"When I scare him he laughes"

Merry Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. Here it is in pictures.

Christmas Eve

We had a really great Christmas Eve with friends. Dinner, games for the kids, a Christmas pinata, and of course the nativity. Mitch and his buddy Kash hung out by the tree and played with the presents. The bigger kids LOVED playing together and getting all that candy. For the nativity Ethan was the inn keeper and said his part nice and loud. Molly was an angel. It was such a fun fun night! (thanks Bridi & Jason)

Then we went home and did the nativity again, cause Molly really wanted a chance to be Mary. Ethan was again the innkeeper. They were so excited for Christmas I'm surprised we even got them in bed. Thankfully the were so worn out from all the partying.

TROUBLE

As you can see from my stairs there is no good way to block access from a curious little boy who thinks he can do all the things he sees his brother and sister do. The bottom step has quickly become his new favorite spot to hang out. I have a feeling it is only a matter of days before he tries to climb them. Scary, scary. Is it wrong to hook your baby to a leash??

Florida Vacation

I think I'm finally ready for Christmas, and this morning has been pretty calm so I finally have a few min. to catch up on blogging. A few weeks ago we went to Florida while Scott had a week off from work. We were so excited to have a warm sunny week away from cold Cleveland. Ha ha It was FREEZING in Florida. I'm talking record breaking, wear three layers, drink hot chocolate cold. We had checked the weather before we left and it said sunny 75 - 80 deg. So I packed for summer! I did think it might get chilly at night so thankfully I brought pants and sweatshirts for the kids and it's a good thing, cause that's what they wore everyday. The first day was nice but then a cold front came in and it was really cold the rest of the week like 40s-50s with a wind chill in the teens. but don't worry it warmed back up to 75 the day we left.

Sea World

Despite all the cold weather we had a really fun trip. Scott's parents met up with us and the kids loved having Grandma and Grandpa around. The first two days we went to Sea World and it was so much fun. Ethan's favorite part was touching and feeding the sting-rays. Molly would not touch them and had a mini freak-out cause they splashed her. Mitch was such a good boy and loved hanging out in the stroller, eating Cheerios, and seeing all the sights.

Ethan feeding the stingrays

We also went to all the shows and I was really impressed. Especially with the Christmas ones! They actually talked about Christ and the true meaning of Christmas which was a pleasant surprise. They had a polar express ride that Ethan really liked and at the end was the Northpole where the kids met Santa. Molly loved meeting Santa and told him all the things she wants for Christmas. When it was Ethan's turn to tell Santa what he wants for Christmas, he said "I sent you a list."

Disneyland

We spent one day at Magic Kingdom and it was so fun of course. Especially because we got to meet up with our good friends the Jenkins, (it was so fun seeing you guys.) The Highlight of the day for Molly was when she got to meet Sleeping Beauty. It was so cute to watch her face, she absolutely loved it.

The rest of the week we hung out at the hotel. They had a miniature golf course, a really fun pool and hot tub, and a dock that you could go fishing on. Despite the cold temps, we couldn't keep Ethan away from the pool. He went swimming just about everyday. It is a good thing they had a hot tub.

funny video

I laugh everytime I see this video because it is so true. He is ALWAYS grabbing at her. If she is close enough Mitch is sure to have a fist full of hair.

look what I found under my tree

It's no surprise that Mitch loves the new addition to our house, I love it too. I'm seriously considering leaving my decorations out all year this time, because it makes me so happy when my house is all Christmas-y. It is also no surprise that Mitch's crawling speed has doubled since the tree went up, and now I'm just wondering how many plastic pine needles he has already swallowed? This is by far my favorite part about Christmas. Seeing the pure Joy and wonder on my little ones faces. Priceless.

Here's one from Christmas past: Ethan @ 5 mo. old

happy Thanksgiving

We've had a really great weekend. It was fun to have Scott's brother and his wife drive down from Albany to spend thanksgiving with us. Molly LOVES "Dangle & Feather" and especially LOVED all the extra attention she got from them. We played lots of games, did lots of shopping, watched lots of movies, and ate LOTS of food! And now it's onto the excitement of Christmas. Hooray!!! I LOVE this time of year.

Brad this video is for you :)

on the move...

My little Mitch turns 6 months next week and he is already gearing up to start crawling. I remember with Ethan it was so exciting when he started to crawl. And then again with Molly it was fun to see her accomplishing the first big thing of babyhood. I was never stressed or worried about either of them crawling. But this time around it will be much different. Even though Mitch isn't "technically" crawling yet, he can get where he wants to go by rolling, scooting, and lunging. I have already found him getting into things he's not supposed to have. Plus now our house contains an endless supply of choking hazards that never get put away, and gates aren't really an option for our stairs. So even though I still have those excited, proud feelings for watching my baby grow, accomplish, and discover.... I am terrified and soooo not ready for this yet!!! He is such a good baby that I have gotten used to putting him on a blanket with some toys and being able to get stuff done around the house all the while feeling content that he is safe. But now I feel like I can't leave the room or take my eyes off him. I just hope we can survive the coming winter!

Here is a clip of the new skills.