Christmas: Part II

The last two Christmas' we spent in California so this year we decided to have a white Christmas in Wisconsin.  It was also Maddox's first Christmas.  Makes me a little sad that we didn't spend our last Christmas in California but it's so nice to spend it with family.  Carson had been anticipating this trip since we booked it a few months ago and lo' and behold he was vomiting the day before we left.  Luckily he was better to fly the next day.  So off to Wisconsin we went...

     

We were gone for a little over 2 weeks.  I don't think I can do that much time away from home until the kids are a little older.  By the end of the trip everyone had fevers, was puking and/or wasn't sleeping.  I slept in 7 different beds and 5 different places while we were there, makes me tired just thinking about it.  

The first few days we stayed at my Dads.  While we were there Maddox took his first steps, Carson made his first gingerbread house and it snowed!  Carson could hardly wait for the snow and once it started falling he looked out the window and said "it looks like Christmas."  He also said "I want to throw snow in Uncle Jay's face." 

He played in the snow for an hour and was out to work shoveling the drive way, which he loved.   

Maddox on the other hand...well you can see how much he liked getting bundled up for the snow.

We also took Carson to see Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer.  It was adorable and just like the movie.  It would be fun to see it every year before Christmas.  My Grandma watched Maddox while we went to lunch and the play.  Maddox actually took his first steps at her house so Jared and I completely missed it!  

Four generations!  

Next we headed to my Moms house.  Carson had his first trip to the dentist and saw a Marquette basketball game.  I think he was a little scared at first to have his teeth cleaned.  He kept saying "My teeth are already clean."  But when his turn came he got into the hygienist's chair and did a great job.   

We also did a girls trip to Chicago and my friend Angie and her daughters drove from Indiana to meet us.  We did a little shopping on Michigan Ave, ate some amazing Chicago style pizza and went to the top of the John Hancock building.  The view was amazing.  I had a great time and it was so nice to get away, just the girls.  Although next time I said "no kids."  Sorry boys!  

  

Christmas: Part I

I am finally tackling a Christmas post.  I have put it off for a while but I need to get it done before March.  I will probably break it up into a couple of posts so I can try to cover most of it.

So here is Part I...

Our elf, Clyde, arrived at our house a few days after Thanksgiving.  He comes each year and keeps an eye on the boys for Santa.  He reports to Santa each night to tell him if the children have been naughty or nice.  It is a clever idea and the women who invented it are filthy rich.  If it helps my kids behave for a month then hey...it can't hurt.  

The problem was that Carson could have cared less if the elf saw him push his brother or not listen to his parents.  I would remind him that the elf was watching and would tell Santa if he wasn't being nice and to behave if he wanted presents.  To which he would reply "I don't care. "  So it didn't exactly work but we still had fun with it.  

The morning he arrived he made cinnamon rolls.  Most of the time he sat on a shelf or hung from the chandelier.  But he got into a little trouble too.  He ate Carson's Halloween candy and tried fishing for burger face.     

While we were in Wisconsin, at my Moms house we watched The Grinch and Carson really liked the movie.  His sassy-ness was a little out of control while we were in Wisconsin (it usually is, since he gets used to being the center of everyone's attention).  So when he was acting up we would do what every parent does during Christmas and remind him that Santa is coming in just a few days and to behave if he wanted any presents under the tree this year.  So after watching the Grinch his response to us was "I hate Christmas.  I don't want any presents."
It was really hard not to laugh because he was dead serious and would say it with his angry face.
Wonder what his face would have looked like Christmas morning if there really weren't any gifts for him?      

Carson got a kick out of the shindigs that the elf pulled but hopefully next year he'll get more into  the behavior part of it.

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It was nearly impossible to get a picture of the boys for our Christmas card.  I would have liked a family picture but we really had no one to take it and I really don't want to remember myself with my hair how it is.  So the less pictures of me the better.

I tried 3-4 different times to take some pictures of them most of the pictures Maddox was crying or not looking.  My blood pressure was probably through the roof just trying to get one...just one picture of the boys together smiling.  Seems easy but its not.

I thought some thing in front of the tree would be nice but all they kept doing was waving this damn stick around.   

So I took them outside...and we got this...

cute pictures, but nobody is looking at the camera. 

All Maddox wanted to do was stand at my legs.  

So to the park we went and I strapped Maddox in the swing so that he could not move and we finally got a picture...not the picture I was hoping for (Maddox's face is blurry...ugh) but it captures both of them perfectly.

  

Happy First Birthday Maddox!

 A year ago today Jared and I left for the hospital to meet our second son.  My Mom snapped this picture (somehow I smiled during contractions) and just two hours after this picture was taken we held our baby.

And today our little baby turns one!

His first year seems to have flown by.  I feel incredibly lucky to be his Mommy.  He is a perfect combination of feisty and sweet.  He is strong willed and puts up a fight until he gets his way but yet he can be very sensitive and snugly.  He has been obsessed with Carson since he was born and has done a great job keeping up with him too.  He likes dogs and makes a cute little "motor" sound when he pushes cars around.  He could eat a whole container of raspberries in one sitting.  He also crawled like a baby ape-the most adorably funny thing I've seen.  He is a Mamas boy and would love me to carry him around all day.  He will also be our wrestler and that is what him and Dad do best.  I love him so much and I can't believe that his first year is already over. 

Today we went to the park and had lunch with friends at Chipotle.  My kids love Chipotle and scarfed their quesadilla, rice and beans down (cupcakes too, of course).  Jared picked up Zpizza on his way home (another favorite).  I made Maddox his own little "smash" cake.  He was very funny and didn't know what to do with it at first.  He kept saying "na"  and grunting because I'm pretty sure he thought we were going to tell him "no."  Once he had the courage to taste what we had laid in front of him he dug right in.

 
Happy Birthday sweet baby!  We love you to the moon and back.

On Wisconsin!

Jared was able to skip out of work a few hours early to come home to watch his Badgers play in their 3rd consecutive Rose Bowl.  So far it's not looking too good.  I was hoping they could pull off a win this year. 

 

But we are all dressed for the occasion, queso and chips are on the coffee table and chili will be on the stove momentarily. 

 



 

Tackle!

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2013!