Merry Christmas!

My boys are loving this whole Christmas thing. Our four-day Christmas extravaganza began yesterday and will continue until Tuesday. We started things off by exchanging our family gifts.

For Christmas, since Santa usually brings toys, I've decided to start a tradition of buying books as presents. Greg and I bought the boys books for Christmas, and since they were the first Christmas presents of the year, Nick absolutely loved them. He was especially excited about the Shel Silverstein book, Every Thing On It.

Henry got a cute board book called Otis. I think he cared more about the wrapping paper, though--he kept trying to eat it. Henry has also been drooling all over the place, and the combination of baby drool and wrapping paper means that when I got into bed last night, damp wrapping paper stuck to my leg.

Greg received his real Christmas present early this year: a new TV and DVD player for the living room. The boys bought him new pajamas and slippers, too. They bought me a book light for my Nook. I guess you'd call it a Nook Light. I keep waking up my husband by reading under the covers with a a giant mag-light flashlight. This light is far less annoying.

I think my husband felt the need to impress with my Christmas present this year. He followed the rule that says you can never go wrong with jewelry. The picture below is the only one where you can kind of see my beautiful new necklace.

Here's a closer view:

I think he did well.  :)

I will write more tomorrow about our multiple celebrations. I promise lots of cute pictures, plenty of Nick smiles, and oodles of Henry drool.

For those of you who celebrate, I hope you are enjoying this special time with family. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Christmas Cookie Baking 2011

Every year, my sister and I get together at my mom's house to bake cookies. This year, Nick was able to "help*." He even wore an apron and a hat for the occasion.

*For anyone receiving cookies this year, let me just say that while Nick did indeed make cookies, none of those cookies were given as gifts. Most of them looked exactly like what they were: cookies made by a three-year-old.

Nick also got to use the cookie shooter to make butter cookies. I had been telling him all about this cookie shooter during the car ride up, and he was absolutely enthralled with the idea of a special shooter that shoots delicious cookies. I suppose that would be a little boy's dream.

Meanwhile, Henry tried his first few cookies. He still doesn't have any teeth, but he gave it his all and ate a few.

The verdict? He liked them. A whole lot.

We worked really hard all day, and our end result was a ton of cookies and candy. I think we worked hard enough to negate any calories from all of the cookies we tasted. Because, of course, if a cookie breaks, you can't just leave it there. We had to do taste testing, just to make sure everything turned out okay, you understand.

I love baking Christmas cookies. Unfortunately, they're mostly gone now, so it looks like Nick and I will be making more cookies tomorrow.

Christmas Post #4: Santa Came Late

Since we spent Christmas Eve night and all of Christmas Eve day at my mother-in-law's house, Santa decided to hold off on leaving presents until the night of the 25th. Since Nick cannot read a calendar yet, no harm done.  ; )   He was pretty excited when he came downstairs to find what Santa had left him.

Santa noticed that Nick loves building with his Mega Bloks, which I picked up from http://www.napervilleyardsales.com/ last year for $7. So he brought Nick a whole new box of Mega Bloks, plus a table for building. He was duly impressed.

Nick also got a neat train puzzle that, when completed, makes train noises. Plus, Santa brought him a stamp set with vehicles and colored pencils, so that Nick can stamp his own airplanes and fire trucks and then color them in. Or, he can get ink everywhere and smear it on the furniture. Either way, he'll have fun.

I have decided that next year, (from Santa at least) Nick will get one thing to play with, one thing to wear, and one thing to read. I'm sure Santa will agree that this is for the best. My boy is already spoiled silly by presents from all of his grandparents and various other relatives. I cannot imagine the intense level of toys that will hit my home once I have two little boys at various stages of development.  I can imagine, however, that it will be great fun.   : )  It's a very good thing I'm not afraid of messes.

 



Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Post #3 (Chaos and Joy at Grandma Toni's House)

Christmas Post #1

Nick gets more Christmases than most kids. You see, since Greg and I both have divorced parents, Nick ended up having four grandmas, three grandpas, and two great-grandmas. For three of his grandmas (and two of his grandpas), Nick is the first and only grandchild, at least until next year. He is a very lucky boy, and this is especially evident around Christmastime, both for love and attention reasons and for the obvious presents that come with lots of grandmas and grandpas. Nick is a total people person, though, and having new people to play with was the highlight of each of his Christmases.

Christmas #1 was on the 23rd, with Nick's Grandpa Mike and Grandma Patty. My dad has really been enjoying being a grandpa, especially since Nick has started walking and talking. I can remember him getting down on the floor and playing with my sister and I when we were little kids, and it's so nice to see him having so much fun playing with his grandson now. Although Nick doesn't look too thrilled in the above picture, as soon as he figured out what this car does, he got really excited. All you have to do is shake it up and put the car on the floor, and it drives itself. This was a revelation for my boy, who loves anything with wheels.

I love the above picture because there are so many random things going on. First, Grandpa Mike is looking at a picture Nick drew while Nick brushes his hair with a rather serious look on his face. You can see Nick's new tent in the background, and Grandma Patty, too, who is laughing at the whole scene. On the table are several Play Doh creations. Nick likes to make people roll balls and make him snakes. "Make snake!," he'll insist, handing the Play Doh over to Grandma Patty.

Above you can see Nick opening his favorite present of the evening, a tent with tunnel attached. As soon as I saw it, I knew that this present would be a winner. I can remember how much fun it was to play in tents and make forts when I was a kid. Nick's eyes got really big and he crawled inside as soon as it was put together. I think this is going to be our go-to toy for rainy days when he gets bored.

Nick got lots of play time with his grandma and grandpa, and he was so excited he wouldn't even eat his pizza. He just wanted to color with them and play with his new toys. I believe they both left here pretty exhausted from his hijinks. He kept begging them to come down on the floor and play with him. "Play with me. Please! Sit here." It was a really relaxing, low key evening, and a great start to our yearly Christmas festivities.

The Many Joys of Cookie Baking

Every year, we bake cookies to give as gifts. My mom, my sister, and I baked the weekend before Christmas this year, and man, did we bake a ton of cookies. Nick was our official cookie taster. Gingerbread is his absolute favorite. My mom let him sample more than a few of our prototypes. It's amazing how many cookies are "damaged" and need eating.  :)

It's funny that gingerbread is his favorite. I think it must be a taste acquired in early childhood. My sister and I love gingerbread, but then again, we ate it from the time we were little kids. I've brought some to work and discovered that only a small subset of the population prefers gingerbread. Greg doesn't really like gingerbread much. That's okay, though. More for me and Nick.

After we were done with the baking, decorating, bagging, and packing, I tried to get some cute pics of Nick in front of the Christmas tree. Each year I use them for my gift tags. Here are the ones I ended up using:

Tonight I am baking cookies again. In my family, our tradition is to bake cookies (tons and tons of cookies) to give away as Christmas gifts. Here's a link to our cookie baking from last year. We did indeed bake this year, but here it is the day after Christmas, and we're just about out of cookies. Tomorrow we're having Christmas #4 with Greg's dad and stepmom (plus tons of cousins, aunts, and uncles), so I figured I'd better bake more cookies so there would be some fresh ones to bring. I made gingerbread, because gingerbread is my favorite, too. Yum.

Wordless Wednesday: Captions, Please?

Christmas #1 (w/Grandpa Mike and Grandma Patty and Grandma Toni)

On the first day of Christmas. . . we had Grandma Patty and Grandpa Mike over, as well as Grandma Toni, who was up for seeing Nick open as many presents as possible. I love the t-shirt Nick is wearing. If you can't see, it has two penguins and it says "Cool like daddy." And he is. :) Note the adorable doggie quilt that Nick got from my dad and stepmom. I believe this was the first of over 40 gifts Nick received this year. What a lucky, lucky boy.

Since both of our parents are divorced, we have four Christmases each year. Nick didn't seem to mind all of the excitement, though. Note how he zeroed in instantly on the cute, eminently breakable snowman bell. That and the bubblewrap were more interesting than toys. :)

Greg was very excited about our new salad set. I can see why; we just dropped a grand on an elliptical trainer, and we will need lots of salad to go with the new healthy lifestyle.

Nick was thrilled to see his Grandpa Mike, and even more thrilled with the cupcakes that they brought. My dad only had 2 girls, no boys, so his first grandson is obviously very special to him.

Here's Nick sitting with his Grandma Patty. Notice the crumby mess he left on the table. I believe he was eating chocolate chip cookies. They are one of Nick's favorites, just like his Grandpa Mike.

No, I don't believe we were tipsy, although it probably looks like that from the picture. Greg was blocking Nick from getting the envelope with his foot. Nick is always most interested in whatever is most forbidden/dangerous/delicate.
My camera takes really bad pictures, did I mention that? I think there is something wrong with it. Here is a family shot, and out of three, this was the best one. Nick was surreptitiously trying to sneak a bite of my cupcake.
Before they left, Grandma Patty and Grandpa Mike played with Nick and our cat Molly up in the loft. I can tell what Nick is thinking: "As long as I entertain them, I won't have to go to bed!" He was right, too.

3 Days of Pampering, Exploring, and Winter Weather. . . Day One

Greg and I just got back from three wonderful days in Chicago. For Christmas, he got us a room at the Palmer House downtown, and arranged for his mother to come and babysit for us. It was a spectacular gift, and we've decided to make this a yearly tradition, if we can arrange it. The city is so beautiful around Christmastime. I loved the lights and the music and the food. Oh, the food. . .

It was, however, very cold. I suppose the actual air temperature was in the high 20s or low 30s (F), but the wind was strong and the sky kept randomly spitting us with rain, sleet, and snow. I react to this by walking a little more slowly so as to not irritate my asthma, but Greg speeds up. Thus we spend much of our time with me walking four to ten feet behind him down the streets of Chicago.
Backing up a bit, I started out Monday by going into the spa while Greg was at work. My mom and stepdad watched Nick, and I had an afternoon to myself. I received a generous Christmas gift from a family I tutor for, with orders to spend the money on myself. I had the best experience at a place called Prima Nails in Carol Stream. I had a manicure, pedicure, and an eyebrow wax, and it felt so nice to pamper myself a little. Then I went to a salon across the street called Gossip, and the stylist (Olga) gave me a new hairdo. She did a great job, but I'm not sure if I'll keep it straight or not. I have the kind of hair that is more curly than straight, and it took her awhile to get my hair to look like this. If you have an opinion on whether I should go curly or straight, I'd love some input. I took the above picture in our fancy hotel room.
I loved the Palmer House. It was classic and gorgeous and impressive. We got a really good deal on expedia. It was divine to get away and spend some time alone with my husband. Below you can see a picture of my husband enjoying a $14 glass of Pinot Noir. Hey, you've gotta enjoy yourself on vacation. And this was a mini-vacation for us. We didn't really go anywhere this year, what with having a baby and all. The whole experience kind of reminded me of our honeymoon in Paris. I had forgotten that one of the reasons I love my husband so much is that we both enjoy the same things when we travel. Good food, a little history, a little art, and an afternoon nap. Here are some pictures of our hotel room. It was comfortable and luxurious.

For dinner our first night, we went to The Berghoff, which was very close to our hotel. Our concierge recommended it as a Chicago must. I'm so glad we went, because it was so different from most restaurants we go to. Greg and I both love trying different types of restaurants and eating well. I can't remember the last time I went to a German place. The food was pretty delicious, and the decorations were grand. Greg had a sausage trio, and I had a roast beef with veggies. The service was lightning fast, too. We walked around the city more after dinner, and stopped at a fancy place called Trattorio 10 for dessert. It's nice to go into fancy places and just have coffee and dessert. We didn't have any place to be, and we could stay up late eating tiramisu and drinking coffee and Kahlua, knowing that we could sleep as late as we wanted. :)

A Cookie Tradition and the Craziness of the Season

My family has a tradition. Each year my mom and my sister and I bake cookies for work and gifts. My grandmother usually joins us, but this year she was in South America, on a cruise. Last year, Nick joined us but slept through the whole thing. This year, he played and tasted cookies. Our cookie adventure ended up taking us two Sundays, so these pictures are from last week and this week.

Above you can see Nick hugging a puppy book, and below he is having fun with his Auntie Mandy.

Nick read stories with his Grandpa Ray. This one is called "Gallop," and it has moving pictures, which Nick was fascinated with. He loves turning the pages in books. It seems like he's listening carefully to every word. Tonight I read him three books in a row, and he sat quietly listening to all of the stories, helping to turn the page and pointing to things in the books.

Doing "So big!" with Grandma Linda.

Christmas, this year, has been a little more overwhelming than in past years. Last year was my first year of being a parent during Christmas, but I was on maternity leave and had plenty of time to shop and get things ready. This year I'm working full time plus teaching an after-school program, we had three parties to go to last weekend, and the stress of buying all of those gifts is getting to me a bit. Thank goodness Nick is a happy shopper.

My next week or so is going to be pretty crazy. Next Monday through Wednesday, Greg is taking me downtown for two nights at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago. It's his Christmas present to me, and I'm really looking forward to it. Nick's Grandma Toni will come and watch him. Then come the four Christmases. Other people might have two sides of the family to have Christmas with--Greg and I have four places to go. This Saturday we will spend with my dad and stepmom, then off to Chicago Monday-Wednesday, then Christmas Eve with my mom and stepdad and grandma. We go directly from there to my mother-in-law's house, and spend the night and all of Christmas Day with Greg's mom and sister. Finally, on the 26th, we'll go up to Wisconsin to visit Greg's Dad and Stepmom. Wow, I didn't realize how busy I am until I wrote that. I'm totally going to need the whole next week off for vacation.

Nick's First Visit with Santa. . .Naughty or Nice?

Last year, Nick was only a month old at Christmastime, so he didn't get to meet Santa. But this year we decided he was big enough, so off to the mall we went. (On Dasher, On Dancer, On Chrysler and Visa. . .) Yorktown was pretty crowded, and the line was quite insane. Standing in line with an impatient 1-year-old for an hour and fifteen minutes is no fun. Add in thirty or forty other very young children, and what you have is chaos. Nick wanted to explore and interact with the other kids.

He does pretty well with other kids, although he kept trying to pull this kid's scarf off. But Nick was also very active, and he kept trying to crawl away. He also kept sneaking into other people's purses and bags, trying to grab sippy cups and crackers. I told him he needed to stop it with the pickpocketing, because they don't have a room in juvie for kids his age. Then he tried to eat crumbs off of the floor. Nick can crawl extremely quickly, and I kept having to abandon my spot in line to chase him around. Greg and I took turns watching him and shopping. I ended up getting Nick this handsome brown coat on sale at Gymboree for only $12. It's the one he's wearing on Santa's lap at the bottom of this post. I have a winter coat for Nick, but it's one of those great big puffy ones, and it's very hard to get his carseat buckled when he's wearing it. This new coat is much better, and it is stylin'.

I was worried at how he would react, after seeing all four kids ahead of him cry hysterically when sitting on Santa's lap. I guess he did look pretty scary in his red suit, what with the huge beard and having made all the other kids cry. It was hilarious watching all of the parents dance around trying to get their kids to stop screaming and smile. They looked like dorks, but then again, so did we, I'm sure.

When we finally got to the head of the line, Santa asked me if I wanted Nick to keep his coat on for the picture. "Sure," I replied. "It's more wintery, and besides, you're wearing your coat, too." I suppose I shouldn't be so mouthy to the guy with all of the presents. Nick was a little wary of this strangely dressed bearded man, but the sight of Greg and I dancing and waving in front of him managed to coax out a smile. I'm pretty pleased with the final result, even if it was overpriced. My kid actually smiled and looked happy to be on Santa's lap. I wonder what he asked for. . .