Christmas 2011

Santa was awfully good to us this year!


Ian was very excited about each of his gifts as he opened them.


We took a break from opening presents to put together a puzzle.


Santa even brought Ian (and everyone else) a cupcake!

They do look a lot alike, I think.


Merry Christmas!

A Visit with Santa

Tonight Santa stopped by the Frugality Ct Christmas party to check up on all the boys and girls to make sure they were being nice instead of naughty. Santa brought a present for Ian, but he was too distracted by his delicious cookie. When Santa asked Ian what he wanted for Christmas, Ian said "a cupcake!"



Mia got a present from Santa too, but she was too sleepy to notice.


Mommy was hoping for a present from Santa too, but no luck.


Then Mia and Santa took a little nap.

More Christmas Fun

Ian loves to hang (and re-hang) the ornaments on the Christmas tree.




This evening we got all bundled up and walked to the main street to see Santa drive by on the firetruck.

1 Month Old

Mia is 1 month old today! She had a checkup with the doctor yesterday and is growing great - she now weighs 7lbs12oz and measures 20.5 inches. Her newborn clothes are starting to get a little snug, so I'd bet we only have another week or two before she'll move up to the next size.



At one month, Mia:
- wears newborn and 0-3 sized clothes.
- eats 4oz of formula every 3-4 hours.
- sleeps most of the day, with longer awake periods in the morning and evening.
- likes to be out and about, and falls asleep almost immediately in the car.
- prefers to sleep snuggled up on someone - it's amazing how quickly she wakes up when put down.

Gingerbread House

Yesterday we decorated a gingerbread house. Ian did a great job with the decorating, but he also ate quite a bit of the candy, and the icing too!







The finished product:


This is what Mia was doing through all the fun:

Christmas is Coming!

Now that the turkey has been eaten, it's time to get ready for Christmas! We've been teaching Ian about Santa this year, and he is excited for Santa to bring him a puzzle. Today we ventured out to a Christmas tree farm to pick out and cut down our tree.

The farm had a great view of the countryside, and the weather was so warm Joe wore shorts!


Once we found a good one, Ian helped cut it down.




Mia snuggled up in the Moby and slept through the tree selection process.


Ian helped Joe pull the tree back to the barn.

Cuddles

The weather has been rainy and gloomy here the past few days, so Mia and I have been snuggled up at home. I am a lucky Mommy to get to spend all day with this cutie pie!

A few pictures from our first week at home.

Playing in the tunnel


I think he's over the weight limit


Play time with big brother

1 Week Old

Mia is 1 week old today! Instead of using the green chair to mark her growth like we did with Ian, we decided to use her big teddy bear. She wasn't a big fan of this plan, so the 1-week picture isn't the greatest. Ian decided to get in on the action, though, and I thought it would be nice to see what he looked like when Mia was brand new.



Stay tuned for a new photo on the 2nd of every month.

Welcome Mia!

Mia Elaine arrived on November 2nd, weighing 6lbs 6oz and measuring 19 3/4 inches. So far she is a very easy baby - she's a great eater and sleeper and is passing all of her tests and checkups with flying colors. Here are a few photos from our first few days as a family of four.

Getting ready


Meeting Mommy


Snug as a bug


Family photo


Big brother getting to know little sister


Kisses


Ian loves to hold Mia


And a few more for good measure ...

Trick or Treat!

Enjoying a lollipop and watching the trick or treaters.  Ian made it to all of the houses on our street and probably would have kept going. 

Happy Halloween!

Ian dressed as a fish for Halloween this year. The morning's festivities started off with a parade around the playground.





Ian did not love his costume, especially the hat, and he got a little upset seeing me there after he'd settled in for the day.



After the parade the parents stayed and read Halloween stories for the class. They started an art project and I snuck out to get some rest before my next appointment with the doctor this afternoon. Later today they will have a Halloween party loaded with sugar and, if we can get Ian back into his costume (doubtful), I'll post more pictures of him trick-or-treating.

After a busy morning at the pumpkin patch and a trip through the corn maze (and the resulting nap), Ian is ready to cheer on the Cardinals this afternoon.

Mmmm cheeseburger

Fall Festival

It finally stopped raining long enough for us to get outside and enjoy some Fall fun. The Fall Festival at Cox Farms is one of the best in the area, and is mostly about the slides.

Ian loved climbing through the hay tunnels, but he wasn't quite brave enough to go in by himself. Joe was a good sport.


Riding the twisty slide through the barn past all the animals.


Playing on the train (and just for fun, here is a photo of Ian on this same train at last year's festival).


Then Ian got brave and went down the slides by himself for a while.


In this first video (excuse the poor quality, I took it from my phone), you can hear him say "I made it!" when he gets to the bottom:


And in this second video, he shouts "again!" as soon as he's up and off the slide:


Getting ready for the very bumpy hayride (I really should have sat that part out).


Feeding the goats.