New Year, New Toys

Out with the old and in with the new, right? Aidan had his second Christmas this past week with my side of the family. I had to go out and buy another container to store his old toys in to make room for the new ones! Thank goodness Nana and Papa are willing to store our stuff until the next baby needs it, otherwise I think we'd have to rent storage. Favorites from this round of present opening include a new John Deere "Buck" and a hammer and pegs. Let me tell you, Aidan is dangerous with that hammer. I think everyone got their fingers smashed at least once while trying to help him hit the pegs.

We had a great time while Nana, Papa, Kali and Kyle were here. We rung in the new year by going out to eat at a Japanese steakhouse. The guys all took Saki shots (plural) and everyone enjoyed the food. I did not stay awake until midnight, but did wake up at midnight to the sound of cheers in Times Square. That counts, right?

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009

Click on the picture above to visit our Picasa Web Album. You can view each picture individually, or watch a slideshow.

We took approximately 160 pictures this Christmas and I narrowed them down to my fave 40(ish). Aidan got a few toys that became instant hits...a jack-in-the-box and, of course, his hockey stick. He posed with his hockey stick, he played with his hockey stick, he wanted everyone else to play with his hockey stick. I must say, he was quite the charmer this weekend. Everyone kept commenting on how happy and well-behaved he is. I rolled my eyes several times since they clearly were not witnessing his whining/screaming fits that come when he doesn't get what he wants. What's not to be happy about with 8 adults catering to your every whim? He truly was well-behaved while we were up North, which makes me a proud parent. He slept at least 11-12 hours every night with two naps almost every day we were there. Not to mention he slept for 14 hours the night we came home. All that activity and attention wears a guy out! Now we're gearing up for Nana, Papa, Aunt Kali, and Uncle Kyle's visit. They arrive Wednesday, so I had better start cleaning!

Ms. Flexible

Just call me Ms. Flexible. A snowstorm with up to 2 ft predicted right smack during our planned travel time? No problem, we'll just leave a day early. Pack food, ingredients to make 2 cakes, cheesy potatoes, and everything a 1 1/2 year old needs to survive for 3 days...Easy. Or so I keep telling myself. The power of positive thoughts will get me through packing tomorrow morning, then we'll be on the road by 2pm. Kyle and I are very excited to spend a very relaxing, snow-filled Christmas surrounded by his family in front of the giant fireplace. If only I could have a nice glass of red wine...that would be perfection.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Check back in on Sunday or Monday for Christmas Day pictures.

Makin' A List

Actually, it's more like 20 lists. I make multiple lists every day. So much stuff to do! To the best of my knowledge, all presents have been bought and I got all but one wrapped today. Check. Groceries for the trip to Hayward have been purchased. Check. Christmas letters have been mailed. Check. Were all of them signed? No. I addressed, stamped, stuffed, and sealed 26 envelopes without signing the letter inside. BIG OOPS! If you receive an unsigned letter, feel free to laugh at me. I wish I could blame it on the pregnancy, but it had more to do with Aidan getting into everything he was not supposed to while I was trying to finish up the letters on Friday night and Kyle was at hockey practice. Lesson learned.

Next on the list(s): round up everything needed for our Christmas trip up to Hayward, WI

Snow Day

The kids at my elementary school have been practicing a song called "No School Tomorrow" for their upcoming holiday concert. When I found out we had a snow day on Wednesday, I went around signing it all day long. Of course, I had to change the words to "There'll be no school today, no school today, no school today because it snowed!"

I utilized the day to the fullest extent, made possible by the fact that Aidan went to daycare for 5 hours. He was one of four kids in his class. Needless to say, he got lots of attention. As for me, Santa and I chatted and I picked out presents I thought Aidan would enjoy. I also made thumbprint cookies and Christmas cut-outs. After 3 1/2 hours on my feet I could barely move. My lower back hurt so bad I felt nauseous. Note to self...if I am ever 6 months pregnant again, I will not stand for long periods of time.

Here are some picks of Aidan enjoying the snow before it got too cold. (this was the very beginning of the storm on Tuesday evening...we ended up getting 7.4 inches and 40mph winds)

What do little boys do in MN when it's cold outside?

Play Hockey!!

So happy to play outside (and get his picture taken)

That's the Spirit!

Does anything say Christmas like baking cookies? I think not. Aidan enjoyed helping me make the dough for my new favorite chocolate/mint cookies. The little stinker stood there and watched the whole time, mesmerized. Then, just as I was finishing up, he snatched a handful of dough and shoved it in his mouth. He couldn't get enough after that and was not happy with me when it was time to let the dough chill for 30 min.


Aidan got the camera for me last night and demanded (nicely) that I take his picture. How could I refuse when we get results like this? I would use this for my Christmas card if his shirt wasn't covered in drool. Aidan's last two bottom teeth are coming in. This past week has been one big, wet, messy spit fest.

O' Christmas Tree

Kyle has promised me that we only have to go to Christmas tree lots for 2 more years, then we can start cutting down our own tree again. I'm blogging this little anecdote so that it's in writing and I can refer back to it in two years when Kyle says "the kids just aren't old enough yet, it will be too much of a hassle, yada, yada"... I will not forget.

That being said, we went to a Christmas tree lot yesterday and picked out our tree for the season. We both agreed it didn't feel like Christmas due to the warmth and lack of snow. Nonetheless, we picked out the tree and will hopefully have time to decorate it today.

I asked Aidan to go stand by the tree.
Instead, he sat down with a huge grin on his face.

Running to come see how his photo session turned out.

Flashback to Christmas tree hunting last year.
This photo looks much more "Christmas-y" than the ones above.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to all! We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and it was a success. All the food was ready at the same time, nothing was burnt, and it was all edible. What more could you want? It was great seeing family that we don't see all that often, and the big bonus of the day was that Aidan was in bed and asleep by 6pm. That's what I was thankful for.

The rest of the weekend is kind of go with the flow. No big plans. The "organizing bug" bit me this morning and I cleaned out Aidan's closet to make way for the new baby's stuff. Some things got tossed, some things will get donated, and a LOT will get handed down to the new baby. I also did a little online shopping in hopes of scoring some good deals on Christmas presents. I got 4 people taken care of, and even bought myself a maternity fleece hoodie from Old Navy that was on sale for $5. Seriously, how can you pass that up?

Next on the mental "to do" list: get a Christmas tree and decorate.

I'm A Big Girl Now

Does anything scream "you're an adult" more than hosting your first holiday dinner? We're having Kyle's side over for Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday and I've got a list a mile long for Kyle to complete this week. Hmm, maybe this working full-time thing isn't such a bad gig after all. If I was home I would have to do it all. :) Just kidding. I've been working diligently this weekend to chip away at the stuff that can be done a few days ahead of time. Aidan's toy room is picked up and organized (for the moment), the windows have all been washed, the table is extended to seat 8, and the grocery shopping is done.

In my spare time I made a meal for my friend Gayle and took it over to their new house in the hopes that I could get some quality cuddle time in with her new little peanut, Grace. Grace was born on November 8th and is the tiniest little baby I have ever seen. Weighing in at just 5lbs 11 oz, she is the perfect size for cuddling in one arm. Of course she slept in my arms the whole time I was there, but that's what new babies do. I'm looking forward to having my own little baby girl that just wants to hang out in my arms.

Speaking of Baby Girl (no, we don't have a name picked out yet), her closet is quickly filling up thanks to Grandma Michele and my friend Carrie who generously loaned us some little girl clothes. (plus maternity clothes, THANK YOU, Carrie!) I don't know what I'm going to do with all MY clothes, but she will fill up her own closet, I'm sure.

Aidan got to feel the baby kick this week while singing bedtime songs. At first I just thought he was being giggly. I then realized that every time he was laughing, the baby was also kicking him in the back. Too funny.

Faster, Longer

The weeks seem to be going faster and my list of things to do just keeps getting longer. I took a little "me" time on Saturday to get my hair cut and shop for some maternity clothes at the Mall of America. The hair cut turned out nice, the shopping trip was a bust. Why is it that when you know exactly what you want, you can never find it? I want a maternity button-down cardigan and a light-weight turtleneck sweater. Apparently these things do not exist in the world of maternity clothes. I went to Old Navy, Gap, Motherhood Maternity, and A Pea in the Pod. No luck at any of those stores.

Of course, since I spent Saturday doing "fun" stuff, that means that not much got done around the house. Today was filled with window washing and starting to cover the windows in plastic. I'm exhausted and it's not even 2 o'clock yet. Thankfully Aidan is down for a nap and Kyle is watching the Vikings beat-up on the Lions. I can at least catch up on my blogging.

Aidan keeps getting funnier and funnier. Lately he has been hiding himself behind things and then popping out to say "hi". Over and over, with a big smile on his face. It makes me laugh every time. He's also figured out how much fun it is to lay down on the floor and roll around.

Kyle starts varsity hockey try-outs on Monday. Hello hockey widowhood. I haven't missed you. Thankfully Kyle is ONLY coaching varsity this year, and not attempting to also help out the PeeWee team. I can at least count on him being home by dinnertime except on game nights.

In my own little world, this is the last week I'm teaching Non-Violent Crisis Intervention. Two more 11 hour days this week and then I can get back to a normal schedule. Thanksgiving break can't get here fast enough. Mama needs some rest.