Merry Christmas!

In the words of the Little Jobber, “Happy holiday! Happy holiday! Happy HOLIDAY!”

And, “Jingle bells. Jingle bells. Jingle BELLS!”

 

Getting into the spirit.

There’s a bit of Christmas fever going on at Chez Little Jobber. Conal is very interested in Santa Claus, even if he wants nothing to do with him whenever he’s been around. He’s also very interested in the idea of presents. He talks about presents, trying to sort out what, exactly, they are all about.

And, of course, he likes the lights. When we drive around after dark, he points out all the decorative snowmen and Santas and says, “Oh, wow!” when we see particularly bright displays. He’s into it, this year. Really into it.

So we took him to the Capital Lights in the Park on Monday, and there were plenty of ooohs and aaahs as we drove through the lights:

After riding through the lights, we went to the Washington Park Lake House to check out the displays:

And then it was back outside to ride the carousel:

And this other up-and-down type ride:

It was a fun evening! Conal surprised us with his desire to go on the rides. I guess we’ll have some amusement parks in our future!

On Friday, we went to the town’s holiday party to meet up with Santa. The “photo op” didn’t go so well:

But the crafts table was a hit:

Fun times for the Little Jobber. And more ahead, for sure.

 

Thanksgiving.

First, before we hit the road, there were some crafts:

From Wednesday through late Friday, we were at Grandma’s house on Long Island. Thanksgiving day brought lots of fun with cousins, especially Casey:

The next day, it was time to meet Santa at the Cousins Party:

And have some more — very wild — fun with Casey:

Then, back home for the big surprise 40th anniversary party on Saturday:

Five whirlwind days: Lots of late nights and lots of fun for the Little Jobber!

 

Hockey boy.

It’s hockey season and that means that Conal is in full-on fan mode. He’s already been to some RPI hockey games, he’s all geared up with his Uncle Jer’s old jersey, and he’s now sporting Henrik hair.

Henrik hair? What’s Henrik hair, you may ask. Why, it’s hair in the style of Henrik (as in, Lundqvist, NY Rangers goalie), of course. A true fan, this little jobber. A true fan.

And now, some recent hockey-palooza pics!

With Ethan at an RPI game.

Wearing his “new” jersey.

Gearing up for a game.

With Pop-pop at an RPI game.

 

Catching up.

I’ve been a lousy blogger, just failing to blog about all the things going on. Maybe it’s a sign that a lot has been happening? Yeah, let’s go with that.

So, we had Halloween:

It may appear that Conal went dressed as a dog but, no. He dressed as Kipper. Kipper that droll little British pup, who Conal happens to love. He even wore a “Kipper nose” drawn with eyeliner by yours truly.

We had a great time on Halloween. First, we stopped at Jer & Darci’s house and then we went trick-or-treating in the Graber’s neighborhood. It was a big crowd and that helped Conal get into the spirit. After we finished grubbing for candy, we headed to the Cooney’s house for dinner. The kids ran around and had a blast. It was lots of fun!

I’ll try to catch up on some of what else has been going on in the next few days. Provided Conal cooperates and takes his naps!

 

Apple-y.

The boy looooooves his apples!

October 2008:

October 2009:

 

The Little Jumper.

Conal is a boy who likes to jump. Jump, jump, jump!

Sometimes, Conal likes to jump on his mom and dad’s bed. They’ve always let him do it, even though it has seemed a little dangerous, because he loves it.

One day, Conal jumped and jumped and jumped on his parent’s bed and landed — SMACK! — head-first on the sharp wooden headboard. He screamed. He cried. He held his breath until he turned blue!

His parents were very worried. What should they do? His father ran to the kitchen to get a cold pack for his head. His mother held him and tried to make him feel better.

Soon enough, their efforts worked. Conal was better, with only a big, nasty bruise to mark the injury.

Conal’s mother wanted an end to the jumping. “No more jumping,” she said. “It’s too dangerous.” But Conal still wanted to jump. Jump, jump, jump. The day after he hurt his head, he was back to jumping on the bed, the coffee table, the stairs — all around the house! When his mother reminded him that sometimes little boys get hurt from reckless jumping, Conal became sad.

He didn’t want to think that he could be hurt doing something so fun. And jumping is lots of fun! But, he also didn’t want to get hurt. Conal wondered what to do.

His mother had an idea. She decided to guide him to safer jumping spots, like the floor and the couch, instead of the bed and the stairs. “Jump all you’d like on the couch and this pile of pillows!” she told Conal.

“Hooray!” he thought, and got ready to jump.

Conal is a boy who likes to jump. Jump, jump, jump!

 

Ham for breakfast.

Sometimes Conal can get pretty goofy. Like at breakfast the other day, when he turned into Mr. Funny Faces:

He’s a ham. A two-year-old ham.

 

Catching up.

After vacation, we had a few days at home before taking off again. The highlight of our brief time at home was Claire’s graduation party. It was a fun Mexican-themed fiesta!

Conal liked the bouncy-bounce:

Nicki and Conal.

Sean and Conal.

And he and Owen loooooved Claire’s yummy cupcakes:

Conal also had fun just hanging out that night, after the party started to die-down:

Now, the party’s over and Claire heads off to college next week. Conal will miss his Aunt Claire, for sure!

 

Vacation lessons.

A week away. A week of fun. A week, also, of learning about the little jobber’s crystallizing personality:

• Conal needs his time alone.
• He’s not always himself around others.
• He goes wild when overtired and sugared-up.
• He loves the sand.
• But doesn’t love swimming pools.
• He’s become a hugger.
• He hates taking baths in vacation houses.
• He goes crazy for whales, penguins, fish, sharks and other marine life that call aquariums their home.
• He likes to walk backward, crawl backward, wear his hat backward and just say “backward” as much as possible.
• When he gets it in his head that lobster-print swim trunks and striped shirts go together, there is no getting him to change his mind.
• If he could eat chips all day, he would.
• He wouldn’t, however, drink soda.

And I’m pretty much OK with that last one. I’m OK with all of them, actually. He is who he is and his personality is becoming more and more apparent as he grows and develops and experiences more. It’s wonderful.

Now, here’s a little glimpse of our vacation fun!

Enjoying the beach in front of the house.

Enthralled by whatever was in the tank.

Just a penguin.

I wasn’t kidding about the hugs.

Nor was I kidding about the going wild.

Fleeting quite moment.

The lobster-stripes combo. With purse. A good look, no?

Mmm…lobstah!

Fresh ‘n funky.

Lots o’ kids.