Christmas in pictures

It was a wonderful Christmas, and it was especially fun having Nana and Granddaddy here to celebrate with us. Colby and Miller soaked up all the extra attention.

They loved having Nana and Granddaddy read them books...

Granddaddy took his reading very seriously.

Colby loved telling Nana about his favorite cartoon...

I told you it was funny, Nana!

Christmas cookies were made and decorated for Santa.

Of course, this means lots of sprinkles...

and even more frosting. (even if it's blue)

Colby wanted to make sure it tasted okay before giving it to Santa.

The final product...I hope Santa didn't go into a sugar coma.

Later that day, I baked two pies. Lee could not believe it...maybe because I've never baked a pie in my life. He took many pictures of me in an apron pulling pies out of the oven. (I also made my mom's "Christmas morning" casserole and Miller's cornbread dressing...it was truly out of character)

We saw a couple of children's concerts while Nana and Granndaddy were here, one being Rocknoceros (Colby's favorite). We also went to a children's Christmas eve service where we made the big mistake of sitting on the front row (with nothing blocking Colby or Miller from walking up to the front of the church). Thank goodness the threat of Santa was still looming over Colby's head...it helped a little (tiny) bit.

The tree was in the front room, so we spread out Santa's loot in the family room. This was Miller's side...

and this was Colby's side.

Colby woke up early Christmas morning and he was soooo excited...

Oh, the anticipation...

He went straight for the saxophone and trumpet.

I'm pretty sure Nana and granddaddy had their fill of trumpets, saxophones, and marching bands by the time they left.

Eventually, Miller came down to see what all the fuss was about.

She went straight for her tricked out princess coupe from Nana and Granddaddy.

She tested out her new chair and gave lots of love to her baby doll...

But wasn't about to give a bottle of something possibly delicious to anyone but herself.

The super-duper cape was a big hit.

I was really worried about Colby fighting with Miller (who inevitably would want to play with his new toys) but he did really well. He had so much going on that he let Miller play with his things, and they even bonded over similar interests.

The first being their super-duper capes...

Whheeeeeee!

and the second being their cars.

After a long fun-filled day, we had a nice Christmas dinner (again, Lee was shocked and took pictures).

The day after Christmas, we took Colby and Miller to another Rocknoceros show. Colby is truly in his element at concerts and spends the entire hour rocking out on his guitar. The band commented that he had some amazing moves and that he was trying to steal the guitarist's job. Yeah, that was probably his goal.


As the show went on, Colby started facing the audience and performing for them. He craves being in the spotlight...I cannot believe I gave birth to this child.

Coming soon...

There is so much to update on the blog that I'm procrastinating. I keep waiting for a good chunk of time, and that's not happening....but hopefully I'll get to it soon.

I will say that we are almost 24 hours into potty training (again) and it's going much better this time. We are allowing him to put a diaper on for #2 when he needs to go, but so far, he hasn't. PLEASE GOD don't let us run into the horrible c@nstipation issues again. (don't want anyone googling that word and getting to my blog) I'll post an update soon- wish us luck. Many Christmas pictures to come!

Even more snow on the grill....a total of 21 inches! I'm pretty sure that's the most snow I've ever seen.


Miller fit perfectly into Colby's old snow suit. (Only downside...I have to remind strangers that he's a she)


Not sure about the snow...


What is this stuff?


On the way to go sledding and VERY excited.


He loved it!!


However, Miller did not...we were there for 5 minutes.

Last attempt at a nice family photo (minus dad)...not gonna happen.

Let it snow

We have 18 inches and it's still going strong. (don't let this picture fool you- this was after 3 hours of shoveling!)


Georgia is not sure what to think (or where to pee).


Guess we won't be using the deck furniture anytime soon...


Or grilling out tonight.


We've had a day of indoor activities, but tomorrow we will venture out into the snow!

SNOW!!!

It's not even Christmas and we are having our second snow! We have about a foot right now, and they are calling for 16-20 inches!!! Sweet baby jesus, please don't keep us trapped in this house for too long...

This and that

I am very sad to announce that I think we are seeing the end of nap time for Colby, which is why I find it so difficult to update the blog. After about 30 minutes in his bed, he always ends up crying and not sleeping. I'm trying something new where after the 30 minutes (I'm still going through the motions of putting him down....hoping he will fall asleep) I give him some books to read in his bed. All of this back and forth lasts about an hour, but I REALLY miss my 2-3 hour window of silence and alone time!

Here are some topics in no particular order:

We spent Thanksgiving in Richmond again this year, but we were so busy that I didn't take very many pictures. (ok, maybe I was just lazy) Colby had a wonderful time playing outside with his cousins (Cooper, Zach and Braden), and he was old enough this year that we didn't have to be out there with them. It was so much fun for Colby and a nice break for me and Lee, and the boys did such a great job of including Colby in everything they did. It makes me sad that we don't live closer and see them more often.

Luckily, they came up this weekend for a football game, so Colby got another big dose of playtime with the big boys. They played in the basement for a good 4 hours and only came up for a dinner break.


About 10 times a day, Colby asks us random questions like "Do Cooper-Zach (which is his term for all 3 boys...he's still confused about who's who and finds it easier to shorten it) do this? Do Cooper-Zach pee on the potty? Do Cooper-Zach eat spaghetti? Do Cooper-Zach wear coats? Do Cooper-Zach wear a seat belt?" I wonder if they realize they are Colby's hero.

We got 4 inches of snow yesterday! We didn't get to play in it though because we were at a birthday party in the morning, and then the boys came over after nap time.

Earlier this week we took the kids to a Christmas concert at a local high school performed by their marching band. There was Christmas music along with lots of characters: Dora, Winnie the Pooh, elves, Cookie Monster, Santa and his reindeer. To say Colby enjoyed it would be a huge understatement. He could not contain his enthusiasm and spent the entire hour dancing in the isle. (he was actually the only child in the entire auditorium dancing in the isle) He marched, sang, danced, and conducted the band. Miller, on the other hand, wanted to be down so that she could run up on stage. We spent the whole time pinning her down while she struggled and cried to get free.

Miller is talking up a storm. She says new words every day and there seems to be no limit. Some of my favorites from the past few days: Elmo, apple, get down, basement, vitamin. Miller has also started having mini-temper tantrums, which Lee and I find hilarious. She will throw herself on the floor, lay down, and cry, looking up to make sure we see her. We find this so funny only because Colby has never done such a thing. I think it's a sign of things to come.

On Colby's Christmas list this year:
Super duper cape, trumpet, saxophone, drum set, turn table (what!?), headphones with a microphone, a drill that makes noise

I think that's all I've got for now. More soon...

The elf

The elf (on the shelf) appeared for the first time at our house yesterday morning. And oh, what a glorious day it was. Colby's job was to name him, and he chose the name "Kicks" (after we vetoed naming him "Santa").

Here is Kicks hanging out on the chandelier.


Colby spent much of the day trying to impress Kicks. It's amazing the way the phrase "Kicks is watching you" could turn bad behavior around. Colby gave many hugs to his baby sister, making sure to do it right in Kick's line of vision. This really confused Miller, as she's been trained for the past year to run or scream when her brother comes towards her with outstretched arms. She did not understand why this did not end in her face down on the floor, and instead ended in a nice hug. After a few rounds, she caught on and was hugging him back.

Colby also PEED ON THE POTTY!!!! I told him that if he could pee in the potty, Kicks would tell Santa to bring him a super duper cape. I was just having fun with all the possibilities of what Kicks could do for me, but I wasn't expecting Colby to take me so seriously. Next thing I know, Colby asked to get out of the tub in the middle of bath time and promptly peed on the potty. Yes, this elf is truly magical.

While Colby worked very hard for his personal gain, he definitely did not miss an opportunity to throw his baby sister under the bus. After dinner, Colby walked over to Kicks, looked up and with all seriousness said "Kicks, baby sister did not eat her green beans." Well, he's right- she didn't. And he did- all because Kicks was watching.

Colby had been on a nap strike the past few days, but knowing that Kicks could hear him, he settled down for a nice long nap this afternoon.

If you have children and you don't have an elf (on the shelf), don't walk....RUN to the store and get one NOW.

Visit with Santa

We decided to see Santa early this year and avoid the 2+ hour wait that usually happens after Thanksgiving. It was a wonderful visit for Colby because we were the only ones there, and Colby got to spend about 15 minutes talking to Santa. When he first laid eyes on him, Colby ran up excitedly and said "I WANT A SUPER DUPER CAPE!!!" Lee and I looked at each other with bewilderment because this was the first we had heard about a "super duper cape". (I guess I'm not finished with my Christmas shopping after all) Miller did not enjoy Santa quite as much, but did follow the trend that Colby has set.

Here are the Christmas pictures in order by year. I'm a little disappointed that I apparently did not have Colby's picture taken with Santa as an infant...maybe the colic, blood in his stool, and a dad working out of town had me a little distracted. Nevertheless, this will hopefully be a fun annual tradition.

2007


2008


2009

Life's twists and turns

I was hoping to catch up on the blog this weekend, and I was thinking to myself a few days ago about what I would write. I thought I'd talk about how Miller has completely abandoned her Mr. Rabbit for a newer model: pink bear (we haven't named him yet). About a month ago, she took a liking to the little pink lovey in her crib, and now that's all she wants. Poor Mr. Rabbit gets tossed aside and she cries until she gets her pink bear. I'm sure pink bear cost about $8.99, but knowing I needed a back up, the only one I found was on E-Bay....so I bought it for $45! She better not switch allegiances again any time soon.

Next, I thought I would talk about how Miller will eat just about anything. I credited myself with giving her a lot of vegetables and making sure she wasn't too picky. One of her favorite foods is unsweetened plain yogurt! I was feeling pretty proud of myself until the other day when she stuck her finger in a large dollop of shaving cream and ate it. And then she smiled and did it again. Now I've come to the conclusion that she's missing some taste buds. I've always wondered how you hear those stories about kids drinking lighter fluid or some other kind of poisonous substance....I always wondered what kind of kid would do that. Well, now I know.

What I didn't know I'd be writing about was our experience on Friday night. A little boy with a fever of 104 and a barking cough crying at midnight, and at the same time, a husband curled in a ball with severe stomach pains. It was so bad for Lee that we decided he should go to the hospital. We called a neighbor to take him, because I didn't want to leave Colby being so sick, and Miller was asleep. However, Lee felt so awful that he couldn't get down the stairs, so we ended up calling an ambulance. Colby watched the whole scene with the EMTs and the ambulance and was completely captivated, despite how badly he felt. Our neighbor went with Lee to the hospital and stayed with him until I called our sitter at 5am to come over and stay with the kids. At that point, I had gotten Colby's fever down and was able to get him back in bed around 4. I called my parents at 5am, and they drove up from Richmond so that they could take Colby to the doctor while Miller stayed with the sitter.

Thankfully, they didn't find anything wrong with Lee and discharged him the next morning with a warning that it could still have been an early appendicitis attack. Colby is doing a bit better and was diagnosed with bronchitis. Neither Lee nor I slept at all that night, so we both took a long nap yesterday and had a full night's sleep last night.

Sometimes, it just takes a little crisis to put everything in perspective and make you appreciate your every day monotonous life. Sometimes I joke that our life is like the movie Groundhog's day, but maybe that's not a bad thing.

Halloween festivities

It's been a busy week leading up to Halloween.

First, Granddaddy came up for a visit (and a Georgia Tech football game) and we all headed out to the pumpkin patch.

There was a giant slide, and Colby could not get enough of it. We must have gone down it about 7 times, and Miller went down as well. This is a picture of me and Miller coming down on the right...and that is not a smile on her face. I think she was really concerned about what was happening and how it was going to end.


There was a rope swing with a foam pit...


and a spooky hayride.


Granddaddy did a lot of following and chasing...


Miller and Colby enjoyed seeing a farmer with his stand-up bass and learned how to milk a cow.


A few days later, we headed out for the annual Halloween parade.


Colby loved it, especially seeing all the marching bands.


Miller is not a fan of the stroller or being confined, so the only way she would sit still and not scream was when she was eating raisins. Lots and lots of raisins. (and yes, there are consequences to that)


We headed out last night for trick-or-treating. This is the first year that Colby really understood what was happening, and he LOVED it. It was raining off and on, so he was thrilled about using his new umbrella.


Miller stayed dry and content with the help of a rain cover and lollipops. (I know she shouldn't have candy, but with an older brother eating things in front of her, it's much harder to keep her from it)


Colby's first visit was to our neighbor Joe's house. Colby excitedly yelled out "TRICK OR TREAT!!!" and danced with excitement at receiving the candy.


Colby's favorite candy of the night was M&Ms, and that is what he reached for every chance he could get. As excited as he was about getting candy, he quickly figured out that he could manipulate the system. At each house, he would sweetly say "I need to get one more for my baby sissa" and proceed to stick his hand back in the candy bowl. While he was melting hearts all over the neighborhood, Lee and I weren't about to be fooled. The last thing in the world Colby was thinking about was making sure his baby sissa had some candy. Yes, leave it to our devious three year old to figure out how to work the system on Halloween.

After about half an hour, I took Miller home and Colby and Lee continued to collect candy. Apparently, Colby started asking for more candy for his baby sissa AND his momma, and was coming away with at least 3 things from every house. What a stinker. I am not surprised. Not at all.

Back at home, I made a big mistake. I gave Miller a Skittle. (Looking back, this was the beginning of the end.) Miller, unlike Colby (who prefers salty foods), has inhereted my out-of-control sweet tooth.

Here she is trying to get me to open up more Skittles for her.


When she gets her way, and receives a piece of candy, she is thrilled.


Until Mommy says "no more". Then she is not so happy. She spent the remainder of the night crying hysterically and pointing at the candy bowl. She even tried to climb the stairs in hopes of reaching the bowl herself.


SOMEONE CALL THE CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE!!