'Twas the night before Christmas

Here's the scene at our house tonight:


Truman dictated his note to Santa, which reads, "Dear Santa: Happy Santa! Merry Christmas, Santa! Get some milk and some cookies. Goodbye."

And to all a good night!

A Backwoods Christmas

It's a Christmas miracle! (No, not the first photo with Santa, but the fact that we actually posted an entry on this blog.) A big thank you to our neighbor Ben, who took pity on us, the parents who always forget the camera, and documented Truman's first sit-down with the big guy.

I know what you're thinking: This child doesn't need another fire truck. The poor thing needs a pair of shoes! I would have preferred a more formal portrait, but we had to take what we could get. The photo op with Santa was courtesy of our neighborhood block party this afternoon. We all chipped in a bunch of money to get Santa for an hour, but it was worth it (plus, all of the money goes to the Ronald McDonald House). After much coaxing, Truman climbed up on Santa's lap and told him he wanted (drum roll, please) another fire truck.

As for the bare feet, they were thanks to the bouncy house that several more seasoned parents insisted we needed at the block party. (Truman ditched his shoes *and* socks.) What can I say? They do things big down here in Texas.

Stay tuned for a backlog of photos and news. Really!

It's a bird, it's a plane

It's Superhero week at Truman's daycare, and this is what greeted me at the door when I went to pick him up for his doctor's appointment today.


He kind of looks like a Mexican lucha libre wrestler.


Truman insisted on wearing his mask to see the doctor. He was a big hit in the waiting room. He wouldn't reveal his superhero name or special power, but he seemed at least to consider our suggestion: Paci(fier) Man.


The transformation begins...


...and he's back to being ordinary citizen, Mr. Adorable.

Sharks!

We went up to Dallas last weekend for Uncle Harvey's birthday. (Technically, I guess this post should be entitled "Uncle Harvey and Sharks." But I digress.) Grandmommy and Granddad took Truman on the DART train to the aquarium, where we met up with the intrepid travelers. Uncle Harvey graciously joined us for a couple of hours on his birthday. It was a lot of fun.


The flamingo "exhibit" is one of the first stops we made. They're more orange than pink. Who knew? And they eat something that looks a lot like Purina dog chow.



Best part of the aquarium hands down was the shark and other big fish tank, which you could actually walk underneath. Check out this shark swimming right over their heads!


Seemingly oblivious to the stingray just overhead.



Sh-sh-sh-shark!


Okay, NOW he's interested.



Truman posing with the birthday boy.



The Mitchell boys outside the aquarium.


The grandparents and Uncle Harvey with Mr. Adorable. A quick but very fun and eventful trip. Thanks, everyone!

Yeah, America!

Everyone's celebrating in our house, even the Sesame Street gang. Truman arranged this firetruck tableau this morning.

Happy Fourth!

Hope everyone's enjoying a great holiday weekend. Here's Truman modeling his new Target t-shirt (Paul's tired of supporting the Paul Frank empire, but our fashion options are limited). And yes, Truman has been wearing this shirt for three days straight (laundered at night). As Paul said, "It's got a limited shelf life, so we might as well milk it."



Close-up of festive July 4th crown that Truman made at daycare.



Another angle.



Swimming at Deep Eddy.*



First corn on the cob!* (Thanks to Uncle Harvey and Aunt Linda for the pig corn holders. But very confusing to Truman.)



An older, random shot, but too good to pass up.


*In the interest of full disclosure, these shots were taken on Memorial Day. But chances are we'll be doing similar things on the 4th. Enjoy.

New Jersey!

Finally, we've got pics to post from our NJ trip . . . last month! We had a great time with all of Truman's NJ relatives. It was a whirlwind and we didn't even get to see everyone. Well, there's always next time.



A rare group shot (missing a few, but the closest thing we have to a recent family photo) thanks to Sue.


Truman and Pop George horsing around in the kitchen.



Grand Judy enjoying a moment of Truman's downtime.



Out on Pop George and Grand Judy's beautiful deck with Aunt Elizabeth.



Eli, who's gotten so big. And even more cute!



Thanks to Aunt Ellen for this group shot at the Jersey shore. She and Aunt Elizabeth took Truman while Mom and Dad enjoyed a waterfront lunch with Grand Judy and Pop George.



I love this shot of the cousins at the beach. They look as if they're up to no good loitering on the boardwalk.



We were able to attend the dress rehearsal for cousin Phoebe's dance recital.



Phoebe is a natural on the stage and in front of the camera!


Truman DESPERATELY wanted his photo taken leaning on the column. Dancers only, though!



Truman doing one of the things he loves the most: climbing a ladder. Aunt Ellen thought he needed supervision. We tried to tell her he's a pro....



Cousin Gia came up to visit on Sunday. Here she and Truman are at the Groupps for the after-party following Phoebe's recital.



Our good friends Sue and Munro came in from NYC. Truman wanted to do everything that Munro did, which included climbing up and down the porch steps.



Sue and cousin Eli. We babysat him while everyone was off at Phoebe's recital. You can't tell from this photo, but he's on the move. Lookout, Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Jason!



Paul's iTouch kept Truman occupied on the long flight home. So long, NJ! We'll miss you all, as always.

Spring has sprung!

Spring came quickly this year, and with it, the annual blooming of our beloved front-yard flower. (Whose name escapes me right now. Anyone? Pop George?) Which means it was time for the annual photo of Truman posing with the flower. What a difference a year makes. And especially two years.



Truman's already sick of our tradition.


But eventually he perked up.

Aunt Ellen!

We had a great time when Alison's sister Ellen came to visit last month. She quickly achieved "favorite aunt" status with Truman, whose first words every morning were, "[Where] Aunt Ellen go?"


Reading on the couch.


Hanging out in Dallas on Grandmommy and Granddad's back patio.


Truman and Grandmommy. (In the interest of full disclosure, this photo was taken several days earlier in Austin. But it's a nice pic, so we're including it!)


Granddad impressing Truman with photos of his travels.


The sisters posing in Dallas.


Thanks, El, for coming to Texas for your whirlwind two-city tour! We all miss you!

Truman's 2nd Birthday, Part II

You've all been very patient! Without further ado, we present photos from Truman's April party at the Children's Museum. (And a big thank you to Grandmommy and Granddad, who probably took a lot of these pics.)


The theme was firetrucks. This is actually a day-after shot. We have a lot of party hats left over. A lot.


The museum has a lot of interactive exhibits for the kids, including one that lets them be construction workers. I don't think the hats were supposed to leave the exhibit area, though.


The dynamic duo! Truman and his old pal Will, reunited at the party.



A group shot in the party room. Thanks to all of T's pals for coming (and their parents, for driving).



After the candle mishap (digits were burned, but not badly), I attempt to distract Truman with his celebratory cupcake. Notice the guitars on the wall (a reference to Austin's music scene). Each party room in the museum has a different theme. This one was perfect given Truman's love of all things musical.


Sitting on the birthday throne. With Mommy.


Enjoying his cool present (a rocket ship with astronauts, a space dog, and a space vehicle!) from Aunt Linda and Uncle Harvey.