Brendan had such a great Christmas that he was in the dancing mood and happily danced all morning long when he wasn't playing with his new toys. A big thank you to all the loved ones who were kind enough to give Brendan some awesome presents. He absolutely loves each and every one of them, and I am not exaggerating. He was was so excited to open each gift and had to play with it for a few minutes before we could move on to the next. It was pretty awesome.

Christmas would not have been perfect without a Dancing Brobee. Brobee waves his arms and shuffles his feet while singing a song so naturally Brendan adores it. We've seen it in the stores a few times and we've had to drag him, kicking and screaming, away from it. It was a given that Santa had to bring him this toy.

He gave each toy his undivided attention for a few minutes before I would rip it out of his hands so we could move on.


He especially loves his new Thomas the Tank Engine Bulgy toy that his Great Grandma Russell sent him. Brendan has just recently discovered Thomas and his friends and runs around the house saying "choo-choo" in the sweetest little voice. It makes me smile every time. So when he opened this he was so excited! His excitement grew when he realized it's motorized and runs on a little track. Now he is constantly asking to play with this toy and to watch the TV show.

And of course, Curious George had to make an appearance. Grandma and Grandpa Near sure do know what he likes! He likes to pick up the George figurine and say "George" over and over.

This Christmas was especially fun watching Brendan tear into his gifts and hearing him ooh and aww over them. He made the day especially bright for us. I've always loved this holiday but it now has new meaning and pleasure for me since Brendan has entered our lives.

Again, thank you family and friends for your thoughtfulness! We have the happiest little boy in the world thanks to all of you! And don't worry Steph and Brent, we'll make sure Brendan gets good use out of his cool robot you gave him. Brendan keeps trying to get into the plastic box. :)

We may be a little absent from the blogging world for a while as we get ready to make the trek to New Hampshire the end of this week. We are officially leaving Saturday morning. I still have lots to do but the good news is that we have an apartment when we arrive in Berlin! I'll try to make updates if possible but it will most likely not be until we're settled.