Liam's Christmas, take 4

Liam's last bit of Christmas came on the day we got back home. Uncle Brice and Aunt Bridgette brought Owen and some presents! Owen CLEARLY has never seen a camera and is not at all photogenic. Liam received a new Sandra Boynton book and a hammering set, but he was most impressed by the gift for his parents, a framed photo of his cousin, Owen. He carried it around the living room for quite some time.

The cousins soon found the 'lil zoomers race car set that Santa had brought Liam. They loved the racing cars very much. Boys will be boys, I suppose.

Before the Marymans departed, Owen tried on Liam's Halloween pirate hat, just to see what all the fuss was about. Owen didn't seem to mind the hat too much and proved to Liam that funny hats can be fun!

Liam's Christmas, take 3, part 2

As you can see, I was not making up the whole white Christmas thing. Yes, I get that there wasn't too much snow on the ground, but we enjoyed it all the same. We got bundled up and headed outside for some family fun.

Family shots are getting harder and harder. Liam just cannot stay focused or still long enough to get one accomplished! (The fact that my dad had to take the picture and Geoff was inside did not aid the attempt.)

In addition to the snow, Liam enjoyed opening gifts--he got a puzzle that spells out his name and a "What's Inside?" box from Mims and Grandfather, and a doggie pillow pet from Uncle Connor and Aunt Shannon. The great aunts and uncles (Betty and Jim Robey, Bobby and Kim Watson) gave a cute slide 'n learn Pooh book and some money. Sweet!

On Tuesday, Liam was not himself and was running a fever, so Nurse Judy (aka Mims) called in some favors to get Liam seen by the local docs. Guess what? Another ear infection AND strep were causing my poor little guy to be sick. We got some antibiotics, so with that and plenty of snuggle time, he began to feel better. Just look at that face!

We tried for a grandparents shot, but again, squirmy worm Liam refused to sit still for it. Here's one of the better pics.

Grandfather took a hint from the previous picture and started to play with Liam. Tickle time always brings out Liam's laughs, illness or no illness!

After a day on antibiotics, Liam was himself again and LOVED playing ball outside. Mims and Grandfather have such a fantastically big backyard for Liam to run and play in. He took full advantage.

Liam's Christmas, take 3, part1

It was a "white" Christmas in Alabama! The first one in recordable weather history! Despite the slight delay for our flight from snowy Baltimore to snowy Birmingham, the Glenn clan had a wonderful time together!

With Christmas night came a tired and cranky little man, so after Liam went to bed, the big kids opened gifts. Santa was quite generous to us all! Just look at the loot under the tree!

Here is Connor showing Granddaddy the wonders of the iPad. While it wasn't a Christmas gift, it sure brought us a lot of fun (and frustration) in the way of a game titled "Angry Birds."

Connor REALLY liked his Under Armor hoodie,

Shannon REALLY liked her watch.

And I REALLY liked my "lounging" socks.

Geoff was very excited by his PS3 Move,

Dad enjoyed his Costa Del Mars,

and Mom liked her Nook color (not pictured) and the framed photo of Liam.

All in all, a wonderful Christmas night. The only things missing were precious, sleeping Liam and my sweet Memaw. While she was not with us, I know she was watching and enjoying our family fun.

Liam's Christmas, take 2

On Christmas Eve and Christmas morning (pre-trip to BWI), Liam got to open presents from relatives he wouldn't get to see on Christmas--Uncle Matt, Aunt Laura, and the Howard cousins, and GG and Grandpa. He thoroughly enjoyed ripping the paper and carrying around the broom which Geoff had used to sweep the kitchen. While the broom was exciting, we eventually were able to tempt Liam to play with his new toys!

Liam's Christmas, take 1

Uncle Colin and Aunt Steph came to visit the weekend before Christmas, and they brought Liam a wonderful present--a dump truck! Liam LOVED playing with it all weekend, and still enjoys filling up the back and dumping the contents all over the living room!

Liam and Santa

This weekend, Geoff and I took Liam to meet Santa. I was certain Liam would NOT like Santa this year, as recently he has been more shy of strangers. Geoff was certain he'd be fine. Thankfully, Geoff was right! Liam was very interested in Santa, and even gave his beard a tug before turning to smile at the camera!

When we got home, we compared this year's Santa picture to last year's, and MAN how our son has grown. Check out the difference a year makes!

Liam's tree

This past weekend, we joined the Nichols again for our annual trek to the Middleburg Christmas Tree Farm. It was a frigid day, and we were all bundled up. Liam had fun walking around the trees and piggy-backing on his Dada. Together they found one poor Charlie Brown tree before we found the tree that would be coming home with us. Liam was fascinated with the saw and enjoyed watching Geoff cut the tree down.

On our way home, we got trapped by the Middleburg Christmas Parade and Fox Hunt Regalia, so we had to take detours. What normally takes 30-40 minutes to get home took us well over an hour. (We chalked it up to the Griswold Christmas Tree curse and expect a squirrel to come out of our tree anytime now.)

The next day, we put up the tree, and Liam attempted to help us decorate it. He thought the ornaments just stuck themselves on the tree and didn't quite understand the loops and hooks (see next to last photo). That, along with his joy at hearing the jingle bells, was absolutely precious! We love his fascination with all the Christmas decor in our house, and we cannot wait to take him to see Santa this coming weekend! Pictures will be posted, so check back!