Aedan: 43 Months, Week 2
Owen: 2 Months, Week 4 (13 Weeks)
One of our family Christmas traditions is making Christmas cookies and decorating them. On Sunday morning, after going to the first service at church, we cut out and baked our Christmas cookies. Samantha and Aedan enjoyed picking out the cookie cutters and helping cut out the dough.
After dinner on Sunday evening, once all the cookies were baked, we dyed the icing red and green, and the kids were super excited to start decorating the cookies. Ben spread the icing on each cookie, and I helped the kids do the sprinkles so we didn't get too many all over the place. They did a great job being very creative and I feel like every cookie looked unique and different.
Owen is getting so much stronger now, so on Monday night I propped him up in the glider in his room. Then, I was able to tickle him and get lots of cute smiles out my little guy, in between him trying to stuff his fists into his mouth. I love his smiles and his dimples.
Tuesday morning was our MOPS Christmas party. Aedan was starting to develop a little bit of a cold, but I was really looking forward to MOPS, and I decided he was okay to go there. We did a silly selfie game and then did a white elephant gift exchange. Neither of those activities were really my cup of tea, but it's always fun to be around other moms and to give Aedan a chance to play with other kids.
As the day progressed, Aedan was feeling worse and worse. He had developed quite a bad cough, and I felt bad that he was starting to feel so crummy. It took him awhile to calm down and fall asleep that afternoon. In fact, even though both boys were tired out from the morning, they gave me a hard time going to sleep. However, they both finally gave in and fell asleep for me, even if it took until almost 3:00. Here is sleepy Aedan fast asleep with Happy Teddy and blankie, and you can already see his cute hair sticking up on the back of his head.
As the day progressed, Aedan was feeling worse and worse. He had developed quite a bad cough, and I felt bad that he was starting to feel so crummy. It took him awhile to calm down and fall asleep that afternoon. In fact, even though both boys were tired out from the morning, they gave me a hard time going to sleep. However, they both finally gave in and fell asleep for me, even if it took until almost 3:00. Here is sleepy Aedan fast asleep with Happy Teddy and blankie, and you can already see his cute hair sticking up on the back of his head.
On Tuesday Samantha came home from school with this paper in her folder. I love that she made a web diagram with words that describe him, and I had to take a picture of it before throwing it away. She described him as playful, cute, good, handsome, beautiful, and quiet. She's been talking a lot about him lately, even mentioning sometimes that he is her boyfriend, or her BFF. We have talked to her about how important it is to just be friends with him and to enjoy playing with him. We told her that she doesn't need to be thinking about boyfriend/girlfriend stuff, and that really she is too young for that because she doesn't really understand what that means. She does still say she wants to marry him when they grow up, and he's a great little boy, but we don't want her to be focused on that and ruin the friendship the two of them have. This paper certainly made us smiles.
Since Aedan started not feeling well as the day progressed on Tuesday, we had a morning at home on Wednesday instead of going to the library. He had a slight fever that morning, and his cough sounded pretty bad. I thought about scheduling an appointment for him because his cough sounded so bad and sometimes he wheezed when he coughed, like he couldn't catch his breath. However, he was playing normally with his Rescue Bots, so I decided to just wait and see how the day went, but I felt bad for the little man.
I took our time at home to get some laundry done and begin washing all the 4t clothes we had. It seemed like Aedan had grown a couple inches overnight, and all of a sudden all his clothes were too short on him. As we went through the clothes, Aedan found these Ninja Turtle pajamas and wanted to put them on right away. He was so excited and wanted me to send this picture to Daddy.
Since Aedan and I were spending the morning at home, I decided to lay Owen down in his crib for his morning nap. He started napping about 10:30 and was still sleeping at almost noon. While Aedan and I were eating lunch, he made a funny comment. He said, "I can't wait to see Santa come down the chimney." We haven't directly talked to Aedan about Santa, so it was kind of funny to hear him talking about Santa. I told Ben and he said, "I guess we can wait until next year to crush his spirit."
On Wednesday night we took a family trip to Meijer after dinner so we could do our last Christmas shopping, and so our kids could get presents for each other, their cousins, and Mommy and Daddy. We had a pretty good list of ideas, and it was a successful trip, getting pretty much everything else we needed. On Thursday morning, the boys and I ran a couple errands, one being to the shoe store so Aedan could pick out some presents for Samantha for Christmas.
Then, that afternoon Owen took a good afternoon nap for me, but Aedan was just in his bed for a long time talking. I went in there several times, and I even took Happy Bear and blankie away, but he was not wanting to take a nap, which I knew wasn't going to help his cough feel any better. Lately, I've been wondering if he's outgrowing his naps. He has been taking forever to go to sleep and then fighting them more and for longer, too. Then, when he does nap, it takes an hour or more to finally settle down and then sometimes we have to wake him up because he sleeps too late in the evening. He also takes an hour or more to fall asleep at night and wakes up before Ben's alarm even goes off in the morning, so his sleeping is all messed up. On days he doesn't nap, he definitely goes to sleep faster and sleeps in a little longer in the morning. I don't want him to be done taking naps because I could really use the break in the afternoon with both boys asleep for awhile. I also don't think he will be quite as good at playing quietly in his room for quiet time like Samantha does. We will see. I am not ready to give them up yet. I know when Samantha went through this stage, we stuck with it, and then she actually went back to napping again for a period of time. However, it is frustrating dealing with these nap time struggles almost every day.
On Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so Ben came back home from campus to hang out with Aedan and be home when Samantha got off the bus since she only had a half day. That evening they had an event downtown, like the one last weekend that we ended up missing. It was an open house type event for the local businesses and restaurants, the historical society had a model train exhibit set up, and there was even a horse drawn carriage ride you could take around town. It started at 4:00, and I ended up having to wake Owen up so we could get going.
It snowed quite a bit that Friday afternoon, and it was still snowing when we arrived downtown. The carriage pulled up right down the street from where we parked, so we decided to ride on that first. I intended to put Aedan in his little snowsuit before riding on the carriage, but we just piled on and used blankets to cuddle up under. I was a little worried that Owen was going to be too cold, and it had been awhile since he'd eaten, but he was pretty happy sitting on my lap on the bumpy carriage. He was just looking around, watching the snow fall. He even had a perfect little snowflake land on his eyelashes. I love this family picture that was taken of us. Samantha and Aedan are actually really smiling, and the snow surrounding us was just perfect. The kids had a blast riding through the streets of Sault Ste. Marie that looked like a winter wonderland. I'm so glad we were able to do this.
And since you couldn't see Owen's face in the other picture, here is Owen all bundled up, looking around at the snow on our carriage ride. :)
Then, that afternoon Owen took a good afternoon nap for me, but Aedan was just in his bed for a long time talking. I went in there several times, and I even took Happy Bear and blankie away, but he was not wanting to take a nap, which I knew wasn't going to help his cough feel any better. Lately, I've been wondering if he's outgrowing his naps. He has been taking forever to go to sleep and then fighting them more and for longer, too. Then, when he does nap, it takes an hour or more to finally settle down and then sometimes we have to wake him up because he sleeps too late in the evening. He also takes an hour or more to fall asleep at night and wakes up before Ben's alarm even goes off in the morning, so his sleeping is all messed up. On days he doesn't nap, he definitely goes to sleep faster and sleeps in a little longer in the morning. I don't want him to be done taking naps because I could really use the break in the afternoon with both boys asleep for awhile. I also don't think he will be quite as good at playing quietly in his room for quiet time like Samantha does. We will see. I am not ready to give them up yet. I know when Samantha went through this stage, we stuck with it, and then she actually went back to napping again for a period of time. However, it is frustrating dealing with these nap time struggles almost every day.
On Friday I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so Ben came back home from campus to hang out with Aedan and be home when Samantha got off the bus since she only had a half day. That evening they had an event downtown, like the one last weekend that we ended up missing. It was an open house type event for the local businesses and restaurants, the historical society had a model train exhibit set up, and there was even a horse drawn carriage ride you could take around town. It started at 4:00, and I ended up having to wake Owen up so we could get going.
It snowed quite a bit that Friday afternoon, and it was still snowing when we arrived downtown. The carriage pulled up right down the street from where we parked, so we decided to ride on that first. I intended to put Aedan in his little snowsuit before riding on the carriage, but we just piled on and used blankets to cuddle up under. I was a little worried that Owen was going to be too cold, and it had been awhile since he'd eaten, but he was pretty happy sitting on my lap on the bumpy carriage. He was just looking around, watching the snow fall. He even had a perfect little snowflake land on his eyelashes. I love this family picture that was taken of us. Samantha and Aedan are actually really smiling, and the snow surrounding us was just perfect. The kids had a blast riding through the streets of Sault Ste. Marie that looked like a winter wonderland. I'm so glad we were able to do this.
After we rode up and down the street on the carriage, we got off and went to see the trains. They had a few buttons the kids could push to make the trolley go back and forth, make the signals flash, and open and close the gate. They were having a fun time watching the trains go around and around, enjoyed a cookie snack, and Samantha even got to do a scavenger hunt.
That night there was a ladies' night out through MOPS that I was planning on going to. I was going to nurse Owen and put him to bed and then head out. However, the snow was falling pretty heavy, and the roads were not great. Our front tires need to be replaced, so we were having a hard time getting around town without slipping and sliding, and it was difficult to get traction when going up hills or turning at corners. The house the ladies' night was supposed to be at was out on some side roads that I knew wouldn't be plowed well, so I decided to just stay home. It had been a long and tiring day, and Ben and I had things to do to get ready for our family Christmas the next day anyways.
Here are all three of our kiddos hanging out before bed that night. Aren't they adorable together? Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I am the mom to these three wonderful kiddos. It is overwhelming and amazing all at the same time.
On Saturday morning Ben lovingly helped make these homemade cinnamon rolls that I found a recipe for from the pioneer woman. We let the kids stay in their pajamas, and we enjoyed our yummy breakfast together.
Owen was hungry as well, so nursed him while the kids played and then we decided to let our Christmas celebration begin. Here are Samantha and Aedan standing in front of the Christmas tree that morning. They were SUPER excited to give their presents and open their presents as well.
Then, Samantha passed out the presents she got for the family from her school's Santa Store. She got a Rescue Bots puzzle for Aedan, which made him really excited and happy.
Samantha got some Sesame Street baby soap, shampoo, and lotion for Owen, and she was really excited to open it for him and show it to him.
We told Samantha how excited Aedan was to pick out the Minnie Mouse shoes for her, so she went over the top showing how excited she was. And you know what was even better? Aedan's reaction to seeing Samantha be so excited for his present was just priceless. Do you see the big smile on his face? He was so proud of himself and so glad that she liked his present for her.
Aedan picked out some comfy sweatpants for me.
Samantha also picked out another special present for Aedan, Catboy from PJ Masks. I also thought it was hilarious how whenever Aedan opened presents he would say, "Roar, roar, roar.." as he tore the paper apart. He was pretty happy with Sissy's choice of present for him as well. They both did a great job thinking what the other would really like and picking out something special for each other.
Here is Daddy opening up his present from Samantha, this blue shirt dress shirt for work, because she knows he likes blue. Aedan picked out some khaki dress pants to go together in an outfit.
I got a couple of presents for both the kids to share, like some drawing games for the Wii that I got for free from another MOPS mom, and the Moana DVD.
Here's a couple more of our Izzy-girl, enjoying chewing on her new toys.
I had a hard time coming up with ideas for Ben for Christmas, so he helped me out by adding some books to our Amazon cart for me to purchase for him. It's kind of boring, and not that surprising, but at least I know he will enjoy reading them.
Aedan's big present from Mommy and Daddy were his Rescue Bots. It was the main thing he was asking for, and we were excited to give them to him. He could not wait to open up the box, get them out, and play with them. Isn't this just the greatest reaction? And they transform! Christmas with kids is so much fun, and Aedan is so expressive, which makes it even more fun.
Samantha's big present from Mommy and Daddy was something she didn't even ask for, but we saw it awhile back and thought she would really like it since she still talks about wanting to work for NASA to help people get into space. We found this Women of NASA Lego set, and even though it was designed for older kids, we knew she would have fun following the directions and building it.
The last present of the morning was for Daddy. I made him a new coffee mug with updated family pictures, and I was so glad that it arrived at our house in time. Samantha helped me design it by picking the blue colors for the background.
The rest of the morning was spent enjoying our time together, with the kids playing their new toys and Izzy lounging in the sun.
Aedan was completely enthralled with his Rescue Bots, and like normal, he played with nothing else all morning. He didn't even need anyone to play with him, for he was enjoying them all on his own. He just kept transforming them and taking them from one place to another on rescue missions. Here is a video of Aedan transforming and lining up his new Rescue Bots, then he noticed me and acted shy, but I got him to tell me their names before he wanted to see the video himself.
Samantha spent the entire morning putting her Lego set together. We told her she could stop and take a break and finish building them another day, but she didn't want to do that. She wanted to keep going until they were all built. She did a great job following each step of the picture directions, only needing our help for a few little parts.
And here are a couple pictures and a video of Owen having some fun that morning as well, wearing his "My First Christmas" outfit. It's so fun getting him to smile and laugh. Samantha and Aedan love watching him and hearing him giggle.
Here is proud Samantha with her complete Women of NASA Lego set.
After having a relaxing afternoon with Aedan taking a much needed nap, we had ham, homemade scalloped potatoes, and green beans for dinner before letting the kids get in their new pajamas and get cozy on the floor under Samantha's sleeping bag to watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." About halfway through the movie, I made some Grinch Punch with Sprite, green sherbet, and green sprinkles. Samantha and Aedan were very excited about this special dessert, about drinking it in the living room, and about our special family movie night. We even lit a fire in our fireplace for the first time.
Here was my view to round out this wonderful family day celebrating Christmas together. Since we always travel to see family over Christmas, we don't usually get this time to celebrate Christmas together with just our family, so it was a special day, and something I'd like to continue doing in the future.
Izzy has really enjoyed cuddling up on blankets lately, so when Samantha got snuggled under her sleeping bag on the floor, Izzy was glad to lay right on her legs. Samantha loved cuddles from her little puppy. She can't wait until Izzy can start sleeping in her room with her.
We had such a wonderful weekend celebrating Christmas and doing these fun events and activities together. I love quality family time, and I definitely got my fill of it this weekend. :)
(Blog about December 10-16, 2017)
