Mine mine mine, all mine

bubbles make me happy too

Is this not the absolutely most photogenic child you've ever seen?

No, we didn't drug him to make him look that happy - the photographer was blowing bubbles, and for some reason, that got Drew's funny bone.

I was going to use this picture on our Christmas cards this year; however, having just received the photos back yesterday, that won't be happening. So, for all of you who don't get a card from me this year, which will be, well, pretty much everyone, look at this picture and think to yourself, "Merry Christmas from the Brennans!"

There. It's almost exactly the same as a card, isn't it?

Oh, wait a minute...you have to imagine little snowflakes or reindeer or something in the background...OK. There. Now you have it - my Christmas card. Safe and secure in the confines of your massive brain, and really, what better place to ensure it doesn't get lost or mangled?

All right. For all of you who didn't have a photographer who thought it was OK to get your kids' Christmas pictures back to you less than a week before Christmas, you will all get Arbor Day cards from me, as an act of atonement. When is Arbor Day anyway? Google will know - I'll check that later.

Only one more work day until I get a marvelous whole week of freedom and joy, the first day of which will be spent scrounging about for last-minute Christmas gifts. I promised I wouldn't get myself into this mess again this year, but alas, I suck at keeping promises to myself. Maybe because I know I'm such a wuss that I'll just forgive myself and take myself back time and time again, no matter how much I take advantage of myself.

April 27, 2007 is National Arbor Day, by the way. Perhaps I should start shopping now.

Drew ride choo-choo!

Saturday morning, we took Drew up to Bryson City, N.C. for his very first train ride, aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

The railroad was having a special "Polar Express" ride, which was a bit incongruous, considering it was 75 degrees outside, but hey, that's what you get when you live in the South. Last year at this time we were suffering through an ice storm.

Anyway, Drew had a marvelous time. The whole ride up to the depot he would interject himself into our conversation with "Ride. Choo-choo. Drew. Ride. Choo-choo", as if to remind us of our destination.

After a couple of wrong turns, thanks mainly in part to my serious lack of navigational skills and the annoying fact that there is a big difference between Highway 74 and Business Highway 74, we arrived at the depot just in time to board and only minutes before the train left the station.

Drew was very excited to see his friend Alex aboard. His friend Dakota was there too, but they were sitting in a different seat and we were neglectful and didn't get any pictures of her and her mom.  He calls Alex "Aaah-ooo", and when he saw him, gasped and said, "Ohh, Aaah-ooo choo-choo." It's practically poetry, isn't it?

Here, Drew has spotted "Ho-Ho", as he calls Santa.  Drew is cheering, Alex is on his other side grumbling, and you can almost hear him saying, "Oh great. It's that fat guy who keeps trying to touch me." Alex is not easily won over.

Ho-Ho finally reached our seats, and Drew responded with an enthusiastic high-five.

Then he flirted with Santa's cute little elf...

And showed off his jingle bell, pulled straight off of Santa's sleigh!

After the train trip was over, Drew and Alex spent some time trying to break into the caboose. Aren't they good influences on each other?

Then we took them to Burger King and let them run themselves silly on the playground so they would sleep during the two-hour drive home. 

jingle bell rock

Time again to empty out the digital camera to show you, my faithful audience of four, what I've been doing this past week.

As of today's date, I have watched the movie "Cars" approximately 139 times all the way through. I have dreams about Lightning McQueen meeting a fiery death in a bottomless canyon, with Mater screaming "Well, daaaaaad-gum!" as he hurtles to his demise.

This is Drew's favorite movie, McQueen is his favorite car, and, as you will see shortly, is also the subject of his new favorite book. He calls McQueen "Keen", and his first sentence most mornings, as he stumbles towards his crib railing, wiping sleep from his eyes, is, "Mama. Watch. Keen."

We were able to pry him away from McQueen for a day, though, so he could go with us to Georgia to meet his new cousin, Annagrace.

His first comment upon seeing her was, "Ohhh, Dada. What dat?" This was followed by confusion when we explained that "dat" was Annagrace, his aunt Jennifer's new baby.

You could see the gears turning. He looked at Jenn, looked at Annagrace, furrowed his brow...and then ran off to pull ornaments off their Christmas tree.

Last night we took Drew to the Overbrook Learning Center to do Christmas crafts and meet Santa. He wasn't so much into the crafts (guess who ended up doing most of that?), but he was quite into the juice and cookies, and Santa, who he calls "ho ho." Ho ho as in jolly, you freaks.

As you can see, Drew demanded that Santa read his "Cars" book to him before he'd sit on his lap. He then proceeded to tell Santa all about "Keen" and "Lally" (how he pronounces Sally") and "Doc" and "Trucks".

Ya think Santa knows what Drew wants for Christmas already?

bells will be ringing

Here's what I've been doing the past month or so since I posted:

1. Going recklessly and madly into debt.
2. Buying Christmas presents the day after Thanksgiving (it wasn't that bad! really! try it! mwa hahahahaha!)
3. Welcoming my niece Annagrace to the world, after sitting in the world's most uncomfortable hospital waiting room for five hours.
4. Watching Cars on DVD. Over. And Over. And Over. And yet Over again. And you can't start it in the middle, oh no; Drew makes me start it at the beginning every time.
5. Something with Christmas lights.
6. Wrapping paper debacle ending in hysterics. Oh wait. That one hasn't happened yet.

Here's my beautiful niece. She was born at 11:32 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28.  She weighed 5 lbs, 6 oz.

Her primary moods thus far are pissed and sleepy. Drew, being two, is also generally either pissed or sleepy, so the two of them should get along great.

Here's Drew and Charles at the downtown Greenville Christmas parade. Drew says, "Giddy-up, Dada, giddy-up."

Here's Drew hanging out with his friend Alex downtown before the parade. Drew's main requirements for being his friend are that you have a cool stroller and lots of small, plastic cars.