Christmas Mashup

When it comes to being a picture-taking-mom, I am usually at the top of the list but I have to admit that I failed on Christmas. I took maybe two pictures. It was pure chaos. The type of chaos that involves a dozen family members, a room full of gifts, giggles from every angle, and thank yous being shouted across the room. 

The good kind of chaos. 

Luckily we did other Christmas stuff on other days. We went to see Santa at the Mirocke household and I got some good pictures of Nicky with Santa. Marlee did not want anything to do with Santa but that was OK with me. I don't like Santa either. 

Nicholas took the kiddos to my grandmothers house on Christmas Eve. 

My handsome boys

And these are from Christmas morning, before everyone arrived. Like I said, not exactly great pictures but I was busy opening presents and admiring all the amazing gifts the kiddos got. 

It really was a wonderful Christmas. I am just now figuring out where to put everything! Everyone got along and I think we really enjoyed the true meaning of Christmas - family!

Now to start planning Nickys birthday party - does the madness ever end?!?

Happy Eleven Months Nicky!

Nicky is eleven months on the 21st!

Can you believe it?

He will be one year old next month!

Where does the time go?

Nicky is a professional walker now, unless he has shoes on. I finally bought him a pair of shoes and he walks like a cat with socks on. Like his feet are so heavy now that he over exaggerates the lifting of his legs and ends up falling over. He is getting better everyday though. For now, we will get in a good laugh over his comedic walk. 

Nicky is still a great eater and puts his eight teeth to good use. He loves apples, oranges, and anything with syrup. Not really hard to please this boy and the only thing he has actually turned away was broccoli.  He has been in the terrible habit of throwing everything on the floor when he is done with his meals so I have to keep a vigilant eye out for signs that he is done! Messy little boy. 

Nicky is still my little lover. He loves to give kisses and hugs, is always looking for a good cuddle, and just wants to be held all the time. So sweet but absolutely impossible to get anything done! I rather cuddle than do dishes anyways...

Pictures were impossible this month! I think I have one good one. The rest are looking up, down, to the side, eyes closed, facing away, or running away. Nick and I had a fun time trying to get this to work. 

This pretty much sums ups the energy little Nicky has! He is such a busy little boy. Now we are getting ready for his first Christmas and soon his first birthday!

Happy eleven months Nicholas!

Christmas Adventures

Merry Christmas

Christmas adventures this year started with finding the perfect Christmas tree!

Keeping up with tradition, we ventured out to Pine Tree Barn on Sunday and found the one. This is Nicky's first Christmas and Marlee's third (third? Is that even possible?) adventure cutting down a tree. With our ever growing family, we had the pickle of figuring out how to transport all the kiddos to the tree and back - with the tree. We backpacked Nicky and Marlee half walked, half was carried. Isaac was a huge help as usual with pulling the tree. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed every minute of finding the tree, cutting it down, hauling it back, and then, of course, having hot chocolate at the end.

Marlee was a bit of a grump (how dare we make her walk! worse parents ever!) but was all smiles once she got her hot chocolate. Now I know to get hot chocolate first...

After Pine Tree Barn, we put the tree up and decorated the house. After a bit of a Christmas stand debacle (bigger tree = bigger tree stand), we got the tree up and put on the decorations. Marlee loved helping with the lights and wanted more, more, more ornaments. My mother gave me the Disney ornaments that I remember so fondly from my childhood and I was able to put those up with Marlee too. I even ordered Minnie from the collection off Ebay because you can't have Mickey without Minnie! Nicky surprisingly did really good with the tree too. He grabs at the ornaments but then quickly moves on to the next ornament without taking any down. It really made me smile to see the tree bring my kiddos so much joy. Might have even filled me with Christmas spirit.

Maybe. 

Presents are almost wrapped and stocking are hung! Now we are just counting down till Christmas.

Don't tell but I am pretty excited for Christmas morning. The kids are going to love it. 

8 more days!

Gymnastics

November is over and it was one hell of a busy month! 

Between potty training, Isaacs basketball practice, working extra shifts, and doctor appointments, we were one busy family. We also decided to put Marlee in gymnastics for five weeks and I have to admit, it was my favorite activity this month.

Nick's family owns Flips and Hits in Magnolia so it was perfect for Marlee. She knew the instructors, it was only 45 minutes long, and 100% designed for toddlers with very short attention spans. In reality, it was not as much about the gymnastics as much as it was about socialization and getting Marlee around other little kids. Since she only goes to the babysitters a couple times a month, she misses out on group playtime a lot. A lot of little activities too were amazing for her to be introduced to also such as standing in a line (she still does not understand this concept), listening to instructions, and waiting her turn. I was really impressed with her ability to listen and pick up on the different activities. Stretching at the beginning was her favorite and she still walks around the house saying "make the meatballs!" which is an arm stretch. Adorable. 

While Marlee did amazing overall, she ended the class horribly. Her desire for cookies just killed all of her motivation and she could not collect herself. We ended up leaving with 10 minutes left. I do not pretend to know all about toddlers but I do know one thing - you cannot argue with a strong willed child. So while I wanted her to recover and finish, we ended up leaving - without cookies. Luckily, there will be another class at the beginning of next year and I am really looking forward to it!

I also think she needs more outfits. Nick disagrees. Seriously though, can she get any cuter?

Happy Ten Months Nicky!

We have a walker!

Nicholas James has been walking all over the place. He is not exactly good at it but he does it all day long. Apart from a few accidents here and there, he has been pretty good with catching himself so falls have not been a issue. So proud of my big boy! 

Unfortunately with his new found freedom, comes his new found joy for exploration. And by exploration, I mean his ability to get on, under, and squeeze between everything and anything. He is my dangerous little boy. We have four little chairs in the living room that he loves to climb and stand on. Surprisingly enough, rocking chairs and round chairs are not meant to be stood on. So we are battling this issue right now but he sure does love being on them. 

Some good news this month is that his surgery which was scheduled for Wednesday morning has been cancelled! His tear duct opened up by itself this weekend so we are in the clear. I am so overjoyed for many reasons. One being that we do not have to do surgery and two, I get four days of relaxation with my family! One of those days being Thanksgiving which involves lots of food - one of Nickys favorite things. 

Nicky continues to be a great eater, loves to cuddle, and has been sleeping through the night. All wonderful things! He is not exactly a great napper but I will take what I can get. He is saying 'mom' now (mostly when he is tired and whiney) but 'dada' is still his favorite word. We will have to work on that...

Now for picture time! Thanks Isaac for your help in distracting Nicky!



Showing off his Celtic gear for daddy!