A Merry Little Christmas

It's been a wonderful couple of weeks at our house. With all the activity of 2010, we decided we just wanted to stay put for Christmas this year. I'll admit that it was a little strange not being with either of our extended families, but we had a nice celebration just the four of us.

I have lots of pictures taken over the course of 3 or 4 days, but I'm just going to jumble them all in to one post. Seems like too much effort to break it up (or rather, I've got two kids who don't give me much time to get stuff like this done).

Dylan's new favorite game is Jenga. He loves to play the actual game, build stuff out of the blocks, or wear the game box as a hat. And occasionally force Lena to wear the box for a hat. Poor little Lena...she just has no clue that she will be getting harrassed from her brother and father the rest of her life.

Eight months later and this little girl still makes my heart melt. I fear that my attempts to keep her a baby a tad bit longer are keeping her from doing certain things (crawling, pulling up, eating real food). I just can't help myself. She's so teeny and loves to be snuggled; I'm eating it up.

The temps are keeping us indoors quite a bit, but Lena loves to sit at the back door and stare out at the snow.

I made several attempts to get a 'good' picture of my kids in front of the Christmas tree. I don't think I ever got a shot where both of them are looking at the camera. Ah well, this is life with kids.

Dylan had preschool up til the 23rd. On the last day before break, his class had a pizza party and a little gift exchange. Mrs Baker gave all the kids a Divine Grace t-shirt that has their names on the back. All the kids immediately wanted to wear their shirts. Dylan didn't take his off until the next morning.

Playing a game before the festivities.

I bought the kids super cute, coordinating Christmas outfits before Thanksgiving. I have been dying for them to wear them and get a picture. Unfortunately, Dylan being 4 and all, it didn't happen. It took me a half hour just to get Dylan's outfit on his body. Then he screamed about it for another hour. Luckily, Lena still loves the camera. She looked so stinking cute.

We decided to follow my family's tradition of celebrating on Christmas Eve. I made a nice dinner and then we opened our gifts.

Lena was into if for about, oh, 5 minutes. She started crying while opening her first gift and it went downhill from there. I ended up just putting her to bed and Dylan and I finished opening her gifts.

It's rare that I get a picture of Mike. Looks like he's posing for me, but this was a total coincidence.

Again, rarely a shot of me. Mike was not so kind with the expression he chose to take a picture of.

Dylan just kept telling me he loves me as I was handing him gift after gift after gift. This year was the most fun with him, so far. He was totally into everything and so greatful. He made out like a bandit.

Part of Dylan's loot.

I did save a gift for each child to see on Christmas morning. Since Dylan has shown no interest in Santa, Mike and I have decided not to push the idea on our kids. We'll tell them the idea and story behind the jolly guy, but really do not care that they believe he comes and leaves the presents under the tree. Dylan and Lena's Santa is their Grandparents. Gram and Pa gave each child their own chair this year. So, I put them together after the kids went to bed Christmas Eve and left them by the tree. When they came down in the morning, their eyes just lit up. Dylan was so excited and immediately sat down to play his Leapster in HIS chair.

Lena also loves her chair. She loves to sit in it and just look around while kicking her little feet. It is so cute to watch.

We spent Christmas dinner with my dear friends, the Pollard family. They are my adopted family and have been for years and years. It's nice having them around.

We're definitely looking forward to the New Year. As a whole, 2010 was not such a great year for us. So, we'll be saying good riddance come Friday evening.

Gifts A Plenty

I'm pretty sure that Dylan thinks he gets to open gifts every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. So far, he has had three days of opening Birthday gifts and there will be one more when he gets a box from his other Grandparents.

We celebrated his Birthday while we were in Ohio for Thanksgiving so that everyone there could join in the fun.
Dylan was all about his chocolate cake. He was asking about it for a week before the party. Every day he would ask me if it was cake day.

I was a little surprised that he was actually able to blow out his candles on his own. He was so proud of himself.

When he walked in to the room where his presents were stashed, he exclaimed "Are all these for me?" After he opened each present he would turn to the next one and say, "What about this one?" Once he was finished he said, "Oh, thank you for my presents everyone!" So cute!

On Dylan's actual Birthday, he had preschool in the morning. We took cupcakes and yogurt drinks, per Dylan's request. His teacher, Mrs Baker, had a little party with the kids during snack time and Dylan got to be the line leader all morning. Before preschool was over, I picked up Dylan's friend Abby. When Dylan saw us at school, he was so excited. I took them out for pizza and then to Jeepers. Which is kind of like Chuck E Cheese...but cleaner. They had a great time playing games, climbing on the playground and riding the banana ride. Between the two of them, they won over 300 tickets. Of course they both wanted to trade them in for candy. So, they were all nice and sugared up.

Getting on the banana ride.

Little best buds.

When Mike got home from work, Dylan opened his presents from Mom, Dad and sissy. I'm pretty sure that his favorite gift is the Matchbox Car Wash. He's excited that he doesn't have to build his own out of blocks anymore.

May your days be Merry

I always loved the Christmas season growing up...still do. I think a big part of the reason I love it is because of my Mom. As far back as I can remember, she has had the most beautifully decorated home at Christmas time. I love it. It just makes everything seem so warm, so cozy, so fun. So, everywhere I go, Christmas decorations just remind me of home.

I am attempting to re-create that feeling in my own home. I do not, however, have the eye for decorating that my Mom does. Thankfully, she has helped me out through the years and has created a collection of decor for me, as well as some ideas on how to put displays together. Mostly I just try to copy what she does.

Last year, my Mom made a display on our mantle with these vases. We don't have a mantle in this house, so I had to modify. Above the kitchen cabinets seemed like a good place, out of reach of little curious hands.

Dylan was all about helping me weave the garland and twinkly lights on the stairwell this year. He also attempted to tie up a few of the bows. Granted, I had to 'fix' a couple things after he went to bed, but it was fun having an excited little helper.

My favorite holiday decorations are snowmen. I just love their smiley faces.

It was fun adding another stocking this year. Matchy matchy is not my style, I prefer to coordinate.

I think I need to hit up the after Christmas sales this year to find a new tree. After 5 years, this one is starting to look a little rough (could be from all the moves). We couldn't get the star to stay on top this year because it's all bent.

Love seeing this display as I'm doing dishes. The wooded area out our back window makes for a great backdrop...especially now that there is snow out there!

Dylan loves this nativity. I think mostly because I let him play with the pieces.

The number "4"

Oh Dylan, I cannot believe that you are going to be FOUR years old tomorrow. It seems like just yesterday I was having a nervous breakdown in our Las Vegas house waiting for your arrival. You have come so far in just this short amount of time. This year has been a tough one for our entire family, but I think it's been especially tough on you. But, I must say, that you have shown more resilience than anyone (especially at your age) I know. You are still the happy go lucky kid I have grown to love more than words can describe. You are wise beyond your years and it has taught me to never underestimate what you are capable of.

Some of your favorite things still crack me up. I thought for sure you would be over Little Einsteins by now, but we are going on 3 years and you are just as attached to your little Rockets as you ever have been. I'm pretty sure you have every single episode memorized. Lucky for me, you have added a few new shows to your repertoire. Namely Sesame Street, SuperWhy, and Curious George. You are loving your Leapster2 and I'm shocked at how quickly you are able to master the games. You can teach your Grandma and Great Gram a thing or two about using the computer, too. Your blue and white blanket that Angela made is still attached to your hand. I'm not sure what I'll do when it bites the dust. I may just have to retain a scrap piece to give you on your wedding day. You love puzzles, trucks, and basically just being a boy. You are doing really well in preschool and look forward to going and learning new things. I love hearing you sing the songs you learn at school and in Primary.

I can't tell you how proud I am of what a great big brother you are to Lena. Watching you make her smile melts my heart. I know that you are someone we will all be able to depend on throughout your life.

Being a Mom is the greatest gift I've ever been given. Thank you for giving it to me. Thank you for coming to our Family. Your Dad and I love you more than you'll ever know. We both feel like time has been going way too fast. You are a delight to have in our home.

Here's to hoping that being 4 is even more awesome than the previous years. (we'll try not to make you move again;)) Love you lil guy!

My top 10

The top 10 things I'm thankful for in 2010 are:

10. my new, cute, cream-colored, hip-length pea coat
9. finally coming close to my natural hair color
8. being able to experience an extra long Fall
7. friends that treat me like family
6. the opportunity to meet some wonderful people, some who will be lifelong friends
5. losing all the baby weight in 6 months
4. preschool
3. my mom for helping me move not once, but twice
2. my husband and his mini
1. my health and happy Lena Kathleen

What are YOU thankful for this year?

Awakening

You ever just have one of the moments where you're suddenly struck by something you already know, but perhaps you see it in a new way? Yeah, well, I have the moments occasionally. If you don't, you're either perfect or not paying attention.

The Young Women gave a presentation at church today. It was wonderful. All the girls gave some great talks on the different values, the leaders each bore their testimonies and all of them sang a beautiful song about being strong and courageous. As I was listening to the closing song, I was overwhelmed by what great confidence the Lord has in me. He has given me the opportunity to guide, teach, and comfort two of His children. I know that my kids are children of God, I've always known that. But, I never really think about the fact that it is my duty (coupled with my husband) to make sure that these two little ones have the foundation they need to make it in this world and onto the next. I am far from perfect and often find myself struggling to get by day to day - physically, mentally or spiritually - sometimes all three depending on the day. Yet, I am supposed to guide my kids in the right direction?! Good thing there is prayer, cuz I've got a lot of questions!


Dylan is such a tender-hearted child. I hope that my hardness never rubs off on him. I almost feel like I have nothing to teach him, but that he has everything to teach me. He has already learned so much about charity and forgiveness. He constantly amazes me with the things he knows, I definitely underestimate his intelligence. I hope that he is able to keep his care-free spirit throughout his life. I also hope that he is able to hold onto his abundant energy supply...it will come in handy later.

So far, Dylan and Lena are doing pretty good in the loving each other department. I just hope that their relationship will continue to grow in such a positive direction. I want them to be able to lean on each other as much as they lean on Mike and I. I hope that they will be good examples to each other. I really hope that they will understand the importance of staying close to their family. I hope that they continue to make each other laugh.

As I was watching the young women today (a couple of whom I have known from the time they were babies), my only thought was 'oh no, Lena will not be that old'. Actually it's more denial. When Mike blessed Lena back in June, there were two things that really stood out to me. First, that she will be a joy to her family. And that, she is. Second, he blessed her that she will have a strong bond with me. I pray every day that we will have a close relationship as she grows up. I never want her to feel like she is alone in this world. That no matter where her life takes her, I will always be there to love and support her...unconditionally.

I know that day to day I really struggle to find the 'Mom' in me. I don't lack in the self confidence department. But, I do lack in confidence when it comes to being a mom. I really hate to admit that, but it's the truth. I know that I can do better, that I can try harder and that I can have more patience. However, I know that I have someone cheering me on and who will help me out when I feel like I'm lacking. I also know that there is no one else on this Earth who will love and cherish Dylan and Lena more than I do. And I think that counts for something.

So, here's to being thankful for a new day, a fresh start, a re-awakening.

First Time

Yep, it's here, my least favorite holiday. Seriously, I know I've said it before, but I really just do not care for Halloween. Never have. But, I have kids now, so it's my motherly duty to attempt to 'get into it' for their sake. And, I do.

Dylan's preschool class had their Halloween party this morning. And I'll admit, I was a little excited about my child's FIRST class party. I was probably more excited than Dylan was. It was even our day to bring treats for everyone, so I had fun trying to get creative (which I am SO not).

The past two years, Dylan has had a really cool pumpkin basket to use for trick or treating. Unfortunately, last year he got it so messy and I was unable to salvage it. So, I took him to the store to pick out a new one. This is what he chose.

These were the treats I made. They turned out pretty cute, in my humble opinion. I found the cute ghost tins at Target. My original intent was to do Rice Krispy treats and use chocolate chips for the eyes and mouth. Unfortunately, I was not quick enough getting the goo into the tins. So at the last minute I had to improvise with brownies. Luckily I had some Smarties on hand and I just cut those up to make the eyes and mouth. They were a huge hit with the kiddos, too.

Dylan has been telling me for months that he wanted to be a Bat for Halloween. Not Batman, just a plain ol' bat. I could not find a bat costume for under $50 and I do not sew. I was finally able to convince him that Batman would be just as cool. He was not to thrilled about the costume parade though.

Treat time! The little lion boy is Dylan's friend, Caiden. And the little blonde next to Caiden is Sheyanne. Dylan has talked about these two from the first day of school.

Little Lena was in attendance as well. And she is just what her shirt says...Wickedly cute.

Mrs Baker read the kids a story about a farmer and a pumpkin. They each got to pop out a piece of the pumpkins face and feel the guts inside. Well, most of them felt the guts inside. Can you guess which child would NOT put his hands in to touch the slimy stuff? Oh yeah, that would be mine.

Today was also Dylan's day to be the line leader. I think that's what he looks forward to the most. He reminded Mrs Baker every two minutes that it was his turn today. I am really happy that I chose Divine Grace for Dylan's preschool. His class has 7 kids and I think that is the perfect number for his first year. Mrs Baker is so great with the kids and I love that it's a Christian school, so he gets Bible study as part of the curriculum. He is learning so much and just enjoying his 'special time'.

Nothing to do with preschool, but I thought this was too cute not to share.

Way too quick

Most days I find myself looking at the clock every hour wishing it was time for Mike to come home from work. But, every once in a while I'm struck by how, in the grand scheme of things, time goes by way too quickly. Lena turned 6 months old on Friday. In some ways, I'm in shock that it's already been 6 months. But, I also cannot remember life without her. She continues to be my little angel. I just cannot get enough of this precious little girl. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that she is the happiest baby ever. She smiles from the time she gets up in the morning until the time I lay her in her crib at night. And it's not just a little turning of the corners of her lips. Lena's entire face smiles...her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her lips...even her body gets in on the action. Add to that some laughter and you know why we have nicknamed her 'Giggles'. Seriously, this girl is awesome. I think her only downfall is that she still wakes me up several times a night. But, I can forgive her for that because it's not really her fault. She cries in her sleep, but is not fully awake. Her reflux is still bothering her and seems to be at it's worst at night. Hopefully she'll be growing out of it in the near future.

How can you not love this face?! She is becoming more mobile...rolling over all the time, sitting up and trying to use her arms to scoot herself across the floor. I had to capture this moment of just 'laying still' so I remember what these days are like.

These two LOVE each other. Dylan loves to make people smile and laugh. Lena loves to laugh and smile. By that you can come to the conclusion that Dylan loves to make Lena smile and laugh...ALL THE TIME. If I'm making Lena laugh, Dylan cuts in and says "No, let me do it." He immediately picks up where I left off. So cute!

There is nothing in the world more precious than sleeping babies.

Except maybe a sleeping almost 4 year old.

Interlude

You know that old saying, 'Never a dull moment'? Yeah, well, that about sums things up. I'm hoping by next week I will have a little more time to come back and give a more detailed update on how things are going.

For now, life continues. We've been in Michigan for almost two weeks and I am loving being back 'home'. I had forgotten just how much I enjoyed living here when I was younger. Fall is beginning and I expect to see lots of color in the coming weeks. Trips to the cider mills will definitely be happening.

Our house, well...it needed a lot of work. We have cleaned until we feel like we can't clean anymore, new carpets were installed two days ago and now we need to paint the entire house. Huge undertaking, but will be well worth the time and money when we're finished. Especially since we are hoping to stay put for several years. I love the house, the layout and space are perfect for our family. We have a great yard and the neighborhood has lots of little kids for mine to become friends with. Church is great, too.

The kids seem to be adjusting fairly well. Dylan has made a couple new friends and has only had a handful of meltdowns. He's sleeping pretty good and has been a joy to be around lately.

He started preschool the day after Labor Day. He is going Tues/Thurs for 3 hours in the morning. So far, so good.

Lena is now 5 months old (WTC?!). She is one of the happiest babies I have ever met. She is pretty much content to just hang out most of the day. Her night time sleep is slowly improving (meaning I don't have to pop her paci into her mouth 10 times a night. Now, it's more like 2 or 3 times). We seem to have finally gotten her reflux under control so she rarely cries during the day. I just cannot get enough of her. I took her to the pediatrician last week and everything seems to be in order. She is in the 20% for weight and height...guess she's just going to be a petite little thing like her Mommy.

Mike's job is going well. He's still trying to figure things out, but he likes the company and the people. We're still waiting to hear how frequently he will be traveling.

That's the short version.

A Moment

I really don't have time to be posting right now, but I need to take just a moment to write down some thoughts I had today and tell a little story that happened last week before I forget about it.

Today something happened. It's kind of a joyous thing and kind of a sad thing (for me anyway). Lena rolled over for the first time. Those of you without children or those of you that are not done having children are probably thinking 'no big deal, Audra.' But, for me...well, let's just say I may or may not have shed a tear or two. Why? Because rolling over is the beginning of the end of babyhood. I'm happy that Lena is conquering milestones, that means she is growing and learning what she is supposed to at this stage of her life. I want a thriving baby. But, I cried because I just can't seem to wrap my brain around the fact that she will not be this little forever. I feel like my life has been one big whirlwind of stress and change for the past 7 months. I mean, honestly, back in the beginning of December I never could have imagined all that has happened in our family in the past few months. In December we were in Raleigh, happy as can be and planning to spend the rest of our lives there. Here we are 8 months later, we've moved to Virginia Beach, Dylan started preschool, we had a baby, I had surgery, Mike accepted a different job offer, I'm packing AGAIN and our family is splitting up while we're trying to find a place to live. Poor Dylan, this will be his 5th house and he's not even 4 years old. With all this going on, I feel like I haven't had time to catch my breath, let alone sit back and take some time to enjoy every little moment with my children. I kind of feel cheated because I've been so preoccupied with other things. I'm missing out on what should be a really happy time with my kids. I REALLY hope that Michigan will provide us an opportunity to settle in somewhere and actually LIVE our lives. I don't want to waste their childhood stressing about life events. So, yeah, I cried because my baby girl rolled over.

That being said, God has, on occasion slapped me across the face to remind me how great my life is. I typically spend the 2nd half of every night sleeping on the twin bed in Lena's room. She tends to fuss a lot after 1am and it's just easier to sleep in there so I can pop a paci back in her mouth. One night last week, I heard her start fussing over the monitor so I went through my routine of turning it off and head up the stairs to her room (side note: I'm not a fan of my bedroom being on a different floor from the kids). Most nights I keep her door shut because Dylan sleeps with his open and I don't want her fussing to wake him up. So, I get to the top of the stairs and walk into her room. As I walk in, I realize that her door was wide open...not how I left it. I'm terribly paranoid about someone entering my home while we're sleeping, so this kind of freaked me out for a moment. I turned around and walked through the upstairs to make sure everything else was in order. Nothing alarmed me, so I went back in her room, walked over to the crib and popped the binky in her mouth. Then I walked over to the bed, set my phone down on the side table and proceeded to get into the bed. As I reached for the covers, I realized that there was a lump on the bed. It was Dylan. I thought, awww, cute...not knowing if he was in there because I usually sleep there or if he wanted to be with Lena. I just went and climbed in his bed because he was sleeping so peacefully (and by that I mean sawing logs, lol). Around 5:30am I heard Lena start fussing again, so I went into her room to do the binky thing again. This time, however, I saw Dylan standing at the crib shushing her and trying to reach the binky to put it in her mouth. When he saw me he said "Mommy, are you mad at me?" (Usually I'm kind of angry when he's out of bed before the sun rises). I told him I wasn't mad, but that he needed to go back to sleep. Instead of putting him back in the bed in Lena's room, I grabbed his hand and took him to his room and I climbed in bed with him. Dylan then said, "Mommy, let's hold hands like we used to. I'm sorry for being out of bed...I just didn't want sissy to be lonely all by herself."
Oh.My.Gosh. Talk about melting my heart. I may have shed a tear then, too.

Crazy Life - Part....

Well, I've lost count of what part of my crazy life this is. Let's just say that I haven't been bored in a very long time. I'll have lots of pictures to share in the coming weeks, but for now this one will have to do.

Mike blessed Lena at church on Sunday June 27th. It was beautiful and she truly looked like an angel in her white dress. A dress, might I add, that was handmade especially for her. The handiwork was done by my mom's dear friend Sandy Mullen. It is a gorgeous dress and I am so greatful for Sandy's talent and that she was more than willing to share it with us. My family and The Elkington's came to town for the weekend of the blessing and we had a wonderful time visiting with everyone.

The day after the blessing, I took the kids and drove to my parents house in Charleston. We stayed for two weeks and had a great time. I love being with my family and it's nice for the kids to spend time with the grandparents. Dylan especially loved spending time playing with his cousin Noah. I think everyone enjoyed getting to see Lena and she even started being a little less colicky while we were there, so we got to see some smiles.

We stopped in Raleigh on our way home to attend a birthday party for one of Dylan's buddies. It was so nice to visit with our friends for a couple days. We were supposed to stay longer, but after two weeks of living out of a suitcase and being away from Mike, we were just ready to be together as a family again.

Plus, I needed to get home to help Mike make a huge decision. I can't believe that I'm saying this yet again, but we are moving! Hopefully this will be the last time for quite awhile. Unlike last time, we are excited about this move. Mike has accepted an offer from a company in Detroit. He will get to further his career and begin using his Portuguese again. The job will involve travel to Brazil and he couldn't be more excited about that. For me, well, I get to return to a place I love dearly. Even though I only lived in Michigan for a short time, it is where I consider myself to have 'grown up'. High school was a very formative period of my life and I am excited at the prospect of being able to set down some roots and let my kids grow up somewhere.

Stay tuned...

Tiny Two Months

I cannot believe that Lena is already two months old. The time is flying by...so quickly, in fact, that I didn't realize it had been two months until the pediatrician's office called to confirm her appointment last night. Then I looked at a calendar and realized that the 15th was actually two days ago. I have no concept of dates anymore. Well, except for June 28th because that's when my vacation begins. But, I digress...

Lena is still my little teeny tiny girl. Her stats today were as follows: Weight 8lbs 15 oz (10%), Height 21 3/4 in (15%), and Head (well, I can't remember the measurements - she's in the 75th %). So, while she's not as big as most 2 month olds, she's not below the charts and she is consistently growing. All is good. Dr said she looks great healthwise. She does have colic and we just have to deal with that until it goes away. Hopefully in the next few weeks it will start to subside and Mike will learn that she doesn't really hate him. He just only sees her during the screamfest each evening and therefore that translates to her only wanting Mommy to take care of her. Guess I'm comforting.

Pretty little girl is smiling a lot, exploring her voice, loves to look at people's faces, and has started trying to grab things she finds interesting (mostly my hair, but occasionally some toys). We think she's going through a growth spurt right now because she started waking at night again, but that should pass soon. Her hair is starting to grow in and appears to be a dark blonde or really light brown. She has the tiniest fingers, legs and feet. I love her to pieces...even when she's screaming and won't let anyone else hold her.