Another Successful Christmas

We had a blast - Jack clearly had the most fun of all. From the "reindeer food" that we sprinkled in the yard the night before, to Santa's "special cookie" that we left on the counter before bed... Jack was absolutely beside himself with the Christmas traditions. His only disappointment was that we wouldn't let him go back to the North Pole with Santa - even though he insisted that there would be enough room in his sleigh (because all of the toys are in the back of the sleigh, duh- mom). This kid's ability to reason is unbelievable. What a blast we all had this year!

And a special, unexpected treat, my newest baby niece decided to join us for Christmas too! Lilly was born on December 23rd and she is as beautiful as her older sister is.
Congrats Chris & Em!
Check out the rest of my Christmas pictures here.

Ho Ho Ho!

Well this month is shaping up to be a better, more productive month. I feel like we've regained control of the household this month. We've figured out how to manage Jack and his mood swings (thank you to our new favorite book "1-2-3 Magic"), and Molly has started to adopt some form of a routine with predictability in naps, feedings and bed time. We've been able to sit back and take a deep breath (finally). But now it's GO TIME for Christmas! I've got so much shopping to do that it's making me feel sick. It's a huge weight on my shoulders right now and I just need to get it done. And ironically enough, my work has picked up the pace these last couple of months (it's usually my slow time). So the three days a week that Jack is in school are tied up with work, not shopping/xmas prep. I don't know how/when I'll get it all done but I will. I always do. :)

And speaking of getting to the malls... I managed to get there this morning with both kids to visit with Santa. I was amazed at how well they did! Molly was at home with Santa's big cradling arms, and Jack of course tried his hardest to plaster a huge grin on his face (the boy tries so hard to smile pretty but it never looks quite right). Afterwards, Santa asked Jack what he wanted for Christmas and his response was "presents please". Easy enough! :) All and all, the visit was a complete success.


Also this month, Molly turned 2 months old. She's now 12.5 pounds and 24 inches long - still circling around the 90-95% for growth. She's sleeping 5 hours at a time - so I get up to feed her at 3am and then not again until 8am (3 out of 5 nights). I'll take it! She's gone 6 hours a few times but 5 seems to be the norm for now. When she's awake, she plays on her activity mat or her new favorite past-time, sitting in her seat and staring at the Christmas Tree. She's not nuts about the TV like Jack was at that age - so we're always looking for activities that entertain her. Here's her two-month photo:


Not sure what our Christmas plans are but Jack is ALL ABOUT IT this year...


He understands the concept of Santa, and presents and candy, etc. He has an advent calendar (thanks Grammy) and looks forward to opening a new door each day - getting one day closer to Christmas. He also helped decorate the house - inside and out! We've lost a few ornaments to the cause, but it was worth it to have him take part in it.








We also enjoyed the Harrisburg Tree Lighting festivities this year, though it was frigidly cold that night!


Hope you have a happy/safe Holiday - from Us and Ours to You and Yours!