Christmas 2012

Again, there were so many photos to choose from. In the past I've even broken them up into like 6 different Christmas posts. Not this time; here they all are!

My mom's side:

my grandma, with 8 of her 10 great-grandchildren

 Our family Christmas:

Two lanterns! a toy one and a real one!

My side:

('Twas the night before Christmas...)

(opening stockings...)

(Oops, didn't upload a picture from Derek's Dad's side)

Daycare party:

Derek's side:

Personalized Pillows

This was one of my favorite gifts to work on this Christmas. I made Abigail and Elijah ones too but I still have to stuff them. It was their names on them and the hair and eyes are specific to each child. It actually wasn't as hard as I thought it'd be... but I haven't tried to wash them a bunch or what they'll look like over time. Oh well, pillows are meant to be smooshed and smashed. 

Running Bib and Medal Holder

Since we were expecting a baby at the end of October, I felt a big push to try and get birthday gifts and even as many Christmas gifts completed (and wrapped) as I could before he arrived. Here is one gift I made for the runners in our family:

It is like a running plaque that you can hang on the wall to collect all your bibs and medals. I'd seen the idea here on Etsy (via Pinterest) first and I just knew I could replicate it for less than $28! 

I made them at the kitchen table while Abigail played with all the couch cushions and stuffed animals right next to me so it really didn't take too long. 

You need: 

• tacks (that you use on a corkboard)
• wood (at least 8.5"x11") or buy the wooden pieces at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 like I did -- they are even beveled!
• paint (non-glossy if you want the distressed look)
• paint brush or foam brush
• sandpaper
• hooks that screw in (I used 2 "L" shaped ones for the bib and 6 round ones for the medals)
• hanging bracket for the backside
• (optional) vinyl and Cricit to make a stencil

I had all the materials except the wood. Well, we do have lots of scrap pieces of wood but I didn't think OSB would be nice and particle board is so heavy that I was fine with being lazy using the little pieces from Hobby Lobby. So here is what I did:

• stick tacks into the back so it will sit off the table while you paint the top and sides
• lightly sand the board and wipe clean with a dry cloth
• paint it and let dry
• remove the tacks
• sand the corners to distress it a little
• install your hanger on the back (or just drill a hole... make sure it's centered!)
• plan where your hooks will go and make holes (use an actual drill to make a hole if your wood is super tough like particle board or use a nail... or a ball point pen like I did on that soft pine!)
• screw in all the hooks by hand
• paint your words (I cheated and used my Cricut to cut out a vinyl stencil and then painted it that way)
• I don't plan on sealing it because it will be up on the wall away from little hands and will only get used to "collect" bibs and medals. 

Gingerbread House Mmmmmm

Working diligently.

 Watching carefully.

 Tasting innocently.

 Caught effortlessly. 

Two Months Old

Dear Elijah,

You are two months old! I think we're still learning our way around as a family of four.

You get fussy  between 7pm and 11pm so we usually walk with you or work around the house with you in the Bjorn. You sleep on and off throughout the day. You sleep on your back swaddled up and sometimes on your tummy with your arms free.

You eat great! Every 3-4 hours, you never miss a meal.

You smile at us all the time now. I love it!!!

You wear 3 month clothes but they're tight so in a few days I may switch you to 6 month clothes. Your feet are a size 1. We just switched you to size 2 diapers. You weigh 13 lbs, 3 oz (61st percentile) and are 23.25 inches tall (51st percentile). Your head is in the 84th percentile.

Here is your sister at two months old.

Love,
Mommy

Elijah's Baptism

There were so many photos from Elijah's baptism on December 9 that it was hard to choose so I'm just going to let you look at the photos without any explanation!

 Ok, actually this photo above needs some explanation. We had all the chairs and tables set up around the house. It was going to be a full house since it was too chilly to be outside like at Abigail's baptism. With all those chairs set up Abbi thought it looked like a great place to put all her stuffed animals so that they could attend the party as well.

 Elijah wore his Daddy's baptism outfit and it fit great. It's a good thing we did his baptism right away though or he'd have grown too big for the outfit!

Two and a Half

Abigail is two and a half already. Where did those 30 months go? 

She is joy. 

Social, busy, vocal, a sponge. 

She weighs almost 28 pounds (41st percentile) and is 3 feet tall (59th percentile).  She wears some 2T clothes but is moving into her 3T stuff. She's a size 8 shoe right now and wears size 4 diapers. I put her in cloth diapers every once in awhile but she's good at opening them (velcro) and pulling them off so it's usually only when she's awake at home so I can keep an eye on her. I put pants on her too obviously but she'll take those off too. We've started putting pull-ups on her sometimes too because we'll have her sit on the potty for us. I haven't jumped right into potty training with the whole "cotton undies only" thing because frankly I'm just too tired yet. (Elijah's only one month old and some nights I'm lucky to sleep in my own bed for 2 hours -- due to his cold and inability to breathe laying flat).

She's started growing into a "rough stage" right now. Actually, it was a few weeks before Elijah was born so I can't blame it on his birth.  She's pretty emotional and will wake up crying and upset. Naps are getting to be a bit harder and bedtime takes a long time because she keeps getting out of bed. She needs to feel like she has some control in this big world she's swimming in so she can get upset at the slightest change and will say "no" to anything - even something she loves - just for the sake of being able to say "no". (Ha! Some of us adults should learn to say "no" a little more!)

She plays really well on her own and has a great imagination. She'll remember things as soon as she sees or hears them. Once, Derek was trying to record his phone on blue tooth in my car and after he said it aloud to the car computer she repeated the entire thing! Our eyes have been open to the crazy things on during the commercials at Prime Time because we now have our daughter's innocence to protect!

She eats like... well, like a toddler. Some days she'll love something and eat a ton and then next day she'll refuse it. We try to have her eat what we are eating because she needs to learn that we all eat as a family and that I'm not a short order cook! But we usually also add to her plate a few other things that are good for her and we know she'll like. 

Cutting Our Christmas Tree Down

 I can't believe how mild it's been this fall so far! We're wearing sweatshirts to cut our Christmas tree! Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about Elijah being cold.

 The tree was so sappy that Daddy snapped his saw blade! Oops!

Daddy's Little Helper

Santa Claus is Coming to Town...

Daddy and Abbi bundled up to go watch the Zeeland Christmas parade. I decided it was too cold for Elijah and I!

 She loved the Christmas lights!