The Holiday With The Tree and Presents

Christmas 2009 marked my first that I really knew what it was all about. Presents. I patiently wait till Christmas morning before I tore into my gifts, which were far more abundant than I expected thanks to the generosity of Gigi, Papa, and the rest of my family.

As I had hoped Santa brought me a drum kit and everyone loved when I played. I also got some cool Playmobil sets from Mom and Dad and special thanks to Uncle Dave for the Christmas Melon.

When I needed a break from playing with my new toys, the beautiful white Christmas allowed for some sledding and- of course- snow angels. Can't wait till next year.

G-Park Con

One of my favorite places to return to time-and-time-again is the Garfield Park Conservatory, on the west side of Chicago. It's located just a block or so away from where Papa first lived when he arrived in the 1950s from Latvia. Papa joined me, daddy, Gigi, Uncle Dave, Casey and our friends the O'Conors for a quick visit just prior to the holidays. We were all in need of some green colors, warm temperatures, and room to run.

He's Back

The big guy showed up at Bullfrogs & Butterflies again this year. At first I was a bit hesitant to sit on his lap, but I broke the ice by letting Santa know that when I got home I was gonna poop. He replied, "Better at home, than on my lap." The whole store laughed at the back 'n' forth, including my Daddy, who snapped this photo of me asking people to stop laughing.

Merry Christmas!

Zoo Lights

Thousands of lights, huggable polar bears, the polar express train, a carousel AND Santa? Is it Christmas morning already? This was my first year at Lincoln Park Zoo Lights and it was breathtaking. We didn't let freezing temperatures stop us from strolling around the park enjoying the light displays. Fortunately the animal houses provided some warmth and a chance to tell Santa that I want a drumset for Christmas. Mom says I better be good or else Santa won't bring the drums, but I'm not buying that reverse psychology bit.

Yo Gabba Gabba! Live!

Honestly? The title, photos and video say more than I ever could.

Yes, that is Biz Markie.