Merry Christmas Eve!

May the anticipation of Christ's birth be a joy to you all!
We know Santa will be good too...

Rowan with Santa at the Damascus UMC Advent Workshop

Rowan is making his list and checking it twice to submit it to Santa.

Christmastime for the Rudnick's means cutting down our own tree at Maynes Tree Farm. Rowan was a little frightened by the noise of the tractor but he liked the ride and, as always, he liked following Dad around!

Nana passed away on November 30, 2008 after 92 beautiful years of life. Her passing brought us all together as a family to mourn her loss, celebrate her life, and share all of our memories as 3 daughters, 8 grandchildren, and 20 great grandchildren.

Rowan enjoys learning how to climb.

My girlfriend Christie tagged me on her blog to list 7 quirky things about Rowan and then to tag someone else. Here goes,.. And now I tag Jaime...

* At meal time - he'll empty his bowl to place it where it rightly belongs - on his head - as a hat.

* When we check on Rowan playing in another room we come in to see him playing nicely but he usually gets up and runs away or in circles like he's been caught read handed in something.

* Rowan loves "air-dry" time after his bath. He giggles and runs around naked like he's finally free!

* We call Rowan The Lazy Drinker - he's yet to commit to tipping up the sippy cup or bottle to get the beverage out no matter how thirsty he is.

* Rowan blows, talks, and yells into empty cups to hear the noise it makes.

* When we take photos of Rowan we can't yell "Say Cheese" because he starts to look around and ask for cheese - he loves cheese!

* Rowan can play the flute-a-phone (also know as the recorder) - we have high hopes this will take him somewhere in his life.

Rowan plays with his birthday gifts all day long!

Tuning up the lawnmower,...
Going places with his raccoon backpack,...
Sharing his remote control car with our friends,...well kinda.

Rowan's and Alan's birthday party

Halloween (Rowan's birthday)... birthday part pictures to come soon.

Big Wheels Baby!
Kyle, Aunt Robin, Rowan, Tyler, Connor, & "Alan"
(Tyler seems to have dropped Uncle)

Our fun outing last weekend was visiting a fall festival with Adam, Stacy, and Kara (3 months) outside Annapolis - we said it was for the kids but really,..will they remember this? Here's to the cuteness factor!

We are all enjoying a beautiful fall together - Rowan loves to go "Ou's" (Outside), to walk the sidewalks and make his way to the park, and he stands at the door watching the world go by - he also plays around the house with all his favorite toys but mostly just Mommy and Daddy's things. Rowan's daily excitements: going up and down stairs, seeing Daddy and giving him a hug, dropping things to say "Uh-Oh", and roaring like a lion and panting like a dog.

The season of Hood Lacrosse fall ball has ended (with wins!) and with the evidence that Rowan wanted to head to practice with Daddy we can confirm that there is Lacrosse in his blood. If Lacrosse equipment is out you can bet Rowan's got a hold of the stick and won't put it down. He's working on ground balls and face-off's and making good progress. The question remains - defense or attack?