Ah - the end of a year. And what comes with the change of years? Resolutions and Reflections. And boy did this Reflections post get long.
My Reflections:
We had a great year; of course, the highlight was our Grace being born. With this, I became a stay at home mom and could not be happier. Even as I have learned and am still learning the ways of parenting, and even when I have days where I just don't know what else to do as far as discipline, teaching, staying creative for my kids, and still trying to be a good wife, I am still so glad Vic and I can have this lifestyle. I have learned that parenting is so tough. I know everyone says it and I know it doesn't get easier, and while I am saying it is tough, I know I have it so good with healthy and generally well behaved, normal kids. My most difficult moments come in the form of teaching Atticus how to behave, to talk nicely, to mind manners, to obey, to be helpful, to listen, to use indoor and outdoor voices, to eat his food when asked, and to share. It's so hard to know when to let something go and when to push the issue. It's also so hard to know, in the moment, if this is just the typical behavior of a 2 year old or if I'm not teaching him the right way at the right time. So many times, I tell myself that if I keep teaching the basic principles and showing him the right way to do things, that one day, just one day, when he is past this "phase", all of those things will be ingrained into his little mind and heart and he will just act the right way. I know I'm acting like he is terrible, and the truth is...he is not. He is sweet and energetic and smart and funny. And usually his terribleness happens when I'm busy with something and cannot tend to his every need. So, of course, it goes through my mind "Do I drop what I'm doing to play with him or see what he needs?" or "Do I just go about my to-do's and teach him that he must learn to take care of himself for a few minutes?". And the absolute worst time I question all of this is when I just want a few minutes to myself to check my email or read blogs or post a picture to Instagram or for goodness sake...go to the bathroom! I mean - am I being selfish to put those unimportant things as my top priority for an hour? Or is this ok? When it's laundry, or cooking, or dishes, or tending to Grace, I feel like I have a good reason. But, the rest of those things I mentioned? I have no idea. Of course, then I tell myself that he will only be little once and only want my opinion or my help for a few years before he will be too independent for me. And then, I also tell myself that there cannot be a mom out there that plays ALL DAY LONG and doesn't do housework or cooking or tend to other to-do's. So, that is my constant struggle with Atticus. I know, I know. First world problems.
And Grace's struggles? Well to be honest, I don't really have any; she is almost always an easy baby. I mean, she cries when she is tired or hungry or needs a little bit of attention. But, the thing I struggle with her the most is wondering if I give her enough attention - not because she is begging for it, but because she doesn't yet realize she deserves it. Atticus demands my time and when he does, it is easy to let Grace crawl around to follow us or to play by us, but I'm not always tuned in. Again - I think I do an okay job, but I can always do better, right? And, of course, I remind myself that Atticus never had me at this age, during the day. So, surely she is already better off than he was, as far as having me with her so much.
Those are the hard parts of parenting for me, so far. I am with the kids almost 24/7 and I love it. I like the routines we are in; I like learning their needs and how they ask for them; I like figuring out how to be efficient with our days; I like organized, routine naps, meals, bedtimes, playtimes; I like the crazy, hectic moments of both kids crying with toys on the floor and the TV blaring with Wheel of Fortune while I try to ask Vic about his day. I like the funny moments with Atticus and his ever-increasing vocabulary of words and phrases, even when they should not be repeating what I am saying (yep - he is still saying "oh shoot!" a lot!). I like seeing the kids make each other laugh in the other room when I am not in there, but can only hear them. I like the success of a day when I gather all of the bags and to do lists and to go run errands in the morning, situate kids at the right stores in the right carts while juggling sippy cups, snacks, and something for them to do, then have a playdate where we eat a picnic, followed by coming home to fight naptimes, and then onto checking social media for a treat to myself before trying to do household chores, keep our social calendar and budget organized and trying to prep dinner all before Vic gets home. Then, I love the routine of having Vic home to help me force Atticus to eat dinner, then do baths, then reading and playing before going through the nightly ordeal of putting Atticus to bed, despite his very creative ways of delaying bedtime. Then, I don't even mind when I have to deal with kids up in the middle of the night for whatever reason. Though my first thought, upon hearing one cry through the monitor is not very nice, the moment I see them or pick them up, I am content.
And, you notice this blog is all about me, but I couldn't do any of this without Vic. He is the most wonderful husband and daddy to our little family. And he still has all of the to do's above when he is away from the office, even after dealing with the stress and work of his job at TVMDL. Some parents are so good at doing both an out of home job and being parents; but, in the end, I think I can serve everyone best if I just work really hard at being a mom. But, Vic - he always has energy; he always thinks of us first; he is 100% hands on with the kids and can tell when I just need a minute of peace; he takes out the trash; he replaces my shampoo and soap bottles in the shower which would just stay there empty forever because I always forget to discard them until I'm in the shower and then forget again once I get out; he mows the lawn and takes care of our home; he always takes out the recycling; and organizes it (I don't even know where the bags are); he takes care of our important money and taxes and insurance; he explains when I don't understand at church; he supports my crafty, creative, baking habits even when they get a little out of hand; he always smiles for the camera; he always laughs with me; he always, always, always loves me.
So, my reflections are basically about my little family this year. It's been an eye-opening year of learning to be a better mom and wife and let's be honest here - I can always do better. But, I'm happy with how we've done so far and I'm happy with our year.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Christmas in Sanger; Part 2
In Sanger, while they have already celebrated on Christmas Day, they celebrate again with our Seidel family, once we arrive. So, on the Sunday after Christmas, we all gathered mid-morning at Melbo, Pa & GG's house. Vic made homemade donuts for breakfast while I wrapped pigs in a blanket. We ate pulled pork for lunch and snacked all day on treats and dips and more pulled pork. We opened presents and boy did our family do far too much for us! But, it is so much fun and equally as fun watching them open their gifts that we have shopped for. I forced encouraged made helped Atticus tell the Nativity story, sing Away in a Manger, and give everyone Christmas hugs before opening presents. We played some Chicken Foot dominos and then a new game called Fish Bowl. We visited and looked at presents and watched the kids play. It was so much fun and very relaxing as well. A few of the fun gifts Atticus received include: a circus tent! from Ana and Charley (actually for Grace as well), a train set from GG, a ukelele and harmonica from Grandma and Pop, a pull-string doll-sized Woody from Toy Story from Molly plus from others he also got games, books, more animals and a travel barn (also for Grace), a magna-doodle, music for the car, playdough trash and recycling truck, and clothes. Grace was given her own bowl of soft vegetables from Ana and Charley plus adorable hairbows and tights, two baby dolls and a purse from GG, a musical picnic basket from Molly, a stuffed pelican with other sea animals for her crib from Grandma and Pop, and various toys and stuffed animals and clothes and books. And, I'm sure I'm forgetting many things! But, it was such a fun Christmas filled with new toys for their imaginations! I got tons of scrapbooking, jewelry, 2 scarves, a craft book, and lots of Stella and Dot. Vic had a big year of Lowe's gift cards to do some things in our house as well as clothes and spices and a beautiful leather bag from Daddy. In fact, this was a big year of leather travel bags - Vic, Mom and Charley all got one! One of the most fun gifts was an Erwin Women Cookbook that Molly made. She combined tons of recipes we had given her and created a Shutterfly book of them. It is SO nice and I love having recipes from all of us! It was such a fun day of watching everyone open their gifts and laughing and seeing the kids open their presents. Atticus loved all of his and is just at a really fun age to watch. He played that harmonica and ukulele (which he calls a guitar) while he played with his trains that Charley setup while crawling into the tent with Vic, while playing the farm animal Bingo game with GG, while playing the Ipad, while eating peppermint balls all at once. Busy boy. Grace, on the other hand, crawled around, took naps, and had holiday outfit changes since really - when is she going to wear all of those adorable Christmas outfits every again? It was a wonderful day!
Christmas in Sanger: Part 1
I must break down our Christmas in Sanger to two parts; this is mainly because we had lots of fun besides just Christmas Day. We loaded up and headed to Sanger the Friday morning after Christmas. We made it just in time to eat lunch at Chuy's in Denton with Stormy, Tabatha and Adley and to remind me how much I wish we lived there so we could see them more often! Then, we headed to Mom and Daddy's to get settled. First things first - the BABY GOATS! In the week up to Christmas, including the last babies being born on Christmas Day, they had 10 little baby goats (1/2 boer goat and 1/2 Nubian) (7 bucks, 3 does). And they are so tiny and sweet and precious! They still had all of them penned up with their mama's, so we went right in to check them out. I was very anxious to see how Atticus would respond to them. Of course, it takes him a day to warm up, but by the time we left the following Tuesday morning, he'd had plenty of time to go into the pens and the pastured, feed them, water them and catch baby goats as best as he could. He constantly wanted to see the "dotes" and the donkey and the calves. The last night, we disbudded most of the babies and he wasn't quite as fond of listening to their cries as their little heads were burned, but still couldn't get enough of seeing the dotes.
Also, the night before we left (Monday night), my aunt Milly and Memaw stopped by on their way back to Frost from Wichita Falls and came inside for awhile to visit. It was probably 8:00 or so and Mom wanted Memaw to see a baby goat. Of course, it was too cold to go outside in the pen, so naturally Mom just brought one in the house. Vic has heard stories of us bringing in babies, on occasion, when they needed a little warmth or special TLC, to the house to stay overnight. Now, I'm not talking about goats running through the house jumping and playing and using the restroom. I'm talking about little day old babies who need to stay warmer or a baby who had surgery. And, they stay in the bathtub just long enough to be ok to put outside. And, this baby that was brought in was a week old, I think, and was too big to stay in the bathtub. But, she did walk around the kitchen and living room, supervised for just a few minutes. And, she was adorable! And while Vic was still very entertained by this, I see it as completely normal and a possibility in our future when we have our own little goats one day! Anyways, Atticus loved it. I loved it. All was well.
Grace probably didn't love the goats nearly as much as Atticus did on this trip. But, she was prepared in her little rubber boots to go out and check on them. They are a lot bigger than her, so I can see her hesitation. It won't be long before she will be chasing those goats too!
We just loved, loved, loved seeing Atticus and Grace with the goats and I honestly believe that Vic can see this more and more in his future all the time!
Vic and I also left the kids with the babysitters (Mom and Daddy) and met Ana and Charley for drinks and dinner in Downtown Denton. It was SO fun to have a double date with them and we had the best time with the best food. However, the place we went to was in an old house, called Guiseppe's (sp?). It was romantic and nice and not necessarily a super quiet place, but we were talking a lot and laughing a lot. And apparently, we got ugly looks from one couple who left who must have wanted a silent eating experience. I would never ruin someone's dinner on purpose, but we had such a good time! Also, on Monday, we went to Molly's (Vic, myself and the kids and Ana and Charley) to hang her pictures on her wall to decorate her apartment. She had lots to hang but needed tall, strong men to do it. So, I bossed around; Ana and Molly took care of kids; and Vic and Charley hung pictures. Then, lunch at Mellow Mushroom for pizza.
It was just so much fun the entire time! Vic and I felt relaxed and it was a great way to end our Christmas traveling!
Also, the night before we left (Monday night), my aunt Milly and Memaw stopped by on their way back to Frost from Wichita Falls and came inside for awhile to visit. It was probably 8:00 or so and Mom wanted Memaw to see a baby goat. Of course, it was too cold to go outside in the pen, so naturally Mom just brought one in the house. Vic has heard stories of us bringing in babies, on occasion, when they needed a little warmth or special TLC, to the house to stay overnight. Now, I'm not talking about goats running through the house jumping and playing and using the restroom. I'm talking about little day old babies who need to stay warmer or a baby who had surgery. And, they stay in the bathtub just long enough to be ok to put outside. And, this baby that was brought in was a week old, I think, and was too big to stay in the bathtub. But, she did walk around the kitchen and living room, supervised for just a few minutes. And, she was adorable! And while Vic was still very entertained by this, I see it as completely normal and a possibility in our future when we have our own little goats one day! Anyways, Atticus loved it. I loved it. All was well.
Grace probably didn't love the goats nearly as much as Atticus did on this trip. But, she was prepared in her little rubber boots to go out and check on them. They are a lot bigger than her, so I can see her hesitation. It won't be long before she will be chasing those goats too!
We just loved, loved, loved seeing Atticus and Grace with the goats and I honestly believe that Vic can see this more and more in his future all the time!
Vic and I also left the kids with the babysitters (Mom and Daddy) and met Ana and Charley for drinks and dinner in Downtown Denton. It was SO fun to have a double date with them and we had the best time with the best food. However, the place we went to was in an old house, called Guiseppe's (sp?). It was romantic and nice and not necessarily a super quiet place, but we were talking a lot and laughing a lot. And apparently, we got ugly looks from one couple who left who must have wanted a silent eating experience. I would never ruin someone's dinner on purpose, but we had such a good time! Also, on Monday, we went to Molly's (Vic, myself and the kids and Ana and Charley) to hang her pictures on her wall to decorate her apartment. She had lots to hang but needed tall, strong men to do it. So, I bossed around; Ana and Molly took care of kids; and Vic and Charley hung pictures. Then, lunch at Mellow Mushroom for pizza.
It was just so much fun the entire time! Vic and I felt relaxed and it was a great way to end our Christmas traveling!
Friday, December 27, 2013
Our Christmas Day
I am a little late in posting some of these memories, and I'm backdating about a week and a half so it fits in 2013 and is in the right spot when I print out my blog book one day. But, I do want to talk about Christmas Day!
We woke up around 8 and found out that Santa had come to us while we were sleeping! Only part of the cookies had been eaten, so Atticus decided he needed to help him eat the rest. Atticus had to wait until Grace was fed and changed but then he walked straight to his stocking that Santa had filled. He found all kinds of fun things: water flutes for the bathtub, new farm animals, chalk, bubbles, a new puppy dog, a new book, some socks, some rubber bugs, an I Spy game, and best of all, he had a Jessie toy (from Toy Story). He actually got another Woody and Buzz - the boy can never have too many horses and cowboys. Grace's stocking had a new blanket, a kitty cat, some books, a fancy rattle, and some water toys. THEN came time to look into Santa's red bag, that he must have left by accident, to see what each of them received. Atticus got an entire ranch complete with a cattle chute, cattle panels, cattle guard, gates, cattle, and a truck and trailer! Grace got a large plastic dinosaur that plays music and bounces balls up and down until they go into her mouth. It was a wonderful Christmas from Santa! Atticus wanted to setup his fences and am-mulls immediately, as well as play with Grace's dinosaur gift. And, of course, Atticus kept taking breaks to eat the remainder of Santa's cookies while he played.
For the next hour, we played with toys and made our breakfast of Apple Turnovers (Melbo's recipe). Then, Vic and I opened our stockings from Santa - we got lots of delicious snacks and socks and chip clips and kitchen supplies. We called both of our families to wish them Merry Christmas as well and then throughout the day continued to open presents. Atticus also got a Thomas the Train Flashlight for his room, more books, Nemo pajamas, and some animals ink stamps. Grace got a musical makeup mirror, some books, Cinderella and Prince Charming little people, and a new elephant bath towel. Also, both kids got sleeping bags! Vic gave me new perfume, new Brighton sunglasses, the Six Sisters Cookbook, and a new scrapbook cutter that I may or may not have already purchased for him to give me. Vic got a wind chime for the back porch, the annual "Seidel Family" shutterfly book, a cd, and another cookbook. (Can you tell we love to cook around here?)
While gifts are not the most important thing, of course, I do love to shop and love to find special items for people in our families! I love a surprise and I love buying something for someone that they wouldn't buy themselves. Plus, I like remembering what the kids play with now, because I have learned, from friends, that as they get older, they only want things like electronics!
We spent the entire day indoors, in our pajamas, snacking and then enjoying delicious ham and dressing for dinner. Atticus watched both Planes and The Little Mermaid that evening, as he laid in his new sleeping bag and Grace just played with all of the new toys. And, for some reason, Grace found a new kitchen toy for Vic, to be her favorite thing to carry around and chew!
While I love traveling to see our family, I equally love spending this one day in our homes, lounging, opening presents and playing with our kiddos. I have to admit, the one thing we didn't do, that I had planned on doing, was a birthday cake for Jesus. I feel like Atticus definitely knows Christmas is also about Jesus' birthday, in addition to Santa and presents, but next year, we are DEFINITELY doing a birthday cake for Jesus.
We woke up around 8 and found out that Santa had come to us while we were sleeping! Only part of the cookies had been eaten, so Atticus decided he needed to help him eat the rest. Atticus had to wait until Grace was fed and changed but then he walked straight to his stocking that Santa had filled. He found all kinds of fun things: water flutes for the bathtub, new farm animals, chalk, bubbles, a new puppy dog, a new book, some socks, some rubber bugs, an I Spy game, and best of all, he had a Jessie toy (from Toy Story). He actually got another Woody and Buzz - the boy can never have too many horses and cowboys. Grace's stocking had a new blanket, a kitty cat, some books, a fancy rattle, and some water toys. THEN came time to look into Santa's red bag, that he must have left by accident, to see what each of them received. Atticus got an entire ranch complete with a cattle chute, cattle panels, cattle guard, gates, cattle, and a truck and trailer! Grace got a large plastic dinosaur that plays music and bounces balls up and down until they go into her mouth. It was a wonderful Christmas from Santa! Atticus wanted to setup his fences and am-mulls immediately, as well as play with Grace's dinosaur gift. And, of course, Atticus kept taking breaks to eat the remainder of Santa's cookies while he played.
For the next hour, we played with toys and made our breakfast of Apple Turnovers (Melbo's recipe). Then, Vic and I opened our stockings from Santa - we got lots of delicious snacks and socks and chip clips and kitchen supplies. We called both of our families to wish them Merry Christmas as well and then throughout the day continued to open presents. Atticus also got a Thomas the Train Flashlight for his room, more books, Nemo pajamas, and some animals ink stamps. Grace got a musical makeup mirror, some books, Cinderella and Prince Charming little people, and a new elephant bath towel. Also, both kids got sleeping bags! Vic gave me new perfume, new Brighton sunglasses, the Six Sisters Cookbook, and a new scrapbook cutter that I may or may not have already purchased for him to give me. Vic got a wind chime for the back porch, the annual "Seidel Family" shutterfly book, a cd, and another cookbook. (Can you tell we love to cook around here?)
While gifts are not the most important thing, of course, I do love to shop and love to find special items for people in our families! I love a surprise and I love buying something for someone that they wouldn't buy themselves. Plus, I like remembering what the kids play with now, because I have learned, from friends, that as they get older, they only want things like electronics!
We spent the entire day indoors, in our pajamas, snacking and then enjoying delicious ham and dressing for dinner. Atticus watched both Planes and The Little Mermaid that evening, as he laid in his new sleeping bag and Grace just played with all of the new toys. And, for some reason, Grace found a new kitchen toy for Vic, to be her favorite thing to carry around and chew!
While I love traveling to see our family, I equally love spending this one day in our homes, lounging, opening presents and playing with our kiddos. I have to admit, the one thing we didn't do, that I had planned on doing, was a birthday cake for Jesus. I feel like Atticus definitely knows Christmas is also about Jesus' birthday, in addition to Santa and presents, but next year, we are DEFINITELY doing a birthday cake for Jesus.
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Christmas Eve 2013
Tonight we attended the 4:00 service at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church. This is our second year to attend church services at Christmas at our own church and we really love the familiar feel to being in our own church with our church family. I must admit that the kids were not perfect. Grace was well behaved, but a tad noisy and wanted to wiggle around on the ground instead of stay in my arms. However, that is to be expected for a 9 month old. Atticus was good for the first half, happily eating his snack and not moving around too much. But, it didn't take long to get into his normal routine of not being great during services. We lasted through the sermon, but he did have to be taken out for a few minutes for a talk. I'm not sure it did much good. I keep telling myself that this is going to continue to be a rougher week, since we have so much going on and have already ruined sleeping times for the past two weekends with traveling. But, sometimes it is so frustrating because he knows how to act and he knows when he is misbehaving. In fact, he knows so well that a spanking is what will happen when he is taken out once in church and then misbehaves again (at least that is usually what I tell him - "Atticus, if I have to take you out of church, you will get as spanking"), that right before I took him out, he called out "Mommy don't div me a panking". Ugh. I don't know that may heard it or understood him, other than me and Vic. Anyways, we survived, took a family picture, and headed home to get ready for Santa to arrive (since Atticus has been so good, right? he deserves to have Santa come see him, right? ah - such a tough age!).
It was a very fun evening though. We changed into our pj's, played with toys, made Christmas cookies for Santa, set them out, read stories including The Night Before Christmas (online - we don't have the book!) and went to bed. It was a lot of fun to cut out a quick batch of sugar cookies, watch Atticus drench some in icing and "pinkles" and then set them out with a glass of milk for Santa. He really thought he needed to help Santa eat them, but finally agreed that they were only for Santa.
On a side note, it has been a fun year to talk about Santa and Baby Jesus with Atticus. He completely understands that Santa Taus and Missus Taus live at the north pole with the elves and the reindeer. He knows that the elves make toys and that Santa brings toys to good boys and girls, although sometimes he thinks he is funny when he tells me that Santa brings toys to bad boys! Oh goodness! He has loved us singing Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. He has also like the Rudolph and Frosty movies and reading all of the Christmas books this year. He points out the lighted reindeer and asks when they will "yight up!". He will tell you all 8 reindeers names plus Rudolph. He has played with so many ornaments on the tree and names them or takes them off and puts them randomly in the house. He will "pick a banch" to put them back on when told. Also, he has learned the story of Baby Jesus and with a little help, can tell you the entire story with his toy nativity. He has a rubber ducky nativity for the bathtub and his Little People nativity. Also, hilarious enough, he started the month out being very confused between Noah and Santa. In fact, at the end of November, he went with Vic to Lowe's and called out "Noah" to all of the Santa decorations. Throughout this past month, he continues to sometimes say Noah instead of Santa and I never correct him. These past few days, he has only said Santa so I guess it has finally sunk in, but was pretty adorable for awhile. He can sing the entire song of Away in a Manger, although sometimes gets a little shy when in front of others. He knows this is Baby Jesus' birthday although he also sometimes will first try to be funny and tell you it's his birthday. He always corrects himself to tell us it is really Baby Jesus birthday though. In fact, recently, we were meeting my friends and their kids for a birthday lunch. I told him it was Mrs. Cecilia's birthday and he said "no mommy - it's baby Jesus' birthday!". So, I have been happy that this has soaked in as much as possible for this year. During the nativity story, he will tell us that an angel told Mary she was going to have a baby and name it baby Jesus and that she needed to go to Bethlehem town. He can tell you that the wise men brought presents of "fankinsense" and "gold". He knows that Mary and Joseph are the mommy and daddy. It is just so fun to talk about with him!
I am getting very excited for tomorrow morning to see how his reaction to Santa will be!
It was a very fun evening though. We changed into our pj's, played with toys, made Christmas cookies for Santa, set them out, read stories including The Night Before Christmas (online - we don't have the book!) and went to bed. It was a lot of fun to cut out a quick batch of sugar cookies, watch Atticus drench some in icing and "pinkles" and then set them out with a glass of milk for Santa. He really thought he needed to help Santa eat them, but finally agreed that they were only for Santa.
On a side note, it has been a fun year to talk about Santa and Baby Jesus with Atticus. He completely understands that Santa Taus and Missus Taus live at the north pole with the elves and the reindeer. He knows that the elves make toys and that Santa brings toys to good boys and girls, although sometimes he thinks he is funny when he tells me that Santa brings toys to bad boys! Oh goodness! He has loved us singing Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. He has also like the Rudolph and Frosty movies and reading all of the Christmas books this year. He points out the lighted reindeer and asks when they will "yight up!". He will tell you all 8 reindeers names plus Rudolph. He has played with so many ornaments on the tree and names them or takes them off and puts them randomly in the house. He will "pick a banch" to put them back on when told. Also, he has learned the story of Baby Jesus and with a little help, can tell you the entire story with his toy nativity. He has a rubber ducky nativity for the bathtub and his Little People nativity. Also, hilarious enough, he started the month out being very confused between Noah and Santa. In fact, at the end of November, he went with Vic to Lowe's and called out "Noah" to all of the Santa decorations. Throughout this past month, he continues to sometimes say Noah instead of Santa and I never correct him. These past few days, he has only said Santa so I guess it has finally sunk in, but was pretty adorable for awhile. He can sing the entire song of Away in a Manger, although sometimes gets a little shy when in front of others. He knows this is Baby Jesus' birthday although he also sometimes will first try to be funny and tell you it's his birthday. He always corrects himself to tell us it is really Baby Jesus birthday though. In fact, recently, we were meeting my friends and their kids for a birthday lunch. I told him it was Mrs. Cecilia's birthday and he said "no mommy - it's baby Jesus' birthday!". So, I have been happy that this has soaked in as much as possible for this year. During the nativity story, he will tell us that an angel told Mary she was going to have a baby and name it baby Jesus and that she needed to go to Bethlehem town. He can tell you that the wise men brought presents of "fankinsense" and "gold". He knows that Mary and Joseph are the mommy and daddy. It is just so fun to talk about with him!
I am getting very excited for tomorrow morning to see how his reaction to Santa will be!
Christmas Lights in our Pajamas
For a month now, I have wanted us to drive around to look at Christmas lights in our pajamas with hot cocoa and popcorn. Well, part of that happened last night. Hot cocoa is unrealistic with kids in our laps and popcorn wasn't really necessary as we'd already eaten dinner. But, we still had a fun night out! Our friends, Chris and Katherine, came over for sandwiches and then after some fun pictures, we loaded up in the truck to drive around. We decided that we could go to Pebble Creek, a large neighborhood, that is right behind our little one, and if we went there, we could let kids ride in our laps instead of carseats. We did bring Grace's along in case she fell asleep (which she did at the end). The boys were in the front and the girls in the back. We drove slowly through the neighborhood to see lots of lights. Atticus thought this was just wonderful as he didn't have to "buckle in" which he currently hates to do when we get into the car. And he never gets to sit in the front seat either. We constantly heard "oh yook at doze peety yights!" or "doze yights ah beufull". It was so cute as he got excited about every single house of lights we saw. He always found Santa or Frosty and of course, found all the reindeer. He squeezed back in the backseat with us a couple of times as well and I loved having him sit right there like he was such a big boy looking at lights. Grace, on the other hand, was just as funny! She would sit up in her carseat and eventually just pull herself right up to stand in it backwards looking towards the front or out the side window. She was just as happy as she could be riding along. One highlight of the night was this house lit up on Congressional Drive and it flashed it's lights to a set of songs that you could tune into on the radio. It may have lasted a good 10-12 minutes and we just parked, along with other cars, at the end of the cul-de-sac to watch. Both kids were completely into it! We went to this last year as well, but feel like it was even better this year!
Afterwards, we headed back to the house, put kids to bed, and had some great adult only time with Chris and Katherine while watching Christmas Vacation - one of my favorite Christmas movies! The cat scene is the best for me!
It was so much fun! Oh and one other funny Atticus moment: When the Scarmardo's came, they brought treats for both including "pawty hats" aka Hershey kisses for Atticus. Of course, he wanted them immediately. I think he ate at least 5 or more before we left the house. At one point, we had put them up on the counter and were visiting when Atticus comes over to ask us where his stool was. We pointed it out, then watched as he silently picked it up, walked it over to the tall counter, set it down, climbed up on it and grabbed some more pawty hats as if this was no big deal. It was too funny! He didn't say a word, but just took care of himself!
It was such a fun night, and made more fun with friends, and I am already looking forward to next year's Christmas Light in Pajamas night!
Afterwards, we headed back to the house, put kids to bed, and had some great adult only time with Chris and Katherine while watching Christmas Vacation - one of my favorite Christmas movies! The cat scene is the best for me!
It was so much fun! Oh and one other funny Atticus moment: When the Scarmardo's came, they brought treats for both including "pawty hats" aka Hershey kisses for Atticus. Of course, he wanted them immediately. I think he ate at least 5 or more before we left the house. At one point, we had put them up on the counter and were visiting when Atticus comes over to ask us where his stool was. We pointed it out, then watched as he silently picked it up, walked it over to the tall counter, set it down, climbed up on it and grabbed some more pawty hats as if this was no big deal. It was too funny! He didn't say a word, but just took care of himself!
It was such a fun night, and made more fun with friends, and I am already looking forward to next year's Christmas Light in Pajamas night!
Christmas in Orange Grove
Our first family Christmas was this past weekend. We headed down to Orange Grove on Friday afternoon, arriving about 5. About 6:30, we joined a group of friends in a party bus to go to Corpus to look at Christmas lights. It included the Powells (Derek, Mandee, Beck, and Ben), Raymond and Judi; Vance and Mary; Scott, Sarah, and Colton; Larell; Steve, Janice and our little family. It was a fun night of seeing some amazing lights and nativities as we drove around, although Grace was a wiggle worm for the first hour or two of the trip. She has hit that age where she is not always content to just sit in your arms, but would rather be crawling around instead. It was easiest when she finally took a nap in my arms!
The next morning, Jill & Geoff arrived and we opened presents. It was a fun year for the kids, as they got some cute books, animal legos, blocks, a Mother Goose that tells nursery rhymes, clothes, the Little People A to Z zoo, a soft alphabet book and Grace got her own toy remote control! Atticus even got a bike with a funny story behind it regarding Toys for Tots, but to clarify- he was not on the Toys for Tots kids list. Among other things, Vic got a dust buster that I really plan to use the most, and I got the Pioneer Woman holiday cookbook! The day was filled with playing with toys, lunch, naps, and then having Vic's grandparents and aunts and uncle over for dinner to eat shrimp quesadillas. Sunday we attended church, then headed out to Joe and Cassie's house to eat hamburgers, visit with them, Josh, and the Powells and let the kids play. I am so excited that Cassie is expecting in June and can't wait to find out the gender soon! Atticus had fun playing with Wesley and Beck and all of Wesley's toys, including a John Deere gator! He was hilarious as he learned to hit the pedal to make it go; the problem was he didn't always let up on the pedal to make it stop meaning he just squealed and I waited very impatiently for Vic to stop him before he crashed. It might be a little longer before we get him one of those, although I'm sure he would love one! After that, we headed to the lake house for the Winsauer Christmas that includes Vic's grandpa's side of aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Atticus loved walking down to look for the ducks and seagulls (although I don't know that they ended up seeing many at all) and playing with the only other two little girls there - Kylie and Payton; he chased and fetched washers and had a great time! There were about 30 people there to eat, play games, and have their annual $10 White Elephant Gift Exchange. This gift exchange includes good and funny gifts. We went more with the funny route with a package of batteries that had a note to say "gift not included" (this is the perfect gift for us - parents with kids toys that ALWAYS need batteries) and a toy dog that barks incessantly in a high pitched voice. This gift was really intended to possibly steal back for Atticus. Although it may not last long, it is a funny little dachshund dog that we have seen in the mall a couple of times. The first time Atticus saw it, he thought it was real! Anyways, he loved that dog and we did end up taking it home. This gift exchange was tough for him though; as each person draws a domino and opens gifts, Atticus kept asking "wheres my pwesent?" Grace was perfectly behaved as always and dressed adorably. That has been a fun part of this Christmas season, as she has so many cute outfits to keep her festive for Christmas!
We got up early to leave yesterday morning. Although only a 4 hour drive, it tends to take much longer with the kids. We made it home in 5 and a half hours. Had to stop a couple quick times, including lunch because they just don't last that long in the car. It was a really fun weekend and the 1st of 3 Christmases!
The next morning, Jill & Geoff arrived and we opened presents. It was a fun year for the kids, as they got some cute books, animal legos, blocks, a Mother Goose that tells nursery rhymes, clothes, the Little People A to Z zoo, a soft alphabet book and Grace got her own toy remote control! Atticus even got a bike with a funny story behind it regarding Toys for Tots, but to clarify- he was not on the Toys for Tots kids list. Among other things, Vic got a dust buster that I really plan to use the most, and I got the Pioneer Woman holiday cookbook! The day was filled with playing with toys, lunch, naps, and then having Vic's grandparents and aunts and uncle over for dinner to eat shrimp quesadillas. Sunday we attended church, then headed out to Joe and Cassie's house to eat hamburgers, visit with them, Josh, and the Powells and let the kids play. I am so excited that Cassie is expecting in June and can't wait to find out the gender soon! Atticus had fun playing with Wesley and Beck and all of Wesley's toys, including a John Deere gator! He was hilarious as he learned to hit the pedal to make it go; the problem was he didn't always let up on the pedal to make it stop meaning he just squealed and I waited very impatiently for Vic to stop him before he crashed. It might be a little longer before we get him one of those, although I'm sure he would love one! After that, we headed to the lake house for the Winsauer Christmas that includes Vic's grandpa's side of aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Atticus loved walking down to look for the ducks and seagulls (although I don't know that they ended up seeing many at all) and playing with the only other two little girls there - Kylie and Payton; he chased and fetched washers and had a great time! There were about 30 people there to eat, play games, and have their annual $10 White Elephant Gift Exchange. This gift exchange includes good and funny gifts. We went more with the funny route with a package of batteries that had a note to say "gift not included" (this is the perfect gift for us - parents with kids toys that ALWAYS need batteries) and a toy dog that barks incessantly in a high pitched voice. This gift was really intended to possibly steal back for Atticus. Although it may not last long, it is a funny little dachshund dog that we have seen in the mall a couple of times. The first time Atticus saw it, he thought it was real! Anyways, he loved that dog and we did end up taking it home. This gift exchange was tough for him though; as each person draws a domino and opens gifts, Atticus kept asking "wheres my pwesent?" Grace was perfectly behaved as always and dressed adorably. That has been a fun part of this Christmas season, as she has so many cute outfits to keep her festive for Christmas!
We got up early to leave yesterday morning. Although only a 4 hour drive, it tends to take much longer with the kids. We made it home in 5 and a half hours. Had to stop a couple quick times, including lunch because they just don't last that long in the car. It was a really fun weekend and the 1st of 3 Christmases!
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