Christmas take 2

Soon after Grosi and Grandpa left, Omi, Opa, Tante Lauren and Uncle Randy (aka "Uncle Money") arrived. They were a few days late due to next round of snowfall in Portland and fortunately, since we were pretty much snowed in, Finn now had 4 new people to entertain! We had traditional Swiss raclette for Christmas Eve (our new tradition) and had a grand old time. Finn occupied himself with a couple of balloons, his new cookware and glassware set, and other special toys that he received. Unfortunately, his "big" present - a parking garage - wasn't up to par and we had to return it. It was heartbreaking to hear Finn cry for the "fire truck" (you should know that there was actually no fire truck), but nonetheless, it was sad. A new car transporter is on its way, Finn! The older men enjoyed a bottle of Santa's Butt, and we even got a yule log!

Hi Grosi, Hi Grandpa!

Finn was lucky enough to spend Christmas with both sets of Grandparents in Portland this year. His Grosi and Granpa arrived mid-December (right at the beginning of the first snowfall) and were anxious to witness the latest episode of the "Finn show!" that was about to take place. Finn loves to show off his new skills, and was a little parrot during their entire visit. Finn also got the official Swiss stamp of approval after he said "Chuchichäschtli," the Swiss word for kitchen cabinet. (I'll give $1 to any of you that can say it as well as Finn.) We were snowbound for most of their visit (an extreme rarity around here), but we managed to get out a bit and truly enjoy the winter wonderland that was Portland. Was Finn ready for his Grosi and Grandpa to leave? "No, nei, no, nei, no, nei!"

Michelin Man: size - toddler, color - blue

Yay, it's snowing!! Can we go outside, mom?

I'm ready... not sure if I'm ready to play outside or take a nap, but I'm ready for something.

How dare you not let me take my sleepsack out in the snow!!

Ok, now I'm feeling better.

One day, maybe I will be the Michelin man.

In a word: Chaos

Friday afternoon was Finn's daycare holiday program. His group consisted of 1-2 year olds, who were apparently supposed to shake tambourines and bells while the teachers sang a couple of songs. Had I not made the mistake of sitting on the aisle and getting Finn's attention as he walked in, the drama that was about to occur may have been avoided. Note the somber look in his eyes as he walks up to the stage. In the end, it was all mended with a cookie. And, yes, they put a bib on him this time.

"Sammyclauf"

We started our Christmas festivities last weekend with a trip to a wonderful Christmas tree farm. About 3 minutes into the hunt for the skinniest tree we could find, Finn declared "all done." We pressed on, however, and found a little beauty. Finn's favorite part of the tree farm was the fire pit, which he attempted to blow out. We ended the weekend with dinner at a local hamburger joint and witnessed a pretty amazing sunset.

As for the title of this post, "Sammyclauf" is Finn's take on "Samiclaus," the Swiss gift bringer. I hope he never stops pronouncing it that way. :)

Dancin' Machine

His dance style is unique, with a modern take on the marching band march, repetitive circle movements, and taking a quick break to say something that sounds like "butter" about 20 times.

Thanksgiving

While Tom was busy navigating the friendly skies, Finn and I headed up to Seattle to spend Thanksgiving with good friends and their family. Finn brought along an ear infection and a bad outbreak of hives, and still managed to have a great time. He spent most of the days running back and forth from the living room fireplace to family room fireplace, with an occasional “Hi, puppy!” and a little kiss on the dog’s head. He also attempted to abduct numerous small candles that were placed throughout the house, touched a beard for the first time, and ate about 3.5 pounds of homemade scones. The trip was a definite success.