Stella and her new walker

Well, it just took one day and she got the hang of her new walker from Santa. I couldn't help posting these little movies...that I took with my new camera!!!!! I also took some pictures of Nicholas making snow angels but they are on a different memory card. I will be posting more soon (I hope!). I took these videos yesterday. Since she didn't nap in the afternoon I decided to make her exercise! She worked out for an hour. By the time Shawn came home she was really good!!

Merry (Almost!) Christmas

Well, guess we haven't kept up very well with the blog lately. Last month we were gone for a few weeks to see family and we just didn't back on our blog. As soon as we got back it was all about decorating for Christmas, shopping for gifts, and getting back into our routine. We finally got the cards out earlier this week. Hope they make it to everyone before Christmas! We did squeeze in some time for Nicholas to visit Santa last week (right before his swimming lesson). Speaking of swimming lessons...Nicholas just graduated from Level 1!!! This means he can go under the water, jump in from the side, kick on a noodle, blow bubbles under the water, and bob up and down. In two weeks he will start Level 2 where he will start kicking on a kickboard! He is really enjoying it and his teachers have been great with him. So anyway, back to Santa... Nicholas got to meet Santa and tell him what he wants for Christmas- dinosaurs.  Christmas morning is going to be so much fun.  

Yesterday we finished the shopping.  Last night Shawn and I got all the presents wrapped.  Today we are starting the cooking.  Tomorrow night we are having appetizers with our friends for dinner.  That is one of our little traditions we have started- appetizers on Christmas Eve.  We may have started another one this year- new "Christmas PJs" for everyone!  We just got a new Old Navy and so we went to check it out.  They had just about everything 50% off.  So last night we bought festive pajamas for the whole family.  As long as Old Navy has the same sale next year we can do this again next Christmas.  We still don't know if we are going to make it to mass tomorrow evening.  It starts at 6pm.  I am pretty sure it was at 5pm the past two years.  This year's time will be a challenge for us to do.  We will have to leave home by 5:20 (clean faces and dressed up) and we won't get done with mass until likely 7:30.  I just haven't figured out when the kids will eat dinner.  We normally eat at 5:30 and then Stella gets her bottle at 6:30.  I hesitate to mess up her schedule, too, since she has finally been sleeping through the night.  Shawn and I might go to mass downtown.  We need to decide.  I am very frustrated about it though.  As for Christmas day, we will stay home and be with each other.  I can't wait!!!!!  We are going up the street for a big dinner that night.  It will be nice to only have to make a couple of things but enjoy a big dinner.  

Here are some new pictures of the kids.  I know, that is what everyone comes to this blog to see.  You don't care about our pajamas!!!   Stella's hair is getting so long.  So I dug out this headband to keep her hair out of her eyes.  I normally do not like those headbows, but this style might work for us ; )    

Here is Stella and Nick grooving to Christmas music.  Stella's headband looks more like a sweatband from the early 80s!!  And Nick's dancing is really just running back and forth across his room.  

Oh, by the way, there are a couple more videos posted. See link on top right of this page!

Finally we return!!

Just couldn't help myself! I have received so many funny elfings in my email that I decided to give our family a shot. SO, we have been
elfed ! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

enjoy

this will be brief as i type one handed with a child on my lap. but i thought these were blog-worthy.

this is what your birthday looks like when it is two days after your son's birthday:

you get one photo- that's all- eyes don't have to be open
you get left over birthday cake all cut up and put in a pan because we got one of those gigantic super yummy Costco cakes- nevermind that we only have three cake-eaters in our family (if you are wondering the cake says "Birthday holas!")
you get to use the 3 candle from Nicholas' birthday this year and the 2 candle from last year- what luck!
and...
you get the two most perfect children to sit on your lap for the entire 26 second celebration!
i loved all 26 seconds!

sorry sarah, martha, and emily...Aunt Laura beat you to the punch with this shirt! (awesome, huh!) Laura, they are all probably wondering where you found it and kicking themselves that they didn't find is first!

and well, here's nick, pre-nap today

enjoy

Stella Crawling

let's give this a try...



GREAT!
now see our links to more videos on the right!

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

What happened to my little baby? Now he is 3!! This is a picture from just one year ago...

We had a great party today. Everyone had a great time. Shawn and I decorated the house like a rainforest to go along with the Go Diego Go theme. You like? I am thinking of carrying it throughout the rest of the house.

Shawn dressed up like Diego. (I was Alicia.)



Nick and his friends played games, took turns hitting a pinata, ate pizza and cake, opened presents, and had a great time playing with each other. He got some really wonderful presents. See FLICKR Pictures link!!
He opened family gifts after everyone went home. He loved them all. Thanks so so so very much. He received way more than any trhee year old needs.

Happy Halloween!

Trick-or-treat!! What a night! We had one Doggie Dog (Nicholas). You see the stuffed animal dog he is holding? That is Doggie Dog- his special toy and friend. That is what/who he wanted to be. I tried to paint a dog nose on Nicholas but it just wasn't working. Guess we should have practiced before tonight. Yes, I made that costume.

And we had one baby with a spider hat on (Stella). I can hear you applauding my creativity with her costume...thank you. OH, Stella crawled yesterday for the first time! She shuffled on her hands and knees four times before plopping on her belly. She was after something and quit when she got there. It was so cool to watch her go! So I moved her back and watched her do it over and over. She will be eight months old tomorrow. Geesh.

It was just too bad Shawn couldn't have enjoyed it with us. Not long after dinner Nick was ready in his costume and I was putting Stella in her bunting. Then Nick asked me, "Mommy, what is your costume?" I said, "I am dressed up as your mom." He had seen a dad in costume with his kids at our door (he asked "Mommy what was that black thing? That dad?") The dad was dressed in some black gown with a mask. But I think that's where he got the idea to ask. Then we grabbed our lights, loaded Stella up in the stroller and took Nicholas to about eight houses. That is plenty of candy for an almost-three-year-old. We got cold, too. I kept asking him if he was ready to go home and he said no, that we were getting candy for Daddy. One time I asked him and he said that we have to keep going because Daddy is really hungry! (so cute)

This has been the least snowy Halloween yet! The trick-or-treators were actually in costumes- I didn't see one snow suit all night. Coats and hats, but not snow bibs! Nicholas had fun watching the kids come up the steps to the door. Then he'd put one tiny piece of candy in their bags (and I followed it up with a handful more). Still we are left with a ridiculous amount of candy left over. The first halloween we lived here, we had so many trick-or-treators I had to reach into the pantry and hand out microwave popcorn to the last few kids- and it was extremely cold that year. In the 20s I think. It was "warm" this year and we could have gotten away with a bag or two. Oh well.

So back home, Nick wanted to eat the suckers

Stella wanted to eat her hat

And these are the best pictures I can get after begging them to sit next to each other and sit still.




OH and does anyone watch Dancing with the Stars? What the heck?!? Sabrina and Mark got kicked off!??! Injustice. : )