Greetings old friends and blog stalkers! It's been quite a while since I visited you, and for that I am sorry. As always, life intervenes. We had a wonderful holiday season. Lauren really grasped the concepts of
both Santa and Baby Jesus, which made us happy and proud. She received her own nativity set for St. Nicholas Day that provided hours of entertainment as she moved the pieces around. Mommy (finally, after 8 years of looking) found one that she loved too, so I got to set mine up as well...up nice and high so that little hands couldn't reach it!
This year was a "Georgia Christmas", so we celebrated Christmas Eve with Mimi and Papa Fish at the Children's service at our church, Christ the King Lutheran. It was really nicely done, though Lauren kept insisting that the baby Jesus was NOT supposed to be a little puppy. I tell ya! The girl has sharp eyes. We enjoyed the music and songs. I neglected to get a photo of the kids in their Christmas finery, but trust my judgment when I say they both looked adorable (I am not biased, right??). We enjoyed a delicious meal of Omaha steaks, steamed asparagus, twice baked potatos. Everyone really enjoyed it. Lauren set out cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and his reindeer on her special plate from Aunt Sarah and enjoyed one last reading of her Hallmark 'Twas the Night Before Christmas book, as read aloud by Nana and Umpy-- definitely a favorite this year!
Morning came too quickly, and all the joy and energy that is an almost-3 year old was shared by all. After all, Santa listened and Lauren immediately noticed her "Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure" dvd, so all was right with the world. Davis seemed to take everything in, and enjoyed all the commotion! For those of you that sent packages, you should know that Lauren paused over each and every gift with appreciation. No, really....she truly did! I was glad that she seemed to enjoy everything with such heartfelt appreciation at such a young age. Thanks everyone for the thoughtful gifts for us and for the kids. Thank you notes JUST went in the mail yesterday (yes, I am behind on that too. Go figure!).
We spent the afternoon with Todd's sister and her family. We had a lovely dinner, company, and enjoyed watching the cousins play. They sure do love one another! Thank you Rhudy's!
The rest of the Christmas holiday, I had to work, and the whole gang fought off a non-debilitating but annoying nonetheless, stomach bug. Oh well! It made us all slow down and enjoy ourselves and the time of year. We had a fun special dinner out in Athens, GA with Todd's aunt and uncle visiting from Michigan-- always enjoy them-- and Todd's parents who celebrated their
40th wedding anniversary on the 27th. The resturant even piped in their song while we were eating much to all our amusement. I wish we could have planned it, but...regardless it was a fun night out.
We also celebrated the holidays with Todd's high school friends and their families on the 27th with an open house. It's always a bit more chaotic when you have that many kids around, but it was wonderful (as always!) to see everyone and count the newest members of the club with the additions of some little ones in the past year. Next year will have more, as there are several babies-in-waiting that were announced in recent weeks!
As for any other news, Lauren is officially potty-trained! She decided shortly after the new year that she wanted Todd to "throw those things away" (i.e. Pull Ups). She asked if she could wear her new Tinkerbell panties to bed, and on a whim I said sure. I figured I had nothing going on the next day and could wash her sheets, if need be. Much to my surprise, she has yet to have a night-time accident. We've had the occasional "whoops!/wet" accident, but that's to be expected. She's very, very proud of being a big girl in time for her birthday next month. We can see a maturity in her as of late-- even the way she communicates, vocabulary, emotions, etc. It's neat to see, and she's got a great senes of humor, providing lots of laughs.
Davis is almost 8 months old (!!!). He's got 4 teeth now (two top, two bottom). He loves to play "So Big" and lifts his own arms. He's trying all sorts of new foods with his safe eating net-- last night it was turkey cuts. He is so excited to feel like he's eating the same things we are. He is talking up a storm and trying out new sound combinations. He has mastered the concepts of "object permanence" and loves to play "Dropsies" and will always locate where I've hidden the remote control, the keys, or anything else that I just don't want him to have at the moment. He's like a hawk and knows if it's underneath, over there, etc. He is as sweet-natured as ever, though his curiousity surpasses even that of Lauren. He is going to be one we'll have to watch! I don't think he's naughty, per se, but determined and curious about how the world around him works. Let's just say I think he'll be into EVERYTHING once he's finally a bit more mobile. Katie, bar the door!
We hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year. I hope 2010 brings good things to each and every one of you.
Love,
Kate, Todd and the kids
She was nervous, but only whimpered a bit. I realized afterward that my hands were clenched so tight until it started to dry and curl right up. WHEW! Naturally curly hair, after all. :)
Todd and I were amazed at how much bounce and body just a slight trim (maybe 1/2 inch) provided! It looks so much healthier now.
Davis tries mashed potatoes for the first time. He liked them ok. I love his bib: "
Posts
