Sickness and School

The sweetest little sweet pea there ever was had his first day of school at the beginning of this month. He was darling and delightful...and (like his sister before him) refused to nap.  The main problem is probably that they will only put him down on his back, and this pumpkin has been a tummy sleeper since six weeks.  He typically takes a 1.5 hour nap in the morning and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon.  Here he is, at school, quickly cramming in a 20 minute nap on the floor at 2pm after refusing to sleep all day.  But he wouldn't let go of his toy...

So tired.  Must...hold...on...

There is hope, however.  This little nugget ROLLED OVER.  I laid him on his back on the floor, turned to play with Izzie, and when I looked again he was on his tummy.  I didn't actually witness it, but apart from a miracle, which seems highly improbable and also a little useless, I think we have to assume he did it on his own.  Now, to teach him to do it when they lay him in his crib for nap at school...

This seems like a lot of screaming for flopping around and accidentally ending here.  But...thanks?

This picture is important.  Remember this picture.  This is the picture of my darlings kissing and hugging and snuggling and laughing two inches from each other's faces on a Wednesday.  

"Mommy!  He likes to lick my face!"

And this is my daughter on that Saturday.  Stomach flu.

This is my son on that Sunday.  Influenza.  Turns out, they are not the same type of flu and my bitties can infect each other.  No worries, they hardly ever share germs...OH, WAIT.  Please remember that picture I told you to remember.  Yikes.

And this was our quarantined, infected home.  A lot of pajamas were worn.  A lot of books were read.   And this girlie watched more movies than she has in her lifetime.  

But, don't worry!  We found other ways to entertain ourselves.  Can YOU spot the Tylenol bottle?  Who says being sick can't be fun?  Especially when it's medicine time for your brother and your mom is slightly crazy from being homebound with two sick kids.  Good times!

And this was more fun.  She was better -- no puking or fever -- and fell asleep.  In my arms.  FOR THIRTY MINUTES.  This might be the last time it will ever happen, so I would like to document it.  This child does not snuggle and likes to sleep in her bed.  Have I mentioned that this does not happen?  I ate it up...before slipping out from under her and enjoying the first ten minutes in three days without a child or two clinging to me in some form or fashion.  Doubly delightful.

Finally, BOTH kids are well and going to school (we somehow managed to avoid them infecting each other).  And buddy is wearing his kicks (Daddy bought them for Caden one-hundred years ago and now it's our turn to use them).  Gotta look good.

Because I can't help myself...

This is what I make my friends do, because I can't help myself.  COME ON.  How cute is this?  I love when I can force people in my life to reenact special moments.  They are almost exactly the same age in these pictures (the kids, not the Dans).  Big thanks to Uncle Dan for going along with my special kind of crazy - at least I didn't ask him to change clothes or go tanning (July vs. January, folks).

Clearly, Izzie was bigger.  And clearly, my kids don't really look anything alike.  At all.  There are moments where their expressions are the same, and they have the same uni-length fingers and fuzzy hair.  But that's about it. Oh! Their eyes - their beautiful blue eyes surrounded by a dark blue outer rim. Exact same coloring. And they are gorgeous.

Please note Dan's bracelet in the bottom picture.  Made by Izzie, worn by him (in public) on numerous occasions.  Because that is the wonderful kind of adopted uncle that he is.  And she adores him for it.

Finishing up Christmas and a New Year

Here are a few pictures I forgot from our Christmas celebrations.  Izzie made a poster for Jesus' birthday.  It has all these questions to answer about Jesus and Christmas, and I asked for her answers. Some were pretty spot on and some were just adorable.  She looks so old in this picture.  "What town was Jesus born in?"  A manger.  Close enough, folks.  She is two!  And my favorite, "What gift would you bring for baby Jesus?"  A crayon and a pee-nano.  Obviously.  Very practical.

And then Izzie, Levi and I made some Christmas ornaments to give out as presents.  She used her little thumbprint to make a heart shape, and he poked his little finger in them as a star.  If Izzie keeps up her current love of projects, this little man has a lot more crafting in his future.  

Some more Christmases...

The infamous blue glow stick.  Bryan and her opened it before bedtime on Christmas Eve
and he let her go to sleep with it.  Best 10 cent present he's ever gotten, I think.

This would be what she looks like when she is DONE

Christmas program.  Caden as a shepherd and Levi as a
sheep.  The sign in from of him (written by Caden) says
"baaa".  The girls were wise men, but somehow I did not
get a pic of that.  Izzie's highlight was her bow, of course.

Christmas with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa Harms

Christmas with Great Grandpa Olson

Another Christmas at Grammy's...

...with the Heitkamps.  Bethany and Jake were kind enough
to play Hide and Seek 5,000 times.

Christmas at Great Grandma and Great Grapa Rahn's.
Karina and Izzie read a very interesting biography together.

Then, it was finally time for a Happy New Year party at the Abbotts!  We ate a delicious dinner, had a balloon drop at 8:00, and headed home for bed.  Life with babies, right?

Countdown to the balloon drop

It wasn't until later, when looking at the pictures, that
I realized she had a Target sticker on her forehead the
whole night.   Apparently I got used to it...

Christmas 2014, part 2

Christmas morning continued with breakfast and presents at Auntie Brittany's house.  

The kids had a blast running around and playing with their new toys and presents.  

Checking out the haul in the stockings.  Izzie's favorite was her "make up" (chapstick).

Levi got a giant lion and Izzie got a giant pig.  They are new favorites at our house.

Matching shirts for Izzie and Callie from the Larsons.

Trying out Callie's new knitting machine

Then it was home for a much needed nap!  After that, we made 

our way to Grammy and Poppers for dinner and presents.

Navy and gray was the jammie theme this year.  What a crew!

The result when I asked her to show of her shoes.
Quite the model pose, right?

Making each other laugh by sticking out tongues.

Grammy hit a home run!  Look at that face!

The princesses recovering...

Christmas 2014

My First Christmas!

Oh, Christmas. We love you. Isn't it wonderful to celebrate the most amazing event - the birth of Christ, God himself coming to rescue us - with the wonderful traditions of family, friends, food, music, presents, movies, cookies, and pajamas? We are major fans around here. There is a little girl in our house that is going to be LIVID when the tree comes down. Never mind when the lights aren't on the house anymore! I think I'm going to have to slowly phase out the decorations - a tree here, a nativity there - to avoid a shock to her system.

Last Sunday was the Christmas Eve program at church. Our darling behaved exactly as expected. She knew all the songs and actions word for word, and did not make use of any of that knowledge. Slightly overwhelmed by the people and lights, she stood on the steps, sucked her finger, and pulled her shirt up around her chest (the very reason she was not in a dress - thanks, Lilah, for the adorable outfit!). It struck me how tiny she looked, and reminded me that even though she is the queen of sass and has the vocabulary of an eight year old, she is still really just a baby girl. 

Overwhelmed was an understatement.  But she didn't cry, stood where
she was supposed to, and listened to her teachers.  The video of her
doing nothing is really the best.  Isn't that what's expected when you're two?

We started Christmas Eve with each of us opening one present. Izzie got her shark slippers, and she was the most gracious and grateful little thing there ever was (I should have remembered this moment better later, when I wanted to strangle her). I opened a set of knives from Izzie (aka Daddy), Levi got a book from Mommy (duh), and Bryan opened his present from Izzie - a giant Olaf cup and a blue glow stick. She picked it all out herself, and was so excited about the blue glow stick that she told him what it was instantly. We let her pick out presents to give this year to try to help her learn generosity and that gift giving is a reciprocal process - not a one way street to Izzie!

Next was going to church - usually my favorite part. However, since a very emotional two year old and a very squirmy four month old were my companions, I spent a lot of time on the foyer and the wiggle room. Rats. Sometimes being a parent is lame. Here is where I should have remembered the shark slippers so I wouldn't have felt like such a hopeless mother.

Then at home later Izzie set out a cookie and corn for the reindeer. After that, the little ones were off to bed and Mommy became Santa. Snowy boot prints, cookie crumbs, spilled corn, and a note. Plus the arranging of the presents - the most important part!

On Christmas morning we awoke to our surprises from Santa. Then we opened the gifts we had gotten each other in our little family. Izzie got Levi a hedgehog piggy bank, he got her puzzles. Bryan and I each had a few presents from her, and she opened a Frozen blanket, a helicopter, and a superhero mask and cape. Levi got a puzzle, and not much else besides Santa presents, because really, who are we kidding?

Is this a flash forward fourteen years?  Is she giving me "the look" as she
speeds away in the car, sunglasses a top her head?  It sure feels like it...

Whew.  There's the two year old.

"What do you propose I do with THAT?"

She kept this on for quite awhile -- it even made it's way to Auntie Brittany's.

The piggy bank.  She was so proud.  Even put money from her own bank in it for him.

Then, my babies did this and it was like my best Christmas present. Melt. My. Heart. I'm keeping them forever.

We'll save the rest of the festivities for another post.

Merry Christmas

The corn was made for the reindeer.

The cake was made for Jesus.

The shark slippers were unwrapped with joy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

(That is a picture of her growling like a shark... Proof that your children will always surprise you - after scouring the toy filled Christmas ads, her one request was shark slippers. And we're hoping Santa pulls through on her only other wish - a Barney book.)

Mr. Man

Aaaaah! I can't look at this picture without exclaiming out loud how much I love him. It's impossible. I would gobble him up whole if I could.

He is getting so expressive and interactive. Here we were at Target and he woke up from a nap. I unzipped his car seat and took his hat off and this was the look on his face for about ten minutes. Extreme displeasure. "Why for am I not sleeping, mother?" Delightful.