Christmas in PA

blog apology

After getting alot of heat for my grumbling post last week I felt like I needed to make a public apology. I'm not a scrooge and I do love the holidays! My feelings that day were completely seperate from all the festivites around me and I was basically have a moment of cabin fever. So, SORRY! (But, I also think I'm entitled to lament on my blog once in awhile!)
Anyways, I'm currently sipping coffee in my in-law's kitchen and just enjoying another day of relaxing after all the holiday business. One more Christmas party to go tonight and then it's all over until next year. We've had yet another great time here with our PA relatives; I just love it! And the girls have been nothing short of perfect since we've been here which is so nice! (Maybe we'll leave them here for a couple months since they seem to do so well here, ha ha!)
Lots of pictures will follow when we get home. Merry (belated) Christmas everyone!

born in the wrong state

Ugh. I'm pining for summer already. I really just don't care for winter. Changing of the seasons is cool and all but I would honestly be happy as a clam in the ocean to live in warm, humid weather all year long and VISIT Michigan twice a year for the summer-to-fall change and winter-to-spring change.

I'm tired of being cooped up in the house with my sick self and kids.
I'm tired of seeing the dust piled up (no matter how often I clean) because the furnace is kicking it out through the vents.
I'm tired of stale humidifier air.
I'm tired of hearing my husband say he "thinks" he's getting sick.
I HATE that Michigan never really gets a decent amount of snow and instead it's half ice, half melted, and mostly slush all over the ground so we can't even go out and play in the snow if we wanted to.
I'm jealous that my parents are en route to Marathon Key, Florida AS WE SPEAK!!!
I miss my flip flops.

(Can you tell I haven't made it out of the house yet today?)

3 parties down, 3 to go!

The Holiday Bug

It wouldn't be Christmas unless someone in our family got sick...and right now it's both girls. Sydney has been "snotty" since last week and now Raegan came down with it Friday night.
Today, against my better judgement we took both kids to a family Christmas party because I was told that they wouldn't be the only great-grandkids with colds there and I didn't want my poor husband to be stuck at home while I had all the fun. Plus, Raegan was running around all morning acting chipper and "better" then she had Friday and Saturday so we thought she might have had just a mild cold.
Well...5 hours, lots of playtime, no real dinner, and no naps later I'm kicking myself. I know I know! RG and Syd were INSTANTLY asleep on the car ride home and Raegan told me at least 6 times before bed that she was "sick" and needed medicine (while her pathetically watery eyes and snotty nose told me all I needed to know)
Ugh. Bad Mommy.

The last straw

I am so tired of being tired. I hate to complain given all of the things I am blessed with and I know that this is a small phase in the big picture of life but it is affecting everything and everyone in our household so that seems pretty big.

We are still having major sleep issues with Raegan. No matter what we've tried, she is up between 4:30 and 5:00 a.m. every morning. We've tried door locks, duct tape, shortening naps, lengthening bedtimes, dicipline, rewards...it doesn't matter, she is awake, up out of bed, and then is crabby and miserable for the rest of the day.

Well, the last thing I hadn't tried was giving up her nap completely. That in my mind was the final "straw" and I wasn't ready to give in to that idea yet; until yesterday.

Let's just say, she was in the worst mood she's been in in weeks and by 6:15 p.m. she was dead asleep in her highchair which she has NEVER done in her life - AND - she was up again this morning at 5:00 a.m. like nothing had changed.

Lord, help me.

(p.s. I'm aware that RG is clearly too big for the highchair but Brenda watched the girls for me for a bit last night and I forgot to clue her in that we don't allow her in there anymore)

Thanks again Brenda for giving me a break!!

Mo' Cheeks

I just can't keep my lips off of this face...

the perfect picture

I know every parent agonizes over the Christmas card picture so you all can relate; and isn't it funny that when you're not trying to get a pose, your kids pose "perfectly"?

Today my mom and I did some impromtu shots under her tree (for a collection she has of each grandkid) and Sydney could not have been more happy and cooperative. Figures! If I didn't think the relatives would mind, I'd send out our family card this year with just her picture on it. =)

Let the festivities begin...

Raegan and Papa

Sydney and Great Grandma R

Saturday was our first family Christmas party and already I feel like we've been bombarded with stuff! I can't believe we have 5 more parties to go - I definitely think we can get away with NOT buying the girls presents this year...

My big thing this year was that I wanted to find the girls matching holiday outfits. I've seen others do it and always thought it was kinda cheesy but now, of course, that it's my own kids I'm all about it. =) Well, I found that it's easier said then done and after scouring the mall from top to bottom I ended up with two turtleneck sweater dresses that ended up being both
A.) Uncomfortable, and B.) Ridiculously impractical (Sydney could barely move in hers the material was so thick and bulky)

So...an hour before our first bash I ran by Target and picked up a dress for Syd and RG was stuffed into her holiday skirt that she barely wore last year. The best part was, that they actually color-coordinated without my realizing it! And, they're not so matchy-matchy that it looks like I tried.(Now we'll see if I can actually get a decent Christmas card picture taken at some point.)Sydney digging into her stocking stuffers

Hunger strike x 2

What is it with my kids and eating (or should I say not eating)? I mean, I know they have high-maintenance genes when it comes to food, but seriously. What person in their right mind refuses food when it's offered?


MY KIDS.


We are on day #3 of RG deciding she doesn't want to eat dinner. (Which really helps with the early morning wake-up issues we're already having...now she's just wide awake AND starving at 5 a.m.) Last night Brad made her sit at the dinner table for two hours until she finally got down for bed. And never once did the "dreaded" mac and cheese grace her lips. So guess what she had for breakfast this morning? Yep - reheated Easy Mac. But you can bet she scarfed the whole bowl down when she realized I wasn't giving in either! We've had many many talks about obeying mom and dad these last few days...
And of course Sydney is still the picky princess that she has been since 4 months of age. She flat out refuses the bottle now, from anyone, and we've pretty much given up trying because she has no problem holding out for 10+ hours until she "gives in" and drinks but then repeats the whole production the next time a bottle is offered. It makes things really fun when we get sitters. UGH! If I wasn't less then 4 months away from being done nursing I think I'd throw in the towel.

Good thing she's cute.

The mind of a two 1/2 year old

Yesterday I was feeding Sydney lunch and RG jumped down from the table and started dragging my chairs into the entryway. I was trying to do two things at once so I sort of ignored her until I watched her VERY carefully arranging them into a perfect line and then placing her stool in front of them and standing with a big grin on her face. The conversation is as follows:

Me: "Raegs, what are you doing?"

RG: "Moving the chairs" (duh)

Me: "I see that, why are you moving them?"

RG (very matter-of-factly): "For baby Jesus"

Of course.

Spoiled Rotten Weekend

Wow what a wonderfully long weekend! Brad has been joking that I got 5 days of birthday celebration and he got 5 hours. My retort is, that sometimes there's nothing wrong with a little self-promotion to have 5 days of pampering and celebrating!

My weekend started Wednesday evening with a trip to the salon for a short and sassy new haircut followed by a get-together with my highschool friends...lots of food, drinks, laughter and chatting. Good times!!

Thursday was Thanksgiving ~lots of food and family time~ an awesome day, enough said.

Friday Brad went hunting in the morning (see, I wasn't the only one having fun!) but came home, again, empty-handed (be sure to ask him about his calf-birthing experience next time you see him though!).

Then that night our sitter came early and we headed out to do "whatever I wanted" for my birthday which ultimately entailed shopping at 3 different electronic stores (for Brad), and shoe shopping at the mall (for Brad), and finally a delicious dinner at Carraba's (for me, but Brad loved it too). Once again, I shamelessly announced that I needed birthday accolades and made Brad tell the waiter that it was my birthday so that I would get a free sundae. (And might I add, that it was WELL worth it...their ice cream and fudge sauce are both homemade and to die for!!)

Saturday we headed out for the annual tree-cutting expedition which is always a hoot because we spend at least an hour hunting and almost always end up with one that is right next to our parked car. This year was no different but we had a great time all the same. Raegan was less then thrilled with our tradition and prounounced that it was "too windy" and sat in the car for most of the time. Her spirits lifted later though when she was allowed to have a plate of greasy french fries at our "usual" po-dunk bar in Allendale. That was definitely the highlight for her.

Sunday (my "official" birthday date) I was pampered with homemade breakfast followed by church, and then a 2 hour window of shopping BY MYSELF while Brad "slaved" at home on dinner and kid-watching. I was showered with phone calls and well wishes in the afternoon and then went out again that night for coffee and girltalk with my BFF.

Not so bad for turning 25 years old... ;)

A little turkey and a lot of time...

Makes Mommy do drastic things!






This should probably have been done months ago but I just couldn't bring myself to cut Sydney's long locks... until this afternoon when I started to feel a little stir-crazy after eating too much and sitting around too long. Although it was hard to make the initial snip, I knew the end result would be so much better then the straggly mess I contend with on a daily basis! So with the support of my mom and sister, and armed with both the camera and video camera, Miss Sydney had her first big-girl hair cut and wasn't phased a bit.
Her new bob really is still terribly cute and I saved the TWO INCHES (!) I cut off the back in a little ziploc bag. I'm hoping this will help it thicken up and that soon we can do pig-tails again!

"Turkey Turkey Turkey..."

Checking for the gizzards...they're in there somewhere!

(photo courtesy of my personal photographer -whether I like it or not)

We're hosting the family this year and as we speak I am smelling an almost cooked turkey wafting up the staircase while it bakes in the oven. YUM! Brad is beside himself in anticipation of all the "traditional" food that we will have tomorrow. It's all he's probably been thinking about since we agreed to have it at our house. Now he can dictate the menu exactly how he wants it!


I'm trying to think of something witty or touching to say about this coming holiday but I guess I'll just leave it with the fact that I am so thankful to have a healthy family, and one more year behind me with more happiness then sadness. I am very blessed!

A deer head, but no meat

Brad returned from his annual deer hunting weekend in Southern Illinois last night and I can't believe I'm saying this but I was sort of disappointed that he didn't have any meat to bring home! This is one of the first years since I've known him where he did not come home bearing pounds of venison chops, jerky, and sticks. He did not come home empty-handed however as you can see (on the left) he picked up a friend for his other dead deer which will both be displayed in "Man-Land" very soon (this was his deer from last year which he had mounted). We are still awaiting the Antelope mount from his Wyoming hunt last October and then our "display" will be complete. Sorry for the awkward picture but these two are laying on the floor in our basement and sort of freak me out a little. I didn't want to touch them to rearrange for a better photo. I'll get a better one once they're on the wall!

A little bit of exercise goes a long way

Now that the weather is colder and not so nice to be outside we are constantly looking for creative ways to get our exercise! Well, it happened that our church was having a playdate at a local gym called "For The Kidz" on Monday and we were invited to join the Mommy and Me class. I wasn't sure how Raegan would respond as anything new can create some resistance on her part but surprisingly she was very receptive and by the end was begging to go back! I was so proud to watch her follow the teacher's instructions and to follow the obstacle course of new things that she had never done before. She did show her true colors by refusing to try a few things but for the most part she had a blast.

I was all set to sign her up for classes until we found out that 6 45-minute sessions were $76! Hello? For a TODDLER class??

Um...I think we'll just set up a few mats in the basement and make our own gym!Toe-touching the bar

"The Pit"

Following instructions on the balance beam

Getting a stamp for completing the course!

First time away in over 9 months (but who's counting?)

This past weekend was our Marriage Retreat with our church and it was wonderful from start to finish! The keynote speakers were our previous pastor and his wife, Kevin & Sherry Harney, and they were AWESOME! We had a great time hearing their stories and anecdotes for marriage. Both Brad and I came away with a renewed commitment to working on our relationship and raising our kids.

In addition to the great speaking sessions we enjoyed alot of great hang-out time with friends. It was a much needed time away for both of us!

What made it even better was knowing the girls were in good hands with my parents who spoiled them rotten all weekend. And of COURSE both girls were angels and slept in on Saturday which actually made me feel good knowing they didn't make nana and papa loose too much sleep. =)

Funny

Today I was making a batch of homemade caramel corn to bring along on our Marriage Retreat weekend and Raegan was on the counter "helping" me pop the popcorn. She likes to watch it pop in the microwave and then to taste it when I dump it into the pan to mix with the caramel.

Well I was multi-tasking (as usual) and left the bag in the micro a bit too long so the butter burned alongside one of the bags. I quickly grabbed it out and was pouring the kernels into the pan and Raegan says;

"Ew, Mommy, is that POOPY on that popcorn bag?". I said "Huh?" and then looked at the bag and realized that the brown streaks running along inside DID sort of resemble smeared poop. Of course it didn't stop her from immediately reaching into the bag to eat more popcorn. Ha ha! Sick.

(p.s. that is NOT a picture of the actual bag on top of my microwave...got the pic off google images!)

Mailbox Love

We hate that Grandma and Grandpa Kreider live so far away but we LOVE when they send us packages! Usually, they are geared towards the girls but Friday (much to my delight) the box we opened was for Brad and I too. Nothing says FUN then a box full of assorted bags of Pennsylvania pretzels dropped on your doorstep!

(Note: For those of you unaware, Pennsylvania is the state where pretzels were first "created" and they have, undeniably, the best brands of bagged and soft pretzels you will ever taste!)

The "token" costume picture

Third annual trick or treat party at our house last night. My whole family was in attendance and we had lots of fun amidst the typical-crappy-rainy-Michigan-Halloween-night weather!

Raegan and Caden were cute to watch as they compared costumes and bags of candy loot. Sydney slept through the whole thing until I woke her up at 7:45 p.m. to stuff her (yet one more time) into her costume for a token picture.

We all went to bed with stomach aches and sugar highs from all the junk consumed. Good Times!

I couldn't resist

I've been saying I should do pig-tails on Syd since birth and finally today after combing out the usual rats-nest mess after her a.m. nap I did it. It was so flipping cute I wanted to eat her face off. She looked 6 months going on 6 years. I LOVE PIGS!!