Quiet Week

It's been a quiet week so far, but we've had a good time. Peter and his dad went for some walks.



We went to our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant.



Peter wanted to try the soju. Not yet, mister.



We went to the park.

Peter brought his favorite toys along.

Myshka tried to camouflage herself among Peter's stuffed animals.


And the boys cheered on Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. Go Big Red!

Christmas at the Beach

On Christmas afternoon, we decided to do a very Californian thing and go to the beach in Santa Monica. It was a beautiful day.



I didn't want to catch a reflection of myself in Ben's sunglasses, so I told him to turn to the side. He looks a little like he is trying out for the J. Crew catalog here, don't you think?



We walked all the way down to the water.



Peter liked checking things out from up the air.



Afterwards, we went up to the park on the bluff that overlooks the ocean and did outdoor tummy time and lots of kicking around.



Peter has finally discovered his feet and grabs them all the time.



It was a perfect way to spend Christmas afternoon.

Merry Christmas

We've had a really fun Christmas morning. Peter couldn't wait to see what Santa brought.



Peter's stocking had great stuff in it... like socks and candy canes.



Myshka takes after Nanny. She kept an eye on the bows and ribbon... just in case we want to save them for next year.



Peter got lots of cool books. Here's one that's especially fun - "The Tale of Peter Rabbit".




Some of Peter's friends in babygroup have this giraffe teether, and now Peter has his very own one, too! Look how much he loves it.



Peter gave me the nicest gift -- a custom illustration of Myshka. I love it!



In addition to books and some cool clothes, Peter got lots of new stuffed animal friends. He loved hanging out with them.



Also... our Christmas Eve dinner last night turned out perfectly. We got out the china and silver, even though there were just two of us. It was so delicious!

Christmas Eve

What a great Christmas Eve day! First, Peter helped me in the kitchen...





Then, we went to the park and Peter recorded this Christmas message.



When Dad got home from work, we had some hors d'oeuvres.



And played games...



Peter got to open one early Christmas gift.




A box full of really cute outfits from our nice neighbors, Chuck & David.



We can't wait for tomorrow!

Winter

Today is the first day of winter and it is a bitter 65 degrees in LA. So, Peter bundled up in his fleece pajamas and hat before we went to the park this afternoon. Brrrr...!

He Might Be a Thumbsucker

As some of you know, Peter has been working on breaking his dependence upon the swaddle this week. Now that he has access to his hands, he is finding all sorts of ways to soothe himself. This is how we found him this morning...

The Letter P

Peter got an early Christmas present. Here he is playing with it.

TV

The American Association of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for babies until they are 2 years old. We made it 4 months.



This is a Baby Einstein video that our friend gave us. It says it's appropriate for ages 0 - 9 months. It's Beethoven symphonies with these sort of strange visuals. Can't be that bad, right?



Peter is mesmerized.

Tree Trimming Part 2

We still have some work to do, but the tree is decorated and stockings are hung (by the bar...)



This is Peter's stocking. It was a gift from Nonnie & Moe. It is hand knit from a special pattern, and we hope Peter will have it for a long time.



Peter loves looking at the tree with all of the colors and lights. He even helped his dad hang some ornaments.



I hung the special Myshka cat ornament right in the front. She loves it.



Peter is so happy that it's Christmas time!

Tree Trimming Part 1

We got sort of a late start on Christmas this year. It's been pouring rain in LA for the last few days, and yesterday during a break in the rain Peter, Ben and I went out to select a Christmas tree.



When we got to the lot, we realized that we had forgotten our stand. Oh, and also our money. Oops. So, we went home. Ben went out again by himself, and brought home a perfect tree.



It had started raining while Ben was carrying the tree home. Ugh. So sorry.



Peter and I waited patiently for Ben to put up the tree...



We got about halfway with the decorations.



And then we had to go meet up with our friends, Clint and Julie. Peter came with us to their house. He changed into his new pajamas first. (Thanks, Alex! They are perfect!)



I only had a chance to take a few quick pictures at their house before all the kiddos went to bed, but here is Julie with Weston, who is 9 months.



And this is Lillian. She's 2.



We had a really fun night with Clint and Julie. We went to a great Mexican place near their house and had some great celeb sightings. We saw Anne Hathaway and the guy who plays Finn on Glee! Wish I had some pics of them to post!

Oh... and we are hoping to finish the Christmas decorating today...

The Chicago Apleys

While we were in Chicago, we stayed with Ben's brother, Mitch, his wife, Ellen, and their two boys, Noah and Simon.



We decorated the tree and Noah decorated himself, too.



He was nice enough to offer to share his tinsel with Peter and me.



We also made foiten, a specialty Ben's grandma used to make.



It is basically fried dough.



And it is delicious.







Peter enjoyed hanging out with his aunt, Ellen.



And Noah showed me how to work the remote control for the lights on the tree.



We also had fun playing with trains. If you look closely, you might see a piece of foiten riding on one of Simon's train cars.