Merry Merry

Christmas was extra special this year. Not only was it Jack's first Christmas, but it was also the first year that Charlie really understood the concept. We have been gearing up for the holiday all month by doing crafts and reading stories, and I could not wait to see Charlie's reaction on Christmas morning.

Our holiday traditions started on Christmas Eve with the baking and decorating of cookies for Santa. Charlie can be a great helper when he is in the right mood, however, this was not the case while decorating Christmas cookies. He managed to pull it together in the end, but phew, I thought Santa was going to have to miss out on cookies at our house. Of course, Charlie's favorite part was dumping sprinkles all over the cookies. I will be cleaning up nonpareils until next Christmas. Jack was a good helper, too. He volunteered to test a cookie to make sure it was good enough for St. Nick. After cookies we got the boys in their matching snowman pajamas (thanks Mimi), and read The Night Before Christmas. Charlie was definitely excited and kept saying that he thought he heard Santa. We let the boys open one present each and play for a little before it was off to bed.

On Christmas morning, Jack was the first to wake up as usual. We waited for Charlie to get up before we opened presents. The look on Charlie's face when he came down the stairs and saw his tool bench from Santa was priceless! He did not say anything but had a huge grin on his face. Both boys loved the tool bench so much that they kind of forgot about the other gifts. Next year, I think we will hide Santa's gift and wait until the very end to make the grand reveal. We eventually got around the rest of the gifts and stockings. Charlie was very appreciative of all of the new toys, and Jack was more interested in climbing the stairs and getting a hold of the video camera.

After presents and a yummy breakfast as a family, we got ready to visit with Nick's family. We ate Christmas lunch and then opened more presents than you could ever imagine. It's actually impressive how quickly we can open the mountain of gifts under the tree. The boys loved the gifts that they received, and I had a hard time trying to explain to Charlie that we needed to wait to get home before opening everything up. I caved and let him open one gift, his very own camera. He took our picture the entire 30 minute car ride home.

Once we got home, the boys took naps before round two with my family. Then, Mimi, Baba, and Uncle Adam came over for dinner and presents. The boys loved all of their gifts but spent most of their time playing with the kitchen that Mimi and Baba gave them. It was much like the tool bench, once they saw the kitchen, it was hard to divert their attention to anything else. After presents, we enjoyed a Christmas feast made with love by the fine people at Honey Baked Ham. My only contribution to the meal was steaming some asparagus.

After dinner, Charlie kept telling everyone that he was tired and that he wanted to go to bed (this NEVER happens). I knew we had had a busy day, but this was very out of character for Charlie. Turns out, Char was getting sick. At least he held out until the end of Christmas.

After my family left, we got our two exhausted boys ready for bed. Based on Charlie's comments, we thought he would pass out. But, a little Ibuprofen gave him a second wind. He was so excited about his new loot that he could not sleep. I ended up letting him get out of bed so that he could play for a little longer...hey, Christmas only comes once a year, right?

Our Christmas was amazing, and our boys received so many wonderful gifts and love from their family. We hope that all of our friends and extended family had a wonderful Christmas, too!

Here are just some of the 200 pictures I took. Click on the collage to enlarge.

Cabin Fever

The weather has been nasty, and the boys have had one illness after another, so playing outside has not been happening lately. A few weeks ago, I mentioned playing outside, and Charlie just about jumped out of his skin. I know that he must have some serious cabin fever, and the idea of going outside must sound amazing.

Right before Christmas, the weather was great. Nick happened to be home early on a beautiful afternoon, and he took Charlie out to play. He used the box from Jack's new headboard to pull Charlie up and down the large hill in front of our house. The look of pure joy on Charlie's face was so wonderful to see, and I am sure it helped give Nick the energy to pull him all over the front yard for about 30 minutes.

Gingerbread House

I bought a gingerbread house kit at Target and was so excited to put it together with Charlie. Unfortunately, Charlie was much more interested in eating the pieces of the kit than putting it together. He helped decorate the house for about two minutes, and then it became a battle to keep candy out of his mouth. I gave up trying to keep any sense of order to the decorating. I kept the control freak in me at bay, and let Charlie squirt frosting all over the house. It may not be a pretty gingerbread house, but it is truly the creation of a toddler.

Jack is 11 Months

Words can't even come close to describing the sense of shock that I am experiencing as I sit down to write this post. Jack, my baby boy, is now 11 months old! How in the world did that happen so quickly? My baby is almost one!

Jack's big accomplishment this month has been taking his first steps. Initially, he was very brave and could not wait to practice his new found skill. Then he face planted into my metal laundry basket, and he became a little hesitant. A few days ago, he really started choosing to walk over crawling. It is such a wonderful feeling watching him toddle all over the place. I absolutely love the drunken sailor look as he wobbles around. You can tell he is proud of himself, because there is a huge grin on his face every time he takes off. I am sure it helps that we are cheering for him each and every time. At the rate he is going, he is going to be running around the house during his birthday party.

In other big news, Jack is now sleeping through the night. I can't say that I have been able to fully appreciate this milestone since both boys have been sick, and Charlie has been waking up screaming recently. My hope for 2011 is that I will be able to sleep 8 hours uninterrupted. Wouldn't that be nice? Jack still wakes up early and usually rises about 2-3 hours before Charlie. Even though I hate getting up before the sun rises, I have to admit, I like my alone time with Jack. It is like the calm before the storm. We cuddle, eat breakfast together, and play until Charlie wakes up. Many times, he is going down for a nap when Charlie is waking up. He still naps three times a day, and I am just so ready for him to drop at least one of those naps. It just makes it so hard to do anything. He is one of those babies that thrives on his sleep schedule, and if we deviate from the norm, he lets us know.

Jack is learning new things every day. He mimics everything and can wave bye-bye, clap, and shake his head. I happen to believe that he is saying "bye-bye", but Nick thinks I am crazy. I'll have to post a video later so that you can decide for yourself. Jack is also starting to shake his little booty to the music just like his brother It is so fun watching him become a little person. He is definitely not shy about letting us know how he feels. If you tell him not to touch something, his first inclination is to move faster to get to the forbidden object. When you take something out of his hand, he gets a death grip and gives you the evil eye while refusing to let go. Changing his diaper has become a total struggle. He arches his back and writhes around and screams the entire time. My happy camper has a strong little personality, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

Jack's New Do

Jack has been looking a little shaggy these days. He has so much more hair than Charlie did at this age, and it has just gotten out of control. His bed head is shocking! So, I decided that it was about time to go in for a hair cut. I had no idea what to expect, but I did not think it would be pretty. He does not sit still for very long, and he can't be bribed to sit still with lollipops and DVDs. I literally told the hairdresser to take off as much hair as possible before he flipped out. All of that worry was for nothing, because sweet Jack sat still munching on a Mum Mum and watching Elmo. He looked so stinking cute sitting in that chair. I wanted to cry when I saw my little baby with his big boy hairdo. But, I have to admit, it is a lot better than the Grandpa Munster hair he was sporting.

Fort Fun - Part 2

The boys had a blast playing fort the other day. It was hilarious watching them go in and out, giggling and squealing the entire time. Of course, I had to catch it on video, because nothing...absolutely nothing...sounds better than their laughter.

Happy Birthday, Rylee Bug!

Our sweet niece, Rylee, turned one on the 16th, and we helped her celebrate at her party this Saturday. She was quite the party girl and enjoyed everything from the smash cake to the presents. The birthday girl had a smile on her face the entire party. We were so happy to be a part of her special day, and we love her very, very much.

BFF

We have become very close with our next door neighbors, The Dodds. Their oldest daughter, Leila, is Charlie's BFF. They have very similar personalities and get along so well. It has been such a blessing having good friends right next door, especially this year. Unfortunately, our friends are getting ready to move to California. I am so sad for Charlie because I know it is going to be hard loosing his bestie.

This picture of Charlie and Leila was taken at The Dodd's Christmas party last weekend. The mommies may have bribed these cuties with M&M's in order to get them to sit still for a picture together. Leila was so precious - she kept trying to hold Charlie's hand during the picture. Charlie was playing hard to get, however, and was much more interested in getting the picture over with so that he could get his reward.

Success

This is what success looks like! Charlie has been diaper free now for two weeks, and we have only had three accidents (all of which happened in the first few days). Nick and I are so proud of how well Charlie has done with potty training this time around. We had tried a couple of times before this, and Charlie totally fought us. We did not want to push him, so we decided to wait a few months and try again. Since Charlie is 33 months old, 3 months from his 3rd birthday, and this was our 3rd attempt at potty training, I took that as a sign that we were ready to give it a try again. It looks like the 3rd time really is the charm in this case!

After changing two sets of diapers for the 10 months, I am enjoying the new change of pace. Plus, Charlie's little tush looks so cute without a diaper on. He seems so lean, and a lot of his pants are falling down without the extra padding. I may need to pull out some of his smaller pants to avoid the plumber butt look.

Way to go, Big Boy! We are so happy for you and proud of your accomplishment!

Happy Holidays

You may remember this post from last month. It is an outtake from the photo shoot that I held in the back yard in hopes of getting the perfect picture for our family holiday card.

We probably spent about 45 minutes outside on a gorgeous day taking pictures. The boys could care less about getting the perfect shot. They were much more interested in playing with the leaves and soaking up the sunshine. Who could blame them - it really was a beautiful fall day.

So, I did not get the money shot of my two handsome boys smiling together, but I did get some sweet pictures of them cuddling. And let's face it, smiles or no smiles, they are just cute. When it was all said and done, I really loved a lot of the pictures. I had fun putting our card together and sent it out with pride last week.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Part 2

Based on the previous post, you might think that our visit with St. Nick was a bit of a disaster. It certainly had me sweating, but it was not a complete bust. Although both boys screamed their heads off initially, Charlie did reluctantly agree to go back and visit with Santa. Nick and I were so impressed that he was brave enough to go back and sit in Santa's lap. It was sweet listening to Charlie tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. For the record, Charlie would like a tool bench and two vacuum cleaners this year. So, despite the intial freak out, the visit ended nicely.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

You better watch out

You better not cry

Better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town

~~~

He's making a list

And checking it twice;

Gonna find out Who's naughty and nice

Santa Claus is coming to town

~~~

He sees you when you're sleeping

He knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good for goodness sake!

~~~

O! You better watch out!

You better not cry

Better not pout

I'm telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to town

Santa Claus is coming to town

~~~

Apparently Charlie and Jack did not catch the part about NOT pouting and crying.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We bought the boys their own Christmas tree this year. It is being kept in Charlie's room, and he is very proud of it. He is old enough to know not to touch the ornaments, and Jack is slow enough to catch before he pulls the tree down. The plan is to use this tree to hang all of the personal ornaments they will make and receive as the years go by. For now, that is only about five ornaments. To fill in the gaps, I added some green, blue, and turquoise balls. Charlie went with me to the store and picked out an ornament for himself and Jack. Hopefully that will be a tradition that the boys will both look forward to.

One, Two, Three!!!

That's the number of solo steps Jack took towards me yesterday. He has been taking one step forward for a few days but usually falls. This time, he was hanging onto the edge of the couch, so I reached out to him and told him to come to me. He smiled and let go. One step...then another...a small wobble...and then step three. The best part was that he did not fall after that last step. He just stood there basking in the praise.

I was shocked to see him walk, and it was not a one time performance either. He took another three steps again today. Like with every other accomplishment my children have made in their lives, I was thrilled and devastated at the same moment. He is ten and a half months old, and I seriously thought that I had another month before my baby was going to walk. Walking is such a huge milestone, and to me, it bridges the gap between baby and toddler.

With his birthday just around the corner, I find myself in denial about the fact that the days of having a baby in the house are coming to an end. For example, I refuse to think about Jack's birthday. Charlie's 1st birthday was planned when he turned 9 months. I just got up the courage to order invitations for Jack's birthday last night, and I would be lying if I told you I am excited about the party. This momma wants to bottle my baby and keep him just as he is.

Come in My Office

Charlie is all about building little forts lately and calls them his office. He uses pillows, toys, and anything else he can find to section off little areas of our house. Usually, he wants to keep Jack out, but recently he has been asking Jack to come in. The other day he and Jack played together with Mommy on the sidelines. So cute!

A Special Message

Charlie will be getting a special message from Santa in the morning. I can't wait to see his reaction. Hopefully it will get him ready for our trip to visit Santa on Saturday.

Potty, Potty, POTTY!

I am thrilled to announce that Charlie has had three successful days diaper free. We have only had two accidents, too! We are using M&Ms as incentive along with a sticker chart that earns him special surprises like stickers, books, etc. So far, he loves the whole process, and is able to tell when he has to go. I am certain there will be set backs, but for now, Nick and I are so proud of our big boy. Hopefully we can start the new year diaper free (fingers crossed).