Looking back on 2011

I know the New Year is still 2 days away, but I have been thinking a lot about things I want to pursue in 2012.

2011 was a year full of change and challenge for our family. We struggled with our house being on the market, I got a job at The Limited that lasted for a week, we loathed our apartment life, struggled with lots of sickness and ear infections, bought and sold cars, moved to a house, said goodbye to our dear friends here, finally sold our home, etc...

We also enjoyed trips to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, PA, and KS, family outings to the zoo, and a great pool at our apartment complex.

I found my goal list from last year and was surprised at what I did and did not accomplish.


1)Spend more time in intercession. This is still on my list, but is something I have definitely thought of more
2)Faithfully implement a preschool program with Aidan I did do some preschool at home with Aidan and then we were privileged to enroll him in preschool this fall
3)Love my kids and serve them no matter how I feel Something I am still working on
4)Be a better spouse Again, something I still need to continually work on
5)Start a ministry for young mothers This is still a goal of mine, but has been more difficult than I had imagined
6)Potty train Aidan Definitely checked this one off
7)Visit the beach with the kids We went to the beach twice!
8)Get Nora to take a bottle! Never accomplished this
9)Read more Still something I want to do
10)Develop my sewing skills Little by little I have been learning new things
11)Blog more This was about the same
12) Exercise and eat healthy foods to get in pre-children shape There has definitely been and ebb and flow with this one.
13)Serve more Always need to do this
14)Take a road trip Driving to PA counts to me
15)Start a business Yes, did that, but now I just need to work on growing it
16)Spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with family! :) Christmas with family!
17)Play/sing with Seth; write songs together Didn't happen
18)Sleep through the night I did get this opportunity a couple of times, but we are still working on it being consistent.
19)Run a 5k Nope
20)Find a more permanent home for our family here in SC This was a big goal and we did find a home that feels more like home than our apartment!


Well, I have been working on my goals for 2012 for awhile and spent a lovely time with my husband discussing some of them over breakfast this morning.

Home for the Holidays

We left SC on Dec. 18th to fly home for Christmas.

I say "home" because, well, even though we live in SC, I feel very much like "home" is still in Kansas. I don't know if that will change one day, but having our family and connections here just keeps me from feeling all the way at home in our new life away.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend Christmas here because last year we could not.

We had a good trip. Long, but we made it without pulling out too many hairs. Nora was a typical 15 month old--wanting to get down and walk all over the plane instead of sitting.

We've been enjoying cold weather, warm drinks, playtime with cousins, and evenings relaxing in each other's company.

Can't wait until tomorrow morning...Christmas is sure fun with little ones.

Family Fun

Seth took the day off work yesterday. It was a lovely day of being together as a family. 

Aidan had his little Christmas program at preschool and we all went to that. Then played outside (the weather here has been insanely nice). Then naptime (which was only 1/2 successful in our house due to consumption of cookies and lemonade at school). Then we drove out to Chick-fil-a  in Five Points and then to Edventure Children's Museum for Family Night. Aidan has been asking at least 2-3 times a week to go back to the museum after we went the last time (5 months ago!). They both had a blast, especially Nora, who wasn't walking last time. 

Nora eating ketchup with a straw :)

Aidan's favorite place to eat!

He had the entire suit on and kept sliding
down the pole. He would have done this all night!

Nora "grocery shopping." She was so
 confused at first by all the fake food.

15 Months

Okay, little one, you are no longer a baby, but a busy toddler...where have these months gone?

You were sick for the entire month of November with a horrible ear infection. I thought you were never going to be the same again. It was a rough, rough month and probably the worst I've had with you. There were lots of sleepless nights, days of crying, Dr. visits, and yucky medicine.

But, we made it through somehow and we are starting to see that sunny side of you again. And, oh, how we have missed it!

You are still an awesome eater. You seem to prefer foods that are more diverse in taste. You scarf down dinners of sweet potato quesadillas, spaghetti, and soup like it's the best thing you've ever had. You are still not a big fan of veggies, but you will eat frozen peas because it feels good on your swollen gums. Your new favorite snack is popcorn. I was reluctant to give it to you at such a young age, but you pleaded and pleaded and have since had it several times.

You are starting to run fast, climb on things, and even try new things (like jumping). You still have yet to figure that last one out though. I can usually count on you to get up and down from the couch okay (something I could never trust Aidan with at this age). You are also good about actually sitting on chairs and not standing. If we find you standing, you sit down when told.

You are getting to be really good at following instructions. I am amazed at your ability to understand us, but you seem to be very attuned to what is going on around you.

One huge thing we have been working on with you is putting yourself to sleep...and weaning you from nursing. We haven't been 100% successful with either, but there is slow and steady progress towards these. You still wake in the night and need to be comforted sometimes, but most of the time you put yourself back to sleep. You are starting to drink more from your sippy cup and seem to be accepting of less nursing time, but you still ask for it often.

My favorite thing you did this month:
When I went to pick you up in the nursery at church, you saw me and smiled, but went and got your diaper bag out of the cubby, put it on your shoulder, and walked towards me. I love your little grown-upness.

You are a blessing and joy. You make us smile with all your little giggles and you love every one so much. You are so social and sweet and say "hi" whenever you see other kids. I love the sweetness of this age.

I love you!

Mama

My two little bakers!

We made gingerbread men this morning. It was fun rolling out the dough, getting flour everywhere, and decorating them with raisins and chocolate chips. Nora kept eating the raisins as we decorated, but she helped too! It is our Christmas tradition to make gingerbread men, so we got started a little early this year. We leave for Kansas in just 13 days, so I'm trying to get in some of our family traditions before we leave.

Holiday Parading!

We had a very busy weekend! On Saturday morning we went to a parade in downtown Columbia. It was so much fun even despite the fact that it was a little chilly. The kids loved the marching bands and floats and they had some great little performances too. It was about 2 hours long and the kids did great. They were intrigued the whole time and I had packed lunch so that kept them really busy too. I was super bummed that I brought my camera and then realized I had 2 dead batteries. 

Then, last night we went to another parade in West Columbia. This was a parade of lights and was a little bit shorter. The weather was actually quite nice despite my warm attire. I think it was low 50s and we ended being a little overdressed. The kids loved this one too, but Nora didn't sit as well for us. And, I got my camera batteries charged, even though it was a little dark for taking pictures.

I love this time of year!

Felt Christmas Tree

So I got this idea from Pinterest and thought it would be a fun way to let the littlest one in our family help decorate a tree. She actually really does like it and it was super easy to make. The only problem I have is that she keeps trying to pull the tree down. :)

So big.

My kids are just getting too big. I remember when I bought this table. Aidan was a baby and I got it at a garage sale. I remember thinking it would be forever until I would have two little ones sitting in it. But yet, here they are, eating their dinner, and watching a Christmas movie. I can't tell you how much this makes my heart smile.

So He Says....

Conversation taking place after a series of noises coming from Aidan:
Me: Aidan, do you have gas?
Aidan: Nope, that's just fireworks Mom.

Seth: Aidan, would you like to have a new baby brother or sister sometime? (No, we are not pregnant!)
Aidan: Can we sell Nora?

Zoo Day {11.26.11}

We took the munchkins to the zoo today. I am so thankful for a zoo membership and we have used it well.

The trip was actually quite short because the kids were on the cranky side (hence there being no pictures of Aidan), Nora had the blowout of the century in the stroller (Seth was the unfortunate one to pick her up and get it all over his shirt), and I started having a horrible sinus headache.

We still had fun though. I brought extra pants for Nora so that worked well and we still saw the aquarium, which is usually the highlight of the trip for the kids.

Even though the trip was less than what we expected, the kids took great naps for once and Seth and I enjoyed a leisurely late lunch while watching Downton Abbey.

These are the best days

Here's how we spent Thanksgiving morning...

Coloring on our bellies, watching the Macy's parade, and eating Goldfish in our pajamas. It doesn't get much better than that.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner with friends and a long night up with our kids who apparently had too much of the festivities and forgot that nighttime is for sleeping.

I am so blessed.

14 months

Nora,

You are turning into more of toddler than a baby these days. This past month was a big one for you in many areas of development.

You are a communicator. You are constantly adding words to your vocabulary and use lots of hand gestures to let us know what you want/need. Your newest words are: keys, pumpkin, go, sit, Jack (a dog), kitty, "ee ee" (monkey), candy (thank you halloween), drink, ice, all done, night night, book, and many more. You also nod yes and no when we ask you questions. You understand everything. I can say, "Do you want to push your baby in the stroller?" and you will find your baby and then look for your stroller and start pushing it. Or, "Go give this to so and so" and you do. You follow instructions very well and seem to respond well to "no" and "come." You definitely cry and scream when we say "no" to something you want to do, but you usually stop doing what you are doing. You also can point to your nose, teeth,  and toes.

You still are a busybody and love to play. When you are feeling well (which you haven't been as much lately) you are so happy to play alone and explore.

You love snacks. Your new favorites are raisins and apple sauce. You are generally a good eater, but again, not so good at it when you aren't feeling well. You also love to feed yourself. You eat much better if we give you a spoon and you do a pretty good job at getting it into your mouth. I usually just give you your food and know that you will sit and eat until you are done.

You've had a nasty cold, ear infection, and molars pushing through which has led to a lot of sleepless nights and fussiness this month. You are sleeping well when you feel good and that has been a relief to this tired momma.

Your favorite things right now are: bathtime, playing outside, riding with Aidan on his "car", riding on the rocking horse, sliding down the slide, babies, eating snacks, dropping Aidan off at preschool, going to the library, animals, cuddling, rocking, nursing, music, and dancing.

You do not like: riding in the car, being hungry, being bothered by your brother, getting your diaper changed, being told "no", sitting in the stroller, and putting yourself to sleep.

We are still nursing 3 times a day and sometimes more. You don't seem ready to quit and I am still nursing you to sleep at naptime and bedtime most nights. You are learning to go to bed without nursing if need be, so that's been helpful.

You are so much fun and add such a sweetness to our family. We love your scrunchy face smiles, your silly dances, your giggles, the way you lay your head on our shoulders, the hugs you give, the way you love your brother, and so much more.

You are loved.

Mama

More Is Better

I am realizing every day the importance of siblings. I can't imagine if we had only one child. And I don't know how many more we will have, but I am so grateful that these two have each other.

It can really depend on the day, but most of the days around here are not all that lovely or sweet. Some are intermixed with hugs and kisses for each other and then screams, cries, and taking of toys. But the days where there is a steady stream of laughter and enjoyment of each other just about bring me to tears (happy tears that is).

The kids have both been sick. They are snotty, cranky, suffering from ear infections, and the nasty side effects of antibiotics on their little bodies. That basically means that this mamma is rolling her sleeves up, wearing messy clothes, and trying not to worry about anything but getting through these days. Aidan has been staying home from school, so we've had a lot more time with just the 3 of us than we normally do.

We stayed in our p.j.'s today. It was nice and lazy. About midmorning, I heard giggles coming from my room and I went to see what the two munchkins were doing. They had barricaded themselves in a corner between my dresser and the wall (where I stack all my old magazines) and had stuffed pillows up as a little door. The lighting was horrible, but I managed to snap a few photos. They stayed in there for awhile, sitting next to each other, laughing, and holding hands at times. It was absolute sweetness.

And then they rolled out onto the pillows. These photos are horrendous because they were a quick take to capture the moment. I think I'll keep these forever to remember their silliness though.

I also found them (actually, I heard them) in the bathtub playing. It was empty and they were in their clothes dancing and laughing.

Then later again they were on Aidan's bed bouncing. (I nearly had a heart attack) I heard them laughing, but figured they were just having a good time in Aidan's room and didn't want to interfere. When I did go in there I was shocked to find Nora on Aidan's queen size bed. I think she probably got up almost all the way and then Aidan helped her. I am definitely going to have to keep my eye on those two. Aidan did tell me that he was "watching her and making sure she wouldn't fall." I was so relieved. :) Not. He was also jumping into her and pushing her against the wall which she didn't mind one bit.

This is how they ended the day.... playing in the sandbox....and then later playing with Halloween candy. Who would have thought that we could have so much fun with candy? Aidan has been dumping it out and putting it in various places and containers and then putting it back again without even asking to eat any. Nora had fun helping him tonight, but she was trying to hide some pieces to snack on later. :)

I am so blessed to have these two precious children. I can't wait to watch them grow up together.

The day they dressed up...

Okay, so it's been a week since Halloween and I have yet to post pictures of the kids in their little get-ups.

Basically, our week has been somewhat crazy. Nora was diagnosed with an ear infection the day after Halloween. She has been on and off cranky. We had a busy weekend and Aidan now has a severe double ear infection. So, crazy times.

Here's my Spiderman and little monkey:

Aidan and his friend Adam

The "real" Spiderman

Nora clapping...she was totally
 excited about the whole affair.

Happy girl (with an ear infection). :)

Pink bow to add some girlie to the costume

Aidan getting candy!

This pretty much sums up the night:

Aidan yelling "prick or preat" (he can't say his "t" sound with an "r") enthusiastically and running as fast as he could to each house

Aidan tripping a million times

Nora laughing, clapping, and saying "ee, ee" for her monkey

It was fun. This was the first real time we took the kids trick or treating. Since I didn't really grow up doing so, it is a weird little holiday to me. I'm not sure how we'll celebrate in the future, but the kids had fun dressing up. I think I'd rather have a costume party and give out candy next year though.

Pumpkin Carving

Our pumpkin carving experience in pictures....

 Here they are!

 Beautiful pumpkin

 Nora and her big brother's hat...it was a cool day for playing outside.

 So sweet!

 "I want to do it myself!"

 What is inside?

 Aidan showing Nora the seeds

 This is what happens when 1 year olds are involved....

and that is why I dressed my kids in old clothes.

 And now we sit in the mess...

 Very enthusiastic helper--not surprising.

 Very disgusted, "don't want to get my hands dirty", observer--also not surprising.

The finished product....which the observer was oh so proud of and couldn't stop talking about.