christmas fun, part 4 - the aquarium

On the day after Christmas, we decided to take a trip to the world's largest aquarium. It was the first trip to the aquarium - ANY aquarium - for both Daniel and his Great-Grandpa. I think it's safe to say that both had a great time (as did the rest of us)!

From pretty much the moment we entered the building, this is the expression Daniel had on his face. He was fascinated. SO much to see!
This big tank of colorful reef fish was one of his favorite attractions. He just kept watching and pointing, and when we tried to pull him away to get a family photo, it was a no-go. He had much better things to do. By the way, I LOVE this picture with his reflection - thanks Rita!
The best family photo we could muster, this one in the tunnel under the tank with the whale sharks.
Papa's trying to tell Daniel about something, but the fish are too interesting to pay much attention!
The otters were another favorite of Daniel's (and I must admit, they're my favorite too). He had a great time watching them swim and play, and we were lucky enough that one of the keepers came in to feed them while we were there, too.
Finally, what trip would be complete without a photo with the aquarium mascot, Deepo? Daniel was so cute, he ran away the first time he saw Deepo, but then decided he was pretty funny and ran back to get a better look. You can see he's still kind of skeptical here.
We had a fantastic day. It was so much fun for Mike and I, as parents, to see the aquarium through Daniel's eyes - the wonder and amazement. We've been several times before, but this was definitely our best trip yet, and we look forward to taking Daniel (and eventually his little brother!) back in the future.

christmas day!

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas, with Papa, Grandma, and Great-Grandpa all here to celebrate with us. Daniel is too young to really 'get' what Christmas is all about (or to understand why there was a pile of presents under the tree), but he was excited because we were all excited.

We went to church on Christmas eve, but somehow neglected to get a picture of Daniel all dressed up. Oh well! On Christmas day he pretty much stayed in his pajamas all day long.

Our lovely tree and stacks of gifts, before the destruction began. Yes, there were LOTS of gifts, and yes, most of them were for Daniel!
Daniel trying out his first gift, a table and chairs from Santa, just his size. He LOVES them. It took him no time at all to climb right up in the chair.
He got a rocking horse from Papa and Grandma. Another hit!
Coloring with Papa at his new table, with his new crayons. They're triangular so they don't roll off the table. I think this is brilliant and I wish I'd thought of it.
Helping Dad open a gift.
Playing with his new truck (and looking a little dazed at this point).
Trying on a sweatshirt.
The legos were another hit, as much with Dad and Mom as with Daniel (yeah, we're engineers, we can't help it).
Completely overwhelmed at this point. What a fun day!

christmas fun, part 2

After a fun day at the tree farm, we followed it up with a day at home. We started decorating the tree, and spent the rest of the day playing with new toys.

Daniel supervised the placement of lights on the tree by Daddy and Papa Tony.
He was also in charge of the garland.
Daniel thoroughly enjoyed all the attention lavished on him by his Grandma and Papa. Lately, he's been doing an adorable thing where he backs up into your lap when he wants to sit there. Grandma was more than happy to oblige and provide him a lap on which to sit while they read some books.

christmas fun, part 1 - the tree

Our Christmas celebration actually started a couple of weeks before Christmas, with a visit from Grandma Deb and Papa Tony. While they were here, we had a fantastic time going to pick out and cut down our tree! We were also lucky enough that Santa happened to be visiting the tree farm on the day we were there.

Our first order of business was to sit down with Santa. Daniel was not overly excited about the opportunity. He had just woken up from a little nap in the car, and had a look on this face the whole time that said "who is this guy with the beard and why am I sitting in his lap?"
After a few animal crackers, we moved on to our search for a perfect tree. Daniel had fun tromping around the field looking for one to bring home.
With some help from Grandma and Papa, he found the perfect one!
Daddy played lumberjack (he was even dressed appropriately!) and chopped it down.
They had a neat old tractor there, which Daniel had a great time pretending to drive!
He's a natural, don't you think?
We even managed to get Santa in on the action and get a family photo with him.
What do you think Grandma and Santa are talking about??
All in all, we had a fantastic time and will definitely be going back to the same place for our tree next year!