December 23

While on our way to a Christmas party this evening we were caught in some traffic. Gotta love Providence at 5 P.M. Liam is chatting away in the backseat and suddenly decides he wants to be a dinosaur.

Liam: "RAWWWWR"
He does this four or five times, at top volume.
Momma: "Liam, do you think you could be a quiet dinosaur? Daddy is trying to concentrate on the traffic and it's really distracting when you yell like that."
Liam: "But Momma, I'm not a quiet dinosaur, I'm a REAL dinosaur. I want to be a gen-u-ine REAL dinosaur."


The Christmas party was great. I got to see all my extended family; cousins, aunts, uncles and such. It reminded me of when I was young, the way Christmas used to be growing up. One of my favorite family traditions as a kid was my Uncle Dick dressing up every Christmas as Santa Claus. After all the other presents had been exchanged and dinner was over, we'd hear the jingling of bells and the familiar "Ho, Ho, Ho" and down the stairs he'd come. Santa Claus with a big cloth bag over his shoulder. One by one he'd call each cousin's name and we'd have a seat on his lap and get our last gift for the day. The best part is there would always be a gift for my grandfather in the sack as well, the eternal kid at heart, although I think my aunts just loved making my Grandpa sit on his brother-in-law's lap year after year.

Liam had the opportunity to meet this Santa for the first time tonight. He was so excited he was wriggling in my lap. Before Santa even made it to his seat, Liam was talking to him,
Liam: "Hi Santa! Hi!"
Santa: "Hello, What's your name? Liam?"
Liam: "Yeah, I'm Liam."
Santa: "What's your little brother's name?"
Liam: "He's Connor."
Santa: "And what's your mother's name?"
Liam: "Momma"

Santa took his seat and called each child up by name. Most kids were too shy or too old/cool to sit with Santa, but when Liam's name is called he went right up and sat on Santa's lap. He took his present and despite his excitement still remembered to say thank you. Made Momma proud. He came back to me with the gift in his hot little hands. He looked up with shining eyes and said, in awe, "He knows my name, Momma!" After all the gifts are handed out Liam asked to say good bye before Santa had to go. He remembered to thank him again and then Liam turned to Santa and said"Merry Cwistmas, I LOVE you, Santa!" Have you ever heard a room collectively 'awwwww'? I honestly thought my aunts would melt into a collective puddle of sap right there.

December 20

Dinner consisted of a Liam favorite tonight. Chicken nuggets. Why is it that no matter how much nutritious food one feeds a two year old, even if said two year old LIKES nutritious options, the favorites are always the not so good for you items? Anyway, back to nuggets. Liam is chomping away, practically eating his fingers he's in such a hurry to get to each tasty morsel of chicken nugget. He will occasionally break for a sip of water or to get a spoonful of peas, but barely. Mark decides to tempt fate and see if Liam is willing to share. Silly, silly man.

Daddy: "Can I have a nugget, big boy?"
Liam, hand raised in the 'stop' pose: "Daddy, I really don't want to get upset."

'Nuff said. :)

December 18

The boys were working off some of their energy after dinner and before bath time last night. Oh, to have half their energy; I'd cure cancer, end world hunger, and actually mail my Christmas cards all before lunch. I digress. Liam was alternating between running around in circles telling me about his "fast running shoes" and riding his truck in circles pretending to be a fire engine, complete with life-like siren noises. Connor was taking turns trying his best to keep up with his big brother and taking the toys from the toy box one by one over the coffee table and then bringing them back. Connor got bored with his game and asked Mark to play the piano with him, in "Connorese" anyway.
Connor (translation in parenthesis): "Da." (Daddy)
Mark looks at him.
Connor: "Ba." Points at the piano. (Would you like to play the piano with me?)
Mark: "Do you want to play the piano, Connor?"
Connor: "Phffffft" blows a raspberry and starts quivering with excitement (HECK yeah!)

Mark and Connor start hammering away on the piano. Liam the firefighter/track star is still going in circles. This goes on for 10 minutes or so. Finally, Liam has had enough.

Liam: "Can I get some PEACE around here?"

December 16

We enjoyed the warm day earlier this week (60 in December, really?!?) by going for a walk. I walked behind Liam riding his big wheel while Mark held Connor. I didn't see the pile, I didn't hear the splat, but I sure did smell the unmistakable odor. Someone had stepped in something a neighborhood dog had so thoughtfully left behind. I checked my shoes, Mark checked his. Nope. We knew it couldn't be Connor and Liam had been pedaling the whole time. Then I noticed the strip of brown on Liam's big red wheel. Liam turns to look at me with his nose crinkled.
Liam: "Momma, I smell something. I smell something NOT good. *mumble, mumble*(while shaking his head emphatically) NOT good...."

File this under 'Duh':
After seeing a commercial about fireplaces;
Liam:"I don't like fire, it's too.....um....firey"

December 15

I sang Liam "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" for the first time tonight. He listened carefully, as always.

Liam: "Where's Town? Santa's coming there. Can we go?"

December 11

We took the boys to the mall today as it has been raining for two days straight and we needed something to do. Liam was totally psyched for the trip for the usual reasons, namely the pet store and a ride on the mechanical cars on the way out. He was also more than a little worked up over seeing Santa. He saw him from a distance last time he was there and hasn't stopped talking about him since. He has pretty much been practicing his answer to, "What do you want for Christmas, little boy?" for weeks. We've discussed the details, be a good boy, ask Santa for presents and he delivers on Christmas Eve. He's heard the songs, read the stories, and seen "A Charlie Brown Christmas". I figure he gets it, especially when he's so excited to see Santa so he can tell him what he'd like.

He waits in line, thankfully short, dancing from one foot to the other. The entire time the two families ahead of us spend their time with Santa Liam is either shouting and waving, "Hi Santa!!!" or trying as desperately a two and a half year old can to contain himself.

And finally, the last kid peels himself off of Santa's lap and Mark lets Liam free. He runs right up, checking only once over his shoulder to make sure Daddy is close behind.

Liam: "HI SANTA!!!!!!"
Santa: "Ho, ho, ho, Have you been a good boy?"
Liam: "Yep" Now starting to get shy looking anywere, but at Santa. He notices all the Christmas decorations surrounding Santa's seat. The toy train, the tree, the HUGE glittery presents. After making some inconsequential (to Liam) small talk, Santa gets down to business.
Santa: "What do you want for Christmas?"
Liam, with Momma's notes in parentheses: "I want a football (he has two already) and a truck (ditto, and too many to count). A digger truck (Ok, maybe not one of these specifically). And a dump truck, too (has a big one and a matchbox size). I want a mask (What? Um, what for exactly?). And a movie, uh, five movies. Bob movies and Curious (George) movies."
Santa tries some more be a good boy type small talk while Liam fingers the edge of one of those shiny presents, but is cut short.
Liam: "Can I have that present now?"
Daddy: "Okay, time to go."
Momma: "Say 'Merry Christmas' to Santa, bud"
Liam, begrudgingly, "Merry Christmas, Santa"
On his way out of the Santa corral, not out of earshot mind you, Liam lets loose.
Liam: "He didn't give me a present, Momma!!"

Apparently Liam missed the second step of the whole two step process of 1. Tell Santa what you want. and 2.Get it delivered on Christmas Eve.