...And a Happy New Year!

My last post of 2013 - and what a year it has been.  We managed to do a fair amount of traveling and we got to see a lot of family as well as some new sights.  We welcomed a nephew in November and found out we're getting a niece (or nephew!) in February of 2014.  And, for some reason, it feels appropriate to let all of you know that we'll be expanding our family by one more this coming year as well.  So, yes this past year has been filled with all kinds of excitement, but bring on the new year!  

If you can't tell, Jack's shirt reads, "Only Child - Expiring July 2014."  I think it really helps that Baby Bash has come into this world.  Honestly, Jack spends a lot of time with my sister and her kids.  I think it's good for Jack to get used to the sound of a baby crying and to watch his Aunt Annie take care of the baby.  For the most part, he's pretty hands off with everything.  He'll announce that the baby is crying every once and a while, but he's usually too busy doing something else to pay much attention.  Now, the big difference is that, while he loves his Aunt Annie, she's not his mommy.  So, whenever we're together, I try to take charge with Baby Bash as much as possible so Jack gets used to the idea of a tiny human around me.  It's still going to be an adjustment, no question about it.  This will also explain why I've been violently ill for the past two months or so.    

Anyways, let's see if I can try and recap our Christmas - probably not.  On Christmas Eve, Jeff and I decided to do presents in the morning with Jack.  He was completely uninterested in opening his packages.  Hr opened one or two, said, "whoa!" and then ran away.  We didn't make it through all our presents - in fact, we still have about six or seven still sitting under the Christmas tree.  Also, he still doesn't totally get the idea of Santa Claus either - because his present from Santa had been wrapped and sitting in our dining room for weeks.  Well, if I had to say, this was Jack's favorite gift this year.  A roller coaster.  This has provided endless hours of entertainment.  

So, after I pulled Jack off the train, we got ready to go to church.  Every year, my grandpa and I sing "O Holy Night" and this is my most treasured Christmas tradition.  However, we sang it at both the afternoon and evening services, so my mom put together an assortment of appetizers and we just stayed at church in between the services.  Jeff took Jack home around bedtime, which made me feel better since we got a ton of snow on Christmas Eve.  It was also unbelievably cold.  After the evening service, we went back to my parents' house to sleep over - again, one of my most favorite things to do.  I think I've said this before, but there's something I absolutely love about waking up at my parents' house on Christmas morning.  It'll be tough next year, seeing as how we'll have another kid in tow and we'll need to see if Santa can get his act together to visit Nana and Boppa's as well.  

Anyways, we got up on Christmas morning and laid around in our pajamas and got ready.  My sister and her family came over for brunch and then we put the boys down for their naps and we got to work on opening presents.  As always, my parents are entirely too generous and I'm always overwhelmed at the thoughtfulness my mom (and dad!) put into each and every single gift.  After the boys got up, we tried to open presents with them.  Wim was much better at opening presents than Jack was.  The first present Jack opened was a truck, and he was completely distracted for the rest of the night.  But, in addition to this, he also got a tunnel, a pop up tent, some clothes, a writing desk, a puzzle, and a Mickey coloring book.  It seriously looks like Toys 'R Us threw up in our basement.  

I think he's playing with a Christmas ornament he got in this picture.  Anyways, Jack started having a major meltdown soon after this picture was taken.  I'm fairly certain he was just completely overstimulated and just couldn't take it any more.  He started pitching a major fit, so we decided to pack up the car and head home.  Luckily, Nana had the magic Mickey book and got to read it to Jack and Wim while we were getting ready to leave:

I just love this picture and wish it was a bit lighter.  Anyways, soon after we got home, Jack absolutely had to go to bed.  He had calmed down a bit, but just couldn't stop the tears.  

Anyways, the next day, I went into the office.  I didn't work too long, seeing as how no one was really working, but it was a good day and I got a lot of stuff done.  I left early to go to the doctor's office for a gallbladder check up and then I went home to put away our Christmas presents.  

Jack's daycare has switched to online reports of his daily activities.  This really makes no difference to me, overall, but it's probably pretty good to save a few trees here and there.  The one bonus of this new feature is that I get pictures of everything he does during the day - and this is completely awesome.  I had to save this one of Jack because I get the giggles every time I look at it - he's with his Ms. LaLa in this picture, so you know he was having some fun!

Anyways, Auntie Sam came into town on Friday and she has been an absolute blessing - Jack absolutely adores her and she's great at keeping him busy and occupied while I'm puking or doing other things around the house.  Seriously.  She came into town on Friday afternoon, and we grabbed some lunch, ran some errands, and then came home to get the house ready as Jeff and I were having some friends over for dinner that night.  I had total baby brain - I had planned on grilling some steaks, which I had put in the oven to keep away from Blue.  Well, I totally forgot I put them in there and turned on the oven to cook the potatoes, and I ended up baking the steaks and forgetting to put the potatoes in the oven.  Still, I think that dinner turned out pretty well - and Auntie Sam kept Jack busy and playing in the basement while Jeff and I enjoyed some grown-up time!

The next morning, we went to The Children's Museum.  Jack had a completely awesome time running around all the exhibits and playing.  He also enjoyed putting on face paint, which kind of surprised us because he has such an extreme aversion to anything touching his face or his ears...

After the museum, we came home and all took naps.  When we got up, we went to meet Daddy at the Mall of America for dinner.  Jack and I came home early to go to bed while Jeff and Auntie Sam did a little more shopping.  On Sunday, Jeff, Sam and Jack went to the gym while I picked up around the house and got things ready for the week.  Honestly, it was so cold outside that I made every effort not to leave the house.  I went to Target during the Vikings game, and I got out of the car and honestly wondered how long we could go without milk because I just wanted to go home and crawl underneath the blankets.  

Yesterday, Jack went to Grammy Camp and Sam and I headed into the office for the day.  She helped me with my files and I made her read a bunch of stuff!  Well, it was absolutely frigid yesterday and it was quasi-snowing, so traffic was awful coming home and it took us, on the whole, two hours to make it roughly twenty miles.  Gross.  Anyways, we made some dinner and lounged around the house for the rest of the evening.  Jack "ate" some spaghetti...

And then, I went to bed early.  Today, we came down to the office but I think we're going to head home and get things ready for our BIG New Year's Eve party.  I'm being completely sarcastic.  We're going to make homemade pizzas tonight, stay in and watch movies.  Things kind of change the older you get.  I can't believe the kind of money we used to pay to get into bars when we were younger.  

Anyways, that's it - tomorrow Samantha goes home and we'll miss her dearly.  We have no plans for the rest of the week, however my nephew is getting baptized on Sunday, so we're obviously going to that.  So, to you all, have a safe and happy new year.  And stay warm!

Merry Christmas!

Every year, I seem to go through the same set of emotions - stress, frustration, regret, thankfulness, and peace.  I get so overwhelmed every year, trying to make sure that I've got everything purchased, wrapped, mailed, baked, attended, cleaned, and decorated that I tend to lose sight of what's really important this season.  The holidays are stressful.  There's no way around it.  Except, as I was telling this to Jeff the other day, I started thinking, "oh boo hoo!  There are people who love you and want to spend time with you.  Get over it!" and then I started to snap out of my funk.  Still, I tend to think a lot of people get the "holiday blues" regardless of whether they're stressed out or not.  I tried to go to Target on Saturday just for our regular shopping trip and I drove around the parking lot for ten minutes.  I couldn't find a parking spot and I got sniped twice.  So, I came home and laid on the couch with Jeff instead while Jack napped.  This proved to be a much better use of my time as I got hooked on House of Cards.  However, I had to go to Target at 8:00 last night and it was still packed.  But, we were running out of milk... and Jack needs his calcium.  So, I went to the store, threw a few elbows, and got out of there relatively unscathed.  

And today is just another work day for me, although our office closes early today.  I think just about everyone decided today was useless and took it off because it's been quiet.  This, I don't mind because it's allowed me to get a lot of work done.  I've been sick and I had trial last week, so I had a lot to catch up on and get ready for the new year.  So, Jack is at Grammy Camp today.  I guess they went over to play in the church basement, which turned out to be the best idea ever because there was lots of room for Jack and Wim to run around and play in, balls to throw, things to ride, and tents to play in.  They've started to wrestle with each other as well.  It starts off with Jack, usually blindsiding Wim with a take down, but then Wim using his fishhooking skills to turn things around.  It's pretty funny to watch, even if it does result in tears more times than not.  

Anyways, we stuck close to home on Friday, mostly because I was exhausted and needed to catch up on sleep.  On Saturday, we went to my Uncle Brian's and Aunt Jill's house to our first Christmas celebration.  We had a good time - ate way too much food, and Jack and Wim had fun running around, playing, and generally entertaining everyone.  However, we had to get going far too quickly because we were approaching meltdown territory and Jack needed a nap.  Badly.  He ended up sleeping pretty late and I had to wake him up so he'd actually get to sleep.  Well, I started feeling poorly that night, and Jack thought I needed some company in bed.  So, we climbed in together for a snuggle.  As we're laying in bed, he started to sing his jam, "Row Row" and I tried to capture it, but instead, got him repeatedly trying to smile and say "cheese" for the camera:

I think I've mentioned this before - but Jack has to tell everything "good bye" or "all done."  Meaning, after I got done taking this video, we had to say, "All done, cheese!" and "Bye, Phone!"  Every day after school, we have to say good bye to everyone he's seen that day (or that week, for that matter).  Everyone and anyone on the way home from school gets some kind of acknowledgement - from Nana and Boppa (even if its not Monday) to his friend Luke at school and the center director.  We also say good bye to Mickey and all of his friends as well, no matter if we're coming from - or going to - school.  Actually, I think this is Jack's way of telling me what he did with his day, and what he's thinking about.  Even if it's slightly weird.  

So anyways, we went to church yesterday morning and then I took Jack to Ridgedale to play.  He had a great time and was so happy to be running around, climbing and sliding.  Afterwards, I took him to get a "treat" at the pretzel store and for whatever reason, he didn't want to stand in line with me.  So, I grabbed a hold of the back of his jacket so he'd stay put and he melted down.  Yes, I finally got my turn as "that" mother.  You know, the one with the toddler, screaming and flailing his arms while lying on the floor of some public location?  Yep, that was me.  I was completely unamused and to be honest, I could have cared less about the other holiday shoppers.  I let him do his thing and got our pretzels.  Because you know what?  I really wanted one.  Do you want to know a secret though?  I was actually happy that he was staying in one place so I didn't have to keep running after him and moving to the end of the pretzel line.  Bad mommy.  

After that, we came home and I put Jack down for an early nap.  He obviously needed the rest.  When we got up, we went over to Nana and Boppa's so my sister and her family could celebrate Christmas with my grandparents.  It was... stressful, I think.  More so for my mother than for anyone else.  I think there was a lot of noise, stuff going on, opinionated and rambunctious little boys, and elderly parents.  That stuff can have a tough time going together.  Still, we made it through yet another dinner although our time was cut short by the inevitable need to get the little psychopaths to bed.    

And, like I said, today is just another work day for me.  Although, I am going to leave in a few minutes to go pick up a present for my sister and then I'm going to go home and try and squeeze in a quick nap (or a House of Cards episode!) before I have to go to another Christmas party tonight.  Tomorrow and Wednesday are spent going to church and we sleep over at my parents' every year.  Even though I'm in my thirties now, there's something about waking up at my parents' house on Christmas morning that I just love... 

So, until next week, we wish you a merry Christmas (and a happy new year!)  

A Post Long Overdue...

It has been way too long since I've written - but I promise I haven't abandoned this blog!  Life tends to get in the way of things and work has been pretty busy too - everyone wants to settle cases before the holidays.  So, I haven't written an update since the week of Thanksgiving and so much has happened since then.  I've missed writing about Jack's birthday, visiting family members, and all other good things.  First off, I'd like to put a few pictures up from our family photo shoot - although these are probably old news if you've looked at my Facebook profile.  

I should add that the kid didn't sit still at any point and all the pictures were taken with him sitting in the drawer in our coffee table or being hung upside down by his pants.  Still, the expressions on his face absolutely melt my heart.  Jeff keeps saying over and over how awesome this time of his life is.  Everything the kid does is sweet, endearing, or hysterical.  Last week, my dad called to tell me that Jack said, "I love Mama," which is something we've been working on for a year, I swear.  This is something I don't get - I think he hears, "I love you" more than anything else in the world yet he doesn't repeat it.  However, he hears "penis" once and it's now his favorite word.  Anyways, on Monday after we got home from Grammy Camp, I kept asking Jack, "I love you, baby.  Do you love Mama?"  and I got nothing out of him.  So, after story time, we were snuggling in his chair and rocking before bed.  I kissed his head and asked him again, "I love you, honey.  Do you love Mama?"  And Jack looks at me and says, "I love.... Mickey."  Awesome.  

The truth is, the reason that I haven't been posting much over the past three weeks is because I've been sick.  Like, really sick.  In the hospital sick.  Twice.  I keep having problems with my gallbladder and I'm trying desperately to avoid surgery.  But I'm out now, and I'm feeling okay.  I think that I can control most of the symptoms with my diet, which has been pretty easy to do since I really only want to eat bland foods.  But, it's Christmas and I'd like to have a cookie or two.  But I think I've learned my lesson.  Yummy foods = hospital.  After six days in there, I'd like to not go back for a while.  

So, there's that - which explains why I haven't taken many pictures lately.  I got sick on Thanksgiving and went to the emergency room that night.  Only to be admitted the next morning which was, unfortunately, Jack's birthday.  

So, we ended up cancelling his party.  Fortunately, Nana, Boppa, Aunt Annie, and cousins Wim and Bash made sure he still had an awesome day.  I stayed in the hospital until Sunday.  Jack and Jeff came to visit and my mom and dad brought me some super-cool Mickey pajamas, which Jack thought were totally awesome.  

Even if it doesn't look like it from this picture, Jack dug the jammies.  So, anyways, the next week was pretty laid back.  I stayed home from work on Monday and put up the holiday decorations.  I waited to decorate the tree until Jack was home.  I wasn't quite sure if he'd totally get the concept - and he didn't, really - but he had a blast "helping" me put the ornaments on the tree.  He basically just shoved the ornaments into the tree, but he kept telling me how pretty they all were and loved the ones he could shake.  I also let him open his birthday present from Grandma Jersey - a super cool train set, which has provided endless hours of entertainment thus far:

  

Anyways, on Friday, we went downtown to see Santa Claus.  We stopped at my office to visit everyone there and then headed over to Daddy's office.  Jack happened to think the mail cart was about the coolest thing ever.  

  

Nana and Boppa met us at Macy's for the afternoon.  Jack really liked Santaland, but didn't really like visiting with Santa.  He really didn't like sitting on Santa's lap, but was okay sitting next to him and giving him a fist bump.  Afterwards, we all had lunch and then Jack and I went home for a nap.  

The next day, Wisconsin came to visit!  Jack had so much fun running around and playing, and then everyone came up for a little cake and ice cream and to celebrate Jack's birthday.  It was nowhere near the spectacle I had planned, but I think that's okay.  It was nice to have a low key celebration and lots of hands to help me clean up.  And I don't have any pictures of the day either.  That's kind of sad.  

Anyways, Jack also got a hair cut.  I've decided that I like him with shaggy hair.  He looks entirely too old with his new hair cut.  Surprisingly, this time the tears were minimal, so maybe he's getting used to the fact that he's going to need a haircut every once and a while.  

So, I went back into the hospital on Tuesday.  And I stayed there until Thursday.  Honestly, I am so sick of doctors and medical clinics.  So, after I got home, all I wanted to do was cuddle with my little man.  

And he was happy to oblige.  Last night, we made popcorn and sat down to watch Elf, which is my favorite Christmas movie of all time.  Jack was so happy to sit on my lap and watch the movie with me, it was heaven.  But when Daddy got home, he wanted to show off a bit and play with Blue, who obliged so long as he was getting the occasional kernel of popcorn!

Honestly, I've probably missed a million things that have happened over the past few weeks and I'm sorry - but I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone that's helped our family.  Honestly, the kind thoughts and words, the things you've done to pitch in are so appreciated.  Now, let's hope that I'm finally on the mend and can enjoy a bit of the Christmas spirit.  And finally, I'll leave you with this last picture:

Honestly, this kid just slays me.