Alamo Bowl

The rivalry started on Christmas morning...
I started off Alamo Bowl day looking good.
Then Daddy put me in an ugly outfit.

I ate breakfast in this bib.

I ate dinner in this bib.

Mommy and Daddy pretended to like each other for a little while so I wouldn't worry about them fighting all day.
We had a visitor come to our house for the game!
And we had another visitor...THE Nittany Lion and his little cub.

I was a little frightened by the Nittany Lion, so I needed some soothing. I know where my loyalties lie...see where I'm the happiest...in the Aggie camp!

We tried picures again. Without my hat, I was a little more agreeable.

I eventually began to enjoy our visitors.

The game was intense!
Penn State did win, but I'll always be there for my mommy. I knocked down Joe Pa for her the next day!!

Hanging With the VG's the Week After Christmas

We forgot to take a group shot on Christmas with all the excitement, so here's the VG day-after-Christmas shot. Good job with the tripod, Daddy!
Uncle Mike and I decided it was time to get the place cleaned up.
Most of the week, we played more with our toys. I'm standing like a champ now. Hopefully, this activity table will help me learn to cruise as I go around all the sides to make all the sounds.Check out my new camping chair! I'm ready for the outdoors when it warms up.
All of a sudden I figured out the microphone and everyone around the house heard me singing. It was a hoot! I got a lot of laughs.
Poppy and I playing with my new duck puppet. It quacks 3 different songs. I think it's hilarious!

On my John Deere...Grandpa D, I'll be ready to mow in no time!

Even Maverick enjoyed his toys--candy cane chew bones!

I love going under anything and everything.

Could this oatmeal taste any better?? Check out the bib from Aunt Jessica.
Daddy is trying to get another triathlete in the family.
He wouldn't let Uncle Mike go out without looking like a true bicyclist. Uncle Mike may be smiling for the camera, but he wasn't happy!

Daddy made it back a-ok. We were all worried since this was his first time on the bike since the Ironman.

It was Auntie Em's first time in Paris, so she had to see all the sites...

We stopped at the western wear store...

Auntie Em made a new friend!
We ended with the excellent La Familia. We had enough cooking and dishes for the week.
Here's my new restaurant set-up with my highchair cover and plastic mats. No cooties for me!

Poppy got in trouble with Daddy for getting cookie crumbs all over the couch...
I don't know if my daddy is ready for toddlerhood yet!
I was the first baby that Uncle Mike ever fed!

One last glimpse of all the Packer men... One last ride on Poppy's shoulders...
One last hug from Grandma...

And they were off... : ( Maybe the next visit I can wave bye-bye to them!

Week Before Christmas

I'm not sure if the presents will be as fun once they're opened!
Even the shipping boxes are a blast!
First, I could stand when someone helped me balance...
...then, I started to push myself upwards...
...and finally I could push myself all the way up! Thank you Kimberly-Clark for your perfectly-sized Cottonelle toilet paper.
Watching Daddy get the yard ready for LOTS of company!!
I'm fascinated with people's mouths. I want some of those teeth things.
We're learning to Skype my grandparents with my webcam.
Here's Poppy and Grandma in Ohio getting ready to come see me for Christmas!

Family Starts Arriving for Christmas

Aunt Jessica and Uncle Dan from Washington, D.C. were the first to arrive.
They brought their BIG dogs, Maestro and Abby. Luckily, they weren't interested in eating me!
Check out the snowman suit they brought me.

I have to admit, I was pretty adorable.
The next morning I was asked to be the acolyte at church! Auntie Em from Chicago and I were playing with a present before it was even unwrapped. It had wheels, so it was cool!
Grandma and I played with my dancing flamigo that plays "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". It was from my Florida grandparents! I was mesmirized by it!
Poppy's proudest moment as a grandparent...Poppy and Daddy had fun tearing down the fence so they could get the pop-up in the backyard for extra sleeping space.