December

 

Around Thanksgiving/Charlie's birthday I started panicking that the kids were growing up way too fast and that I wasn't taking enough pictures of them.  My panic led to some paparazzi-like behavior in December.

 

 

We enjoyed an ISU basketball game in early December.  I can be a Cyclone fan as long as they aren't playing UNI or Iowa...I have my loyalties straight.  We attended a kick-off to the basketball season in early November and ever since setting her eyes on Cy (the ISU mascot), Lucy's been obsessed.  She talks about Cy, asks for him when she is crying and just generally seems crazy about him.  On the way to the game that particular night she kept saying that she was going to find Cy and give him a hug.  During the first half, she knew where he was at all times and I told BJ during halftime that we weren't going to be able to leave Ames without some 1:1 Cy time.

 

After replenishing our snacks during halftime, we re-entered the arena and guess who was right there - Cy!  Or "Cy the Bird" as Lucy states.  She was so happy and we've looked at the below picture no less than 20 times since the basketball game. 

We went to see Santa at a local mall but it was apparently the same day that the rest of the Des Moines metro area went to see Santa so we settled for sitting next to this reindeer for awhile.  We ended up seeing Santa the following day and it was a success although Lucy preferred to stand next to him rather than sit on his lap, a compromise that I fully supported.

The kids had their annual holiday program at school and we were in line to get a set a good 30 minutes before the doors opened. 

Lucy entering the stage - I was a little smug at our seemingly great location to take pictures and video...and then a little girl in Lucy's class who shall remain nameless proceeded to stand directly in front of her for 90% of their songs.

An action shot!

Charlie's class - the "seniors" of the daycare - did an awesome job. 

The grand finale of "Let it Go" from Frozen.  I think every parent, child and grandparent in the building knew all of the words.

The presentable kids on stage became disheveled and unruly at the post-holiday program celebratory dinner at Panera.  I think that the daycare teachers must have fed the kids M&M's while they were waiting backstage because the excitement seemed to to grow as the night continued.

The other big news in December is that Lucy started climbing out of her crib - in a very delicate/escape artist way.  Charlie and Lucy checked out her toddler bed (I insisted that the crib also stay up for a few days in the unrealistic hope that Lucy would decide that she wanted to be in her crib) and quickly learned that jumping together on a toddler bed is way better than any toy or game.

We celebrated Christmas with my side of the family on the Saturday before Christmas.  A shot of Grandma and Grandpa with all of the grandkids.

A "funny face" version - clearly Grandma and Grandpa need to work on their funny faces since their expressions didn't change.

And now - a sporadic roll call of the cast of characters.

Uncle Marty with Dylan and Charlie,

Dylan, Julia and Anna,

Emma and Kylee,

Jacey,

Claire,

Lauren and Hannah,

Molly, my mom, my sister-in-law Carrie and my sister-in-law Maria,

and Lucy and Emma (photos of these make me sad because in my mind Emma is still Lucy's age).

Charlie, excited with his Batman car from Grandma and Grandpa, going in for a hug.

Lucy checking out the gift unwrapping scene from Grandma's lap...

and hamming it up for the camera a few minutes later.

Charlie couldn't wait to unwrap and play with his Star Wars figurines and vehicles.

And Lucy had to test out the baby accessories that Uncle Marty gave her right away.

A lot of people and love crammed into that room.

And a lot of shenanighans at the "out-law" table during a card game.

The excitement was too much to bear for some people - my brother had to sneak in a nap.

Lucy's fake smile with Uncle Randy and Uncle Marty (her godparents).

A quick shot of me and my dad.

Emma and Kylee playing Star Wars with Charlie - gotta love older cousins who will happily entertain you.

Some serious game-playing in the other bedroom.

We had a great day in Cascade and it's always fun to spend time with cousins!

Charlie and Lucy have been cuddling up in the dining room going on "bus trips" so I don't know if they plan to live the life of vagabonds or what, but I'm glad that they are planning to be warm.



We were back home for Christmas Eve/BJ's birthday and Christmas.  We gave BJ his birthday gifts during breakfast.

A Hawkeye coat, new yoga mat and beer.  Charlie was adament that we needed to give BJ a "pack of beards" because he likes beer so much.  Kids say the darndest things.

I'm not sure what was actually happening during the photo below but Charlie wasn't happy about something.  Proof that five-year old's still have their moments.  A gentle reminder that Santa and Buddy the Elf were still watching had him upright and smiling in 10 seconds.

We spent the afternoon hanging out and making some treats for Santa.  We continued our tradition of letting the kids open their gifts (new pajamas, 1 book and 1 toy) from us after dinner. 

 

 

Charlie was excited to get a new Lego set, and 





Lucy loves "tiny" people and babies so she was happy with the dollhouse people.

Settling in their new Elf jammies to watch The Polar Express.

A picture of Santa's loot before the kids descended downstairs. 

Proof that Santa was here - a nearly empty plate of cookies and some bootprints.

Pure joy that Santa delivered his one request - Legos.

Excited to have baby, stroller and baby bed.

We spent the rest of Christmas morning hanging out and enjoying our new toys.  We headed back to Cascade later that day to celebrate Christmas with the Supple side.

Some family photos before vests and headbands were ditched.

 Down a vest but up two grandparents.

 Lucy happy to open more babies and baby-related items.  It's a good thing she seems to have a maternal instinct because I could use some help.

 Charlie thrilled with some dinosaurs!

 Lucy loving her "Let it Go" sweatshirt.  I'm not sure what to think about the fact that she seemed most excited to open clothes and is only two but I'm sure that the middle school and teenage years will be a breeze.

 I think that Max liked his Lego set.

 Miles and Lucy going in for a Nana hug.

 Max, Miles and Lucy.

 A family photo of the original 4.

 Our attempts at a Nana/Papa/grandkid photo.  By this time the kids were delirious and I was borderline using my "scary" mom/aunt voice.  Fa la la la la.

What can I say?  We didn't get a decent picture of these 6 but we did get a lot of laughs.  It was a great Christmas and we are so lucky to have our extended families.

 

Best wishes for 2015!



Five

Because the giant "pause" button in life continues to elude me, Charlie turned 5 on December 3rd.  His birthday fell a few days after Thanksgiving so we ended up having a family celebration while we were back in Cascade over Thanksgiving and a friend celebration the weekend after his birthday.  Sprinkle in his actual birthday on that Wednesday and it felt like we had a whole week of birthday celebrations.  I kept reminding him that despite the week-long festivities, he was not a Kardashian.  He finally asked me what a "Kardashian" was and I was stumped to explain phenom that are the Kardashians.  One of those pathetic mysteries of our times.  Anyway, on to the birthday celebrations...

 

Charlie - you're a "whole hand" old now!

 

An attempt at a family photo before the family party began at Steve and Jan's house.  The nice problem about having both grandparents within close distance of one another is that there is never a shortage of volunteers to host various get togethers, which we always appreciate.

The theme of his family party was Legos so we had some brightly colored decorations and Nana Jan did an awesome job making this Lego cake.

Knowing how much our Charlie loves "cupcapes", we had plenty of desserts to enjoy!

A wide-angle view of the cousins and aunts (also godmothers) in attendance.

Charlie excitedly showing off some of the dinosaurs that Aunt Jenn gave him.

And the cool truck and horse trailer from Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bill.

As always, Charlie received some great gifts - a Lego table, doctor costume, Toy Story toy and Lego "zombie".

A little shy while we sang "Happy Birthday" to him, but he was ready to blow out the candles.

Enjoying a cupcake - my boy loves him some chocolate.

Birthday photo with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bill,

and a giggling photo with Papa Steve and Nana Jan,

and his two godmothers (Aunt Jenn and Aunt Molly).

Uncle Randy kept Crazy Lucy entertained.

On Charlie's actual birthday, he took cupcakes to day care, chose to eat at the local noodle place and came home to open his gift.  The "before" photo -

and the "after" photo.  We gave him a Lego Chima set and a Star Wars Stormtrooper gun.  I have no idea what I was thinking when I picked up the gun.  As I opened the box I told him that the rules included with the box were that if he pointed it at any member of his family, then the gun would be taken away for 24 hours.  Ten minutes later, the gun was placed in my closet for it's first (of many) lockdowns.

The following Sunday, we invited the kids from Charlie's current day care class and a few other friends to Pump It Up for two hours of high-energy, inflatable fun.  The kids seemed to have a great time but I'm still overwhelmed by the volume and bright colors.

We celebrated with a Chima cake for the kids and two Advil and a beer for mommy (hours after the party - when I was no longer responsible for supervising children).

A final shot of the birthday boy sitting on his birthday throne.  We asked that his friends come and enjoy the party but to refrain from bringing any gifts and I'm so glad that almost all complied - we have some very generous family members so to spend the Sunday afternoon focusing on having fun with his friends rather than opening gifts was (necessarily) nice.

With the start of kindergarten on the horizon for the next year, five seems like a big year.  Charlie's already asking questions about kindergarten and seems pretty interested in learning the sounds associated with letters and basic arithmetic, but I'm glad that his primary focus remains on having fun.  He can turn a trip to Target or the grocery store as an opportunity to play a game or race.  While not always the safest or most efficient choice, I'm trying to be more appreciative of his ability to have fun in the most unlikely of situations.

For Charlie's physically touch demeanor, he has a pretty sensitive heart about himself and others.  He still seems to make friends pretty easily, but his preferred playmate of choice seems to be Lucy.  Even the daycare teachers seem amazed that when the classrooms are combined at the end of the day that the two of them prefer to play with each other.   I know that the tide can turn at any moment, but I'm appreciative of his tolerance of her and her two-year old craziness. 

In some ways, it seems that he has grown a lot in the last year, but in other ways (he wants to be Green Lantern when he grows up, prefers noodles over any other food and his preferred place to sleep is our bed) he is still the same little boy and I'm grateful.

November

November was a big month for us.  Most importantly, we finally said good-bye to Lucy's pacifiers.  Since she was about 1.5, Lucy's use of the pacifiers was pretty much limited to bedtime, which made made bedtime awesome because she would ask to go to bed and then hold her two beloved pacifiers (one blue and one pink) in her hands until she fell asleep.  I kept telling myself that we were going to get rid of her pacifiers but I was frankly too lazy.  I finally decided that early November was reckoning day.  I took the picture of her below on her last night with her pacifiers...she clearly had no idea what was about to happen.  

 

The next morning I cut the tips of both pacifiers off, making it impossible for her to actually keep them in her mouth.  The next few nights were spent in a serious grieving/mourning period.  We would rock and then she would look back at me, telling me (in disbelief) that her pacifiers were broke and every time that I confirmed the horrible truth, she would break down.  It was pretty sad and I'd be lying if I wasn't tempted to go the 200 yards to Target to buy new ones.  I fought the urge and we've been pacifier free since then but we've also been "Lucy asking to go to bed" free since then so kind of a wash.

Around mid-November, we surprised the kids with a trip to Disney World.  We talked about taking Charlie some time before he starts kindergarten next August and planned to leave Lucy with family.  After talking about possible dates, deciding to make it a quick, 4 day trip, and having my sister and her family join us, we decided to take Lucy. 

We kept it a surprise from the kids until the morning that we left and I think that the excitement that we had in surprising them outweighed any part of the trip.  We wrapped up a Micky and Minnie mouse to give to them and Charlie excitedly told Lucy that they should hold them while they watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I told him that would be fun but what would be even better is if we took the stuffed mouses on an airplane to the real Walt Disney World.  Charlie screamed with excitement and Lucy, oblivious to what it all meant but happy because Charlie was happy, asked him for a high five.  It was great!

Our Magic Bands arrived a few weeks before our trip and they worked great for our Fast Passes and room entry.

I was so happy to have captured Cinderella's castle at the exact moment that the Christmas fireworks exploded.

 Who am I kidding?  The above photo came from Disney.  The photo(s) that I took of the castle had more tourists than actual castle in them.

Look out Charlie and Lucy - Zurg from Toy Story captured you!  We loved the Toy Story rides because all 4 of us could ride them.

We also loved the Dumbo ride because all 4 of us could ride it.

Charlie meeting Belle...

 All of us meeting Goofy...

Aunt Molly and Lucy meeting Chip and Dale while the rest of us were on a ride...

And Pluto...

 The four of us getting to meet Jake...

A slightly terrified-looking Charlie on Space Mountain (he loves thrill rides but not so much "dark rides")...

 And the 3 of us barreling down Splash Mountain (You will see my nieces Emma and Claire behind the 3 of us with my brother-in-law Mike and other niece Hannah behind them - it was so great to have them on the trip with us and a huge help to take Lucy at certain points)

Charlie and I taking one of the Toy Story rides very seriously...

Our photo from the Tower of Terror.  We're in the back row with BJ looking nervously at Emma while Charlie is panicked between BJ and me.  Bad parenting moment in that we may have caused Charlie irrevocable harm.  He was fine with (and liked) the plunging part of the ride but the dark ghost story leading up to the drop?  It will come up during therapy in his later years, I'm sure of it.  Weeks later, he still reminisces about how fun Walt Disney World was, but is quick to remind me that he didn't like the "scary" rides (Space Mountain, Tower of Terror and this historical ride through the movies that featured a staged gunfight that was very realistic to a four-year-old).  Oops.

 BJ and Charlie taking their Toy Story ride pretty seriously too.

Our last night leaving the park - we were happy but exhausted.  It was a great, quick trip and I'm sure that we'll go back in the future...after we take a few vacations with little more sand and sleep and less Fast Passes and monorail rides :).

We ended November by celebrating Thanksgiving in Cascade with our families.  It was a great way to end the month and we headed right into someone's 5th birthday!

October

I have 10 days to sum up the rest of 2014 before I recommit to regularly blogging in 2015, so here it goes.

 

 

We enjoyed the warm temperatures of October and even conned Charlie into pulling the wagon during some of our many trips to the neighborhood park.   

 

 

 

The Hulk helped us celebrate Halloween,

as did our little donut.  Lucy's costume was perfect that night because it was warm and when she fell (2-3 times) it was like she landed on a pillow.  We'd yell "donut down" and quickly put her back on her feet. 

I tried to convince Charlie that it would be really funny if he dressed up like a glass of milk but he didn't take the bait. Maybe next year I'll succeed in my goal of having the entire family dressed up as a coordinated theme. BJ will be thrilled.

 

We tried on our hats and wore them around, inside the house until we were sweaty and our hair was crazy.

We enjoyed 3 trips in 4 days to the pumpkin patch.  I was able to chaperone both Charlie and Lucy's class trips and then we went as a family that weekend.  I'm all pumpkin patched out until next October.   

Charlie checking out the Farmall at the patch,

Lucy checking out the teeter-totter.

Charlie (in his daycare bright orange shirt so that no one was lost...something that I appreciated as a chaperone) feeding the goats,

BJ helping Lucy enjoy the teeter totter with Charlie without flying off into the sky.

Silly times with each other.

So happy to find a feather - much more exciting than a pumpkin!

October was fun, but November was even better.