Our Christmas

We had a lovely little Christmas at home this year. In the past, I have either worked on Christmas or we have traveled to be with family. This year we were just home. No work, no snowy drive, just our little family of three. And it was just as I had pictured it- with lots of laughs, coffee, and relaxation. Speaking of relaxation, this little pant-less wonder slept in until eight before joining us in bed and tearing through his stocking.

As for the rest of the gifts, Calvin dashed down the hallway at the speed of light to see what Santa had brought him (no, he really doesn't get the whole Santa thing yet). 

We were pleasantly surprised as Cal patiently opened one gift at a time, giving us plenty of time to listen to Christmas music, sip on coffee, and exchange our own gifts as he "Ooh and aah'd" over his new train tracks. 

Besides his train set, the other favorite of the morning was a big transportation book. I can only hope he is always so thrilled with a book for Christmas!  

But to no surprise, the biggest hit of the day was the new Strider bike he received from his Grandma and Grandpa Ondrey. He jumped on the bike immediately and hasn't been away from it for more than five minutes ever since. He now uses it as his only form of transportation in our house. Why walk to the dinner table when you can ride a bike? Time for a bath? Simply park the bike by the toilet. It's hilarious. 

Marshall was in on the day of relaxation as well. He spent the majority of the day gnawing on a new antler bone by the fire. Spoiled pup.

Later on, we enjoyed a Christmas brunch with Sarah, Craig, and cousin Jack. Did I manage to get a photo of everyone? Of course not, but I promise the boys were sweet and the food was delicious.

We spent the afternoon lounging with bowls of ice cream as we watched Christmas movies with our boy and  found ourselves crashing our friends' annual Christmas day, pajama required, Chinese food extravaganza that evening. It was the perfect ending to a lovely day! 

Hope your Christmas was merry indeed!!

Pregnancy Recap

I figured I better get a pregnancy update out there (mostly for my own records) before this pregnancy is no more! As cliche as it sounds, these past 9 months have really flown by. It's amazing how distracting a wild toddler can be. My pregnancy with Calvin was filled with documented love notes, photos, and weekly progress reports. And although I have far less photos and pregnancy anecdotes to share with this baby boy someday, there was just as much love. Love that continues to grow daily for a sweet little boy we have yet to meet. 

This pregnancy came as a surprise. A blessed, albeit very intimidating, surprise. The first trimester was filled with a lot of, "How are we going to do this?" and "Ahhhh... two kids under two!". Once the initial shock wore off and we began to embrace the idea of another little one joining our tight-knit party of three, the excitement and planning began- along with a side of nausea, an aversion to meat, and fatigue that would leave me sound asleep on the couch even as a small person climbed all over me like a jungle gym.

Around 18 weeks we found out we were having another boy. Instead of painting the guestroom blue, we decided that Calvin could use a roommate. The idea of two little boys jumping on beds and entertaining each other in their room was too cute to pass up. (And selfishly, the idea of not having a guestroom for the grandparents to come, stay, and help us enjoy their grand-kids was too scary a thought.) 

Echoing my pregnancy with Cal, the second half was welcomed with a bit more energy and a lot more heartburn and backaches. We kept ourselves extremely busy throughout the summer and fall which contributed to the shock that we were rounding the home stretch and actually going to have two little boys in our home in a few short months.

Somewhere in the third trimester we began talking more and more to Calvin about his baby brother. While the concept still seems a bit out of reach for him, he is more than happy to offer my belly kisses and point to his baby bump after he points to mine. Listening to his little voice utter the words "baby brother" and say his name in a perfectly clear manner gets me every time. I can't wait to see these two in action! 

Unlike Calvin, this once breech boy surprised us a few weeks ago when he decided to cooperate and flip into a head down position. And now the waiting game begins. Knowing that this little love could join us at any moment is keeping everyone on edge as we prepare for Christmas and Calvin's big birthday this week. We have been busily packing our bags, sorting through baby clothes, installing car-seats and readying our home- all the while trying to relax and soak up every last minute with our Calvin before our lives change again.

(Check out that odd square belly!)

As for you, baby boy #2, we cannot wait to meet you and welcome you into our family. We love you already!! 

(Please be good to me on your way out ;)

Christmas Card Outtakes

My mom was sweet enough to act as our official Christmas photo photographer this year. We picked a nice day in late October and headed down to the lakefront in an attempt to get a few family photos. We did manage to get a few winners but let's be honest, the outtakes are much more entertaining.

And now for a few keepers..

And of course we couldn't leave the new guy out so here he and I are at 30 weeks.

Things are looking quite different now at 37 weeks. We have big plans to officially get our house and lives ready for baby #2 this weekend. Knowing that he could arrive any day now is so exciting and only a little overwhelming. Okay, maybe a lot overwhelming- I still have about 27 things to check off my list before he arrives. Babies don't need diapers, right? If he could stay put through Christmas and his big brother's 2nd birthday (December 29th) that would be great. If not, we will happily welcome our new holiday addition and scramble for diapers on the way home from the hospital!

Hope you are finding time to relax and enjoy the holidays!!

My Baking Buddy

I have always loved to bake. I distinctly remember being in 5th grade and having to teach my class how to do something via presentation. I'm pretty sure the purpose of the lesson was not to actually teach 30 other kids how to do something new but to force each student to stand up in front of their peers after days of nervously waiting for their name to be pulled from the hat and present something without bursting into tears. (As you may have caught on, public speaking was never my thing.) We were encouraged "teach" anything- a cool new way to tie your shoes, how to care for a dog.. absolute randomness.

I taught everyone how to make cookies. Chocolate chip, of course. 

Much to my delight, my son has decided that he loves to bake as well. And right in the middle of the holiday baking season- such perfect timing. Not only do I get my holiday baking fix but Cal remains occupied and in my line of sight (which is necessary for his safety and my sanity). That being said, we have been spending hours in the kitchen together lately. Scooping, measuring, mixing, rolling, batter-eating.. he loves it all. There's even an apron involved to up the cute factor that much more..

The chubby cookie loving 5th grader inside of me is bursting with pride.

Cal's Wonderland

If you know me at all you know I am an absolute Christmas nut! The scents, the baking, the music, the quiet Advent moments at church.. I can't get enough! And although the chances of an almost 2 year old not loving Christmas are unbelievably slim, I couldn't help but do my part to make sure that didn't happen. With Jakob and Cal out running errands last weekend, I took the opportunity to decorate Calvin's room. 

Here is a little tour..

"Lights!! Snooooow!! Wooooooow!!" He was so excited! 

Even Marshall likes to play in the wonderland.

As if the decorations weren't enough, it snowed Monday, giving Cal the perfect reason to stand at the patio door in awe. We definitely have a Christmas lover on our hands. My heart is so happy (insert cheesy line about seeing Christmas through a child's eyes here).

Today I am one pie in to a three pie day with lots of other baking and preparations going on before we celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends, co-workers, and family over the next several days. I love this season!

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving weekend with those you love most!!

Lately (instagram style)

It's time to catch up! Here's what we have been up to the past few months via Instagram...

1. Carving pumpkins

2. Using contact cases as trains

3. Cal's first trip to the dentist

4. Starbucks date

5. Jumping in leaves

6. Jakob and Cal's band

7. Swinging with cousin Sawyer

8. Late night stroll down our street

9. Working on a name for the new guy

10. Walking around with his girl, Tils

11. Construction birthday party

12. Lunch date with his pal Donovan 

13. Curling his blonde locks

14. In awe of the lights at Marshall's daycare

15. Painting his next masterpiece 

So yeah, the only photos I take are of Cal. What can I say, I'm obsessed! 

Mamas and Papas

Cal has been all about his grandparents lately. After several visits from both sets of grandparents over the past month he has perfected his "Papa", "Mama" (Yes, the Grandmas and I have to share the title), and "pweeeease" in order to wrap the whole crew around his tiny, sticky fingers. And let's be honest, they are more than happy to be wrapped around those fingers. He's one lucky boy.

This past week Grandma Sali came to stay with us. I took some time off from work, slept in while she played with Cal, and accomplished more in three days than I would typically get done in a month. Case in point- the Christmas cards are already ordered! Whaaa?!? I feel like a new woman! And Cal, now stuck at home with only his "MaaaMaa" and "DaaaDeee" (catch my whiny drift?) has been asking about his Mamas and Papas all weekend- such love for those grandparents.

Here's one of my favorite moments from the week..

Cal and his Grandma pretending to take a nap together, fake snores and all. I can't help but laugh out loud when I see this photo. 

Thanks for a great week Grandma, we love you!

Trick or Treat

I think it's time to close up Halloween and get these last few photos posted so I can officially move on to the next season. At this very moment in our home the Christmas music is playing and a candle appropriately named "Winter" is burning. It's definietly time to move on! But before I do, I would like to show off our adorable Halloween raccoon..

Last year we took Calvin to Lincoln Square for a little trick-or-treating. We pushed his stroller up to the store window, collected the candy on his behalf, and later went home to eat every single treat our costumed baby collected for us. This year was a different story. Calvin ran into each store with outstretched arms as he politely demanded a "tweeeeet", said a quick "thank you", ran out, and promptly devoured his goods. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.. until the sugar high was too much to handle.

(Our raccoon's top three favorites: Dum Dums, M&M's & Smarties)

(Cal & his pals)

(How adorable is cousin Jack's spider costume??)

Grandma and Grandpa were in town this year and got to spend the day trick-or-treating with their grandsons. They loved it!

As for the actual holiday, Jakob took Calvin around the neighborhood. Just as expected, Calvin went right to work proudly walking up to each door just like the big kids. Even the rain couldn't keep him from collecting so much candy he could no longer physically carry his little pumpkin bucket home. But rather than admit defeat, he chose to drag the pumpkin down the street until Dad called it a day and carried his sweet little wet raccoon home. He has been enjoying a lollipop every day since. 

Now that Halloween is behind us, let the countdowns begin..

19 days til Thanksgiving!!

46 days til Christmas!!

61 days til baby!!

Halloween Overload

Things have been pretty festive around here lately. Festive, and crazy! Pumpkin picking, jumping in leaves, and cookie decorating sandwiched in with a nasty fall cold, some major appliance drama and lots of visitors. We have been busy busy busy to say the least.

As for Calvin, he has had the best week of his life! He spent the beginning of the week running around with cousin Sawyer and showing off for cousin Hazel. As if that wasn't enough, he spent the entire weekend being spoiled by his Grandma and Grandpa. What more could a tot want? If you ask Cal the answer would be PUMPKINS!!!- and that's just what he got. A weekend of pumpkiny, Halloweeny, sugary goodness. After weeks of being on full pumpkin alert and pointing out every "punk" he lays his eyes on, a bit of an obsession has formed.

(Displaying some serious pumpkin love.)

He hand-picked two pumpkins a few weeks ago and has been lugging them around the house ever since.  After rolling the large pumpkin to his room all by himself, it now lives next to his bed where he can look at it before he goes to sleep. At one point this week I even found Calvin and Sawyer playing soccer with it in the hallway.

The smaller pumpkin was used for an art project this weekend.

An edible one.

 Thankfully, the finished product turned out quite cute.

Much to his sprinkle loving delight, he also spent some time making Halloween cookies with Grandma and cousin Jack this weekend.

(Gotta love little Jack snacking on a yummy dough bat.)

(Cuties and their baking noses.)

As for myself, I am more than ready for Monday. After a crazy (and fun/busy/frustrating/long) week, Calvin is quietly tucked in for the night next to his pumpkin, my nasty cold has taken a turn for the better, the new washer and dryer are finally up and running (and I immediately did 7 loads of laundry to break them in), and I am sitting on the couch watching Scandal and browsing through potential Christmas cards. Bring on the week!