Trains, trains, and more trains!

On the Sunday after Christmas (12/28/08) grumpa took the three of us to a model train exhibit at the Washington State History Museum. They had several very large trains set up and they had conducter hats and coloring books and buttons for the kids.


ANDREW LOVED IT!! He is our little engineer :)

This train was made by playmobil (that makes toys). They had a scavenger hunt and we went around trying to find the different animals and people hidden throughout it. Mommy helped.

They also had a whole bunch of LEGO Thomas trains and tracks for the kids to play with. Andrew was a little shy of the other kids at first.

Watching the trains go round and round.

Andrew really liked these bridges and tunnels, he kept going back to it.

Andrew also loved the circus train and didn't want to leave that one. There was a great big Thomas train and Annie and Clarabel so he really liked that.

It had a lot of little circus games and this tent with animals as scenery.

Proof that mommy was there, not just taking the pictures. But he rides around on daddy's shoulders, not mine. And he gets heavy.

They had other exhibits but Andrew wasn't as interested in those, except this old west exhibit with a wagon and a train.

Giddy up, horsey!

They had these stools with phones in front of them as part of an exhibit and he pretended to call 'Muh' and tell her all about the trains (since she didn't come with)

Such a tired little boy. He started laying his head down on daddy's head.

Christmas Day!!!

I have been trying desperately to catch up on Andrew's blog and Christmas pictures. The computer/internet throws me off most of the time while I'm trying to upload pictures and most of the time it makes me want to scream and tear my hair out. :) Hence why the Christmas pics are late. (It is really 1/5/09 today even though it says otherwise, because that's when I started this post. :) )

Andrew had a lot of fun on Chistmas! He got way more toys than he needed of course, but he loves them all. :)

This was Christmas morning after Andrew woke up. He was a good sport and waited for mommy to take a shower before we went downstairs.

He had a little stuffed/plush tree on his dresser that Grandma Bouma had sent us a few years ago. He's very proud of that little tree and he got to put all the presents under it that he had made for other people. He made everyone ornaments and then a special present for daddy and the grandmas... you'll see that later.





Andrew walking in the living room and seeing our stuffed Christmas stockings on the floor by his rocking horse.


He was excited that Santa had eaten his cookie and left him presents in exchange. :) (Who wouldn't like that, Andrew got the better end of the deal) He had asked Santa to bring him cars, trains, tracks (for the trains), and tractors and diggers.


Then he had to help open everyone else's stockings too.





We got Andrew a Thomas train set. He loves to play trains, he sets them up every day now. He doesn't look happy in this picture but the chocolate around his mouth is kind of distorting it. The problem he had on Christmas was that he'd open a present and think it was really cool and then mommy would set it aside so we could open the next present and he wanted to play with his new toys.


A race track for all his little Hot Wheels he loves to play with every day too.


Daddy picked out this Hummer, cool! (Bummer, it broke a few days ago. But he and daddy went and exchanged it for a cool red Porsche!)


I wonder what's in daddy's present? He won't mind if I help him. :)


We got Andrew Tickle Me Elmo. (As you'll see in a later Christmas post, a relative of ours got him the cooler Elmo Live)

Trying to open the box and get Elmo out :)

This was the coolest present I got! It's a photo throw/afghan of Andrew. (The picture is woven in, not just stamped on) I guess that's the only way I'll be able to keep him little forever. :)

More Christmas pictures from the grandparents' houses to come.

Christmas Eve traditions

In my family (Jana's/mommy's) we have some traditions on Christmas Eve. We get to open one present, which is usually pajamas or slippers or a bathrobe. Then we read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' which was always my job. We also would leave a cookie for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

So after working a 12 hour shift on Christmas Eve (so I could have Christmas off, yeah!) I came home and Andrew got to open one of his presents.


Mommy's just helping him get the tape off the side of the box.


What could it be???

Thomas jammies!! :)

Goofing off with daddy :)

Then we climbed up on the couch to read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' and the Christmas story from his kids' Bible...and have Christmas cookies.

Something was very funny! Daddy printed the story off of the computer and there was a picture of Santa Claus that Andrew insisted was 'Jesus.'

My huggable little boy

He also left a cookie for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

This particular cookies was very overloaded with sugar sprinkles. When daddy and Andrew were frosting and decorating this batch daddy turned around to find Andrew dumping on the sprinkles.

Our stockings hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there. Complete with two stockings on the ends for the two doggies.

Fantasy lights

Fantasy Lights was finally back open so we could go on Monday night (12/22/08), they hadn't really removed any of the snow and ice on the road around the park though. We met 'Grumpa' there and rode with him (it's a drive-thru light display). It was a little cold with the windows down, but we had fun seeing all the lights.

We hadn't had dinner yet so Andrew was eating chicken nuggets in the car, and taking pictures with his camera since we brought ours.

Here's the dump truck, Andrew loved all the vehicles!

A dragon (or the Loch Ness monster...it is right next to Spanaway Lake)

Santa's pirate ship :)



A 'flying' car (it just looks like it)


And last but not least....a train!



Thanks for taking us Grumpa! Andrew loves his Grumpa! (Look at all that barbeque sauce around his mouth :)

Andrew made up with the snow

Andrew finally made up with the snow, and now it's raining. :( Bummer. He wouldn't go out in the snow very much last week (he was also sick part of the time) after he fell. Now he LOVES it!

We got at least 8 inches this weekend while I was at work!! On Monday (12/22/08) we went out to play in it. We built a snow 'lady.' I asked Andrew if it was a man or a lady and he said a lady. He also said that it's supposed to look like mommy. :) And we caught snowflakes on our tongues. I tried to make a snow angel but Andrew wasn't impressed, he didn't want to lay down in the snow. He tried to throw snowballs at daddy but he doesn't throw very far at all. The best part was when we got out his little plastic tobogan and pulled him up the hill and let him slide a little bit down, not the whole way by himself though and we don't have a sled that we can ride on with him.

Helping mommy roll the snowball for the 'snow lady'





Our snow lady/mommy :)


Catching snowflakes on our tongues

Silly mommy

Sledding--mommy's the power

The pretty snow, look at all that. Almost looks like we're back in Spokane

Sledding down the hill


Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!


We came in for hot cocoa after our snow adventure, Andrew thought that was very yummy!

On Tuesday afternoon he went to grandma's house and rode on a big wooden sled with cousin Sam down the hill in grandma and grandpa's backyard. Andrew had a blast! He kept saying faster, faster, more, more. (I would like to have seen his face)