'Tis the Season....

....for sugar, elves, sugar, cookies, crafts, sugar, presents, sugar, and over-excited children!  We had a great Christmas at the McCann house this year.  Ronan went to some fun Christmas programs, learned a lot of Christmas songs and really embraced the holiday this year.  His favorite songs were Rudolph, Frosty, and Jingle Bells ("Dashing all the way!" in the words of Ronan).  One of my favorite Ronan moments was going to church Christmas Eve after Kevin spent the day explaining that it was Jesus' birthday.  When we walked in Ronan loudly asked "Where is Jesus?  Where's the cake?"  Perhaps Christmas Eve mass is a little different than the birthday parties he is used to attending.  Apparently he was not happy that the "real" Jesus wasn't there and he kept saying "I want her to come down"  (from heaven, not sure why he calls Jesus her).  Everyone must have been very good this year because we got all we asked for and more.  It was a great year, and Christmas reminded us how much we have to be thankful for. 

Cutest elf ever! And the perfect size!

Polar Express at the Library

Craft Time

A quick hot chocolate and book break.

Christmas Eve with Cousin Reagan

Cousins don't shake hands.  Cousins gotta hug!

Setting out cookies for Santa (and taking a cut for himself)

Setting our trap for Santa

Excited kids!  I almost photoshopped myself out of this one but figured everyone would love to see me in my 8 month pregnant, double chin glory:)

Bootprints!  We outsmarted the big guy!

Train Table!

Dinosaur train toy!

Checking out the new tent

JaJa and Papa came on Christmas day...and brought more presents!!!!

That's quite a stocking!

Boppy, JuJu, Uncle Steve, Aunt Shelley, Kaylie and Cade came down the day after Christmas....and brought more presents (and matching sweaters for the boys)!!!!

Uh oh.  Someone found the cookie table.  And no, the table isn't that low, they climbed up on a cooler to get a better look.

Boys gotta wrestle

A couple of happy guys!  What a way to end the year!

Ronan's say the Darndest things

Ronan has recently started saying things that make me laugh out loud at least once or twice a day.  His language seems to be developing by the day and he is coming up with some real doozies (at least I think so, maybe they are only funny to a mom?)  While I'm not sure he will ever rival our friend Finn in funny toddlerisms, I just had to jot some down. 

I call this one "A Girl Can Dream"
Ronan: "Mama, what are you getting for Christmas?"  Me: "I'm not sure.  We'll have to see what Santa brings."  Ronan: "You gonna get some duct tape, Mama?"

Don't ask me why but Ronan pronounces Playdough "Guido".  We were playing in the kitchen and Ronan started throwing playdough all over the floor.  Ronan: "I'm feeding Guido to the duckies."  Me: "We don't have any ducks."  Ronan: "Yeah we do.  They live in the basement and they want some Guido."  This one kinda starts like a Sopranos episode and ends as a horror movie where I have human-eating ducks living in my basement. 

As I was grabbing a new diaper for him one morning, "I don't need that Mama, I'm fresh as a daisy."  Stay tuned as JaJa teaches him more phrases that were popular in the early 1900's.  Won't that be the bees knees?

As we were walking outside the other night.  "Look at that twinkling star Daddy.  What's that star doing up in the sky like a goofball?"

I'm sure there will be more to come....

Santa!!!!

Someone had a super time visiting Santa today.  He was such a little man.  He told Santa his name, age, and then said "I want all the toys I saw yesterday" and then asked him about his reindeer.   He hugged and high-fived Santa and had a dandy time.  I often question where his lack of fear comes from and actually wish I had a little more of this part of his personality. 

As a side note, here is my favorite recent Ronan story:  Ronan came in from another room with a smile on his face that I knew meant trouble.  I asked him if he did something funny and he said "Yeah, I want you to come look."  I followed him and saw that he threw clothes from the laundry basket all over the floor.  I said "Ronan, that's not really funny."  He replied, "It's a little bit funny."  We could be in some serious trouble.  A friend that I told this story to implied that perhaps I deserve a child who is a smart-ass.....hmmmmmmm.

 
More holiday pictures to come!!

Fall Festivities

We have been pretty busy this fall not selling our house, so I haven't been blogging about all our fun activities.  Now that we are officially off the market, I am going to post one massive post for the entire season.  Ronan has been as cute as ever and growing into a real person before our very eyes.  One day he seemed to wake up and start having conversations with us.  Gone are the days of pointing to objects and naming them...I think he may be turning into a real boy.  It's a good thing that we will be getting a newer model soon.  We had an awesome fall filled with lots of fun halloweeny activities.  Ronan loved his T-Rex costume and liked to wear it on walks around the neighborhood or just hanging out around the house.  We even had some very exciting new editions come this fall.  Uncle Elliot and Aunt Sarah had Cousin Elias Grayson (Eli) on halloween!  Alicia and Josh welcomed Sophia Grace the next week, and Kristin and Chris had Reece Joseph a few days later.  Whew...babies galore!  Here are some of our latest pictures. 

JuJu took us to the pumpkin patch.  It was a pretty cold and windy day but we had a blast.  Of note, the wagon in this picture is not moving. 

Road Rage

Train Ride

Train Ride!!

Where did your glove go JuJu?  Oh, you let Ronan borrow it and a turkey snatched it off his hand?  Better reach in and get it!

Judy claims I stood there laughing and not helping with the glove.  These pictures didn't take themselves, JuJu.

Ronan loves goats.  Goats love Ronan.

Circleville Pumpkin Fest.  Another cold and rainy day.

Big Pumpkin

It only took Kevin and I working together and about $10 to win Mr. Giraffe.  So worth it, especially since I currently have no idea where he is. 

Someone was pretty pumped about Halloween this year.  I wonder if Aunt Sarah was having as much fun at this time on Halloween?

Free Candy!!

I'm not really sure who is cuter

Big Boy

Showing off his loot to his bro.

Trying to unwind with some popcorn and Sword in the Stone after about 12 pieces of candy.  "No complaints for one more piece of candy, Mama."  It wasn't true, he did keep complaining for more candy.

Papa and Jaja's leaf pile!

Love it!

Someone has been fighting a haircut lately.

T-Rex eating lunch

Boo at the Zoo

More Zoo

T-Rex playing hide and seek. Kevin thinks it looks like a Sasquatch siting photo. 

Cousin Eli

Baby Sophia and perhaps future wife?

Fall makes us tired....sometimes.