It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas

Ho ho ho!  Just a little pic to give you a chuckle and get you in the holiday mood.  Although she looks like she is cooperating, Tope was not very merry taking while donning this awesome Santa hat and beard.  This shot came after about five minutes of her pawing the cap off and me putting it back on.  The last time I saw the resignation in her eyes and knew she was thinking, "If I let the crazy lady take my picture, I'm sure she'll release me from this prison."  And I did.  Let the Christmas season begin...

Sweet Thanks

I got a sweet surprise in Anna's school folder last week.  While making handprint turkeys, the teachers in her class had asked all of the students what they were thankful for in their life and Anna answered, "My mommy."  That little statement melted my heart and reminded me that it's the little things that make life great.  And for that, I am thankful.

Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

While we've shared our exciting news with most readers of The Babble, this news will come as a surprise to some - we are happy to announce our family will grow in March with the addition of a little boy!

This big announcement has been quite delayed on the blog - for purely technology-related issues.  Namely, we don't have a scanner (?!?) and I really wanted to include a picture from a recent ultrasound.

I finally gave up trying to remember to take the pictures to the office and snapped a quick photo of the photo of the little guy's feet...making an already grainy pic even worse.  I was going to put up the picture that proves we are definitely expecting a boy, but thought I'd spare the little guy his dignity (for now).

Needless to say we are eagerly awaiting his arrival and look forward to adjusting to a "party of four".  We've started tossing names around (not sure if we'll share, yet), and I am finding it much harder to pick a name for Baby B2 than it was with Anna.  Speaking of Anna, she's thrown her name contender into the ring - Buzz Lightyear - she is quite adamant about it being the final choice for her baby brother.  Disney marketing really knows no boundaries...

So, as we enter into this season of Thanksgiving, we  in the Bergstrom household have a lot to be thankful for.  Especially Baby Buzz.

Haircut!

Anna passed a major milestone in the life of any lady - her first haircut!  Yes, it's hard to believe but it took almost three years to mark this event.  For a few reasons: 1. The child barely had hair a year ago!  2. I was so afraid that her cute curls would be lost for good with a cut. 

However, during the last few weeks the baby fuzz at the ends of her hair was getting out of control and I found a split end...so, I knew the time had come.

Anna was a little nervous when we arrived at the salon, but warmed up once she knew a treat and prize awaited her after the cut.  And, there were toys at the waiting area (who could ask for more?!).

The haircut lasted all of about 5 minutes and my concern over the curls turned out to be unfounded.  In fact, I think her hair seems curlier now with some of the weight gone.

Cowgirl Halloween

Halloween weekend was a big hit.  In keeping with her Toy Story obsession of the year, Anna went as Jessie (but with a nod to Woody by donning a sherrif star and spurs).   Kudos to Gramma Turner for once again creating a fabulous costume.  And thanks to Crystal for the great picture!

We kicked off the weekend by carving our pumpkin.  After much deliberation, Anna opted for a "goofy" face.  She was not interested in helping clean the pumpkin's innards, proclaiming the seeds and strings "disgusting".  She did enjoy helping to poke the template into the pumpkin and was very happy with the grinning end product.

We are lucky to live in a neighborhood with tons of kids and Halloween is one of the best gatherings.  The kids are always so cute in their costumes and they help you remember the magic of simple things - like the promise of candy! 

Don't look for Anna in the above picture - she was too scared of a guy dressed in a King Kong costume to get anywhere close to the action. Turns out Anna wasn't the only Toy Story fan - Buzz's, Woody's, and aliens turned out in abundance. And, there was another Jessie, which resulted in a stand off (good thing this wasn't prom with them showing up in the same dress!) ;).  Thanks for that picture, Susana!

More than one kid pulled the ring on the back of Anna's costume - always eliciting a crabby response from Anna (vs. Woody's friendlier "There's a snake in my boot!" saying).

Trick-or-treating also was a hoot. Anna was in disbelief that people would give her candy just for ringing their doorbell. At the first two houses she was hesitant and insisted I accompany her to the door. By the third house, however, I was instructed to, "Stay on the sidewalk, Mama!"

As always, the night ended with a survey of the goods, which she overall was pleased with. Jason was happy with the abundance of peanut butter cups but I was a bit dismayed by there only being two mini boxes of milk duds. I'll have to put a bug in her ear next year, I guess.

Anna made a candy buffet with the candy we allotted...by this picture, the sugar had kicked in. I think this pretty much sums up the day for her (and us, too).