Favorite Things

The kids' favorite activities this week:

Leah:

1. Climbing on EVERYTHING! Here she is on top of the picnic table, playing with a calculator (which happens to be one of her favorite objects and makes her finance-minded Daddy very happy!):



2. "Organizing" things, including the pantry. She loves taking things in and out of containers, and occupies lots of time with this activity.



3. Reading books. She is such a little cutie, and now brings us books to read with her.



4. Being held. Nutty had a low fever for several days this week, is getting her 1-year molars, and needed a little extra comfort and snuggling lately. This sounds adorable until you realize that she was miserable every time she was put down and screamed until she was picked up again for 4 straight days this week. That's a lot of bicep toning for Mommy. I forgot how fun teething can be.



Luke:

1. Watching Wake Forest basketball with Daddy. The boys looked so serious during this game, quietly discussing sports strategy and cheering for our Demon Deacons.



2. Preschool Pajama Party Day! This may have been Luke's favorite day of school all year. He looked forward to it for weeks, and the children wore their pjs and took their favorite bear to school on Friday. The icing on the cake was that the teachers gave each child a little baby bear to bring home AND they had waffles with syrup for a snack. We've been hearing about it all weekend!





3. Snow. Don't let this picture fool you- We have had no snow in SC so far this year, and it was almost 60 degrees on Saturday when this photo was taken. However, Luke asks us longingly almost every day, "Is it snowing yet?" and by a stroke of good luck, we stumbled upon this huge snow pile outside the indoor ice skating rink yesterday. This facility sponsors indoor "snowball fights" for children every Friday, and this was the leftover snow. Poor deprived Southern kids don't get the real stuff: Instead they get to play outside in warm January without coats. I'll take the man-made snow any day!



4. MONSTER TRUCKS! I had to save this picture for last, because it is so unbelievable. We were lucky enough to meet "Incinerator", one of the superstar vehicles featured in Monster Truck Jams, which came to Greenville this week. Luke wore his monster truck shirt and was completely enthralled watching the men put the big tires on and drive the truck. He was absolutely thrilled to visit such a huge monstrosity, and I was completely out of my girly comfort zone. Leah's expression says it all, but Luke loved this activity so much that it made my heart full of joy to see him so happy.

Hibernating

We've been laaaaaazzy this January, and are in hibernation mode. There have been many quiet pajama days at home, lots of organizing, purging, and post-holiday cleaning. I've been trying a lot of new recipes: soups, comfort foods, and desserts. Mark and I have been on a recent Movie Night kick, and have caught up on lots of new-to us releases from 2010 and 2011 that we've wanted to see (and somehow couldn't find time to watch last year while caring for an infant). I've been reading lots, thanks to my Book Club and an increased desire in this cold weather to be under cozy blankets, snuggled up with a good book. My hibernation has resulted in fewer blog posts this month, less pictures of the children, and many relaxing weekends at home as a family.

Leah apparently got the hibernation memo, and slept through the night for the first time on Friday! We spent much of Saturday on an adrenaline high, congratulating ourselves on our first full night of sleep in recent history, thrilled about this big milestone. We hoped for a repeat performance last night, However, someone was a bit of a grouchy bear, crying from midnight until 3 a.m., which completely deflated our proud egos. I guess Leah's not interested in hibernating all winter, but you win some and lose some, and those long nights make naps even more appealing (to Mommy).


Luke and Mark have escaped our hibernation to do a couple of neat things this month. Last weekend, they went to a car show together. It was such a fun boy activity, and Luke had a ball "test-driving" all of the new models, climbing in the trunks (which he called "sleeping compartments"), and standing in the beds of all the pick up trucks. This weekend, they went to our Children's Museum, and spent a rainy Saturday morning playing in all of the exhibits.


Maybe it's because our brains are in hibernation mode as well, but Luke is starting to ask us questions that are increasingly difficult to answer: "What are antennas for?", "Why is fire hot?", and most recently at dinner this week: "How does God put our skin together?" Mark and I looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that we had the perfect person to answer this one. Poppy not only can fix anything, but has years of theological training and practice, as well as hundreds of children's sermons under his belt. So, we dialed Bean and Poppy's number, put the phone on speaker mode, and when Poppy got on the line, Luke repeated his question: "Poppy, how does God put our skin together?". We eagerly awaited Poppy's sage wisdom, and instead heard (after a few seconds of stunned silence coming from the Williamsburg end of the phone), "Luke, I have no idea!"

Luckily, Luke didn't seem to mind that his beloved grandfather didn't have the answer to this burning question, and Mark and I were secretly relieved that Poppy, in fact, does not know absolutely everything.

Because I've taken so few photos this month, some of these are actually from December, but illustrate our cozy hibernation lately:


The boys perusing the Sunday paper (Luke stole the car section from Daddy).



A dreary Thursday at home called for mini-golf in the garage (because it never rains on the golf course). Notice the bed-head and footwear!



Chilly day at the playground.



Snuggling with Beanie's dog, Mia, whom Luke referred to as his best friend.



Lounging while watching a video. This moment gave me a preview of Luke's couch-potato teenage years. He certainly doesn't look like he's 3 years old here!



Where's Waldo, I mean, Luke? Naptime today, in his toy box, hibernating with all of his stuffed animals. What a funny kid!

1st Birthday Wrap-Up & 12 Month Update

We had lots of fun at Leah's family birthday celebrations in Williamsburg and at home. Leah seemed to like her first taste of sugar (smart girl!), and didn't mind being the center of attention. I did a cupcake theme for the party decorations, and bought Leah an outfit and matching bib with a pink cupcake on the front. Because what is less practical and more adorable than a 1st Birthday outfit that is worn exactly once (or twice in our case, since there were 2 parties)? All of the children (Luke and cousins) at the Williamsburg party decorated their own cupcakes, and we played a party game. Leah had lots of help from the older children opening her presents, and received wonderful girly toys and clothes. Here are some of my favorite pictures from Leah's parties:


Birthday Girl!



Leah's reaction to everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her.



Have a sprinkle, Luke!



Big kids decorating their cupcakes.





The rest of our pictures can be found in this slideshow:




These are the invitations that I designed for Leah's family birthday parties this year. I absolutely loved the pictures chronicling our baby girl changing each month of her first year of life:

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

At 12 months old, Leah:

-Gives the best hugs. When she is tired, she wraps her arms around you, rests her head on your shoulder, and will stay there indefinitely. It's one of the best feelings in the world to have that sweet, warm, snuggly body cling to you so lovingly.


-Doesn’t like her car seat. If Luke is in the backseat with her, Leah can be distracted and entertained, but as soon as we drop off Big Brother at preschool, the screaming begins. The new recommendation that children shouldn't be turned around to face forward in their car seat until age 2 is going to be tough for us to follow. There's no way that my lanky, tall child is going to make it that long, legs all bunched up like a pretzel, staring at the backseat, literally bored to tears.


-Makes a beeline for the stairs every time the baby gate is left open. She giggles and chuckles with delight while climbing up the steps, so proud of her motor skills. Leah turns around every couple of stairs to look at me and grin, as if to say, “Look Mommy, I can do it!”


-Responds to being told, “I Love You”, by puckering up and making a kissing sound. It’s one of the sweetest ways that Leah communicates with us, and really lets us know that she hears and understands so much of what we say. She has a few words, including Mama, Dada, Bye Bye, and Ni-Ni, knows several signs, and now points to objects when she wants them.


-Bounces up and down while seated or on her knees when she hears music. This “dancing” is very cute, and we are looking forward to beginning Kindermusik classes later this month. Leah also kisses her reflection in the mirror and "the baby" in books. This turns me into a puddle every time.


-Rapidly crawls everywhere and pull up on everything. She cruises around in standing position while holding onto things, has good dynamic standing balance, and can let go to reach for objects. Leah likes to "walk" with someone behind her, holding her hands. Mommy is in no hurry for her baby to take steps on her own, but I fear that it won't be long now!


-Loves books. Current favorites are Pat the Bunny, Where's Baby's Belly Button (and other lift-the-flap books), Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (with hand motions), Mirror Me, and books with pictures of babies or animals.


-Plays lots of games. “Where’s Leah?” (peek-a-boo), "I'm gonna get you," Soooo Biiig, Round Ball, and clapping hands are some of her favorites. She imitates putting on lipstick from her toy purse, "drinks" out of her play teacups, puts on and takes off sunglasses, and pretends to talk on the phone.


-Is still the worst sleeper that I have ever met. I sound like a broken record, so I won't dwell on it, but I WILL be celebrating when our Nutty finally decides to sleep throught the night (if I'm not sound asleep, too)!

-Tries lots of different foods, but doesn't have a huge appetite. She has 8 teeth, with one more on the way. Leah's refined pincer grasp is amazing, and much better than her brother's ever was. We've just started introducing a straw cup with whole milk, but she doesn't drink more than an ounce or two each day. We're beginning to wean from breastfeeding, but plan to continue a couple of times each day through the winter to boost Leah's immunity until flu season is over.


At Leah's 1-year MD appointment last week, she weighed 22 lb. 4 oz. (68th percentile), and was 31.25 inches long (97th percentile). It's the first time that one of my children didn't rank at the top of their age range for weight, and although the pediatrician said that this drop in percentile is normal due to Leah's newfound mobility, it was a new experience for me. He did say that she is likely to be very tall and thin.


What a busy, active, fun 12 month-old we have! We're excited to observe all of the fun developments and milestones to come in the next couple of months as our baby becomes a toddler!

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Happy 1st birthday to our precious baby girl! We love you so much and celebrate your first year of life today. Your smile lights up the world, and you bring immeasurable joy to all who know you. Hooray for turning 1, for cupcakes and giggles, and for your sweet pink presence in our lives, which fills our hearts, today and always. Love, Mommy, Daddy, Luke, and Winnie

South Carolina Christmas

We were especially lucky this year to celebrate Christmas for a second time this past week when Mimi, Grandpa, Beanie, Mia, and Gawa came to visit. Santa Claus was gracious enough to make a special trip to our house in South Carolina on Tuesday night, and he left an abundance of goodies for our family.

This was my favorite Christmas season so far with Luke. He's old enough to enjoy all of the anticipation and excitement leading up to the holidays, and remembers traditions from years past. Everything is magical to him, and his enthusiasm for all-things Christmas is contagious. Luke received a scooter from Santa, and he looked like such a big boy riding around our neighborhood on his new present:




Each present (from stocking stuffers to the toys highest on Luke's wishlist) was thrilling to this excited little boy:





Luke helped Leah open her stocking, too, and was a very good big brother, telling her about each item and "sharing" in her toys and joy:



Leah's first Christmas was magical, too. My favorite memory of her this year is from Christmas Eve church service, dolled up in her fancy dress and red shoes. Leah stood on Mark's lap, and I looked over to see her sweet profile, with her mouth in a perfect "O" shape, "singing" Glooooooooria, during "Angels we Have Heard on High". Watching my baby girl and listening to her clear, pure, angelic voice is a moment that I'll hold in my heart forever. I know I'll never hear that hymn again without smiling at that memory. Leah received her first baby dolls, a baby cradle, and lots of girly toys and clothes this year for Christmas:






Leah took everything in, was fascinated by colorful, crinkly wrapping paper, and somehow got a bow stuck on her bottom (I promise we did not stage this!), which stayed perfectly attached for much of the afternoon and was adorably funny:


Nutty loves our new Wake Forest tailgating table and is already gearing up for next year's football season:





We're starting our own family traditions and carrying on some from our own childhoods. The children receive special ornaments each year that they'll put on their own Christmas trees when they grow up. They also received their own personalized "Cookies for Santa" plate which we'll use every Christmas Eve for Santa's treats, although Leah had her eye on those sweets and almost got one:





We also read Twas the Night Before Christmas right before bedtime to prepare for Santa's arrival:



What a full, wonderful Christmas holiday we had this year! Here is a slideshow that wraps up the rest of our South Carolina Christmas:

Happy New Year!

Our crazy monkeys didn't want to sit still for a New Year's photo shoot, so here are our funny outtakes:







Happy 2012 to all! We wish you a year full of silly, happy moments with your loves, too!