Strange Cravings

On Thursday, Little Ted started requesting doughnuts ("no-nuts" in Little Ted speak).  I was caught off guard - that morning, he woke up extra early, I had gone to bed late the night before, and I had to shake off my semi-conscious state so I could keep office hours that morning.  I asked him to repeat himself, and, sure enough, I hadn't misunderstood him.

Little Ted knows what doughnuts are - they are part of our Saturday morning routine, along with College Game  Day and college football (in the fall, at least).  But he had never requested them before.  Since I was in a rush that morning, doughnuts just so happened to be convenient, so we all indulged.

When I returned from work later that afternoon, the first thing he said to me was, "no-nuts?"  This continued all day on Friday, and it wasn't until Friday afternoon that I figured out why he was so keen on doughnuts.  

Earlier in the week, we picked up a new Thomas the Tank Engine DVD for Little Ted at Sam's Club.  This particular DVD had a bonus episode, and one of the characters mentions his love of doughnuts in the episode.  Thank you, DVD, for putting the idea in my son's head.

*On that particular DVD, the engines also prepare for a festival, which leads to a crash involving an engine and a freight car loaded with ice cream.  That probably explains Little Ted's request last night for ice cream in place of dinner . . . I guess "food advertising" is as effective on toddlers as it is on adults.

Kissing Christmas Goodbye

Shortly after New Year's day, I took down the Christmas tree to free up space in our living room.  Little Ted was not happy to see the tree go and kissed a few of the ornaments before I took them down and put them away.  He also tried to rescue his light up snowflakes from the holiday box (these were decorations that Grandma Robles bought him and we had on display in his room).  I finally got them stashed away, but only after ensuring that Little Ted was distracted - after all, they are his, and as far as he is concerned, they belong in his room all the time.

So this post is our way of kissing Christmas goodbye.  But before we say goodbye, we wanted to share this Christmas morning video with you.  Here, Little Ted discovers what Santa left for him.

Goodbye Christmas!  Thanks for the memories!

College Football . . . One Last Time

If you follow college football, you know that our star quarterback is headed to the NFL (no surprise).  Click here to watch his press conference announcement, and click here to read a great story about him that appeared in the alumni magazine recently (really, you should read it - it shows what a great kid he is).

This is the billboard that stands on the I-35 side of the university.  Pretty impressive, huh?

Stationery Card

One Year Boy Thank You Card

Say "Thank You," with Shutterfly's personalized photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Remember the Alamo Bowl

Last night, Baylor defeated Washington in the Valero Alamo Bowl.  Defensively, it was a frustrating game, but the Bears' high powered offense, led by RG3, was able to pull out a win.

Click here to view the ESPN highlights.  And check out our Alamo Bowl ornament, which we picked up just in time for the big game.

Christmas Delivery

When Little Ted woke up on Christmas morning, this is what he found:

 Train Table

With Thomas

And Percy

Of course, Little Ted was far too busy to open presents - he had trains to play with!  And mommy and daddy were just excited to watch him really enjoy the holiday for the first time.

Christmas Project

We've had a couple of small pillows sitting around our condo, and I've been wanting to do something with them for awhile now.  I got the idea that I could make no-sew pillow covers for them using the same pattern my Aunt Anita used for the blanket you see below.

Basically, the blanket is two pieces of fleece that are tied together to make a nice,cozy blanket.

I finally got around to purchasing the fleece I needed a couple of weeks ago (one with a Thomas pattern, the other with a Mater pattern) and made my "prototype."

I didn't think it was bad for a first try, but I didn't get Thomas' face centered on the pillow, and my cuts on the fringe were pretty jagged in places, so I tried again.

I am much happier with the second version.  Thomas' face is centered (mostly) on the front and back of the pillow, and my cuts are much better (it's amazing the kind of work you can do with a pair of freshly sharpened scissors and a large 90 degree angle).

Little Ted likes it, too.  This morning, he spotted the pillow in our room, decided it was for him, and ran away with it.  It has found a new home on his toddler bed.

Now I just need to take apart the first version, cut the fabric I need using the Mater fleece, and put together the second one.  I'll be sure to post the end result.

An Afternoon Outside

We've had a surprisingly cold and wet fall, considering how hot and dry our summer was.  But last weekend, things dried out, and the weather was just warm enough that Little Ted could get some playtime outside.

He had a blast kicking around the pile of leaves on our patio and helping mommy and daddy sweep them up.  And he looked pretty cute in his winter gear.

Please Vote for Cousin Luke!

My cousin has entered a drawing contest held by his local newspaper and would appreciate your vote for his beautiful work of art.

To vote, go to www.democrathearld.com.  You can access the voting page by locating the following picture: 

You will have to create an account to vote.

Look for Luke Powell's art in the 3rd/4th grade category.  Voting ends Tuesday at 11:59 pm PST, and you can vote once per day.

Thanks for your support!

It's a good day to be a Baylor Bear

An Evening Outing

Last week, we attended the Combined Choirs Christmas Concert on campus.  This was the first time the three of us have attempted to attend an evening event.  We felt confident that Little Ted would do well because he loves music - it's one of the few things that can hold his attention for an extended period of time.  We sat in the front of the auditorium; it was the only place where we could find seating near the aisle, and we wanted to be prepared in the event that we needed to make a quick escape.

Luckily, that wasn't necessary.  Little Ted did really well.  He enjoyed watching the musicians and listening to the music and didn't fuss one bit.  Everyone seated near us complimented us on his behavior - it seems that they were a bit concerned to have a toddler sitting near them and were pleasantly surprised by how well behaved he was.  We were happy to accept the compliment, and Little Ted, as always, enjoyed the attention.