First Shave!

For Christmas, Santa brought Joey his first shaving kit. He couldn't wait to use it at bath time!

Waiting for the shaving cream.

Look, Ma! I'm going to shave!

So serious.

Proud of himself.

Look how well I did, Daddy!

Daddy's Little Helper (in the Snow!)

Joey couldn't wait to help Daddy sweep the snow. (He actually wanted to learn how to "blow" the snow with Daddy's snow blower, but we had to convince him there just wasn't enough there to haul out the heavy equipment.)

Zoo Lights

The Saturday before Christmas we headed to Lincoln Park Zoo to take in the Zoo Lights! with our friends Grace and Diego (and their mommies Cara and Nicole).

They had these awesome giant characters, and the trees were awesome. Not sure what the kids saw under all their layers.

They seemed to enjoy themselves. At least they didn't cry at all. I do think we'll go back next year - just much earlier in the season.

Merry Christmas!

A little belated, but we've been busy. Hope you had a great holiday!

Joey, tromping around the house singing, "Have a holly, jolly Christmas" wearing Pop-pop's Phillies 2008 World Series Champions Santa hat.

My parents' Christmas tree, Christmas morning.

Joey, Christmas morning. He was so excited to see all the presents Santa left him!

Our Christmas Tree

Here's the obligatory shot in front of the tree. We got it last Tuesday, put lights on Wednesday, some ornaments Thursday, and then I finished up the ornaments Saturday. Had to promise a lollipop for this smile. (And yes, he got a haircut this weekend, so he looks a ton older than he did just last weekend, when we got our picture with Santa. I already miss the longer hair.)

Santa's Village

We went last weekend to get Joey's picture taken with Santa. It was actually a successful trip, but did not start out that way. We headed over to the mall around 8am. Early, yes, but we did beat all the lines. And for Woodfield, that could mean at least an hour. Joey was not into it, though. I had to bribe him with a lollipop just to stay in line. It wasn't looking good at all, but then we got to the snow area.

It's actually quite cool. They have it "snowing" in the middle of this area, and it helps the kids calm down before they sit with Santa. Joey wasn't sure about it at first, but as you can tell, he got into it. (Doesn't this picture just make you want to sing, "Fame! I'm gonna live forever!"?!)

He got into throwing the snow, but my camera just wasn't fast enough to keep up. It was a good time, though, and we got a great picture with Santa ... stay tuned!

Happy Birthday, Shelley!

Hope you have a great day with that adorable family of yours!

Kisses!