Happy Thanksgiving

We had a beautiful Thanksgiving celebration at Oma and Granddaddy's house today. Mimi and Baba even joined us for the festivities. Charlie was in heaven and bounced happily from one family member to the other. He certainly loves to bask in the attention of his grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Jack was a little shy at first with so many people around, but he quickly warmed up and really enjoyed playing with his cousin Rylee. They are only five weeks apart, and it has been so fun watching them grow and change this past year. It was nice seeing them interact together now that they are both getting so big.

This year, there were 23 family members present at our feast. Oma prepared all of the food, and it was delicious. Charlie refused to try anything and only ate two rolls for dinner. Jack slept through his first Thanksgiving meal and spit out the one bite of turkey I offered him after he woke up. It is hard to believe that some day these boys will be eating me out of house and home, because now they are both such boogers when it comes to eating!

After a busy afternoon with all of the people we love, we headed home and took a group nap. Jack passed out in his crib, while Charlie, Nick, and I cuddled in our bed. It was a great day, and we loved being surrounded by both of our families.

Here are just a few of the things that I am thankful for this year:

-My boys. I am the luckiest mommy in the world to be loved by Charlie and Jack. They are the loves of my life, and I am thankful for every moment that I share with them.

-Nick's job and how hard he works to provide for our family. He works long hours at a very demanding job. Because of his hard work, I have been afforded the opportunity to stay at home with my babies, for which I am forever grateful.

-Our health. I have so many friends who have had to deal with terrible illnesses in their families. We have been blessed with good health, and it is something that I am always thankful for.

-Our families. I always wanted my children who grow up surrounded by their grandparents. We live close to both sets of families and see them often. Charlie and Jack are so loved, and Nick and I have an amazing support system to help us as we raise our boys. There is nothing more important than family.

-Our friends. Nick and I have always been blessed in our friendships. We have friends from our youth, college, work, and our neighborhood. We may not see all of them as much as we would like, but it does not mean that we love them any less.

Our family is so fortunate, and it is so nice to be able to reflect on that fact. We hope that on this Thanksgiving, you and your loved ones are feeling just as blessed!

To Nap, or Not to Nap?

Charlie has been fighting his afternoon nap for the last couple of months. Honestly, I could care less if he naps, and I look forward to a time when both boys are done with naps, and we can plan our day without being tied down by a nap schedule. Unfortunately, when Charlie does not nap, he then turns into a little monster around 5:00pm. The three hours before he goes to bed are filled with tantrums, time-outs, and tears. On the other hand, if he does nap, then he has a hard time falling asleep at night and will often be up until 10:00pm.

All of his little friends (with the exception of one) still take naps. He is not even three, so I am hard pressed to not let him nap at all. I always make him take a rest in his room for at least an hour, and some days he passes out, while others he sings at the top of his lungs. If he does fall asleep, I wake him up after 1.5 hours in hopes that he will be able to fall asleep at night.

Any suggestions from my mommy friends would be greatly welcomed.

Brotherly Love Down on the Farm

Oh, how I love it when my boys actually play together nicely. Jack wants to do everything that his big brother does, and Charlie often has a hard time sharing his toys. But yesterday, it was perfection for ten minutes as the two of them played happily with our little red barn. Charlie wanted to put every animal in the barn, and at first, Jack was just happy to watch. Of course, that did not last long, and he started pulling the animals out as quickly as Charlie put them in. I explained to Charlie that Jack just wanted to help, and that seemed to pacify him. He and Jack were able to sit side by side and play together so sweetly. I know Jack is not old enough to really play with Charlie yet, but it is moments like this that make me happy that they are close in age. I know there will be plenty of fights and trouble sharing in the years to come, but I also know that moments like this will far outweigh all the rest.

Blue Moon

We look for the moon almost every night with Charlie. It's one of my favorite things to do with him. Recently the moon has been absolutely beautiful and has been visible during the afternoon. Charlie always says that the moon is being silly when it comes out during the daytime. He seems to think it must be confused.

Last night, the moon was huge and particularly bright. We all went out on our deck to take a closer look. This picture doesn't do justice to how gorgeous the moon actually looked. It was surrounded by clouds and branches, and I could have looked at it all night. Nick Googled it to see why is was so pretty. Turns out it is called a blue moon, and it is actually considered bad luck because it is the 13th full moon of the year. It's hard to believe that something so spectacular could be considered bad luck.

Swinging

Charlie actually asked me to take this picture of him (gasp). He was so proud of himself because he was swinging on the big swing today. He wanted me to take the picture so that we could show Daddy when he got home - so sweet. Charlie kept saying how happy he was and asked about a dozen times if I was proud of him. It was good seeing him so pleased with himself.

New Do

This is what my hair looked like after I let Charlie "style" it. He was happy to use the hair dryer and spray it with water. I tried to explain that he could not use a hair brush because it would get stuck in my curls. I guess he did not believe me.

Jack is 10 Months

Jackie-Pooh-Pooh is 10 months today! I attempted to take a few pictures of him in his glider, and he did not appreciate being asked to sit still. Sooo, I let him go, and chased after him to get his 10 month picture. Man, he is getting quick!

I happen to think that Jack is just about the cutest baby around. He is a happy camper who loves to play with his toys, laugh at his big brother, and spend time outside. I am amazed by how he will play independently for long periods of time. Sure he likes to have us around, but he is really happy to explore his little world all on his own. He crawls into the playroom all by himself and will make the rounds from toy to toy. It's so different from Charlie who never really showed interest in toys as a baby. His independence is a welcome change, but it also means that I have to keep my eyes glued to him. Charlie was always by my side, so I never worried about him getting into too much trouble. I have a feeling Jack is going to be up to no good as soon as he is walking.

This month Jack has gone from just pulling up to cruising along furniture. He has also been standing independently for about 10 seconds at a time. It's so crazy to think that he will probably be walking is a matter of weeks. We have introduced a walking toy, but I am not pushing it at all. Walking is like the final step into toddlerhood, and I am not ready to lose my baby yet.

Jack has also grown a lot cognitively this month. He is copying gestures that we make and has started to wave. He is constantly testing the power of his lungs and continues to be a loud baby. He and Charlie make for quite a pair. I swear I have a headache by noon most days.

We are still waiting patiently for Jack to sleep through the night. He has been all over the place with sleep and was getting up earlier and earlier. After the time change, he was up for the day around 5:30. One morning, I decided to try to give him a bottle to see if it would help him fall back asleep. It worked, so now I am feeding him around 5:30-6:00, and then he sleeps until 8:00. He may not technically be sleeping through the night, but I am happier now that I get to sleep in again. Jack takes three naps a day, which still makes it hard to get out during the day. It will be a happy day when we are finally down to one nap!

I can't even believe that Jack is only two months away from his first birthday. I am so grateful for his presence in our lives. He is my baby no matter how quickly he is growing up. I love you, Jack!

Tanglewood Farms

We went to Tanglewood Farms last fall, and Charlie had such a wonderful time playing with all of the animals. It was such a fun day that I have literally been looking forward to going back all year. The weather has been so lovely, and we have been talking to Charlie about going to see the animals for a few weeks. He was excited to go to a real farm. The boys and I went with Baba, and had a fun time with the animals.

Charlie was hesitant at first and really did not like the animals right in his face. It did not help that he saw a little guy his size get head-butted by a calf. After a while he warmed up, but he was more interested in the cats on the farm than anything else. He spent most of the time looking for and chasing after those cats and snacking on the bread that we were supposed to be giving the animals.

Jack did not make a peep the entire time we were at the farm. He was just happy to be outside as usual, and really did not seem to notice the animals. Next year, he will definitely have more of an opinion.

After visiting with the animals, we had a picnic lunch. Charlie went back to see the animals with Baba one more time, and then we headed home. It was another great adventure with my boys. We had a blast with Baba, too. Here are some of the pictures from our trip.

Have I Mentioned...

...that I LOVE this boy?!?!

Big Boy Bed

Charlie has officially graduated from his crib into a toddler bed! I am so proud of our big boy and can't believe how easy the transition was.


I had not planned to move him for a few more months because I was so afraid that he would be up all night and be getting out of his bed constantly. Jack still wakes up at least once a night, and Charlie was also waking up a few times a week screaming. I really just did not want to add anything else to my plate. There is only so much that make-up can do for this tired momma.


It all happened because Jack's crib broke. We had to take the mattress out, and it was just leaning against the crib in his nursery. One day, I brought it into Charlie's room and asked him if he would like to try to sleep on it like a big boy. I told him that it was just like his crib, and he had to wait for a grown up before he got out. That was it. The little guy slept peacefully through the night and called for me in the morning when he woke up.


Honestly, I thought it was a fluke at first. There was just no way it was going to be this easy to get him out of the crib. But, the nights that followed were just as successful. We let him sleep on the mattress on the floor for a couple of weeks before making the big switch. This past weekend, we removed the railing from his crib and converted it into a toddler bed.


Charlie loves his new bed and has slept better in these last few weeks than he has in months. I love the fact that I can cuddle with him before he goes to sleep (even though Nick has dropped subtle hints that I might be pushing the weight limit on the bed). We are both so very proud of Charlie for sleeping in his big boy bed!

Happy Holidays

This year I decided to take pictures of the boys myself for our holiday cards. Easier said than done considering Charlie screams every time he sees my camera, and Jack can't sit still for more than two seconds at a time.

This is just a glimpse at the mood during our little photo shoot the other day. In the end, I got some really sweet shots, and I am happy with our holiday card.

I was all proud of myself because I got 25 free cards by using my Pampers points, but then I read a few of my friends' blogs and found out about the chance to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly. It's too late for me, but if you have a blog, check it out.