Merry Christmas!

We celebrated Christmas 16 times with about 12 different families. OK, that's not entirely true, but man, did we get good use out of those "holiday" sweaters!

Grandma Mary's gift to Jack was almost as tall as he was.

Griffin and Grandma Patty watched the present-opening chaos.

After getting snowed in Des Moines, we spent a cozy Christmas day with Grandma Mary and Barry.

We finally made the trip to the tundra where Sally greeted our carload of elves. Check out all that snow!

Housebound!

One cold day Bryan and Jack found a new way to entertain themselves. I can only imagine how long I can hold Bryan off until he decides to see how far Griffin will slide.

Warming Up

As a baby, Sally initiated "spa baths" for Jack, which meant he got warmed towels, a warm blanket and warm jammies following his bath. Here, Jack takes it a step futher. Actually, I think this has Bryan written all over it.

Scrub-a-dub-dub

This was totally staged and wouldn't have been possible without 8 sets of arms holding up Griffin. He's like a greased octopus these days, and this trial bathtime quickly showed us that he is not ready to be released into the big boy tub with Jack.

A Visit with Santa

Griffin braves the "dreaded lap" and discovers it's not so scary after all.

Jack is more comfortable at a safe distance. Given the look of this Santa's crazy shoe polish eye brows, I don't blame him!

Jack realizes that if he's going to get a hockey table, he'd better man-up and tell Santa what's on his list.

Jack decided that a Merry Christmas high-five couldn't hurt to seal the deai.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

They say that anticipation is half the fun of the Christmas season, and this year, we were determined to prove them right. Here's a quick peek at some of the Christmassy things we did to celebrate in December.

We kicked off the holiday season on Thanksgiving weekend with a 3D viewing of "The Christmas Carol." Looking back, it wasn't the best choice for a 3-year-old, but he quickly forgot the ghosts and focused on what treats he could eat.

Jack wrote a letter to Santa about what he wanted for Christmas.

In early December, we boarded the Polar Express to the North Pole (by way of Boone, Iowa). Luckily, we got a warm train car, because it was 2 degrees that night.

Once we arrived at the North Pole, Santa boarded the train to pass out sleigh bells to all the boys and girls on the nice list. Luckily, it was too early in the month for either of the Boesen boys to be considered for the naughty list, but oh were there moments!

Jack took a break from his cookie once the Big Guy stepped on to our train. I'm not sure if that's a look of childlike wonder or extreme terror.

Fun with Leaves

Jack and Griffin went to Aunt Jenny's and Uncle Rick's to play one Sunday. Living in a treeless suburbia, they'd never imagined that leaves could be FUN to play with. Jack had a blast playing "AIRBORN!" (see action shot below) and Griffin, a foodie, gave the crunchy leaves a taste.

Trick or Treat

Ricky Stanzi and our loveable land shark got dressed up on a very wet and cold night to go trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. The surprise was on us when Batman appeared to take them to the houses. Bryan's manly pride was called into question when Jack giggled and pointed to his costume and said, "Daddy, your underwear is on the outside." Guess we haven't introduced him to superheroes yet. Another highlight was when a Clive police officer (yes, Grandpa Tom, a REAL cop) appeared and Batman and Superman joined the real superhero to complete the Hall of Justice (or Justice League or Legion...the debate is ongoing).

Pumpkin Patch

We checked out a pumpkin patch with our neighbors and had a great time. There were goats, ducks, an in-ground trampoline (I WANT one!), and even a sledding hill that didn't require snow. Oh yeah, and we stuck Griffin in a moldy pumpkin. Watch out, Anne Geddes, Griffin Boesen in a moldy pumpkin is so much cuter than your little flower babies!

Hut, Hut, Hike!

Jack learned how to play football this fall, and played on the Purdue Boilermakers team. He liked doing jumping jacks in warm-ups and even scored a touchdown in the last game!

Santa Fe Trip

Fall didn't last long in Des Moines, but Bryan and I were lucky enough to travel to Santa Fe, N.M., for a long weekend. The Aspens were glowing gold and even though it was chilly there, we got to take in a bit of autumn.

Yes, I'm THAT Cute

'Nuff said.

Sleepytime

I often wonder if Gerber is adding something extra to make their food so delicious and...exhausting. Pureed veggies seem to take a lot out of Griffin.

First Day of Preschool

Jack's first day of preschool at St. Francis was a success. He goes each Tuesday and Thursday for a few hours. I've yet to get an answer from him about what they actually do there; thank goodness for teacher bulletins. So far, his favorite part seems to be snack.

The New Patty Duke Show

But they're cousins, identical cousins...

Griffin and his cousin cole are 5 weeks apart, but have lots of similarites, including the toys they fight over for teething rights.

Vacation in Okoboji

We took a week-long vacation in Okoboji at the beginning of August and had a great time doing all the "funs" Jack wanted. We hit Arnolds Park for golf (Bryan blamed his loss on his handicap-- Griffin), go-cart rides (Papa caused a four-car pile up) and rides (Jack loved the roller coaster and went on the log ride twice). We had plenty of time swimming with friends and Jack even learned to jump off the diving board. We've been home for several weeks, but each morning Jack wakes up and says, "I'm ready to go back to Sally's. Should I pack my green bag?"