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Sunday, December 29, 2013

Merry Christmas!

It has been a busy Christmas week around here!  Uncle Greg and Auntie Kate came from Vancouver to spend Christmas with us...and we had lots of fun!!  We started our week off with an early Christmas dinner on Saturday at Brian and Tiffany's...which of course came complete with Christmas crackers and the requisite crowns...and Owen's second annual Christmas ear infection (hence the paci in the photo - which he is not usually allowed except when asleep...or whiny-ly sick)
playing with his new Christmas cracker car with Uncle Greg...in crowns.
bedtime stories with Auntie Kate - crowns optional
Some playtime around the house and trips to the Mall of America and the MIA completed our days leading up to Christmas.  Yup, we went to the MOA 2 days before Christmas...we are crazy!  To be fair, we mostly visited the aquarium there.

Learning his provinces
fitting in the final piece!


garden eels!


post aquarium photo opp in the maw of the beast!

mmm...burritos!

sharing his morning sippy with Edgrrr the Tiger...whom he cannot go anywhere without these days!
 Christmas eve we had friends over for some appetizers and back bacon - which for you 'mericans out there is REAL Canadian Bacon...not to be confused with the weird impostor they put on Hawaiian pizza.  In Canada, you can buy it, in the US you can import it for a hefty fee...or you can do like I did and make your own!  Which involves several days of brining a pork loin...and it was well worth it!  It was delicious!!

This is the only picture I managed to get from Xmas eve...I think mostly because Owen was not in his finest form - note the stickers on his shirt, those are courtesy of the Target walk in clinic earlier in the day - turns out Xmas eve was the height of his ear infection (just like last year!) and doctor's aren't really open on Xmas eve, so walk in clinic it was at 2 in the afternoon.  I gotta say, I'm not holding out any hope for an ear infection free Xmas next year...

this was early in the evening when he was still happy to be sharing his little chairs with Greta
Christmas morning we got up and opened the cavalcade of gifts...99% of which were for Owen.  His Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles certainly spoil him!  And he loved all of it!!
What are you so entranced by, Owen?

ah, yule log!!  I totally understand...

sitting in his new booster seat with his new panda before the full onslaught of gift opening.
John Deere tool belt with hat and saxophone...very "country meets city chic"

colouring...with is hat

riding the tractor with Edgrr...in his hat.  The hat has not left his head except to go outside or to sleep since he got it!

An Owen favourite, as always, were the books he got!  
Despite the ear infection (which he has now recovered from), it was a great Christmas and we had a wonderful visit with Greg and Kate.  We hope everyone had a great Christmas as well, and a happy new year!


Monday, December 16, 2013

Holidazzle

On Saturday we headed downtown to have a bite to eat at a pub on the holidazzle route (xmas light parade put on annually in downtown Mpls).  Then we headed out to watch the parade!

chowing down on a burger and sweet potato fries.  "This is not my best angle Mom!"

joining the throngs of people along Nicollet mall

anxiously awaiting the parade!

post parade warm up in front of the giant fireplace at the Hyatt

the bus ride to and from downtown was arguably Owen's
favourite part of the whole thing...this kid loves himself a bus!

Monday, December 9, 2013

'Tis the Season

for decorating a Christmas tree!  We decorated the house, and the tree on Saturday.  Owen was pretty excited to put ornaments on our tiny little tree (we opted to go with a tiny tree this year and when O is a bit bigger next year and understands better what is happening - and can reach higher on the tree - we'll make the transition back to a big tree).

decorating our ghetto tree

"why aren't my mittens connected with a string?"

Maurice, the French Canadian Christmas Moose as our tree topper