It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Have I mentioned before Joey likes the Family Guy? I have? Then you won't be surprised by this picture.

I think this was Saturday night. He started clapping when it came on. Seriously.

When Grandpa and Bucza came to visit today, they brought Joey his own chair. He is absolutely smitten with it. He just loves to sit there and look around. It's a totally new perspective for him.

Smiling, happy ...

And still able to catch a glimpse of the television.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Earlier this week at daycare (on Tuesday, I think), Santa came to visit with the kiddies and hear what they wanted for Christmas. Mommy picked out a nice sweater for Joey to wear, thinking maybe this could be the Christmas card.

Clearly Joey was having none of it. And the teachers said they took a few pictures. This is the one where he isn't crying. I guess we'll save ourselves some time and not even bother with the Santa at the mall.

A Holly Jolly Christmas

When I got back on Thursday, I decided to try one last time for a picture for the Christmas card. If I didn't get one I'd like, I just use one from before. Here are some of the outtakes. Enjoy!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AUNT MICHELE!

Ding Dong Merrily on High

I was able to get back from Dallas a day early, and Joey was so happy to see me!

OK, maybe he was really just yelling for his Daddy. Or enjoying the Christmas tree. But he does look happy, no?

This one I love. I don't know what it is about the "thinking" faces, but they're just too adorable!

Rockin' around the Christmas Tree

You may notice from the outfit that these pictures are also from Sunday night. Since the trip to see Santa wasn't successful, I thought I'd see what I could do at home to get a picture from our Christmas card. These aren't horrible, but I'm not sure. I may keep trying. I still have a little time, right?

We have a few presents wrapped already, so I thought they might serve as an appropriate distraction, keeping Joey in place and maybe even interested in the photo shoot.

It worked about as well as expected for less than two minutes.

I also thought it might be cute, and add some color, to put his stocking in the picture. This wasn't nearly as interesting as I had hoped.

In this picture, he's already starting to lean to his left, getting ready to crawl out of frame.

I figured since he loved the steps, maybe he'd sit there for me. Daddy held onto his pants to make sure he didn't go anywhere, and this worked out as well as the Christmas tree and presents. Lasted less than two minutes. And since my flash is slow to recharge, this is the only usable picture I got.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

We went to Woodfield Mall on Sunday afternoon to get Joey's picture taken with Santa. When we showed up at 4:30pm, there was an hour and a half wait to sit on the big guy's lap. Needless to say, we opted against waiting in line. The "elf" recommended we come back Monday or Tuesday night, as it is usually not so crowded. We'll most likely take that advice. In the meantime, we decided we'd still do a little shopping, since we were already there.

Don't you like Joey's new winter hat? It's reversible with a black fleece on the inside. We wanted to get him the black one, with the old school logo, but they didn't have any youth versions and the adult was just way too big, even for his big head.

I Wonder as I Wander

Sunday morning, while we were playing, Joey was cruising along the gate we have around the tree.

I absolutely love this picture. He just looks so deep in thought, trying to figure out why the lights light up, or how he can get to all those fun ornaments. Either way, I just love this face.

Joey has also gotten quite proficient at climbing stairs. He spent the night on Friday at Busza's, and he climbed all the way to the top of their staircase. Here he is trying to make his way up ours. (He got about halfway there that morning. Much harder at our house because we have hardwood floors and their steps are carpeted.)

He also likes to peak out from behind the banister. Sometimes he'll grab for the little Santa figurine I have on the speaker. Always trying to see how far he can go.