Update on Christmas Toys

The lollipop is no more - dropped on the kitchen floor and shattered into a million pieces.

We went to Wally World to buy some plastic foods for Matt Matt and Ree Ree to play store with - she bought him a toy shopping cart for Xmas. We also picked up some nice, thick whiteboard markers for him - he has been using our thin ones and couldn't get the caps off easily. And then we spotted it - the toy camera. He's been DYING for one since we took some pictures a few days ago and has been toting around James' Nikon D40, which seems like a pretty bad idea. So we've been on the lookout for a toy camera. He's already taken over 100 pictures and that was only about 40 minutes of playtime. He's SO pleased with himself when he takes a picture of something, so all of his toys have been documented so far. As I said - look out, Annie Liebovitz.

Christmas!

Matt Matt was super excited last night, hopping up and down on his mattress and singing, "I love Santa, yes I DO!" It might have been the sugar rush from the homemade chocolate cupcakes we had to celebrate Daddy's Christmas Eve birthday (35 this year!). He was primed when he came downstairs this morning for presents. This is the reaction shot:

The first thing he spotted was the trike, and he wasted no time climbing aboard and riding off. He handed me the helmet but he ended up wearing it most of the morning, even when he wasn't riding. In fact, it took a bit of convincing to get him to not wear it for his nap.

Yes, Mommy is still in her pajamas! What of it?

Then it was alternating bouts of ripping the wrapping off of still more presents and wandering off to ride the trike some more. Even though he and Ree Ree have been practicing pedaling for weeks at the Big Toy Store (a. k. a. the huge new Toys R Us in Allen), he refused to pedal it. Maybe because he was barefoot and the pedals have little bumps on them to help the grip. Anyway, he got a ton of good stuff that he was pretty damn happy about. A big red firetruck from Grandma and Grandpa in Georgia:


Lots of plastic toy cars from Cars (or Car Movie as he calls it). Daddy is cutting them out of the hermetically sealed plastic and Matt Matt is telling Mommy that he got "lots and lots and lots and LOTS" of cars.
He also got an easel, complete with a personal message from Santa Claus. He wasted no time getting going with this toy, too:


But the one that he smiled the most about was the lollipop ("Big as Matt Matt's head!)


But wait, that's not all. There was a very nice top from Auntie Holly and Uncle James, and a Leap Pad with Cars and Dora books (Mommy was excited about that one - yay for educational toys!) and about 8-10 books.

After the unwrapping came the Christmas movies that Mommy bought on DVD a few years ago. Movies from her childhood - the Rankin/Bass Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman - including an odd Frosty Returns feature with John Goodman as Frosty and narrated by Jonathan Winters (who's no Jimmy Durante). Daddy napped on the couch, conserving energy for the Big Dinner he'll be cooking tonight - prime rib, Yorkshire puddings, roast potatoes with plum pudding and custard to finish. Yum!

After Matt Matt goes to bed, the feature movie is going to be Casino Royale, so we can make sense of Quantum of Solace. We went to see it on Tuesday and couldn't remember the details from the first movie, and it turns out that would have helped to understand the early action in the second.

Christmas 2008 - two thumbs up from Matt Matt!

Lollipop Monster

Matt Matt is a lollipop monster! He first heard about lollipops in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and Dr. Seuss' ABC book, and on his quilt that Grandma sent to him for Christmas two years ago. He was VERY interested in sampling said treat, so he managed to convince Ree Ree to buy him a lollipop and now he is an ADDICT. Every 5 minutes, he asks for a lollipop or tells me that Ree Ree said he could have one. Aigh! But on the upside, I can now see which of my genes got selected - the sweet tooth gene. (sigh...)

We sing the Lollipop Song (remember that one?) but of course it was (ahem) before my time so I don't know all the words, but Matt Matt doesn't care - he just sings "Lollipop, lollipop, pop, pop, POP!" And then leaves sticky handprints everywhere.

Say cheese!

Matt Matt found this vintage Fisher Price camera I had bought at a Goodwill store like 10 years ago and just loves playing with it. He also likes playing with James' nice DSLR as well. He took a bunch of pictures - Mommy:


and Daddy:


and Grandma and Grandpa:

and the TV (oooh I want a Blackberry Storm!)

and the ceiling fan:


and the carpet:


Look out, Annie Leibovitz.