St. Nicholas Day

December 6th was the Feast of Nicholas. And legend says he would help out the needy by tossing gold coins into their window and they would land in the shoes or stockings to be found in the morning.

So now there is a tradition to put out your shoes for St. Nicholas to fill on his feastday.

How cute is Anna's little shoe!!

Here is what St. Nicholas left for everyone. We all got chocolate gold coins and a favorite candy treat. Ben also got a new car and a see and pray missal in the hopes that it will foster better behavior at Mass (it hasn't!) and Anna got a pair of mittens.

Anna is 4 Months Old!

Well here they are, each at 4 months, to compare. The biggest difference between the two is I still look at Anna as my itsy bitsy tiny little baby girl. And 90% of the time I call her "Baby Girl" and so Ben almost always calls her "Baby!"

Anna has started holding onto toys (or anything she can grab), she has found her feet and always has BOTH hands in her mouth. While she used to be able to roll from her belly to her back, now that she can go from her back to her belly she seems to have forgotten how to get back onto her tummy! This leaves her quite stranded and upset! I feel like at this age Ben was an old whizz at rolling and rolling and was starting to be able to get around a little....he just seemed like an old man to me in comparison.

I have started giving her some baby oatmeal. She still isn't quite ready...still pushing it out of her mouth. So I just try every few days or so. She does seem to really like the taste, but just isn't ready reflex-wise.

She sleeps like a champ. She usually gets up around 7-7:30 which is a treat compared to Ben!

Overall she is the sweetest smiliest doll baby with an infectuous giggle!!

The Beginning Has Begun Again!!

Tomorrow is the First Sunday of Advent and so begins another Liturgical Year. Advent is a penitential season as we wait in eager anticipation of the birth of our Lord on Christmas.

Putting up our nativity scene is one of the things we do each year at the beginning of Advent to help prepare as a family.

This was the first year that Ben had any idea of what was going on and enjoyed playing with the figures.

And Anna helped us by napping....rested baby=happy baby!

Each year it takes us a good deal of time to decide on the logistics for our scene. We take it very seriously!! LOL and have certain things that are MUSTS, but each year is like reinventing the wheel!

Here is this year's finished product.

A Tour of Our New Basmenet Playroom

We will eventually put down real flooring. When time and money permit. And we want to paint part of one of the walls with chalk board paint. I want to get some curtains for the windows and more storage storage storage! But for now it is space and it is functional and the catastrophe is out of my living room!!!

The Face of a Sick Child

My poor little sweetie was the sickest he has ever been last week. He got whatever is going around. Seems everyone has it. He had a fever and chills, and congestion, and a barking cough, and no appetite. The little critter would not eat a single thing for days. He lost over a pound (not sure the exact amount...in August he weighed in at 23lbs3oz and last week he weighed in at 22lbs....so it was at least a pound...I would imagine more.). He is eating a little better now, but still very picky...rejecting his usual favorites (he won't eat cereal, raisins, cookies, etc). And now he is on an antibiotic for an ear infection. He is doing much better this week though. Up and playing again and thankfully we have been able to turn off the Thomas DVD for a while! We had it playing all day for days since it was the only thing that would keep him from just crying all day.

Look Who Has Discovered Her Feet!

A Place for Everyone

When daddy does a big messy project (that takes him three days to clean up at which point mommy loses her patience and does it herself) there is always room for everyone to be involved...

Benjamin breaks some eggs and stirs it all up....Learning the fine art of mess making from the Master Mess-er.

Using his head as a napkin...

And daddy gets Anna involved by pretending she is just part of the mess....This is like Where's Waldo..

Yes! There she is!!

All Dressed Up and Nowhere to go!

Thanks for the jacket Auntie Eileen!!

Blossoming Friendship

Ben is showing Anna the ropes on the exersaucer. Pressing the buttons and playing the tunes and then dancing for her. Already she is looking to him and already he is showing her the way..


Anna looking at Ben adoringly....

Cute, little chubser legs..

Just Love This...

Halloween

A Woman On A Mission

Aren't these really cute leggings?!?

(I will make no comment about the fact that she is falling out of her bouncy seat *achem*)

In My Image and Likeness

Ohh Are We Ever Falling Behind!!!

Well the title really says it all. I have a billion pictures (although there are a billion more moments that went unphotographed!!) to post with stories and tidbits and anecdotes from life, but I am not sure I will even get to all the things I wanted to post today.

I am remembering the time when Ben was Anna's age where every little movement and squeak was documented. Every milestone carefully notated. Not only are Anna's milestones not being properly notated but a few weeks ago I thought to myself, "hmmm, I think this is about the age that Anna should start rolling over. Huh...I wonder if she can." Sure enough I put her down on her belly and she rolled right over LOL...Don't ask me the date..I have no idea.

Time is flying by! The weeks just zip along one after the other and here we are in November already and no one told me!!

So I will do my best in updating everything I can think of!

Ben is 21months old and his language development is in full swing!! It is hysterical, adorable, and exhausting LOL...Everyday he says new things. Today it was, "Big Trains!" in reference to a dvd of Thomas. Then he was saying, "Big trains and big eyes!" Because, yup, Thomas has big eyes. He is learning animals sounds and can tell you on cue what sound a cat makes and a dog (pronounced dodgey) and today I taught him what sounds Anna makes: wahh wahh LOL..

His knowledge of the alphabet is getting better and better. He is now spelling out words whereever he sees them. He has no idea what the words are, but he can pick out all the letters. Several letters he knows the sound and a word that starts with that letter and most letters he can recognize upper and lower case.

Colors seem to completely elude him....although he loves saying "blue" and "poopull".

He is almost always very sweet to Anna. He loves to give her hugs and kisses and identify her body parts. He gets her her pacifier and her blanket or burper.

And his current favorite passtime is bouncing which always makes Anna smile.

Anna is my beauty queen and little darling!!!! She just is more beautiful everyday!!!!! Her smile is infectious and she is far from stingey with it!!

She is about 3.5 months old now and at her 3m pediatrician appt she was 10lbs! She can roll from her belly to her back and just about from her back to her belly....almost got it. She has been sleeping through the night like a champ since about 2 months.

She is totally a daddy's girl. She gives daddy the most giggles and smiles. She hates being cold. She has the most adorable fuzzy little head of hair when she is just bathed, but bathing is far from her favorite pastime. She loves her mobile and is almost, just about, maybe starting to take more regular naps.

All Saint's Day

November 1st was the Feast of All Saints and at our church we have a big potluck party to celebrate. The children dress up as a saint and everyone has to guess who they are.

This year Benjamin was St. Maximilian Kolbe (pictured below). St. Maximilian died at Auschwitz where he was sent for hiding Jews and being a part of the Nazi resistance. He is considered a martyr because he offered to die in the place of a Jewish man who had a family.

Here is Ben in his costume. He drew the glasses on with eyeliner. I did a rather sloppy job here because it was just a trial and I wanted to be sure he would even let me do this without flipping out.

Thank you especially to Linda who helped us make this costume. We actually drew the black stripes on with markers LOL...not a fun project really. But his costume was a big hit for sure and people thought it was pretty creative.

Overall it was a lovely day learning and honoring the saints!