Stuart started walking at the beginning of December and has been so excited with this new element of independence. He loves helping with housework (one of his favorite Christmas gifts was a child-size broom) and feels it is his personal responsibility to assist with the vacuuming.

Santa came to our church Christmas party. Simon was hesitant to approach him, but not nervous enough to forget, when asked, what he wanted for Christmas--a tractor. He was likely referring to a $200 one we saw at a hardware store, but didn't seem to mind that he just got a set of little ones for Christmas.

We got a full-sized tree this year and enjoyed Simon's increased awareness of all of the traditions and excitement of Christmas. Both boys loved the lights and were mostly kind to the ornaments.

Another favorite gift of Stuart's was a soccer ball. He can often be found walking around the house carrying the biggest ball he can manage. One way I've found to keep him happy on longer car trips is to give him a ball to hold.