Waiting for Christmas break

We are all really excited to fly to Washington for Christmas break-8 more days!  While Todd is studying me and Soren have been hanging out around the house which means Soren crawls anywhere he wants to go while I follow and watch. There isn't anything too exciting to share, we haven't done much lately but I did reteach Soren to waive!  For awhile the only person he would waive to was my sister Kaylee on skype so we started giving him a treat after every waive and it worked.  I do have to hold his hand up for him, but nonetheless it's still a waive.  I'm hoping everyone will teach him tricks while we're home because I've invested so much time into the waive I'm not ready to start another trick.  Anyways moral of the story is we're excited to come home. 

Here are some pictures of Soren getting ready for his nap.  Usually we sit together with his bear and blanket and watch about 20 minutes of TV before he falls asleep.  It's the only time in the day he'll sit still.

Running and Raspberries

Here are some videos of Soren entertaining us!

Christmas at Graceland

 Friday night we went to the Christmas lighting of Graceland.  It was a lot of fun because 1. It was free and 2. they had an Elvis Santa.  Right when we walked in there was a craft table and I forced Soren to decorate a Santa hat, he doesn't look extremely thrilled in this picture and he was even less excited to wear it.  I think I might be the kind of mom who forces her family to have Christmas spirit, only time will tell.

After the crafts we had an hour before Santa arrived so we walked around, looked at lights and ran into the Memphis Redbird.  I thought the Redbird would be good practice before our Santa picture but I think my love of birds was passed down to Soren because be had an entirely different reaction for Santa.

 Soren played the piano to entertain the crowds. . .

 and even had time to cut a new album because Santa was taking forever.  It was really good too, unfortunately there may be legal trouble due to a possible copyright infringement.

To keep the crowds entertained while waiting for Santa a finalist from the most recent American Idol season performed for us, I think her name was Lauren and Soren was terrified of her music.  Here he is holding on to Todd for safety. 

 Taking pictures with Santa was a traumatizing event for everyone but mom.  Before we even took the pictures, a young boy in front of us started hysterically crying which caused a chain reaction and Soren began to cry.  We brought a crying baby to Elvis Santa and while trying to get out of the way I tripped over a photographer light bringing it down on me, but thankfully Todd caught it before it hit the floor.  There were a whole lot of "oooooooh's", "aaaaaahs" and "gasps" from the line.  Everyone was being really dramatic about the event and according to Todd I embarrassed my family.  As soon as the pictures were taken Todd and Soren bolted for the exit and I was trying to catch up still confused about what had happened.

With all the crying I don't think Soren was able to share his Christmas list with Santa, but I feel confident that all his grandparents will make up for whatever Santa doesn't bring this year!

Soren and Dad: Best Friends

Here are some videos of Todd and Soren hanging out.  Soren at the moment prefers Todd over me and I think it's because I make Soren eat breakfast and take naps while Dad plays with him and feeds him poptarts behind my back!  Whatever the reason it's fun to watch them together.

Fallin in Dip

I heard how much everyone liked the video we sent via text of Soren falling in the bowl of dip.  Just so happens we also got the aftermath on our video camera and thought you guys would want to see it on a bigger screen.  For people who don't know what raita is it's an Indian dip made of yoghurt, cilantro, cucumber and spices which is why Soren has cucumber dripping from his head. 

Sorry about the "cool as a cucumber" joke, I was caught up in the moment.

Happy Halloween!

We kicked off the Halloween festivities with the ward trunk or treat activity.  I have to say I was extremely anxious for the costume contest because I really wanted Soren to win, and he did.  He owned the 0-2 year old bracket and took home a lovely stuffed witch that is now his chew toy.  I have the cutest baby ever and when you dress him up there's no stopping us, keep the compliments coming.

Our friends invited us to a corn maze which was fun but we were in the corn maze too long, over an hour.  That's what happens when you follow a 2 year old, however Todd eventually took over and put his land nav skills into practice and got us out of there.  To and from the corn maze we rode a tractor and Soren was enamored.  He had no idea the tiny tractor toys on his shelf actually existed and stared at the huge wheels the whole ride.

 Soren breaking the rules by touching the corn.

 It took us about twenty takes to get this picture, Soren kept looking down and touching the grass.  Note to grandparents: Buy Soren grass for Christmas.

We did a lot of activities on Halloween.  First we went to the Eye Center to go trick or treating.  It was a huge disappointment.  There was hardly any candy and our family kept getting stopped so random strangers could take Soren's picture.  One secretary even told us to wait so she could call her friend to come up and look at Soren. The Grizzly's mascot was walking around the Eye Center and I have no idea why I'm so close to him because he really smelled.

 After the Eye Center we came home to carve our pumpkin, eat dinner and get ready to trick or treat.

Kaylee likes to join us via skype for lots of occassions, she's even smiling for the camera.

 Potato soup with truffle oil, Soren loved it.

On our way out the door.  Todd made the jack-o-lantern to look like Soren's doppelganger.  They both have 2 bottom teeth and a curl on the top of their heads.  Best friends.

The neighborhood we went trick or treating was something out of a movie.  We found it on the way to another neighborhood.  There were groups of kids everywhere, ATVs and golf carts decked out with Halloween lights driving kids around, and old people sitting on porches passing out candy.  The best part were the comments about Soren's pacifier,
"Oh my goodness, How is he holding those teeth in?"
"It's a pacifier"
"Good Lord!  Let me go get my friend she's gotta see this."

Soren kept stealing the show from everyone, including the other toddler we were with.  The majority of front porch scenes went something like this,
"What a cute monk-Look at the pacifier, hahaha he's dracula. I've never seen anything so cute.  Here are some suckers, can he have M&Ms too?"

 Random guy passing out candy, the boys really liked his nose and glasses.

 Like every Halloween we had to end the night going through our candy and eating all the good ones before Dad gets a hold of them.

Lets just say Soren started his first Halloween off the right way and I've already decided I want my kids to have the best costumes every year.  I'm already scheming for next year, I think it might involve birds...

How are those apples?

Soren hasn't been eating a lot of food lately and I thought he would like some of our applesauce for dinner, but his reaction told us otherwise.

Here are some videos of Soren in the bath, this is probably everyone's favorite time of the day since Soren is contained and he's always happy.

 

Happy Birthday to me!  We went miniature golfing as a family out in Memphis and it was a little run down and full of crazy looking golfers but a lot of fun.

 Our caddy!

Also Todd made me a really epic pumpkin-ginger souffle

I know this is random but here are a few pics from the baby book shower I hosted last weekend. 

The baby shower was so much fun.  We had Green Eggs and Ham quiche, Mary quite contrary garden salad, Little boy blue-berry danish and Baker's man bread.  Thanks Kaylee for the puff ball tutorial on skype, I've got the puff itch and they'll now be at every party!

Soren Standing

Here are some videos of Soren standing.  That's about all he wants to do know and he doesn't seem to care how stable or unstable the object is he's pulling himself up to. He'll even completely let go and take a few steps to something else before falling on his face, hence the reoccurring bruise on his forehead.
The first video is actually just of Soren hanging out in front of the mirror in our closet.  It's where I put him when nothing else seems to work.

I'm constantly making Soren sit down in the bathtub so he doesn't slip and hit his head. I'm not sure how helpful I really am.

I'm embarrassed to say I sounded like the grape stomp lady in the video above.  If you're not sure who that is, look it up on youtube. 
We had to mouse-trap Soren on the bed so he wouldn't suicide dive off the edge.  This kid is fearless.

Graceland

Soren is asleep and I have so much to do so go ahead and think of your own comments to the pictures, I'm know they'll be better than what I would have put anyways.

 Todd's favorite room, known as the Jungle Room.  I suggest looking up better pictures online.  We weren't allowed to use our flash inside the house.

 The Corky's waitress told us it's instinctive to give a baby a bone, "goes back to the caveman days" she said.  So of course we had to give him a rib bone and he loved it!

 "Frightfully Cute" and yes it glows in the dark, me and Todd tested it before putting Soren in it.