Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning: Momma with Joseph the teething reindeer

It's never too early to start collecting educational tools :)

"Santa" and Nora

Nora with her new play kitchen (another "yeah for Craigslist" purchase stocked with old dishes and containers I've been saving for weeks)

Stephen and I agreed it was our best Christmas yet. The day included all the ingredients of a grand holiday: family (though we sorely missed grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, we enjoyed being together as a family without the pressures of school or any other responsibilities), good food made ahead of time (family favorites of both Stephen and Sarah along with some new taste traditions), relaxation, fun gifts (the "magic" of Christmas morning is new again with a toddler) and outdoor activities (with the 60 degree weather we were able to enjoy a walk, frisbee and tag in the park), a movie for the parents (Stardust was great fun) and extra sleep (in bed by 10pm, which never happens for us!) All in all, a fabulous day!

Happy days are here again *cough*

Am I in college? The clock reads 1:30am. I'm editing papers, listening to the likes of Coldplay and Michael Buble through headphones. Can I keep student hours and live mommy days?

Bring out your...

heavy coats. Finally! (Even though I know it won't last, I am excited.)

Christmas Extravaganza

We participated in a great community event yesterday. Complete with a tree lighting, fireworks (one of the best shows I'd ever seen!), a petting zoo, pony rides, hot cocoa, a band (Nora loved "playing" the bells; she kept looking at boy to her left to see what she was supposed to do), balloon art (check out Nora's penguin) and more that we didn't even have a chance to see (like a Santa visit and jumping house). We decided the ACLU and PETA would have had a field day there between the prayers and thanksgiving offered to Jesus Christ (by the Mayor!) and the animals contained in a small area with dozens of squealing kids (my favorite was the boy running after a flock of geese around and around the pin with his arms held out in front of him). We went with the Brownfields who had us over for pizza after the party. How great is that? It was a festive night, and really got me in the mood for Christmas. The last picture is of Nora in front of our Christmas tree (can you tell she's just a little excited?). Sigh. I love Christmas.

Little man's 4-month update

Our cute little man

His coordination gets better every day...he loves the ball ornaments from our Christmas tree

Joseph discovers the fun of peek-a-boo with big sister

He goes for his check-up this week, so I can't update weight and height, but really how interesting is that anyway :) Instead, I can report that he has his first tooth and can roll over from his tummy to his back. The tooth was a real surprise (discovered today). He can be a grumpy little guy, so crankiness didn't tip us off. On his 4-month "birthday" (Friday), we celebrated by giving him a taste of a banana. He loved it! I don't plan to start him on food until closer to 6 months, but I definitely think he'll be ready by then.