One Last First for 2008

David had one last first to take care of before the end of 2008, a haircut!  Emily dutifully took pictures to mark the occasion (19 in total), while I watched on with pride as David did not make a peep and only wiggled  little bit. Everyone was amazed at how calm he he was, especially for a two-year old.  The rest of our New Year's Eve was spent hanging out around the house, helping me cook lunch, and riding his new tricycle around the house.  We hope everyone's 2008 was as good as ours and that 2009 will be even better.

Kyle

First Christmas

It has been an exciting last few days.  Santa and friends were very good to David.  We started the holiday tour at our house where Santa brought David a red tricycle.  He was not to sure what to do as we piled presents in front of him.  Just as he was getting the hang of the process, the presents were all opened.  Emily then made us some pancakes as David learned about gravity when he turned his tricycle too fast.

Round 2 was at Papa and Mammy's house.  David got to play with his cousins some more, and when we told him it was time to open presents, he came running.  What a quick study!  David spent the rest of the afternoon cooking in the play kitchen and hanging out with family.  That evening we just relaxed and put things in order for round 3.

The final stop was in Tulsa to see Poppy, Granna, and Andrea.  Scott and Andrea recently added a German Shepherd to their family, and David was excited to play with Zisa.  As you would expect, David proved even more adept at the present routine the third time around.  He really enjoyed playing "Santa" by passing presents out to everyone.  David was doing pretty well when he received a Longhorns shirt only to have that topped when he unwrapped a totally, awesome Star Wars playset!  David spent the rest of the weekend helping with the cooking, playing with Zisa, and generally reveling in being the center of attention.  It was a quick four days, but well worth it!

Talk to you guys later,

Kyle and Emily

P.S.- David told us that he appreciated the enormous (We are talking small mountain.) amount of toys that he received, but in the future he would like to have a few less toys and more money to put in his college savings account.  We are so proud that he is already making plans for his future!

We have been robbed....

Initial police reports did not name any suspects, but after review of the security footage authorities have narrowed their search.  Luckily all missing property can be easily replaced.

David was eating his snack when he came running down the hallway yelling "ba-nan-a-na" as he met me in the bedroom.  When I asked if he had finished his banana he gave me a confused look, so I told him to go finish eating his snack.  I think David translated this to "go get another banana."  When I came back down the hall a second later he was helping himself!!!  It was one of those moments when you do not know what to say (No, how smart/cute).  I guess Emily and I just have to be more on guard with our little banana thief running around the house.

Kyle

Cruisin' to the Holidays

Things have been good around the Farnham house, and we cannot wait for Santa to arrive.  (I think Santa is a little excited to be making a first time visit as well!!!)  Of course, David does not grasp the whole concept yet, but we hope he will after this year.  Emily took David for his first dentist visit last week, and he seemed to enjoy it, but I think any place that gives him stickers is O.K. in his book.

I think "Operation: Puppies are Nice" can be called off officially.  David regularly hugs and kisses the dogs, feeds, and plays fetch with them with a little help from us.  As for the dogs, I think they are starting to tolerate David a little more.  They do not seem to stare at us as much when he runs by or makes some new, strange sound.

It was a rock star weekend for David as he got his chance to show his drum and guitar skills while we played Guitar Hero.  Partridge Family look out!

Christmas is just a few days away, and we are quickly getting ready.  We plan to visit both grandparents by the end of the week, which means David will have his first road trip to Tulsa. David has also started to visit his daycare so that he can get used to Cathy and the other kids. We will be dropping him off at daycare in increasing amounts in preparation for staying the whole day once schools starts back in January.

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kyle

Winter Wonderland???

It sure has been cold around here lately, and David has not been impressed with any of it.  I think the wind, in particular, irritates him.  Whenever he gets a good gust in the face, he wrinkles up his nose and squints his eyes as if someone had just spit on him.  He is usually scrambling for the hood on his jacket as soon as we get out of the car.  Below are a few pictures of David's "first snow."  The credibility of this accomplishment is still under review as I say the ground has to be covered in snow and Emily believes that white stuff has to be somewhere in the area.



My parents came to town this weekend to give Emily a hand and let her get some work done. (Translation-We want to see our grandson and we will use any means possible! :) I love you, Poppy and Granna.)  We have been doing a video conference with them once week so that David can talk to and see them.  It is has been the highlight of his weekend lately.  Emily did get them to try a little Guitar Hero during "adult time."  We enjoyed ourselves; they laughed a lot, but I am not sure much music was made.

Other news:

-(first no) David told Emily "no" when she asked him to clean up his toys before we left for lunch Saturday.  That was a first for us but have been told to prepare for much more of this!!!

-(first baby shower) My work Christmas party this weekend turned out to be a surprise baby shower as well.  I thought I did not care about that this sort of thing, but it was nice to know that people care about my family and getting it started on the right foot.  Love you guys; you really are a big part of what makes my job so fun!

-(botany lesson) The dogs often drag leaves through the doggie door.  We just hand them to David, say "trash," and he throws them away.  We now realize this is a problem when he yelled "trash" at the TV, only for us to look up and see a monkey eating a leaf!

-(house rules) While my parents were here, David had to make sure they knew the rules.  My mom was looking at the DVD player when David walked up to her and said, "Daddy no manos."  He did not want Granna to get in trouble for touching the electronics.  He is so thoughtful!

Kyle

A Tribute to South Dakota

David recently received propaganda from up north...Pearsons, enjoy!

Potty time and Daddy's school...

Things have been going well.  One week down and one to go until I can hang out at the house with David and Emily again.  I keep telling Emily that if she wants to get a better paying job, I will be a stay-at-home dad.   

Ok, sooo... What have we been doing?  Emily and David got to play with the potty chair as we tried to get a urine sample for the doctor.  We tried all the tricks we knew (running water, hands in warm water), but it still took a really long time before the deed was done.  On Friday, Emily and David came up to my work to eat lunch.  He really enjoyed meeting my coworkers and the random students that happened to be in the hallway.  Everyone thought he was so cute and smart.

We spent this weekend hanging out at the house and running errands around town.  David was introduced to finger painting and had a good time making a mess on the kitchen floor.  He also found a new position for watching his Baby Einstein DVD's.  I thought it was pretty good too until he started grabbing my ears for balance.  Until next time.

Kyle

Santa REALLY Does Exist!!

Who knew he was at the mall?? This morning David and I had our first picture with Santa. No lines, no hassle; just pure fun! David loved him and kept giving Santa high-fives! Afterwards, we went to The Great American Cookie Company and enjoyed a tasty frosting-covered chocolate chip cookie!

Cheers, Emily

BEHOLD--The Sucker!!

Today was the first official doctor visit for David here in the USA. As we waited David remained more pleasant and patient than most of the adults.  Once the paperwork was finished, we immediately went in to see the doctor and nurse, who were amazingly helpful and appealing to both David and me. The doctor decided to get started on his next round of shots and take care of some tests for our adoption paperwork. He really enjoyed saying "Chapin" (pronounced Cha-peen; a nickname for Guatemalans) when the friendly technicians took his chest x-ray. He did NOT, however, enjoy the shot or when the the nurses drew his blood. He cried but, afterwards one of the nurses gave him a sucker, so he quickly forgave all involved.

Kyle returned to work this Monday, and while he loves his classes and teaching, he's stated that he loves coming home to a cute little boy who calls him "Daddy" and who talks about him all day. In fact, I love watching Kyle come home--both of their eyes light up when they see each other, and Daddy time with David inevitably includes horseplay, reading, and eating. 

I'm enjoying my time off because I know very soon it will be over, and my "holiday" will disappear. In January, I'll return to teaching and begin rehearsing for our musical, BYE BYE BIRDIE. Until then, David, Daddy & I are playing games, laughing, experiencing "Terrible Two" moments, and trying to finish up all our loose ends and paperwork before reality takes over. David is definitely teaching me more about myself than I am teaching him, and these memories at home with him will always be special to me.

FYI - Spaghetti and kids, while cute, do not go together, so our pasta meals now include larger, easily grasped noodles.

Emily