Christmas Part 2

We were so thrilled to have so much our family here with us for Christmas!

Mike, Rach, and Kayla. 

Both girls got the tutu and wings

Kayla checking out her new toy

We don’t use our dining area as such—its more of a play area.  That said, we had to split everyone up between the table in the kitchen and another we rented and kind of stuck in the middle of the great room/dining area.  It worked!

Half of the crew

High chair zone

New hats!  Tommy wouldn’t go to bed that night and was up until 10.  It was nuts.  John said it was because he’s a middle child, too…he said they had to stick together.

Sadly, I didn’t get any group photos.  It was kind of chaotic cooking and prepping and nursing Aaron.  As far as cousin pictures went, poor Kayla came down with a fever and stomach bug on Christmas, so she was napping and kinda down and out.  The Rapaczs had a rough holiday and left us a day early to get home and recover.

Tommy (2) and Kayla (16 mos.)

Saying goodbye to Charlie, uncle Mike’s dog

9 Months!

I can’t believe Aaron has been in our little world for 9 months already.  It has gone by SOO much faster this time around. 
We had his 9 month check up on Friday.  He weighed in at 22lbs 11oz and was 29.7 inches long/tall—90th percentile for both. Not that we really needed verification that he is a BIG boy.   He started crawling just a few days before Christmas and is already cruising on furniture!  He is able to transition from sitting to standing very smoothly and is starting to let go and stand for just a second or two on his own.  We anticipate first steps before his first birthday. He is starting to babble much more these days—he can get quite loud!  He is also starting to dish out the teasing to Tommy, which is cute to see as Tommy is still working on being gentle...those boys!

Christmas Part 1

We hosted Christmas, but we went ahead and did most presents first thing in the morning just so the kids could have the wake-up-and-go experience.  It was so fun!

Before the kids got up

Tommy woke up first and ran to wake Maddy (of course, they share a room now…not sure how he managed to NOT wake his then-roommate Aaron)

In awe of all the presents!

Of course, Maddy had to check out her new bike first!

It was fun just to sit back and watch them go

Daddy had to help with some of that pesky packaging

They would open something, play with it for a second, and then move on to the next find…it was kind of nuts.

Tutu and butterfly wings

Had to put them on right away, of course! She wore them for most of them morning.

Elmo phone!  Elmo was a theme in his presents this year.  Not sure what the magic of that red little monster is for little ones!

Dora helmet and knee pads for her bike

We love us some Curious George!

New tools for daddy

Tommy sneaking a try on Maddy’s bike

New Gator shirts for daddy

They got one of these last year.  I found them on sale Black Friday and got them each their own this time.  Oodles of fun!

Where is Tommy?

Elmo!  He actually got one from Grandma as well…So we kept them both and we refer to them as Elmo and Melmo.  They sleep with him every night now.

Princess jewelry

Lance left to go pick up my grandparents from their hotel.  Maddy decided to take her bike for a quick spin (tutu and wings still on!)

They were able to spend some more time together before the rest of the crew arrived.

Aaron finally up!  This was the first morning I found him sitting up in the crib!  My special Christmas surprise

Tommy got an unexpected bike, too, from Great Grandma and Grandpa!

I think the horn is his favorite part

December Catch-Up

These pictures go up through Christmas Eve/Tommy’s birthday.

The boys…7 months and nearly 2…and so close in size already!

Aaron getting himself rolled up in the blanket

Post-bath cuteness

We made a point to have the kids pick out a toy and donate it to Toys For Tots this year.  We spent a lot of time talking about how Christmas isn’t just about getting presents and how we need to share with others.  Maddy picked out actual item while out with daddy.  I took them to the mall to drop it off at the Build A Bear store, which was one of drop off sites.  They made sure to do it together.

Afterwards, they got a sticker which they were able to stick on a board out front to represent the donations made.  They also got a sticker to keep for themselves, which they were very excited about! Who doesn’t love a good sticker!?!

Playing together

Ever the mother/teacher of the crew, Maddy was reading “Oh The Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Suess to Tommy.

Aaron looks thrilled

Tommy loves brushing his teeth with big sister!

Big boys!

She loves her baby brother!

Always reading to someone!

Enjoying a lazy morning with daddy

Don’t be jealous of my jammies!

This toy has been favorite for the boys (we didn’t have it when Maddy was a baby)

We drove around to check out neighborhood Christmas lights the week before Christmas.  After baths, everyone got in jammies and we bundled up in the car for an evening excursion.  Maddy and Tommy loved the whole production that included blankets and teddy bears.

Aaron, too!

So close to crawling…

…and so frustrated that he hasn’t figured it out yet!

More outside blanket shots…

nom nom nom

We tried making some sugar cookies to decorate

Tommy helped, too!

One of her masterpieces

Hard at work

Love the up-on-all-fours pose!

12/24: Tommy’s 2nd birthday.  He sees daddy bringing something new in the backyard!

It’s this really cool big wheel/tricycle—it converts from one to the other by flipping the handle bars.

Trying it out big wheel-style.  Legs too short…

Flipped to the tricycle…still a bit big for him.  See Maddy ready to pounce and claim it as her own?

So excited nonetheless!

We hosted Christmas this year.  My grandparents were able to come down the day before and spend some time visiting with us and kids before the whole crew came Christmas Day.  Here, Tommy was showing Great Grandma Powell his tools and Handy Manny building toys.

Maddy and Great Grandpa Powell

I made Elmo cupcakes for Tommy—aren’t they neato!  Here we were singing him Happy Birthday.  Maddy enjoyed helping him blow out his candles, of course.

Christmas Eve before bedtime.  All sporting their new jammies