAIT… NOT JUST TOWELS.. COSTUME TOWELS! See this image larger.

Run-around-the-house break! See this image larger.

Hello Kitty! See this image larger.

A cool book with hello kittys inside! See this image larger.

Ian gets a snap-circuit set, but Ian mis-read the front. “For ages 100 and up?” No buddy, 100 projects!! See this image larger.

The only thing Nina asked for was a pink kitty. She opened this up… “A… (sniffle) pink… bear.” WAIT! Nina! Look at the tail and whiskers!!! See this image larger.

“PINK KITTYYYYYY!!!!” See this image larger.

“O-HO-HOOOO PINK KITTTYYYYYYYY!!!!” See this image larger.

Cool Dino/Vehicle transforming toys! See this image larger.

What do you have there, Nina? Minnie Mouse Dress-up set? Nice! See this image larger.

A shirt and sword from Minecraft! See this image larger.

Sword and Pick-Axe! See this image larger.

*Grin.* See this image larger.

Mommy gets some cute earrings! See this image larger.

See? See this image larger.

AND a kiss! See this image larger.

Pink Kitty is invited to a big party in the dining room! See this image larger.

Big mess in very little time! See this image larger.

Later, it is time for Nina’s birthday celebration! See this image larger.

A puzzle! See this image larger.

Piggy bank! See this image larger.

We got word that a snowstorm was heading into Ohio, so we drove as quickly as we could to get to Ohio on Christmas night. We wanted to beat the storm to celebrate Christmas with Mel and crew! We didn’t get there until late, of course… So the next morning, December 26th – Hug for brother! See this image larger.

Another day, another cake! See this image larger.

Celebrating with the cousins and brother! See this image larger.

We hope all your wishes come true, little one! See this image larger.

Visiting Connor’s bedroom! See this image larger.

Good times! I said Good times, Ian. *sigh* See this image larger.

Gathering around for a quick breakfast? See this image larger.

The four cousins! See this image larger.

Ian gets a lego toy! See this image larger.

I got a T-shirt! See this image larger.

Somebody got Connor Halo4! See this image larger.

And yup, I got Ian the same gifts as Connor… couldn’t help myself, those foam things were cool! See this image larger.

Opening and assembling! See this image larger.

December 27th, the snow had been falling all day as we opened presents on the 26th, so the next day, it was time to shovel! We all pitched in! See this image larger.

There was a lot of snow, perfect for sledding! See this image larger.

For the first chunk of time, I watched Nina while she slept in the car, but eventually she woke up and we joined everybody else. Ian and I making a super-fast run pictured here. See this image larger.

Someone loves her mommy! All too soon, it was time to go! We got lucky with the weather, as the roads were perfectly fine for the next leg of our journey! See this image larger.

December 28th, after all of the tunnels and mountains, we hit South Carolina. It was there, on our way down to Florida, Ian suddenly handed Mommy his first loose tooth, one that had been loose for several weeks. With no crying, and no fuss, he just suddenly piped up “I lost my tooth!” See this image larger.

December 29th, “Another dino-vehicle!!! I don’t have this one!!!” See this image larger.

Our little sun-beam! See this image larger.

Remote control hilarity ensues. See this image larger.

A good size cake! Happy birthday again, little girl! (So weird. Without a shifting of her birthdate, Nina will probably never have friends over for a birthday party… but she does get to celebrate it all over the country! Someday we’ll have to work out a system. Life’s crazy when you share a birthday with Jesus!) See this image larger.

Stomping around in some sweet jammies! See this image larger.

Grandma Sue took us back to the Christmas Light Show at a nearby nature area. It’s a great time! See this image larger.

Little bundle falls asleep in Mommy’s arms at Chili’s, despite the noise! See this image larger.

December 30th, I had heard about these, but never seen one in person until we stopped by Moe’s with Grandma Sue. It is called a “freestyle” pop machine. You walk up, press what kind of pop you want… for example, Melissa has chosen “Sprite” here… THEN… you choose a sub-flavor. So she could choose cherry sprite, grape sprite, orange sprite, vanilla sprite, etc.! It was cool! See this image larger.

At Aunt Leslie and Uncle Gordon’s, Ian was amazed to find that a mailtruck toy still contained “letters” from his previous visit! See this image larger.

That totally made his day, thanks for keeping those in there! 🙂 See this image larger.

Happy family! See this image larger.

Ian ran like the wind, and the wind was swift and cold, for Florida! See this image larger.

Father and son, on the beach. See this image larger.

Florida beach with winter coats! Who would have thought?!? Grandma snuggles in for this shot! See this image larger.

Happy family! See this image larger.

Love you forever, sweetie. 🙂 See this image larger.

Run, kid, run! See this image larger.

December 31st, last day with Gramma Sue until next time… we had fun, thank you! See this image larger.

Arriving at Grampa Ray and Gramma Barb’s that same day, and time to open more presents! What a little doll! See this image larger.

Pizza toy! See this image larger.

*I’ve never eaten a pizza with one of these!* See this image larger.

*Grampa, open this for me!* See this image larger.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the holiday season over the years… it is that Christmas would come to a screeching halt without males around to open packages. See this image larger.

Batman Trios set! See this image larger.

“Punch it in, Grampa!” See this image larger.

This is the classic “kid doesn’t understand present yet, parent explains present” scenario. See this image larger.

An Elmo sandwich holder!! See this image larger.

Hello huggy kitty! (Ian, in the background, begins digging in!) See this image larger.

There’s more to our stay in Florida, but we need to save that for January 2013! More next entry! In other words, we’re through 2012!

December 2nd, and yay, Star Wars Advent calendar! (This will probably be the last year we do this… the kids get pretty well spoiled on Christmas, the last thing they need is a little toy for every day leading up to it, right?) See this image larger.

*yoink!* See this image larger.

Packages from Grampa Dave and Gramma Marcia!!! *THEY SENT BUBBLE WRAP!!!* See this image larger.

And it turned out there was something IN the bubble wrap! Cool snow globes, with pictures of the kids! See this image larger.

Nina wonders how the Santa hat was put on her picture… Grampa Dave’s photoshop magic! 🙂 See this image larger.

December 7th, put on some socks, little elf! See this image larger.

A face-plant at school gave Nina a “Rudolph nose” just in time for the holidays! See this image larger.

December 8th, our little dancer! See this image larger.

“TA-DAAAAH!” See this image larger.

“TA-DAAAAH-LA-LA-LA-LA, LA-LA-LA-LAAAAAA!” See this image larger.

A brief moment of introspection. See this image larger.

Melissa took this one, love it! See this image larger.

Didn’t I see this scene in Risky Business? See this image larger.

Nina gracefully chucks a ball around the living room. See this image larger.

“I’ma kitty too, Kitty!” See this image larger.

You don’t need a Roomba when you’ve got Nina to dust the floors with this outfit! See this image larger.

Kids checking out the snowfall. See this image larger.

They probably were trying to figure out how to get out there! See this image larger.

Our winter wonderland out back. See this image larger.

It was really pretty; glad that as I write this it is spring. See this image larger.

Wipe-out! See this image larger.

Casualties! See this image larger.

Cute as a button! See this image larger.

Ian laughs off another crash! See this image larger.

Mommy helps Nina so she’s positioned just right! See this image larger.

And then Nina lays down and giggles her way to the bottom of the hill. See this image larger.

Ian needs a push! See this image larger.

This is a cute shot, look at it bigger if possible. See this image larger.

Go Speed Racer, Go! See this image larger.

You too, Nina! See this image larger.

Daddy made a mini snowman on the slide. See this image larger.

Ian and Nina made this spectacular snowman! See this image larger.

But I think they’re ready to go inside and get warmed up! See this image larger.

No idea why a little snow-man is attached to this big snowman’s bum, but hey, I just take the pics! See this image larger.

Ian takes a turn as the kitty! See this image larger.

December 9th, if the term “barely contained excitement” entered your brain after seeing this pic, I won’t fault you. See this image larger.

Probably a bit too much sugar and the knowledge that Santa would soon, very soon, be there. See this image larger.

Obligatory hug shot! See this image larger.

Spontaneous but somehow choreographed dance number! See this image larger.

And hey, there’s a good one! See this image larger.

December 11th, counting snacks is always a welcome activity in Lanham’s class. You can probably imagine how this goes: “Now, class, you should each have fifteen marshmallows.” “MWS. WANUM, PWOBWUM! AH OMWY HAWF EWEF– *gulp* eleven!” See this image larger.

Next episode: Parties, Pageants, and Preparations!

Dialogue, November 3rd
Ian: “It seems like every superhero’s last name is man”

Milestone, November 3rd
Ian dipped his chip in salsa, voluntarily.

Milestone, November 3rd
Nina cried a record-setting 30 minutes straight, because she missed Mommy.

Milestone, November 17th
Ian got a “sick bucket” for Mommy, who wasn’t feeling well.

Dialogue, November 5th
Ian at Pizza Hut, this was the bit of dialogue that helped me remember when Ian was making faces at the baby in the restaurant. “Filling up a bucket” is a technique in kindergarten of making somebody’s day, instead of ruining their day . “I’m filling up that baby’s bucket and he’s filling up mine!”

Dialogue, November 24th
Daddy: “Who is this guy?”
Ian: “That guy, right there on the paper? I know that’s Santa. It really is. Or somebody dressed up like Santa.”

Dialogue, November 24th
Ian: “17 is apparently yellow.”

Dialogue, November 24th
Daddy: “Ok, now you need to clean up the pizza set.”
Nina: “I don’t wanna clean up forever, I wanna play wif da doll house!”

Dialogue, November 24th
Nina, watching a commercial on TV, of a car flying off a ramp: “It’s going up in the air. It’s going in the air. It’s going to… Grampa Dave’s house!”

Dialogue, November 27th
Ian, during the Connor/Kaylee visit: “I just need a little time to myself.”

Milestone, November 27th
Ian received a pair of shoes, while Nina received toys, as a gift from company. He choked back tears, came quietly to me, and grabbed me in a hug. I picked Ian up and took him out of the room, and he quietly wept… in the other room he explained why it wasn’t fair, to me. But he did not freak out immediately, as would be typical. It was extremely mature, and I was very proud.

NINA DAYCARE NOTES:

Daycare Notes, Thursday, November 1 Nina’s caregiver: Nina said “I did it! I did it!” Each time she peeled a sticker today. When it was time to play with Legos, Nina built a microphone! Get a great job sorting pictures as well.

Daycare Notes, Friday, November 2 Nina’s caregiver: Nina made a big tower with Legos then started singing “old McDonald” into it. (Daddy note – A “tower?” Sounds like another microphone to me.) Happy birthday daddy!

Daycare Notes, Monday, November 5 Nina’s caregiver: Nina enjoyed doing art with sticky paper! She also made a very silly potato head. I’m the playground Nina pretended a piece of equipment was a boat and told everyone she was going into the “dark night.”

Daycare Notes, Tuesday, November 6 Nina’s caregiver: When Nina was smelling vegetables, she said the celery smelled “peppery.” She dated so many veggies! Overall Nina had a great day although at times she was a little more emotional than normal.

Daycare Notes, Wednesday, November 7 Nina’s caregiver: When Nina was playing in dramatic play I heard her say, “everyone come to the dance party with me!” She said “Yum!” When she tried our veggie soup! Nina had lots of fun hopping on the hopscotch!

Daycare Notes, Thursday, November 8 Nina’s caregiver: Nina enjoyed painting a picture for mommy and daddy! She’s different veggie shapes to paint her picture. Yeah like using the color green the most.

Daycare Notes, Friday, November 9 Nina’s caregiver: During center time Nina enjoyed matching colors! She plays the yellow pom-pom balls in the yellow bowl and the same with orange, green, and purple.

Daycare Notes, Monday, November 12 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had so much fun on a big bouncy ball! She both a very long road in the car area! She really enjoyed handprint painting as well! she did a great job cutting play go with scissors!

Daycare Notes, Tuesday, November 13 Nina’s caregiver: Really enjoyed playing with the rain sticks she loved shaking and tipping them and listening to the different sound.

Daycare Notes, Wednesday, November 15 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had a big smile when she was acting silly. She put the legal tree pieces on all of her fingers so she had “tree fingers.” she also enjoyed playing in the tent.

Daycare Notes, Friday, November 16 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had a lot of fun going through the drive-through on her bicycle! She was very excited to go to Gymboree. Nina worked very hard at singing stringing beads and she was very good at it!

Daycare Notes, Monday, November 19 Nina’s caregiver: Nina enjoyed rocking on the boats while singing “jump up and down.” During circle time she said she was thankful for “mommy.” She built a birthday cake out of Legos.

Daycare Notes, Tuesday, November 20 Nina’s caregiver: Enjoyed coloring with markers today! She also had a lot of fun using the magnifying glass to look at bugs.

Daycare Notes, Monday, November 26 Nina’s caregiver: Nina love playing with the instruments her favorite was the Morocco. She waited so nicely for a turn with the bikes outside. She put “gas” in it, too!

Tumble Time note Nina is doing awesome in tumble time! She does great following directions and your skills look great!

Daycare Notes, Tuesday, November 27 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had so much fun wrapping toilet paper around her body, so we could make her a spiderweb.

Daycare Notes, Wednesday, November 28 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had a fun day she had a blast playing with and counting dog bones. She tried them all up in a row. She said “only dogs eat bones, not kids” it was cute.

Daycare Notes, Thursday, November 29 Nina’s caregiver: When she was outside, she decided not to go down the slide with a friend because she “has to go to work.” Missing lots of different versions of “ABC’s” today. She sang slow and fast. She sang a cupcake version and an attitude-y rap version. (Daddy note: That last version is my fault… the kids and I do that in the car.)

Daycare Notes, Thursday, November 29 Milestones accident report: Nina was running to go to the lower tunnel when she bumped her for head into the bottom of the stairs. She was a little disoriented and immediately ran into a pole.

Daycare Notes, Friday, November 30 Nina’s caregiver: Nina had lots of fun tossing and catching balloons! She enjoyed reading Christmas stories with Mrs. Jillian and making a “birthday cake” out of Legos.