looking back again ...

so after we returned from wisconsin
things got back to normal
the hustle & bustle of the holidays
were in the rear-view
and i eased back into my routine ...

i played some trains,
supported the hawks,
helped dad study,
read a great book,
personified a great shirt,
and got my play-dough on

feel free to use the comments field to caption this gem

so yeah, life was good until ...
something changed

i couldn't put my finger on it at the time
but i felt like the walls were closing in [sorry]
soon ... i was a basket-case [sorry again]

for extra credit ... can you find

the three earth/budget friendly things going on in the picture above ?

after some critical reflection i thought
maybe this was seasonal depression

i turned my thoughts to toastier times
the wild rides & agricultural adventures

i wonder where big al is now ?

but this strategy did little

to clear my blues

and then finally it hit me ...
it had been days since i unwrapped a present !
lucky for me, mom had an event in the works

the local crew was assembled,
there was a balloon,
that grandpa eventually let me play with
we tasted some icing,
then after a few pleasantries ...


... we got down to business !

there were big boxes,
familiar friends,
funky wraps,
and classic games

and the rest, my friends
is history

before they were stars [happy valley edition] ...

i apologize if you have already seen this footage
on a different fabulous toddler-blog

coming to your local theatre soon ...
magic-hands max and his band

please ... don't be too hard on my back-up singers
there is only so much room
@ the head of the class

this will only hurt a little ...

like ripping off a band-aid
we need to just do this quickly
and move forward
it has been quite a while since i typed at ya
and we have a few things to catch up on ...

let's begin with my second birthday party
more specifically, the wisconsin affair
not to be confused with the PA fête
but we will get to that later

for now, let's see if you can identify the theme ...

i don't mean to brag, but this is just a sample
what can i say ... it goes with the territory
of being the only grandchild
more on that later too

cheesy eggs ! one of my favorites
the shadowy figure lurking in the background
is none other than auntie beth

i am not sure what she was doing back there
one thing is for certain ... she was not waiting
to receive a chicken-protein facial

at this point, the party theme has become apparent to me

have you figured it out yet ?
let me give you a more obvious hint ...

that's right ... it's thomas !
& now that you are hip to the game
i can offer you the pièce de résistance ...

oh yeah ... that's right
the graham-parents made me a thomas cake !
purists will no doubt recognize the numeral 2
as part of edward's regalia, but in this case
it is indicative of my second birthday

and how about that photograph ?!
natural light, shallow depth of field
very baked bree

in case you were wondering
the cake tasted as good as it looked
my favorite part ...

might have been the black icing

as i suggested above, i have had the privilege
of being the lone branch at my level of the family tree
well ... that is no more
last month i introduced you to my cousin ben
and during our holiday travels
i finally got to meet the young man

at this point, all is well
i am pretty excited to have a cousin

and then ... i did the math on the whole
boatload of presents divided by 2 equation

i am not really sure what is going on here
methinks it might be some wisconsin 5th quarter nonsense

badger fan or not

that is one good-looking monkey

ok ... we are almost done here people
there is just the little matter of christmas to address ...

as you may recall, i took my holiday prep seriously
i began my gift-unwrapping training early
and i think the results speak for themselves ...

neither bundle, box, nor bag got in my way !

for those of you wondering if any of those packages
confirmed my place on santa's nice list
& revealed the fulfillment of my wishes
i offer you the following image as an answer ...

oh yeah ... that's right

i got my woody

and that's that
did you like how i did not even mention
the color-blind tim burton thing going on ?

see ... that wasn't so bad !
thank you for your patience

as an additional, free* reward
for your attention i offer ...

a cute pose
a fierce pose & a big grin
some more big, happy grins
a teachable moment
a happy family
a laughing baby & possibly deranged dad
and a poorly-time shutter

* just pay separate shipping & handling

thank you, good night
tip your waitress, and on to twenty-twelve

that boy is good ...

for starters ...
give yourself two extra points if you got the Randy Watson reference
i like the way you think !

unfortunately, this post is not about the cinematic accomplishments
of one edward murphy [middle name = regan ... who knew?]

rather, the star in question is one christopher kringle
you may know him as father christmas
but i prefer to call him santa

whichever moniker you prefer
there is one thing that we can all agree on ...
the man runs a slick organization !

not only have i received a phone call from his office
but his marketing team sent me this video

as a child of the internet [web 2.0] age
i am pretty comfortable with what some might perceive
as surveillance that pushes the boundaries of the patriot act

and the naughty/nice dichotomy ...
while some may see this as a misguided & draconian gifting policy
i relish the simple, binary nature of the agreement

screw up, get caught and you are out of luck
this tough love stance is balanced by the sweet proposition
promised by the other side of the coin ...

earn the 'nice" designation and you are golden
assuming it fits down the chimney, all you you have to do is ask !

feeling extremely confident that i am on the good list
my thoughts are shifting to other concerns ...

while this may technically be my 3rd christmas
it is hard to pull any take-aways from my first go round

& last year i was more interested in gift wrap than gifts

but this year ...
i have evolved and can look past the hollow outer trappings
to the goodies inside !

what does all of this have to do with the price of tea in china ?
i am glad you asked and i will tell ya ...

in the video linked above, santa has documented my
gift selection as "thomas the tank engine"
well it just so happens that my desire du jour has wavered

do not get me wrong ... i love me some thomas the train
throw in a harold, a percy and a tunnel ... you can't go wrong
it is just that ... well ... you see ...

two days ago i introduced you to my new friend buzz lightyear
and one can hardly have a buzz without a woody
that would just be un-natural
like kool aid with no sugar, peanut butter with no jelly
hold on ... let's get this post back on track
we can't be mixing chris tucker references with coming to america
though it is just a matter of time before ice-cube does a pixar flick

so like i was saying ...
is it too late to inform santa that i have changed my mind ?
mom and dad assure me that he knows

and is he aware that i will need special handling ?
deliveries to pennsylvania and wisconsin

you know what ...
i think i will just send him a tweet
and maybe add a movie or two to the list while i am at it

thank you all for your time and attention

and here we go ...

when people learn that i was born on 12/24

i often sense sympathy in their reaction

as if the date's proximity to christmas

somehow lessens its importance

or that i am destined to miss out on something

sure ... it is cold outside this time of year

and when i reach school age

any birthday cupcakes will likely be lost in a blur

of hand-print turkeys, cotton-ball snowmen

and a mass of sugary, red & green treats

but on the plus side ...

it is not likely that i will ever have to go to school on my birthday

nor will my parents have to leave the house for work

rather, it is likely that I will be surrounded by many family & friends

what i am trying to say is that no pity is required here

to the contrary, i am excited for the pending festivities !

we are talking about a couple days of presents & parties

in fact, in preparation for this one-two punch of awesome

I have started a light training regimen …

last wednesday we kicked things off with a practice shindig

a pseudo celebratory soiree if you will

mom went all out with cupcakes and crafts

we colored trains and made some holiday themed shrinky-dinks

dad’s star ornament is pictured below [pre-shrink]

extra credit if you can find the finished version on the tree

after enjoying our sweets and exercising our creative muscles

it was time for the main event …

one has to be careful to pace their unwrapping

when dealing with such a back-to-back bonanza of bounty

so I rehearsed the seductive dance of deconstruction

savoring each tear, anticipating the ultimate reveal

after a few days of rest it was time to continue drilling

this time with a focus on the mental toughness required

to look beyond the perfectly good toys in your midst

and focus on the potential reward of the unknown

such magnificent mysteries bound by small pieces of tape

i do not mean to sound ungrateful but …

every moment that I am playing with a boat

is a moment that I could have been

playing with trains !

those that know me well

are familiar with my predilection for locomotives

and as such, will be pleased to know that

last evening we went on a train ride !

not only were we on the train …

but santa and his crew made an appearance

there was a reindeer, a snowman, elves

and even a sweet-smelling gingerbread man

so I repeat …

do not feel sorry for me and the timing of my birthday

i am blessed to have many things

and many great people in my life

sure … sometimes they force me to don goofy headwear

Even though we agreed that I have paid my dues

on the forced hat photo front

but all in all we have a lot of fun

i only hope that you are so lucky

as to share your birthday

and your holidays with the ones you love

If we do not speak again for a week or more …

have a merry Christmas

a happy new year

and a Hawkeye touchdown filled insight bowl !