Play Soccer!

As part of our MOMS Club activities, each month we have an "All About" activity. In December, it was all about Soccer. We visited an indoor soccer center here in Salem and had an hour to run around. They did have some coaches there, but the little ones were free to run around as long as they weren't disrupting. Diego had a GREAT time! As you see in the video, he figured out how to kick the ball (he hadn't done this before) and also said "Play Soccer". After our hour at the soccer center, he came home and slept for 3 hours. We will probably sign up for Soccer Tots after he turns 2!

Helmet!

Diego is always talking about Daddy's helmet, and see's him in it every day when he leaves for work. So he recently decided he needed a helmet while riding his motorcycle in the house, and here is what he came up with!

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a really nice and relaxing Thanksgiving this year. Eddie decided he would really like to deep fry the turkey, and it turned out to be MUCH easier and much safer than we both had expected. Here is Eddie waiting around outside for the oil in the fryer to heat up. And once the oil heated....40 minutes later we had a perfectly browned, perfectly cooked, moist, delicious 14 pound turkey! Yes, it only took 40 minutes to cook!Here is the table. Not really Martha Stewart, but perfect just for us. We originally planned to have just the three of us, but the Kofoids ended up joining us for dinner. I really enjoyed making all the "traditional" side dishes and we all enjoyed eating them!

Christmas Tree 2009

This year we decided to get a HUGE Christmas tree because the new house has a PERFECT Christmas tree spot with bay windows and all. I really enjoy decorating the tree, but what I forgot to think about was the almost 2 year old who now is In. To. Everything. He was in LOVE with the tree, the ornaments and the lights. By the time Christmas actually rolled around the tree was only 1/2 decorated (from the middle up) and he was constantly turning the lights on and off and yanking on the needles. Not mention all the toys he thought needed to "get in" the tree, and sometimes he wanted to climb in himself. I loved that he was so interested in the tree, but I was always paranoid he would pull it over on to himself or something! We also couldn't put any presents under the tree, which made Christmas morning that much more of a surprise for him! The day after Christmas I drug this monster out of the house all by myself. I was just ready. It wasn't too bad, except all the water that spilled on my nice soft carpet. Oh well, it only took 2 days to dry. Lesson learned.

We woke up this morning hearing Diego say "Merry Christmas Daddy" over the baby monitor.

Manners and Affection

Over just the last week or so, my sweet boy has become much sweeter. He actually started giving kisses and hugs and laying his head on my shoulder when I pick him up. In fact, every time he layes his head down on my shoulder I say "Aw, my sweet boy" and now he picks up stuffed animals and puts their head on his shoulder and says "aw". I even saw him putting his head in the bath water sideways and saying "aw" tonight.





This boy is a talker. He will say just about everything you want him to, and some things you don't want him to. But, for some reason I could NOT get him to say please. Not for the life of me, not for anything! This past Sunday (November 15th) we had The Kofoid's over for dinner and Rachel was going to give Diego a bite of ice cream and she said, "Say Please" and he DID! For RACHEL! We all erupted in so much applause and praise that he giggled and kept saying it. He of course says it almost everytime I want him to now! He's said thank you off and on for a while, but now I pair it with the please and he says that just about everytime too! Of course now he thinks if he says please he will get anything he wants!

First "School" Picture

We had the opportunity to have Diego's pictures taken through his Toddler Time preschool and I'm so glad we decided to do it! The pictures turned out fantastic! The class picture is actually really funny, Diego is in true form trying to squirm away from me!

Pumpkin Patch x 2

Diego and I took two trips to the Pumpkin Patch this year and fully enjoyed all that comes with it, MUD! Our first trip was to Bauman Farms with a group of older kids from Preschool. It was a great trip, but lets just say Diego didn't like to be "guided", he likes to do his own thing! We took a hayride and picked a pumpkin, a gourd and a piece of Indian Corn. We watched Mr Bauman make some fresh apple cide and then tasted it right then and we also ate a warm donut! Yum!

Our second trip was to EZ Orchards with our Playgroup from the MOMs club. This was a little more Diego's style. He could run around and go where he wanted. He looked at some piggy's in the petting zoo. Played around with some tractors in the mud. And, his favorite part of the whole trip, rode in a big green wagon to the pumpkin patch. We didn't get a pumpkin because we didn't need another one, and Diego was much more interested in riding in the wagon than picking one anyway! When he did get out of the wagon, he was immediately drawn to the rotting pumpkins, lovely!