Christmas Gifts that Last

This was Tyler's third Christmas and it was a FANTASTIC one! (I'll post more on that later.) But what I really love is how he remembers Christmas, talks about it and still asks to sing Jingle Bells every night at bed time. He is enchanted by the season and that's so much fun with an almost three year old.

This year he got a few toys that have been amazing. He plays with these things almost every day. It's good to know Mom, Dad and the grandparents have such great taste! And Santa, well he has the best taste of all. This year Tyler got an awesome train table with train tracks on it from Santa. It's just about the first thing he plays with every day and the last thing he touches before heading upstairs for bed. It has already provided many, many hours of fun and enjoyment for him.

Grammie and Grandpa John gave Tyler and Collin two marble runs. Although he is a little young for them, many days the marbles are what wakes me up. No longer does Tyler come into my room at the ungodly hour he wakes up at, but instead he goes directly to the playroom and starts to run those marbles through the tracks. He just LOVES playing marbles with Daddy.

On Black Friday, Collin and I stood in a CRAZY line at Toys 'R Us for a silly little camera that was only $20. I figured he might play with it once in a while, but nope - it comes out just about every day too. He is getting better at aiming the camera properly and actually getting shots of people and not just his toes. This morning he and I had a fun "photo" session where he said "cheese" and I smiled and posed a lot. He then got crafty and took a picture of his breakfast! Gotta love this kid and his love of taking pictures. I wonder if it's because I had the camera in his face from the second he was born!

The other gift that was a real, real hit were his games. In particular, Candyland and Memory. Tyler just loves playing these games. It has really brought us together as a family when we have these little game moments together. I just really love it. I love that when Daddy gets home from work Tyler begs him to come upstairs because he has a "surprise"; ie. a game of Candyland set up, waiting for Daddy. He's figured out the good cards to get - the ones with the pictures.

I love that we found things that Tyler loves. I'm so glad that he continues to grow and learn and enjoy playing like little boys should.

Kings game

Last weekend we were lucky enough to get tickets for the Kings hockey game. This was Tyler's second game and he was ready. Back in December Tyler stayed with grandpa John for a few days and spent some quality time watching the Sharks play so he was ready!

We stopped at Lawry's Cavery for lunch. He was so excited to go he didn't want to concentrate on lunch. We quickly ate and headed over. The seats we had were awesome.

Tyler watched the game so intently. He knew when to cheer and when to boo. He watched his first real fight. Gloves were thrown down and punches wre thrown. The crowd was on their feet. Now the dilemma is to convince him that hitting is never ok. Ha ha ha!

He was glued to the ice all three periods in between his popcorn snacks and jelly beans! In between the first and second period the little kids came out. He started asking over and over again when they were coming back.

He also loved telling me every time someone was put in "time out" as he called it. That happened a lot!

It was a great day. We are going back in a few months to see the Kings play the Sharks with grandpa John. That should be great fun! We've got a hockey fan on our hands. Maybe one day he'll try the ice.