Three!

Well, not quite yet, but we did have a birthday party for O.K. yesterday. Taking into consideration what continues to be one of Oscar's favorite things (although rest assured he certainly has other well-rounded interests), we went with a "construction site" theme. When we asked Oscar what he'd like to do for his birthday he said he wanted to "eat chocolate cake" and "play with friends". He's easy to please.

I altered a road sign to create this front door greeting.

 

 More decorations (I think I love making banners!). We also used orange balloons and "caution" tape liberally--it's cheap and we had a thousand feet of it!

There were activities (yes, three is old enough for "activities").

Build a Site -- kids used stickers to create a construction site scene.

Demolition Zone -- the kids could build a wall, then knock it down with the "wrecking ball" (actually a tennis ball wrapped in a black sock hanging from the mantle).

Excavation Station -- the kids could use a special "claw" to grab a treat out of a pile of "rocks".

 Oscar's friends and their folks came, ate breakfast burritos and fruit salad,

 built,

demolished,

 and otherwise acted like a bunch of three year olds.

 Sunny in her hard hat,

and Mara, in Lucy's.

 Of course there was cake,

and singing.

And more eating.

Oscar got some sweet gifts from his friends, and I was proud of him for remembering to say "thank you". He also shared his toys like a child twice his age. : )

It was fun to have friends over to celebrate O.K.'s third birthday with us. We'll celebrate this milestone again (in a smaller way) on Tuesday. Of course, every day we can't help but acknowledge how glad we are that he was born.

The Snowy Day

One of O.K.'s favorite books is The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats. We've been reading it for a while now, especially last summer when the thought of a bit of snow was enough to cool us down--a little. It's no wonder then, that Oscar had big plans when he awoke to snow Saturday morning.

A sometimes-hard-to-dress almost-three year old was very cooperative as we pulled on his snow suit and boots (I couldn't not include both "cheese-face" and "regular-smile-face"--you'll see it again, a few pics down. Thanks for indulging me!).

 Then we played outside, in spite of the freezing rain. O.K. insisted he wasn't cold--I remember feeling the same way as a kid when it came to snow.

 It's a little hard to "play" in the freezing rain with the snow quickly accumulating a layer of ice, but that didn't stop Oscar from enjoying it. He made snow balls, threw chunks of snow to watch it shatter, tasted a bit, and enjoyed making foot and hand prints.

We even made a teeny tiny snowman (that was all this mama could manage--it was seriously cold out there!). Later, John moved it up onto the little pedestal in front of our house. 

And then, thankfully, it was time for the best post-freezing-rain-snow-fun -- hot cocoa! (Note the cup--this used to be Uncle Daryl's when he was a kid. Thanks, Grandma, for passing it along. Oscar loves it!)

This morning Oscar woke up at 5:40 with one thing on his mind: snow. When the sun came up, I told him we could go out again when he'd found and put on his snow gear. Truly, he's never been so motivated to get dressed. Here he is, and me, still in my pajamas:

Now, where did I put my gloves?

Christmas 2011

Christmas came more quickly than usual, I swear. Thankfully, we didn't feel any great urge to be excessive in our Christmas prep or buying, and we kept our plans simple (read "relaxed"). Note: we have been obsessively playing with our new smart phones (our Christmas presents this year) as the pictures below reflect.

 Christmas eve morning we went out to breakfast at the new Sabrina's located in University City. The place was surprisingly quiet, and O.K. especially good (maybe there's a correlation there...).

Then there were cookies to make (with the plan to leave a few out for Santa).

 Oscar helped with the most important parts, like cleaning the beaters,

 cutting out the cookies with cookie cutters, and later, sprinkling the colored sugar on top of the icing.

 Yum!

 We watched the old 1946 version of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and then put Oscar to bed. He was hoping to see Santa (and got a little sad about it), but fell asleep in his usual easy way. Then John and I got busy wrapping a few gifts and setting up his "big" present--the crane. We put out the other gifts from family and friends as well.

 In the morning we were too busy enjoying the moment to get a picture, but O.K.'s face was priceless as he came down the stairs. He whispered "a crane" and plopped down to play, completely oblivious to the rest of the gifts or the stockings hanging up. John and I were able to get coffee and relax while he built and rebuilt (and built and rebuilt) a clock tower to demolish with his new crane. 

 After a relaxing morning and some breakfast, we opened our stockings and other gifts. The presents from family were so thoughtful, and Oscar took a lot of time appreciating each one as it was opened. There were puzzles, the game Zingo (yes, he's just about ready to play games!), bath crayons, and books, among other perfect gifts. It was probably good it was just us three, because the time he spent exploring each gift would have been too much for anyone other than his parents.

Personalized puzzles from Gus and Gum were a big hit.

 And Oscar announced that a book called "Trucks" from Uncle Pete and Aunt Linsey was his "favorite book" (officially his first "favorite" anything). Later in the afternoon, we skyped with John and Erin (and Sage!). It was so fun to connect with some family. It was also the moment we had to admit that we were still in our pajamas. In our defense, we've all been sharing a nasty cold, so we decided to be okay with that.

Of course, John and I received some lovely presents too. I got five new scarves (from different people) and had to try them all on at once.

We made and ate delicious food (including nuts cracked by the squirrel nutcracker left by Santa) and enjoyed our time together. Throughout the day I was reminded of how thankful I am for my "boys" and for the restful time I get to spend with them during this holiday break.

The Polar Express Train Ride

Oscar and I got to ride on a train last Thursday on the New Hope and Ivyland Railway. We went with my friend Christine, her two boys, and several other teacher-friends and their children. Before the train, we went to see a large gingerbread house display and run around for a bit at Peddler's Village.

 Checking out the fish, and generally running around.

The guardrail for the gingerbread houses was understandably tall, but between tip-toes and a few boosts, O.K. managed to see them all.

Some of the boys who were in our group (the boy next to Oscar happens to be in my class this year--he was VERY sweet with O.K..)

The train!

 Then it was time to ride! We got on the train and took a ride through the countryside.

 O.K. on the train.

 While we rode, Santa and Mrs. Claus came through and chatted with the kids, the kids were given hot chocolate, cookies, and candy canes, and this guy came through with his banjo to lead some carols. Each child was also given a special jingle bell to ring.

 Back on the platform, the boys played with the machines.

 Then, right before it was time to leave, we got to see an engine getting coupled onto the next train. 

It was a fun day.

Santa and Trains

We took our now annual trip down to Reading Terminal Market to see the model train exhibit with a few friends and their tots last weekend.

Oh, what fun!

Oscar really liked pushing the buttons to make the trains and other things move in the display. 

 Admiring the sweets with Lucy (clearly MY kid).

Then we all caravan-ed over to Love Park to see the Christmas Village. With all of the levels and steps, it was not very stroller friendly, but we stayed long enough to get an ornament and see this guy:

 

Santa! Without worry, Oscar found his spot on Santa's lap. He even told Santa that he wanted "a crane" for Christmas and thanked him when we were leaving. I still have mixed feelings about the whole Santa thing, but I can't not love these annual moments and the way they mark time passed each year.