Frozen Yogurt on a Freezing Cold Night

At the suggestion of my brother, we went to a Chinese restaurant this evening for dessert, frozen yogurt to be exact! It sounded like a very unlikely spot for such a treat, but it was voted the best frozen yogurt in the city, so this evening we gave it a try. We paid our local Leeann Chin a visit and had the BEST frozen yogurt ever. I'm not kidding, it was fantastic! As you can see in the following pictures, Graham thoroughly enjoyed his treat!

Going...

Going...

Gone!

A Quick Christmas Recap...

Here are a few pictures from our busy days surrounding Christmas-better late than never, right?



On Christmas Eve, we joined Jeff's family for a delicious Christmas Eve dinner. The highlight of the evening for Graham was getting his very own remote controlled train from Halmoni and Haraboji! At first, as he worked to figure out the remote, he was a bit afraid of the train as it rolled around on the floor, but it wasn't long before Graham was the conductor in charge of his train. I'm still amazed that a child, not even two years old, can understand how a remote control works. Graham does have experience watching his Daddy 'work' the remote, but it's still pretty funny to watch Graham and his train in action.

Graham and his Great Uncle Michael playing with the train

When it was time for bed, we headed to my parents house to spend the night...and what a long night it was. Not long after we put Graham in the pack-n-play to go to sleep, he decided he wanted to get out. So, he climbed out. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep as Graham moved between the pack-n-play he could now get out of, and the bed with us. He had so much fun with his new freedom! I wonder how much longer it will be before he attempts to climb out of his actual crib! Thankfully, he really does love his crib, so I'm hoping he remains content contained behind the bars for at least another 5 years! :)

Morning did finally arrive though, and we made our way downstairs to find that despite Graham not really sleeping the night before, that Santa did indeed come! Graham had so much fun opening his presents, and Jeff and I had so much fun watching him. Last year, Graham wasn't very interested in the gifts, but this year, he wanted to open every single gift, no matter who it was for! Amelia even had a pile under the tree. Although we would have loved for her to be home and sharing the holiday with us, it was touching that she was included too. It was a strange feeling on Christmas morning though, to know that I'm the Mommy to two children who happen to be on opposite sides of the world. Thankfully, with each day that passes, we're one day closer to uniting our family!

Helping Grandpa make scrambled eggs for breakfast


Loving his new tent from Santa

One last gift on Christmas Day from Haraboji and Halmoni-his very own 15 inch Saxophone!!! Is there a more perfect gift for a little boy obsessed with horns? Of course we had to have Grandpa get his saxophone out too!

Because we weren't going to be at home on Christmas morning, Santa dropped off a big gift for Graham a day early. Here is Graham's reaction to his new train table. As you can see, he's shocked. So shocked, that he drops his blanket and Elmo, both objects we normally have to pry from his hands each morning. And no, the train table isn't taking over our living room...it's going to live in Graham's bedroom...safe from his baby sisters hands!

PS How great is his bedhead???

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Groovin' Graham

I'm sorry, it's been a few days....I've been a bad blogger! :) It's been busy around here and sitting down with the computer doesn't always happen when there is so much going on!

Thanks to the religious and cultural make-up of our family, December is like one long party for us! Sunday was the first night of Hanukkah and Graham was really excited. So excited in fact, that not more than 5 minutes after arriving at my parents house, he threw up all over the kitchen. When I replayed the day in my head, I realized that Graham had virtually no interest in food all day and I actually had to wake him up from his nap so we could leave the house. But, until he actually got sick, I didn't put it all together. Poor little guy! Thankfully, he did only get sick that one time and he still wanted to join us at the table for a small amount of soup. An upset tummy sure doesn't deter from the excitement of opening up gifts though!

What a lucky guy to have presents piled up on his high chair tray!

I was happy that Graham woke up with an appetite and feeling much better yesterday morning. Other than being a bit whiny, he was pretty close to himself. I'll take a whiny toddler any day over a throwing up toddler! By the end of the day, he seemed to be back in full swing. He had so much energy in fact that he put on an 'interpretive' dance performance for me as Jeff played the piano. Notice the toy skillet 'guitar' at the beginning. After he's done with his 'guitar' is when he breaks into his modern dance routine! What a funny guy!

TGIF!

This has been a busy week for us, and I'm glad the weekend is here to bring some quiet time before all the holiday craziness. Jeff came home early today (WOO HOO!) and as I sit downstairs updating the blog, I'm listening to Jeff play the piano (for those of you that have heard him play, you know this is quite a treat) and I hear the occasional 'Good dancing, Graham!'. As much as I'm tempted to take a peek at the boys, I'm enjoying my few minutes of not being the responsible one, and soaking up the music. Now, if only I could convince Jeff to play more often....hint, hint, Jeff!

This morning Graham was able to burn off an enormous amount of energy when we met Kelly and Maddie and Edinborough Park. Maddie and Graham had a fantastic time climbing, running, throwing balls, kicking balls, jumping, and pushing each other around on scooters. Thank goodness indoor parks exist, because Minnesota winters don't really lend themselves to children being able to play outside too often.

After our picnic lunch, we packed up and headed home. My plan, was to sing, clap, and act goofy enough to keep Graham awake until we got home. As you can see, not even his very own box of raisins could keep him up. Actually, he didn't even make it out of the parking lot!

'I No Know'

The past few days Graham has started to experience a vocabulary explosion! He's starting to put a few words together to create phrases and is repeating everything! In this video, you'll hear Graham tell us 'I no know' (translation-I don't know). Last night Jeff let Graham play with his wallet. Things got busy in our house, and soon enough, the wallet was forgotten about. Bright and early this morning as we're all trying to get out of the house to fill out the last of Amelia's paperwork at our adoption agency, Jeff realized that he didn't know where his wallet was. Unfortunately, the last person to see this wallet isn't even two years old. We were desperate for the wallet to reappear, and sure enough, just as we were ready to leave home without it, we found it!

Excuse the mess in the video clip, we turned the living room upside down in our frantic search...nothing was left unturned!

A Festive Wednesday

Today, Graham and I shared a rather festive day. We started off this morning by visiting the holiday display at the downtown Macy's. 'A Day in the Life of an Elf' is the theme this year, and Graham was extremely entertained with the dancing Christmas trees, falling snow, and Elves scurrying around to help Santa get ready for his big night


After we finished touring the holiday display, we met Sara (Rara according to Graham) for lunch. To say that Graham was excited to see her is an understatement! Graham just loves Sara and he loved her even more (if that's even possible) when she presented him with his very first Rice Krispy treat complete with Christmas sprinkles. What Sara doesn't know, is that Graham very loudly called out for her all the way to the car, and quite a while into our drive home!

Now, to explain the video...Graham and I were running some errands with my Mom this afternoon and Graham was completely mesmerized with the snow globe display at Target. Graham's 'Ahma' (as he calls her), let Graham choose any snow globe he wanted, and after careful consideration, he chose one with a snowman inside. Graham is very possessive of his new winter decoration, and he's still having a hard time understanding why he can only play with it if a grown-up is around. As you can see, Graham isn't too keen on the fact that his Daddy is trying to help him!

New Paints!

The weather was brutally cold today. In fact, the temperature didn't even climb above zero, so I thought it was a good day for Graham and I to stay inside. Sunday at the Holiday Tea, Graham was the lucky recipient of his very first set of paints(Thanks Barb!!!). As badly as he wanted to tear into them yesterday, I had a feeling we'd be housebound today and figured the paints would be a great distraction for him. Sure enough, I was correct. Graham LOVED his paints and he focused on his artwork for over an hour! In fact, he loved his paints so much that he refused to hand them over when it was time for lunch. So, Graham had his lunch with chicken nuggets in one hand, and a paint brush in the other. What more could a boy want?

Very hard at work...

Graham's masterpiece

Holiday Tea

This afternoon was my Mother's annual Holiday Tea. Traditionally a 'Ladies Only' event, an exception has been made for the second year in a row for my little cutie. :) Graham and I see many of the guests only a few times a year, so Graham's sudden 'big boy' appearance and attitude was entertaining for all. Graham spent most of his time running from room to room grabbing treats off of tables. I'm still not sure how many cookies he actually ingested, but I'm sure he thoroughly enjoyed each and every one! It was also great fun for me to be able to show off Amelia's picture as I still haven't come down from my high with the knowledge of my daughter! Even days after our big phone call, I'm still amazed that Jeff and I are the very lucky, blessed parents of two beautiful children. Now, we just need to get them onto the same continent....

Just for fun....

If you want to laugh and see our family of FOUR (!!!) showing off some fancy moves, check out the following link
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/mZGFwwdfpqvIN1FcbDGE

As a disclaimer, Jeff feels that his head was unfairly placed onto a female elf body...I tried to upload pictures in random order several times, but Jeff's face repeatedly ends up on the same elf. Sorry Jeff!

Graham has a secret...

You can read all about his secret at www.princessolson.blogspot.com

Babies in Baskets

To start with, please excuse the sideways nature of the following photograph. For some reason, this website isn't allowing me to rotate it. I've already spent too much time trying repeatedly to get it fixed but it just won't work. So, a sideways picture it is for today...

In our house, we've been working very hard lately on how to treat babies. My mom even brought over a toy bassinet that I used when I was little. Graham is very gentle with his 'baby' and often makes sure he is well fed and warm enough with a blanket. The other day, Graham and I were playing in his kitchen and he was dividing up some goldfish crackers for us to share. I had my little plate and he had his, and then he noticed his baby propped up on the floor. He placed his plate of crackers in front of the baby then paused for a moment. He quickly removed the plate and I figured he just didn't want to share. Instead, much to my surprise, he proceed to break each individual cracker into tiny pieces then put the plate back in front of his baby. His actions were so sweet and tender. For some reason, he's very aware that babies need their food in very small pieces. I think he's going to be a great big brother!

Now, to explain the picture. I had a basket of clean, folded laundry in the family room. Graham dumped it all out, pushed the laundry basket next to his baby then called out for an audience. Pretty creative way to imitate his baby if you ask me!

Belated Weekend Pics

Yesterday Graham had the opportunity to help make gingerbread cookies for the very first time. As you can see in the photos below, he got right in on the action by standing on a chair up at the counter.

Concentrating very hard on getting the molasses directly into the hole...

Spooning flour into the bowl proved to be great fun for Graham

After the cookies were baking, the real fun began for Graham. Grandpa Greer allowed Graham to play with his saxophone! Grandpa Greer doesn't play anymore so nobody, not even Graham, is lucky enough to hear a tune! Maybe if Graham asks really, really nicely, his Grandpa will cave in! :)

It doesn't get any better than a giant horn!

Fitting the mouth piece

I'm sure his look of concern is a result of an out of tune note

Cake Pan Concert

If you read Graham's letter to Santa, you'll know that he loves horns and pretending that my cake pan is a horn. Bright and early this morning, I got a 'cake pan' concert, and I thought it was entertaining enough to share since it's hard to imagine a cake pan as a horn!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Dear Santa,

There are a few things that I'd really like you to bring me this year. Other than the occasional coloring on the walls and climbing on everything I've been a very good boy this year! I have a real fascination with horns of all types. I have such a good imagination that I often take my Mama's angel food cake pan and pretend it's a horn as I march around the house yelling at Annie through the tube. I'm often discouraged from doing this, so I'd like my very own horn! The shinier the better! I'd also love a little sister! I've recently decided that Arthur and I would make great friends. Could you perhaps bring him to life and let him live at my house? If that isn't possible, I guess a baby sister will do too. I'd also love a wooden train table and I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm really getting one! My Dada doesn't think I'm old enough to understand what's in certain boxes, but I am! I saw the giant box and the picture of the train table. Don't worry though, I'll act surprised when I see it for the first time. I just can't wait to play with it! Oh yeah, have I mentioned that I'd love a baby sister? I know she can't be here on Christmas, but a picture of her would be just great!

Love,

Graham

Just a picture..

Here is a very happy Graham enjoying apple slices as an afternoon snack...

Graffiti

This afternoon Graham took his artistic talents to a new level....graffiti...TWICE!!! Early in the afternoon I caught Graham heading towards the couch (the lightly colored upholstered couch) with a bright orange crayon. It really is too bad that he's still faster than me because he was able to leave his mark all over one of the cushions. Luckily, 'washable' crayons really are washable, and I was able to completely erase all evidence of Graham's art project with nothing more than water. I took the crayons away and had a talk with Graham about crayons needing to stay on the paper. The day progressed and after Graham woke up from his nap, he was asking for his crayons. I gave them back with a reminder of crayons needing to stay on the paper. Apparently, my message didn't leave a very strong impression because as soon as the phone rang and I became involved in a conversation, Graham made his way behind a chair and drew a lovely brown circle on our lightly painted walls. This time, the crayons were put into 'Toy Jail'. We'll see what kind of a mood I'm in tomorrow, maybe he'll get them back, or maybe it will be a few days...

Since Jeff was at work missing all sorts of artsy fun at home, I decided to take a picture of Graham's artwork before I scrubbed the wall. As you can see, Graham is very proud of what he did. I never called him over to be in the picture, and I never asked him to smile....

You have to look closely, but next to Graham's head is his first graffiti.