Christmas Catch Up

I have tried for two nights to get these photos loaded and something is up with the photo loader.  I finally have just decided that I'm using the photos that are up and apologizing for the neck stretches you'll have to do reading all of this.  Since Christmas almost a month ago, it's time.

 

A couple weeks before Christmas I had a Favorite Things party.  It was so, so fun and I will definitely be doing it again!  We ate, drank, exchanged gifts, and chatted and had a blast!

We set up all the Favorite Things so we could see.  I shared the glass canisters and others brought books, lotions, socks, travel cups, wine sippies, nail polish, caramel corn, scarves, silicone mats, burp cloths, and jewelry.  Everyone got to pick three different things to take home.



The next week was Jackson's Christmas program.  He did so well.  He cried a little when he had to leave us to go with his class but once he was there, he did so well.



 

See?  He LOVED it!

 

They sang Must Be Santa and We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

After a long week at school, Mike, Lindsay, Nana, and Papa came for the weekend!  Mimi had already been here since the 13th.  We had such a fun Christmas weekend planned.  We had a great mix of planned activities and chill at home time.

 

Lindsay and Jackson made ice cream cone Christmas trees.



and Mike and Jackson played the guitar.

 

We exchanged gifts on Saturday morning and Charley was so please with her Rody until she fell off.

 

That night we had a sitter and went to dinner and our annual viewing of Let It Be Christmas at our church.  It's the nativity story told through Beatles music.

 

 

Sunday was our city day.  We had brunch at Pomegranate Cafe and then headed downtown.  It was so helpful to have several extra pairs of hands in the city!

 

This one is completely out of order but I had to decorate the basement for my family.  I wanted them to feel the spirit in the basement too!

 

Charley had the craziest hair.

Jackson, Charley an Mimi!

We started a new tradition this year that turned out great!  We packed up care bags to take to give to homeless people we saw.  Jackson is holding one of our bags before he gave it to a sweet man and said Merry Christmas.  The bad thing is that this little activity also taught him how to spot a homeless person from a block away.

 

We spent some time looking at the Macy's windows

 

and went  to KrisKindle Mart.

 

Jackson loved this traveling puppet show on the corner.

 

He especially loved telling jokes with Miss Lindsay all day....and weekend.

 

We even went to Daddy's office and had fun looking out the windows.

 

Nana loved the city and experiencing it with Jackson.  It helped that he was so well behaved.

 

When we got home Mike and Lindsay made us a fantastic meal!

 

Another fun tradition this year was opening a wrapped Christmas book each night.  It took a lot of time to wrap 25 books but he LOVED this!  Nana read this one to him.

 

On Monday before everyone left, we made some sugar cookies.

 

We had a blast visiting with my family.  The best part is that it wasn't even Christmas yet!!

 

Christmas eve was wonderful.  We did our usual Chicago Christmas tradition (which has only been twice.) :)

We went to church at 3:00 and then had dinner at Ted's Montana Grill.  The Starbucks in Downtown  Naperville closed at 6 so we got there just in time for some quick drinks before headed out to see Christmas lights.  It was so, so great!!

 

Christmas morning was fun too!  The kids loved their gifts and handled all the excitement really well.

 

Jackson was beyond thrilled with his new drum set!

 

Mimi had to get a photo of her with her grandbabies and their matching shirts before she left!

At the end of a fantastic break was our New Year's Eve party.  We hosted our small group and had a fondue night and played games. 

I was really looking forward to this break and it proved restful!  It was even better because with the Polar Vortex that blew through, we got two extra days off!!!

 

We had a wonderful Christmas and now we're looking forward to Spring Break!



Caroline Jane ~ Eighteen Months

Caroline Jane, at eighteen months you:

• weigh 26 pounds and 9 ounces.
• are 33 inches tall.
• wear size 24 month or 2T and a size 4 diaper.  You also wear a size 5 shoe.
• are such a good sleeper.  You go to bed around 6:30 and on school days we wake you at 6:15.  On the weekends you'll sleep until 7:30 or 8:00.
• take a two hour nap most days.
• are still crawling around like crazy.  You pull up on everything and cruise everywhere but you won't walk.  You are able to stand unassisted really well but once you realize you are doing it, you sit down.  Silly girl!
• have taken a few fairly stable steps but that's it.
• have a few words that you say regularly like no-no, uh-oh, mama, daddy, bye bye, baby, nana, papa, mimi, and ball.  You are doing a lot of gibberish babbling but we have no idea what you are saying.  You aren't as in to sign language as your brother but we are still encouraging it.  You get frustrated easily and then just grunt.
• are getting speech therapy and physical therapy once each week.  Your speech therapist is Miss Sinead and your physical therapist is Miss Heather.  You do really well with each and they both compliment your sweet personality.
• are still in the infant room at school but you go to the toddler room a lot.  You can't be in there full time until you are walking well but you love the time you love the time you spend in there.
• love playing with your brother and he loves tickling you.  You laugh so hard!
• say "Cheeeee" when someone takes your picture.  You even sign cheese while you say it.
• are the cuddliest little love bug and we couldn't love you more!

So Much Festive!

We have had a really great  December.  The kids have been relatively healthy which we don't take for granted at all!  There are so many traditions we are trying to cram into this short season and we have had so fun much doing them!

This year we started a new tradition of cutting down our own tree.  Everyone who has been to our house knows there is no shortage of trees (8 total!) but I really wanted a real tree!  It was a lot of fun. I have to admit, when it started snowing like crazy and the kids were shivering, I was a little nervous to set out on the tractor to the farm.  I wasn't sure how that process would go but it was great!  We picked a tree right away and were back in the cozy main building within the hour.  They had free hot chocolate and popcorn too.  So, so fun.

Daddy and Jackson shivering on the tractor.

Picking the perfect tree.



Charley was snuggled in with Momma.

Family photo

 I love the look of our real tree but I am seriously disappointed with the lack of scent.  Oh well.  That's what candles are for!

Yesterday we went to Winter Wonderfest at Navy Pier after Charley's appointment with the ENT.  We got a good report from the ENT and were discharged from his care.  Bryan had to be in court so he went to the city early and then we met him there.  It was the perfect time to go and was so much less crowded.  We had an absolute blast there and we were happy to share the fun with Mimi!

JJ always loves this train ride.

Charley, Mimi, and the big tree!

Big Christmas chair time

Charley didn't care for this place.  She wasn't really sure what to do.

 

Charley loved her first carousel ride.

Jackson just wanted to ride the bench which came out sounding like a not as nice word.

The biggest of all rocking horses.

Cookie decorating

Jackson was in heaven.  He looks a little ill in this photo.  He ate a huge cookie and I'm surprised he wasn't really ill later.

 Charley looked so old with her hair in a pony tail.  Except for the fact that she can't walk. Or talk.

Mid-slide and mid-grin!

Waiting in line for the ferris wheel.

This might be the world's fastest ferris wheel.  I was kind of scared.  JJ was ecstatic.  He was shrieking with glee!

 We had such a great family day and we have promised ourselves that we will continue doing this during the week!

The kids were....done by this point.

 The season is getting merrier and merrier as we get closer to Christmas!

Caroline Jane~ Seventeen Months

Caroline Jane, at seventeen months you:

• weigh about 25 pounds.
• wear 24month and 2T clothes.
• size 4 and 5 shoes.
• have so much personality!  You are really funny and can be quite ornery sometimes too!
• still aren't walking but you are making more progress.  You can pull up to a stand and cruise around furniture but you don't like to stand unassisted.  You are still very wobbly and it's so hard for you.
• finally qualified for physical therapy!  You just barely qualified but Mommy is so happy that you did.  You will start physical and speech therapy soon.
• are loving bath time right now.  You go through phases but you seem to enjoy it right now and you don't cry when we rinse your hair.
• wore your first real ponytail.  It was the sweetest.
• have started seeing a pulmonologist who said you probably have asthma.  You seem to always be sick.
• take a lot of medicine every day.  You are used to it and even the breathing treatments don't seem to bother you.
• are starting to talk more but it's not easy to understand.  Nana thinks you have more words than Mommy does.
• love pushing you baby doll around in the pink stroller.  Even though you can't walk, you pull up on that and zip it around all over the place.

We love you so much, sweet girl!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are in the car driving home from Nana and Papa's house!  We decided it was a net positive experience which is wonderful!!  We always decide when it's over if it was mostly good or mostly bad. It's how we roll these days:). Nothing with kids is easy except passing germs.

Jackson and Nana were preparing stuffing muffins.  Later he wanted a "cupcake" but once it was on his plate, he decline.  He saw a vegetable in it.  GASP! He ate very little of the Thanksgiving meal.  Someday he'll see what he's missing.

Friday we went to Paradise Park.  It was our first trip and it went well!  JJ loved pretending to buy groceries, they played in the ball pit, and explored outside.

Miss Lindsay is Jackson's favorite person.  She was SO helpful with the kids.  We were shocked to see Jackson sitting still to "play" checkers.

Friday night my parents offered to watch the kids while we went to the Mayor's Christmas Tree lighting.  It was fun to spend time with Mike and Lindsay and we really enjoyed our dinner at Houston's and the pretty Plaza Lights.

Last night we hung out with family friends and watched the Mizzou game!  It was a great night!

Thanks for hosting us and our breathing treatments and tantrums, Nana and Papa!  

I have more photos to share but these are what I could post whole driving.  Happy Sunday!