And so this is Christmas . . .

I thought I would remind all of you how much has changed in just a year . . .



Can you believe that is us?

For starters, I have looked at this picture a million times, and all of a sudden, I realized that I look just like my mom. I don't know why I can see that all of a sudden. This was me, 4 months into the new world of motherhood. One year and about 4 inches of hair later (thank God it's growing back!), I am still alive.

And what about Alex? Can you believe him? I would be hard pressed to decide when he was cuter -- then or now. How fun is it to dress a little baby up in cute little Christmas outfits? Little boots and bibs and velvet overalls . . . I wonder how long he will let me do THAT.

I look at these old pictures, and am reminded of how fortunate I am to have such a wonderful family. How blessed I am to have a truly perfect child. Gorgeous, smart, learning new things every day, and funny to boot. He is amazing. The best Christmas present ever.

Some interesting things he can do now . . . first, his dancing has improved a great deal. He used to just stick his butt out and sway around. Now, he stomps his feet (looks like he is trying to do "the running man" circa 1990), and he can spin in a circle on command. He continues to be able to follow directions. Last night, we needed an activity for Alex. Erik was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. We kept sending him on errands -- "Go give this to mommy" and "Go give this to daddy." Did we need these things? No. But it kept him busy.

This morning, I picked up to call my friend Liz (hey Liz!) and Alex picked up a tablespoon and put it up to his ear like he was going to make his own call. SO funny. He can also put his own dishes into the dishwasher. (And take them out, and put them back in, and take them back out). He now also says the word "off". I realized I have been saying that word a lot, like when we turn off lights and other things. So today, I was making cookies. I turned off the mixer, and he looked at it and said "off". He has said it a few more times too. I am impressed.

So that's about it. We are excited for this Christmas, as he will certainly enjoy the presents as well as time with his family. We are looking forward to him playing with his cousin Reese in New York in a few days. I'm sure I'll have lots more too write about then.

Merry Christmas from Boomerang Drive!

-- Holly