Merry Christmas! - part I

Our Christmas was wonderfully full of family, food and fun. I'll give you a glimpse into a few of our special moments. Gus and I decided that we really wanted to have a quiet Christmas morning with the kids at home. We planned to open gifts, have a nice breakfast together and spend a little time telling Nathan about Jesus.

After a late night on Christmas Eve, the kids woke late. We proceeded to the stockings first. Nathan didn't really believe us that there were presents inside, but he finally agreed to take a look.

Emie did not have stocking gifts this year, but I don't think she minded. Playing in her Christmas jammies was excitement enough.

Once we made it to the tree for the gifts from us, Nathan decided that his wooden toy screwdriver was the best tool for opening gifts.

Whereas Emie decided that her gums were the best tool for the job.

All in all, Nathan took in quite the haul of toys. He certainly was the joyful receiver that I expected him to be and he made fast work of playing with all of his new toys. This is him with the Bob the Builder lego set that Gus and I found on craigslist. He spent the day moving them from room to room and arranging them "just so".

After this, we did have our breakfast together and we told Nathan about how it was Jesus' birthday that we were celebrating. Then, we headed over to Grandma and Papa's house for a celebration with my Mom, Dad, sister, Aunt and Uncle. I'll get to posting some pictures of that in the next few days!

A joyful giver

While I love the Christmas season as a time of celebration of the most amazing gift we have ever received, I have never been a truly joyful giver. Christmas shopping for me is summed up in the word: stress. It's no secret that I really don't like shopping in general, but Christmas shopping is by far the hardest for me to stomach. I'm very practical by nature and I only like to give a gift if I know it is needed and will be put to use. I hate to contribute to the clutter that ties so many of us down. So, I hit the stores with the perfect gift idea in my head. Something needed . . . and wanted. But I never find that perfect gift. So then I end up buying some silly thing that may bring a smile to the recipient, but will likely just end up gathering dust somewhere once Christmas has passed. Other times during the year, I may just run into the perfect gift for someone, and I will give it joyfully, for no specific occasion, just because I found it and knew it was perfect for that person. This makes me happy.

The vast majority of this year's Christmas shopping has gone about like other years. I didn't find those perfect gifts, so I bought whatever I found that would do the job. But tonight as I was wrapping up Nathan's gifts, I was just smiling ear to ear. For I did find the perfect gifts for my little boy. I know him so very well, that I know exactly what he wants. And because this, his second Christmas, is the first one he will really grasp, I know he doesn't even expect gifts. He doesn't know they are coming and will be so overjoyed to receive them. Yes, his gifts will certainly add to the clutter of my house, will likely cause me to trip at some point or another, and will further push me into the decorating realm that involves colored plastic, but I have not been this excited to give a Christmas gift for a long time.

4 months of sweetness

Happy 4 months Emie! Here's a little update on how she's doing:

• She's all smiles during her awake time. She has become quite the chatterbox lately, with lots of girly squeals. We're still working hard to get that first giggle though.
• She's a rolling machine. Nathan finds it hilarious when she barrel rolls across the room and he'll start doing it too, asking me to join in. I don't think he'll find it quite so funny when she starts going after his toys!
• She's started grabbing the toys on her bouncy chair and carseat.
• She can sit up using her hands for several minutes.
  
• She's sleeping pretty well. She takes 3-4 naps a day and sleeps 12 hours at night. She usually gets up once to eat around 3 or 4 a.m. She sleeps on her tummy, sucking her thumb with her little rump in the air. Gus says that filipinos say that when a baby starts sleeping this way it means he/she is ready for a baby sibling. Hmmm. . . . . not so sure what I think about that one!
• She hasn't started solid food yet, but she sure seems interested! I don't think I started Nathan on them until almost 6 months, but she may not wait as long.
  
• She's 12 lbs. 15 oz and 25.25 inches long which is 40th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. Seems to be following her brother's growth pattern so far.
  

Dennis the Menace?

Any suggestions on what I should do with this hair?
Whether it is short or long, it sticks up. Wetting it down will buy about an hour of flatness. I'm not really one for hair gel on little boys, but I'm afraid he'll look back at pictures and tell me "I can't believe you styled my hair that way". But then again, do boys really care about that kind of thing? And it is a true reflection of his personality - wild and persistent, but so stinkin' cute. When he sees our neighbor out in the driveway, he plasters his face to the window and yells "Mr. Bill!". He sports overalls on a regular basis.
Maybe he is Dennis the Menace?

Teach them in the way they should go

Nathan is turning two next month. It feels like he's officially leaving babyhood behind and turning into a little boy before my eyes. As I sit here on Thanksgiving morning, I'm both thankful for the opportunity to mother this little one and overwhelmed with the task of teaching him the important things in life. I thought potty-training was intimidating, but the thought of teaching him our faith is far more scary and exciting. I'd like to start doing some more intentional things with him this advent season. I know he is still little, but he is taking in a lot now and he can grasp some simple concepts. So readers, do you have any ideas for me?

Happy Thanksgiving! I can't express how thankful I am for each of you!

Where to start?

When a blog has been hopelessly neglected? When the author of said blog is at best a terrible writer? Well, how about here . . .

We recently welcomed our second little one. Emilia "Emie" Grayce was born on August 8, 2009. She weighed 7 lbs 8.5 oz and was 20.5 inches long. From these recent pictures, you can see how much she has grown. She's 3.5 months now. She loves to look around, watch her brother and she always has smiles for Mommy and Daddy. She's rolling tummy to back, pushing up on her hands, 95% of the way to rolling back to tummy, sucking her thumb like it's goin' outta style, "talking" to her big bro, and giving her Mommy some much needed sleep :) Big brother Nathan will be 2 in December. He's a bundle of energy and is always, always on the move. He absolutely loves all things new and exciting in life and has no fear of the unknown. His speech has really exploded in the last few months and he's coming up with some sentences now. He and Bailey fight constantly for territory and Mommy's attention, but they have been seen cuddling now and then! Gus started a new job in July and it seems to be a great fit so far. Tracy is back at work after her maternity leave, but only 3 days per week. So far so good! Thanks for bearing with me - I'll try to post more often than every 4 years!