skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Christmas has come and gone and what a memorable year this was. I think Christmas is much more exciting when you have a little one. It brings back the spirit of the season! My sister and her family got into town 2 days before Christmas. My dad happened to be watching Bailey that day, so she got to be there when all the fun started. Before Andy and I made it down, I got multiple calls and text messages about how much fun Bailey and Jake were having together: outside in the snow, inside playing "family shopping" and more. When I finally got to my parent's house, I didn't get the usual greeting from Bailey. Instead, it was more like a, "Hey mom" and that was that. Guess it's a good sign that she enjoys her cousins.
Christmas Eve morning we went to the Santa Experience at the Mall of America. Bailey hadn't seen Santa yet this year and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was the neatest way to see Santa. Santa started by talking with Jake and then he went out of the room to let his helpers get Jake, Abby and Bailey in place for the picture. Once they were all distracted with toys, Santa snuck back in to sit behind them for the picture. It was great! No tears by anyone and all three kids are actually looking at the camera for the picture!
Christmas Eve we spent with the Sieberer family. It's always fun to see all of them since it only happens 2-3 times a year. We started with just the immediate family and had fun watching all the girls open their gifts - although Shelby wasn't as excited as I thought she'd be (I mean come on, a 2 week old should be enjoying the gift opening, not sleeping through it, right??)!!! Then the rest of the extended family joined us and the real fun began. 26 people in one house makes for a lot of noise and a big mess of presents! None of that kept us from having a wonderful time. Bailey especially had fun with Andy's 12-year-old cousin Savannah. They played most of the night together, including Bailey having to sit on a "Big girl" chair to eat her dinner. 
Christmas Day we woke up to my nephew Jake yelling, "I'm awake!" He was told that he had to stay upstairs until everyone was awake. Then we would all go downstairs together to see if Santa made it to Gram and Gramp's house. He and Bailey had some fun playing in Gram and Gramp's bed until the whole family was up and ready to go. Thankfully Santa made it and left the kids lots of loot! My sister and I realized after each of the kids opened up about 2 gifts that it could've stopped there. We spent most of the day in our pajamas, opening presents throughout the day, having time to play with new toys, and making a birthday cake for Jesus. Andy, Bailey and I did have to change after nap time to head over to Pickar (Andy's mom's family) Christmas for about 2 hours. Then we had a delicious Christmas meal of fresh salad, garlic bread and my sisters amazing lasagna - topped off with birthday cake!
Even though Christmas comes and goes so quickly, it's always a time for me to sit and reflect on the past year and all the events that occurred. It also reminds me of the great love of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for us. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
Ok, so it's been a while since I've posted anything. I can give multiple excuses as to why:
#1 - It's the holiday season. Any spare time I get I'm out shopping, decorating, or wrapping gifts
#2 - I just finished my latest class for grad school so I've been busy getting my final project/presentation ready#3 - I work full time, am going to school, have a 15 month-old to take care of since my husband doesn't get home until 8pm, works Saturdays and has baseball practice on Sundays
But that just sounds like whining, so I'll just say I haven't had time, but now I'll catch you up on the last month.
Bailey and I spent Thanksgiving in Watertown, WI with my mom's side of the family. Andy was in Arizona with his baseball team for another tournament. We missed him a lot, but had a great time with Gram and Gramps. It was nice to spend some time with my aunt, uncle, cousins and their families since we only see them 2-3 times a year.
Some of my favorite things that Bailey started doing this month:
*She tries to dress herself - which basically means she takes her clothes and wraps them around her neck
*Whenever I get out the camera to take a picture, she catches me and says "Cheese".
*She loves to put on necklaces - or in most cases, my elastic headbands*Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has become an absolute favorite in our house. Needless to say, it's really the only show that we actually put on for Bailey, so she really doesn't know anything else*She is signing and starting to say more words. We are now able to communicate with each other fairly well -- except for those uncontrollable temper tantrums that happen out of the blue.
Here are some random pictures from November:
Christmas Eve morning we went to the Santa Experience at the Mall of America. Bailey hadn't seen Santa yet this year and I wasn't sure what to expect. It was the neatest way to see Santa. Santa started by talking with Jake and then he went out of the room to let his helpers get Jake, Abby and Bailey in place for the picture. Once they were all distracted with toys, Santa snuck back in to sit behind them for the picture. It was great! No tears by anyone and all three kids are actually looking at the camera for the picture! 
Christmas Eve we spent with the Sieberer family. It's always fun to see all of them since it only happens 2-3 times a year. We started with just the immediate family and had fun watching all the girls open their gifts - although Shelby wasn't as excited as I thought she'd be (I mean come on, a 2 week old should be enjoying the gift opening, not sleeping through it, right??)!!! Then the rest of the extended family joined us and the real fun began. 26 people in one house makes for a lot of noise and a big mess of presents! None of that kept us from having a wonderful time. Bailey especially had fun with Andy's 12-year-old cousin Savannah. They played most of the night together, including Bailey having to sit on a "Big girl" chair to eat her dinner. 
Christmas Day we woke up to my nephew Jake yelling, "I'm awake!" He was told that he had to stay upstairs until everyone was awake. Then we would all go downstairs together to see if Santa made it to Gram and Gramp's house. He and Bailey had some fun playing in Gram and Gramp's bed until the whole family was up and ready to go. Thankfully Santa made it and left the kids lots of loot! My sister and I realized after each of the kids opened up about 2 gifts that it could've stopped there. We spent most of the day in our pajamas, opening presents throughout the day, having time to play with new toys, and making a birthday cake for Jesus. Andy, Bailey and I did have to change after nap time to head over to Pickar (Andy's mom's family) Christmas for about 2 hours. Then we had a delicious Christmas meal of fresh salad, garlic bread and my sisters amazing lasagna - topped off with birthday cake!
Even though Christmas comes and goes so quickly, it's always a time for me to sit and reflect on the past year and all the events that occurred. It also reminds me of the great love of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for us. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!
