Merry Christmas! We
had a wonderful Christmas this year, and were able to see a lot of our
families. We had an event scheduled
every day from Wednesday all through Sunday… so I am beyond tired and ready to
get back to normal!
Christmas 2015 - Maggie (3), Evie (8 months)
Wednesday we went curling with the Blair family while the
girls were in daycare. We got to have
lunch beforehand and adult beverages afterward without the distraction of kids – it
was a jolly good time!
Serious athletes
Perfect form
Sweeping... do the chores ever end?!
On Christmas Eve we kept up the tradition of going to
Frankenmuth to see Santa and shop at Bronners.
Maggie was really excited to talk to Santa this year, and told him she
wanted a purple doll and a unicorn.
Santa was awesome this year – he took the time to really talk with
Maggie, and I think she felt very special.
I could tell that she was in awe because while they were conversing, she
would not move an inch of her body, sitting like a statue with her hands in a
weird position. It was really cute.
Princess Maggie
Our little family
Grandma with her grandbabies
Hanging with Uncle Justin
Evie was a little less excited about Santa... similar to Maggie when she turned 1:
Why have you abandoned me?!
Don't go!!! (Maggie 2013)
Brotherly support
The Donoghue family, my parents, Jody’s family and Zach and Katy all got together for lunch at Bavarian Inn afterward. Maggie was a handful by that point, and getting through lunch was a bit challenging. We were all ready for a nap afterward!
Cuddles with Aunt Jody and Uncle Ed
Her favorite sleep buddy
Attempting to distract her with toys
Love this little one
After nap time, we went to 6pm mass… Maggie had to go to the
potty 6 times. It was pretty
frustrating... Maggie kept asking where baby Jesus was, and I couldn't get her to understand that he was actually born a really long time ago. She received a little donkey from Santa at Bronner's, and without any prompting from us, said that she wanted to wrap up the donkey to give to baby Jesus for his birthday. Heart in a puddle...
Maggie was frantically looking for the real baby Jesus, so Fr. Gerry let her hold Jesus from the nativity. She gave him lots of little kisses.
Getting everything ready for Santa
We spent Christmas morning at our house. Maggie was so excited to see that Santa ate
all his cookies and chocolate milk, and that Rudolph “and his friends” ate all
the carrots. She was very sweet about
every gift, just genuinely excited. I
just love this age, she brings us so much joy.
Evie was also adorable, though she obviously didn’t understand what was
going on.
Christmas morning!
Present time
Every year, Jamie and I make each other an ornament from one of the shows we watched. This year we both picked the same show - Game of Thrones.
Jamie's ornament - Mr. Jon Snow - yummy!
Toothpicks, hot glue and spray paint = the not-so-iron throne
We spent the afternoon at the Donoghue's where the girls got
some fun new toys and a bunch of clothes!
The little kids were so much fun to watch. My sweet nephew Will is one of the most
empathetic kids I’ve ever seen. Whenever
anyone raises their voice or seems upset, he will give them a hug to make them
feel better. It’s so adorable.
Presents!
Playing together
The following day we went to my parents’ house to celebrate
with the immediate family. The kids had
a great time as usual, and it was wonderful to see everyone.
Horsey rides
Snake rides?
The kids had fun playing "Chubby Bunny," a game where you see how many marshmallows you can fit in your mouth and still say the name of the game. Maggie just kept eating every marshmallow, but Luke got the concept and cracked us up!
Claire loves to color, and so that's how I bond with this sweetie
Pops is able to put anyone to sleep!
Ladies of the couch
Alex and Gilly trying to rock Evie's hair-do
Happy baby with Grammer's toys
Baby Sarah still has more hair than most of the guys!
Party-down!
Jamie had the idea to make a corn-hole game as a gift for my parents, and it turned out really cute! I sewed up the bean bags... so they are a little lopsided!
Corn hole!
Also a good photo op!
Maggie frog
Saving Luke from the black hole
Ain't no party like an Evie party!
Sunday we went to Aunt Jane’s for lunch and Aunt Marleen’s
for dinner. It was a busy day, but we had a
good time and Maggie was in heaven with all the kids at each party.
Hanging with the big kids
Coloring with Emma
Pizza - a new favorite for Maggie
Four generations!
A bunch of Grandma's great grandchildren
Ready to be done with Christmas parties
It was a really busy week of traveling all over the place
with the girls, and I think we are all exhausted. I actually looked forward to work this
morning just to have some normalcy again!
Yikes!
Enjoying her plunder
Trying to jump-start another new hairstyle
Painting with Daddy
Light saber battle!
Don't leave a toddler unattended in the bathroom unless you like to waste TP
Last week was a rough one... I ended up with 5 days of the
stomach flu, and everyone else in the house got a touch of it throughout the
week. I have learned the magical powers
of baking soda. I have also given up on the not-so-magical powers of the flu shot, since I seem to get the flu every year regardless.
Helping Evie feel better
Pajamas all day
Maggie had a couple doctor appointments last week. On Monday she went to see the orthopedist for
her regular foot check-up. Her feet look
good, but the doctor found that she now has hip dysplasia and there’s a good chance
that she will need surgery. He wants to
watch it for a year, and then decide what to do. We’re both pretty concerned about this –
surgery is obviously a scary thing to put your kid through, and I’m worried she
will always have hip issues, arthritis, etc. as she ages.
So maybe you can say some prayers for our little girl?
It's all good, sis
Maggie also went in for her 3-year checkup at the
pediatrician, and was a very good patient.
She weighs 37.5 lb and is 38” tall.
The doctor said we should be extra careful with her weight as she gets
older, because extra weight will obviously make hip issues worse.
Best picture ever?
Evie is a champ in her little helmet. She hardly sweats anymore, and only gets
annoyed when I have to put it back on after a break. She was so cute last night – I was holding
her on my lap after bath time with her helmet off, just goofing around. She kept on leaning forward to rub her head on me, nuzzling obsessively just like a
bear. Now I make sure to rub her head
all over when the helmet comes off, and give her lots of kisses all over the
forehead – she loves it!
'Sup
This is a picture of Evie sleeping. It is really creepy - she often sleeps with her eyes partly open:
I'm just resting my eyes
In other news, my husband is a (very lovable) dork:
This is not the husband you are looking for
Telling Daddy a secret
Teaching Maggie how to sew. In a princess crown.
That's a good grandma!
