Christmas 2014

The staircase helped to hook me on our current house. When I walked down the stairs during a visit to Mackenzie Court as a prospective buyer in 2008, I pictured our children using them on Christmas morning. With all the "head" that's involved with a home purchase, the stairs spoke to my heart. That was three years before Graham's birth.

I found myself thinking about that initial visit to our home again this Christmas. Graham couldn't wait to come down the stairs after Erica told him that Santa had stopped at the house. We went down first and captured Graham's delight in photos (above) and video (below). His conclusion after seeing the two gifts on his list for Santa: "I must have been a good boy this year." 

I still love that staircase.

Graham also delighted in discovering a Minion in his stocking. It carried special meaning as he sent one to a child in Africa earlier in the month as part of Operation Christmas Child. He hated to part with that Minion - indeed we wondered if he would after taking  it to bed with him and playing with it constantly after we purchased it to fill our shoebox as part of the program. In a truly touching moment, he eventually put it in the shoebox himself and said goodbye as he sent it off to an anonymous little boy who needed it more.

Overall, Christmas was quiet and largely relaxing after I overcame my "some assembly required" frustration with Graham's new soccer game. Thank goodness for super glue. We incorporated kielbasa into breakfast, as per Taylor family tradition. We also watched a Christmas movie together and had popcorn and hot chocolate, all at Graham's suggestion. We finished our day with a drive around town to see some of the area's top light (and music) displays.

Music was a big part of our Christmas season, from my efforts to learn Charlie Brown songs on the piano to the tunes from our wonderful Christmas village. Graham played with the village constantly and all in all managed to do only minimal damage to it. I'll always cherish the memories of the many evenings I returned home from work to the sounds of Christmas music filling our home as dim lighting provided the perfectly serene background for the decorations and light strands.

Graham loved reading his "Charlie Brown Christmas" book and sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" with great regularity. That was heart warming, but still stands behind the memory of the occasions when he stopped and started reciting Linus' lines from the story: "And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them ...."

Doesn't anyone know the true meaning of Christmas? Thanks to my family, I feel like I do.

Breakfast With Santa

I'm not sure which was the more unlikely occurrence on Saturday morning. Was it the perfectly timed (but not at all forecast) snowfall as we drove to Chapel Hill for Breakfast With Santa? Or was it the fact that we were actually running on time - ahead of schedule even - for an event? Perhaps the two were related and the winter precipitation served to indicate that a certain subterranean location was indeed freezing over. 

Regardless, the flurries that fell added to an already festive spirit. Graham, born with a song in his heart and a tune that he carries to this day, sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" from the back seat. Santa was coming to town; as an added bonus, a full buffet was in place at The Carolina Inn to celebrate his arrival. Food, face painting, a magician, and the guest of honor made for a fun start to the day. Can't you tell from the picture below?

Truth be told, Graham was all smiles when he met one-on-one with the right jolly old elf and shared his desire for said elf to deliver Shipwreck Falls and Slinky Dog in the coming week. His affectation turned pouty, however, when his sister joined the conversation. She gave Santa enough of a shrieking earful to make him consider detouring his reindeer around Mackenzie Court on Christmas night in order to avoid a repeat performance.

Everyone was all smiles again once we gathered around Santa as a family.

So what does a family do with all the found time that remains when you've dressed and started your day so early? For the Taylors, it meant stopping at some favorite shops in Chapel Hill before heading over to Caribou Coffee for Ho Ho Mochas. The kids allowed us - and our fellow coffee shop patrons - an unusual stretch of serenity. Graham's reward was a piece of a dessert from a customer seated nearby. It's entirely consistent with our parenting dictum, "Don't take candy from strangers … but desserts are okay."

Later that evening, we built a ginger bread house to conclude our cheerful day. Graham loved the ginger bread homes that were on display at the Carolina Inn and wanted to make one of our own. In the process, I gained a much greater appreciation for the quality of the cookie craftsmanship we saw earlier in the day.

Lunches with Daddy

There are lots of perks to being a stay-at-home mom; the one we experienced today was being able to meet Matt for a middle-of-the-workweek lunch. Based on the smiles alone, I'd say the kids enjoy seeing daddy for lunch as much as I do.

Awesome Dads...

Good dads play baseball. Awesome dads play "robot baseball" with trash can helmets. 

Easy Riders

Lots of traffic in the bonus room this afternoon.

Climb Every Mountain

Graham was proud of himself, and deservedly so, for being brave and trying the rock climbing wall at the Chick Fil-A holiday party. We were impressed and proud of his effort.

Where's Aubrey?

Someone is very fond of playing peek-a-boo these days. So cute!

Morning Snuggles

Morning snuggles with this little guy: my happy place. (His sister was still asleep, but for the record, I love morning snuggles with her as well.)

Getting to Know Aubrey

Aubrey and I ventured down to the kitchen and enjoyed some quiet time  together before anyone else was awake on Friday morning. I had coffee, she had cereal. She "helped" me with the dishes afterward. It sounds fairly ordinary. It was special to me.

Aubrey and I haven't had nearly enough time together during her first year. Our lives have revolved around her feeding schedule, which typically means Erica takes care of her while I spend time with Graham. Our days have started and ended that way. It's made for a wonderful bond with my son; however, it's also left me feeling like I hardly know my daughter. That's why the simple act of starting our day together meant so much to me. 

Later that day, I pushed Aubrey in a swing in the middle of a park in Blowing Rock. Performers sang Christmas carols nearby as part of the town's holiday celebration. Graham was with Erica enjoying another turn in the bounce house. I had been with him on a previous trip there; now it was Erica's chance to share in his joy. Having found myself alone with Aubrey again, I soaked in her joy and felt tremendous gratitude for the moment. 

Given the freedom of Aubrey weaning, we're less restricted in our parenting roles. For me, it feels like we're finally a complete family unit rather than separate parts operating in the same parallel space.

I can't remember if those carolers were singing "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." It sure felt that way.

 

Back from the Mountains

Pulled into the driveway with two sleeping kids in the back of the car. Cut the Christmas tree off the top of the car and carried it around to the back porch. Put the tree in a bucket of water just like dad always does. Carried one of the sleeping kids up to bed while Erica took the other. Finished our trip feeling very much like a dad, doing dad things. Went to bed happy about that fact.

Snug as a Bug

Seeing Graham and Erica curled up together on the bed as I left for work earlier this week reminded me of all those occasions they did the same thing when Graham was a baby. There was a lot more room on the bed back then.

That same evening Graham stole some more snuggles with Mommy before heading to his own bed for the night. Graham surely inherited his mother's love of snuggling.

One Woman Wrecking Crew

Where Aubrey goes - and that radius is growing - a mess soon follows. She follows in the footsteps of her older brother who likewise enjoyed removing all of the items from shelves and then moving on to the next thing.

Mutual Admiration Society

Mommy and her little boy.

Sunday Soccer

Graham's soccer team played on Sunday this week rather than the typical Saturday schedule, so we rushed from church to the "pitch" to join in the fun. With our regular (terrible) coach absent, we had our best practice and game to date. Turns out the coach who filled in is an elementary school teacher who understands the need for things like structure and organization. And, as our son would learn, he also understands the need for discipline.

Graham was enthusiastic and wanted to be on the field, which was a welcome change after he had lost interest in prior weeks. He spent some time in the coach's (and his parents') dog house after hitting a girl on his team. That was about a minute into the game. Otherwise, Graham was a good teammate and opponent.

When he's not hitting and pushing other players, Graham is embracing and holding hands with them. Last time out he hugged the other team's player and gave him a thumbs up to congratulate him for scoring a goal. He's a man of extremes.

Here's some video of G practicing before the game.

We enjoyed a late lunch at Rick's Diner after the game and finished up the fun with a trip for some frozen yogurt. Here's my happy crew.

The Wisdom of a Three-Year-Old

We're headed to the ballpark for the Durham Bulls' fan appreciation event. After convincing Graham to use the potty before leaving the house, he reasoned, "That way I won't pee on the field and the grounds crew will have to clean it up."

Lollipop

They distributed healthy snacks after Graham's soccer game last week. Then we bought him a giant lollipop. 

Cupcakes

Graham was "making cupcakes" tonight at his "office," which he calls Basketball Jones. He was describing the different cupcake flavors, including one he made of Mum Mums for Aubrey to eat in the morning. 

"She will love it," he said proudly.

More Wisdom From Graham

During Sunday's Children's Sermon, the pastor told the kids that the church was sending food to a country where people are hungry. After a couple of guesses by those around him, Graham shouted out "Ravenscroft."

Rough Play

Coach to team: "What did we do well today?"

Graham: "Knock people over."

Morning Reading

Graham is following in his parents' footsteps and reading the cereal box while eating breakfast. He asked me to put the box on the table after I poured his cereal.

Sunday Slugger

Dressed for church, bat in hand. My little Sunday Slugger.

Nine-Month Checkup!

OAlthough I'm a bit late in posting this, Aubrey had her 9-month checkup last week. 

She weighed in at 23+ pounds, and like her brother, is in the upper reaches of each percentile category (96th for weight, 85th for height, 100th for head circumference). 

We are thankful for such a growing, healthy girl who looks incredibly cute in a hospital gown. 

Postgame Interviews

Graham couldn't wait to finish quiet time on Sunday so he could watch the Orioles game with me. By the time he was out of his room, the game was in its latter stages. He insisted we put on our Orioles jerseys and hats and play baseball.

After the game ended, Graham surprised me when he pulled out the Wii microphone and started doing postgame interviews just like they were doing on TV. I have to say, he's a pretty thorough interviewer. He also gives a good interview when the roles are reversed. G determined that I was "Eddie Murray Daddy" and he was "Chris Davis Graham."

Saturday Morning Snuggles

I love the way our days start on Saturdays.

Grand Slam!

I enjoyed listening to the broadcast of Chris Davis' grand slam for the Orioles Friday night almost as much as I enjoyed listening to Graham re-enact it with his Davis bobblehead afterward. 

Keeping It Cool

Right around the time that I was reaching my limit at work, Erica and the kids met me for lunch near campus. It was a nice opportunity to hit refresh on my day. Here's Graham and I working to "Keep It Cool."

Grocery Shopping At Home

One of my "to do" items for today was cleaning out the fridge and freezer, so I decided to make it fun for G too. We played grocery store with the recyclables for at least 30 minutes today. Among the deals was a $45 gallon of milk and a $20 container of honey mustard. : )

Energy Shortage

Work has been exhausting me lately. I was running on fumes Thursday night. It's times like these that I have to work hard to match the kids' energy.

Nevertheless, I put my phone aside when I arrived home, gave myself a pep talk as I changed clothes, and offered the kids what I had left. That meant feeding Aubrey at dinner and lots of draining superhero play with Graham on the back porch afterward - running in circles, "riding" an umbrella, and taking turns "driving" in the chairs. 

At one point I told Graham I'd like to play piano - a break for me! - assuming he'd jump at the chance for iPad time while I practiced. He didn't want to stop playing, so I skipped my routine.

As we prepared to say our prayers later that night, I asked Graham what he was thankful for. He offered his usual canned response.  

"Anything else?" I asked, hoping that he would consider the question seriously each night. 

"I'm thankful for the chance I got to play with you on the porch and in my room," he replied.

At bedtime, we played with his superhero characters before calling it a night. I don't get it right often enough. On this particular evening, I was grateful that I did.

Daddy Date Night

I wanted Graham to look at the camera. He couldn't take his eye off of his cookie. Good for him.

G and I enjoyed a guys date night on Tuesday with a visit to Red Robin for dinner and games followed by dessert (and the playground) at McDonald's.

G won a bouncy ball at one of the Red Robin games (Daddy approves!) and laughed hysterically while plowing through everything in sight on the Fast & Furious racing game. He prides himself on being "a crazy driver."

Quality time.

Gonna Be a Bright, Sunshiny Day

How can you be sad after seeing this precious smile?

Justice League Love

Graham has become very fond of superheroes. In fact, he can't get enough of them. We checked out four Justice League books today. Based on early returns, Graham is loving them. I've caught him reading them several times already: in the car, in the floor at home, in his room. And it's a joy to watch. 

When Life Hands You Lemons...

I signed Graham up for soccer at the YMCA today. As I was filling out his form, he kept asking where his coach and all the players were. 

I soon realized that his three-year-old mind equated registering with the start of the season. He was ready to play, and the fact that he couldn't do so immediately prompted disappointment that quickly devolved into a meltdown. 

To cheer him up, we stopped at the Hope Valley Farms Y playground. Problem solved. If only it were always so easy to erase sadness. 

Mommy-Son Date Night Recap

Tuesdays are fun for our family, as we recently restarted date nights. We began date nights after Aubrey was born as a way to get Graham out of the house and give him some one-on-one time. One person takes him out for a fun night, and the other gets to stay home and have some quality time with Aubrey. 

This past Tuesday, I took Graham to Chapel Hill. In what has become somewhat of a tradition, we rode the Chapel Hill bus system around UNC's campus, then hit Taco Tuesday (great deals on tacos), then finished up with half price cupcakes at Sugarland. This week's date night was highlighted by our run-in with two UNC basketball players, Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson, who apparently like Taco Tuesday as much as we do. : )

Be Kind To Your Sister

We're trying to teach Graham the importance of being kind to his sister. Let's just say it's a needed lesson lately. Here he is holding Aubrey right before they tipped over and fell in a heap.

Visiting Spider Man

We stopped by the outlets on Wednesday after our trip to Tweetsie Railroad. Graham discovered a Spider Man ride that, as you can see in the picture below, delighted him.

Friday turned out to be a rainy day in the mountains. Not to worry, Graham had a plan for us: Go back and see Spider Man again.

After two dollars worth of rides, including the one he insisted that I take, Graham wasn't ready to say goodbye. He wiped down Spider Man's car with a burp cloth we used to dry off the ride. 

It was good, clean fun.