erbeck christmas, 2010

santa was particularly good to the west coast erbecks in 2010.  i had to wonder what the kids DIDN'T get, as opposed to what they did.  while it may have been a tad excessive...both true and luca love everything that they received and are deliriously playing with each new toy.  

the big news is that true has a new bike...a pedal bike....and he learned to ride it with great ease! no training wheels!   with just a little push from dad, he was off, laughing and screaming and completely STOKED!  not to be left out, luca transitioned from his 4 wheel scoot to his brother's now old 2 wheel scoot and never looked back.  you simply can not tell luca that he can't do something!  it just resolves his determination. 

getting ready to rip it up

one small push from dad

look everybody!  no dad!

bye bye baby scoot, time for less wheels

all smiles, the entire time

christmas in the city

trains. lights. hamburgers. this was our christmas outing on the town.  we wanted to ride the carousel, but with budget cuts, it was not to be this year.  i brought along my ice skates and had every intention of skating, but decided hamburgers at dick's sounded better.

happy birthday luca!

both adeline and luca are two!

luca is two!  and he can show you that with his two forefingers, and he can tell himself *happy day u-ca*!  (he still has a hard time saying his name).  he went to the doctor for his checkup and despite his brother telling him he would, he didn't have to have any shots.  we were all pleased about that!  he is growing as he should, a little taller and leaner on the growth chart than before and he finds news skills and words every day.

grandpa erbeck's pictures

grandpa erbeck was in town the first week of december.  it was great fun for everybody and we loved sharing some of our holiday traditions with grandpa!  we shopped, we ate, we went to a hanukkah party, we ate some more, we went to the christmas tree farm, we ate some more!    the boys loved seeing grandpa, and they were so comfortable with him immediately!  i attribute this to skype, which keeps the family in touch, and gives the grandparents and kids face time, without the travel.   here are some shots that grandpa sent to me from his trip:

aaron says i'm number one

aren't they the cutest?

daily transportation to and from the preschool

keeping seattle city light in business

holiday house strikes again!  vern and jean really outdid themselves this year....the lawn looks like a mess of plastic by day, but by night, it's a mess of plastic christmas lighting that we have come to love.  the kids go over every evening to dance to the music (oh yes, there is music), and kiss the snoopy and frosty.  every square inch of this yard is filled with christmas!

let it snow!

all the erbeck boys (dad, uncle lincoln, grandpa, luca, true) loaded up and headed to the mountains for a little snow fun.  gabe and enzo have a condo at alpental, which made the trip a sleepover and an extra great time!  i wish i could have joined them, but i took advantage of my alone time, and admittedly missed the heck out of them!

milestones

luca and true modeling their indian hats and trading bead necklaces

never a dull moment (of course) at the erbeck household.  the kids continue to amaze me and i often wonder if i'll just spend the rest of my life being amazed by them.  i guess that's the reward part of parenting.
we were so busy last week with thanksgiving- a fabulous dinner with auntie gayle, nicola, uncle lincoln, skylar.  everything was great and there were plenty of leftovers and we all felt thankful for our bounty. the boys loved their extra "stay home" days, and they really loved spending time with auntie gayle, who just has the magic touch with these boys..they'll do anything she asks.
UW was closed because of the city snow and ice, so i had the good fortune of spending LOTS of time with the kids.  i have exciting milestones to report-

true can now do simple math.  this was unexpected and really cool!  he likes to count up whatever is in front of him (crackers, trucks, blocks, socks) and add more or subtract, and give me the number.  it's quite the game for him and i love his enthusiasm.   he's also learning to tell time, which i might not be that excited about (like last night, when i'm trying to get him to go to bed and he looks at the clock and reminds me he has plenty of time left...grrr.....)

and luca....everyday his language skills are better than the day before, which means less frustration and less tears because we know what he's asking for.  he is also really into doing everything for himself, which can be frustrating for me, but i'm learning to be extra patient.  he does ask for help when he needs it (eventually).  but the really big news is that luca is now using the potty.  this was his choice, something he started asking for a home, and something his teacher started for him during the day.  the success has been incredible so far, and we're afraid to talk about it in case we jinx it...but we are so very proud of him!