Holiday Pictures

As I mentioned in a previous post, we did holiday pictures over the weekend. I was surprised that we got them back SO quickly! I was definitely pleased with the results. Here is a peek at a few of the pics.

Successful Saturday!

This morning started off with Leah's gymnastics class. We are on week 3 and she L.O.V.E.S. it! She has such a good time when she is there. This is a parent/tot class and Rob has been taking her every Saturday (and participating). They don't let parents stay in the gymnasium, but we are allowed to go up to the balcony and watch the kids below. They get to do rolls, jumps, walk on the balance beam, and hang onto the bars. She especially likes the trampoline! Today she mastered the bear crawl and the crab crawl! I am one proud momma. She is getting better each week.

After gymnastics, we had to race home and get ready. We had holiday pictures scheduled at noon. We had to get Leah (and Rob) changed and then head out the door. We did a Christmas mini-session with Jennifer Marie Photography. Basically, it is a shorter themed session at a great rate. She always does a fantastic job. (We've done Easter mini's, Fall mini's and Valentine's Day mini's with her too)! She had lots of holiday props and a cute backdrop. I dressed Leah and Mason in their holiday outfits. I was expecting the worst (in terms of the kids cooperation), but to my surprise, the session went GREAT!! Leah did awesome! She listened and smiled and did not give us a hard time! Mason did okay. He was not full of smiles, but I would take that any day over crying or crankiness! I think we got a lot of great shots and I can't wait to see them. We did some of the kids together and separately and then a few family pics. I am hoping to have a few that I can pick from for our Christmas cards.

We had told Leah that if she was a good girl (for the pictures), we would take her to see Santa again. (That is all she talks about). As soon as we got to the car after our pictures, she immediately told us she wanted to go see Santa. We weren't going to go back on our word, so to see Santa we went. Leah has already seen Santa once and we didn't really want to fork over another $20 for a picture, so we went to Bass Pro Shop. I had heard kids can see Santa for free so we thought we would check it out. Apparently, a ton of other people had the same idea. It was pretty crowded. They do have a system down where you get a ticket that will tell you what time to get back in line so you don't have to wait forever. We got there about 1:15 pm and our line time was not until 2:30 pm. We definitely had some time to spare. We were going to have lunch in the restaurant there, but that too was pretty packed. We decided to walk over to Gordon Biersch instead. Lunch was good and it killed all the time we needed. We went back to Bass Pro Shop and had to wait about 25 minutes (a little longer than I thought we would have to wait since we had our line pass). Leah was just as excited to see Santa the second time as she was the first time. She told Santa what she wanted and gave him a big hug.

We were pretty pooped when we got home. We all put our jammies on and watched Christmas movies. Overall, today was a successful Saturday in my eyes!!

Happy Thanksgiving / Black Friday

Happy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for this year. I am thankful for my wonderful husband and my two beautiful, healthy babies. I am thankful that my Dad is still considered cancer free, even though he is still on the road to recovery from his surgery. I am thankful for all of my family and friends. I am thankful for all of the memories I have of my mom. I am thankful that I have a great job and a roof over my head. There is still plenty more to be thankful for!

This year, we hosted at our house. It was a great time, we ate too much food and everyone took home leftovers! We had turkey, ham and all of the fixings. I hardly took any pictures at all!! I at least wanted to get one of the kids together.....but, nope.

Rob was going back and forth if he was going to go out for Black Friday. There were a few deals he was interested in, but nothing over the top. He was pretty tired so he went to bed. He woke up at 1:00 am and decided to hit the stores. He met up with his brother Randy who was already out and about. He made a stop at Toys R Us, Kohl's, Best Buy, Home Depot and a few other places. He did knock a few things off our list! He also wanted to get a Christmas tree from Home Depot that was a doorbuster for $59. He waited in line but was able to get it. What a huge disappointment! (Later in the day we took it out of the box and there was NOTHING to it. It was the skimpiest tree I've ever seen and looked nothing like the picture). Needless to say it went back to the store. Looks like we are stuck with our old tree for another year. Our tree isn't bad but I'm ready for a new one!

The tree gave us a good laugh!

Rob came home around 5:30 am. When the kids got up I wanted to go to Babies R Us. I always go there for their diapers and wipes on Black Friday. Diapers are $10 a case and wipes are $5 a case. It's our time to stock up. I was just going to go by myself but Rob couldn't sleep so he came with us. A There was absolutely no one in the store! Afterwards, we went to Toys R Us. Even though Rob had already been there, I wanted to look around too. I did pick up a few things. We also went to Sports Authority. We ended buying an elliptical machine! It was a great deal, but still pretty pricey. We've wanted to get one for a long time, I just wasn't planning on getting one so soon! We decided it will be your Christmas present to each other and we won't do anything else. It will be delivered on Tuesday!! I really need to get my butt moving! Our last stop was Carters. The whole store was 50% off and if you shopped by noon, you got an extra 10% off. Also, you were able to use a coupon if you had one (which I did of course!). I got lots of stuff there!

We came home and hung out the rest of the afternoon. We did make a quick trip to the mall later in the day. It was packed!!

Four Months of Mason

Four months! I can't believe little Mason is four months old already! I have already been back at work for 6 weeks. I am amazed at how quickly little man is changing, growing and learning. Mason is growing like a weed and is my little chunker. He is a solid kid with future linebacker potential! We had his four month appointment today. Everyone had to get shots! Mason received his scheduled immunizations and Leah and I both got our flu shots. Leah handled her flu shot amazingly! She didn't shed a tear and sat still the entire time. She then held my hand when I had to get my flu shot. She held Mason's hand too for all of his shots. She is so sweet! As far as Mason's stats, he weighs 15 pounds 9 ounces (66th percentile) and is 24.5 inches long (36 percentile)! At his last appointment, he was tall and skinny. Now he seems to be short and fat - ha! We saw my niece Alyssa the other weekend and she is 7 months old. My little guy is just about the same size as her (if not bigger)! I weighed Leah this morning and she is 31.5 pounds. Mason is half her weight! He drinks 6 ounces of formula at each feeding and averages about 32-35 ounces a day. We introduced cereal to him a few weeks ago and he did pretty good. We recently tried pears and he liked it much better than the cereal. He is still in a size 2 diaper, but at the rate he is growing, he will be in a size 3 in no time at all. His 3 month size clothes are beginning to fit a little snug.

Mason is the sweetest little thing and makes my heart melt. I just want to eat him up. He is usually pretty happy and laid back most of the time. His acid reflux does act up sometimes, even though he is on medicine. We talked it over with his doctor today and she feels that he is drinking too much formula. She wants us to begin giving him cereal and/or fruits and veggies more frequently. She feels that this will help him with the reflux. He does seem to have his 'canky period' at a consistent time each day though. Otherwise, he is all smiles and 'talks' to us throughout the day. Mason continues to sleep like a champ. He usually goes to bed around 7:30 or 8:00 and sleeps for a good 10-11 hours. It is rare for him to wake up during the night, although it has happened on occasion. He is a little bit more consistent with his nap schedule during the day now.

Mason is still not a fan of tummy time, but we still try all of the time. The doctor told us we need to be doing it 3-4 times a day for 15-20 minutes each time. We have some work to do! We pulled out the jumparoo to see if he would like to sit in it. He looks so small when sitting in it, but he enjoys playing with the toys and gadgets in front of him. Leah has to be the best big sister in the world. She loves her little brother so much. She constantly tends to his needs and is very protective of him. She loves to play with him, hold him, lay on the floor with him and give him hugs and kisses. It melts my heart seeing the two of them together.  

Happy 4 months Mason! We are so blessed to have you in our family.

Sunday Fun Day!

Sunday turned out to be a pretty busy day. It was productive, yet fun. We had an appointment to do the kids pictures at 11:00 am at the Picture People in Oak Brook. I had bought a Groupon (of course) and scheduled a session to get Mason's 3 month pictures done and maybe 'try' to get a few good ones of Mason and Leah together and some of Leah by herself. We were somewhat successful with pictures of Mason, but it didn't go so well with the two of them together or Leah solo. Leah had told us the whole way there that she was going to cooperate and she was going to be a good big sister and take pictures with her little brother. In typical Leah style, she totally clammed up when we got to the studio and became pretty uncooperative. We got one good one of Leah and Mason together and one picture of Leah by herself. It would have been nice if the Picture People offered a little more variety in the pictures/poses. Oh well...I had a Groupon so I didn't shell out a ton of cash. We do have a family shoot coming up in two weeks where we are going to attempt to get a picture we can use for our holiday cards!

 

While we were waiting for our pictures, we went shopping for a bit and then had lunch at Houlihan's in the mall. We went and picked up our pictures and then left Oak Brook. Leah has been asking to see Santa for the past couple of days and has been over the top excited about it. I think this is the first year she really gets it and understands the concept of Santa. We always tell her that she better be a good girl because Santa is watching her. She immediately changes her behavior and says, "Ok, momma." We left Oak Brook and headed over to York Town mall because that is where Santa was that afternoon. I know it is a bit early to go see Santa but we figured we would beat the crowds! Leah talked a big game on the way there and told us how excited she was. I was expecting her to clam up and play the shy game once we arrived. There was absolutely no line and to my surprise, Leah RAN right up to Santa and gave him a big hug!! She was SOOO happy to see him and was not shy at all. She told him what she wanted for Christmas and assured him she has been a good girl all year long. We even got a decent picture of her and Mason and Santa's lap. Leah definitely BELIEVES! I think we might try the Elf on the Shelf this year. She was too little last year, but it could be fun this year!

After seeing Santa we walked around the mall for a bit. Leah was eyeing the train and asked if she could go on it (we've never been). I agreed and we went and purchased a train ticket. We got in line and when it was her turn, she completely chickened out and decided she didn't want to go by herself. I didn't force her so we walked away. About a minute later, she told me she wanted to try again and be a big girl and go on the train. I asked her if she was sure and she said, "Yes." We walked back and got in line and when it was her turn, she walked right onto the purple train car. She was excited and nervous. The train started and they were on their way. She had a blast and would give me a big wave and smile when she passed me. It melted my heart. After going around the track a few times, the ride was over. She came off and asked if she could go again. It made her so happy so I decided to let her go again. We went and bought another ticket and got back in line. She enjoyed the ride just as much the second time around. This was the best day ever (for Leah)! Meeting Santa and riding the train! Oh to be 2 again!

Date Night and God Bless Alyssa Lynn

We were so excited that we got to have a date night this past Saturday! It is far and few between that Rob and I get to go out with no kids. My cousin Lauren and her fiancé Danny volunteered to watch the kiddos for us, so we took them up on their offer. They came over around 4:30 pm and were out the door shortly after. (I know that was early, but hey...we are getting old)! Dinner and drinks were on the agenda for the evening. We had a 6:00 pm reservation at Capital Grill. We were early so we stopped in DOC Wine Bar for a before-dinner drink. Considering it was a wine bar, I felt like I was obligated to have a glass of wine, but I actually opted for martini! (Did I mention we never get out - ha)! After finishing our drinks we walked the short way over to the restaurant. The only reason we decided to go to Capital Grill was because we had a gift card (otherwise it is way out of our price range)! I had a filet and Rob had the seared tuna. It was yummy! I felt like I was in a food coma after we were finished.

It was still pretty early so we went out for drinks afterwards. We went to Trademark Tavern. (It is the old Magnum's on Butterfield). We had come here one time before and really liked it. This time around though was a different story. The service was h.o.r.r.i.b.l.e and it wasn't even that crowded. It took well over 20 minutes for one drink. Obviously we weren't in a hurry, but it was pretty annoying that it took so long. We had two drinks and figured we would hit the road. We were both tired! We were home by 9:15 pm. Woohoo - big night out! Leah and Mason were both good for Lauren and Danny while we were gone, which is always a relief! Thank you guys again for watching them!

We stayed up for a little while and then went to bed. Around 3:00 in the morning Rob woke me up and told me he had been getting sick for the past hour and he felt horrible. He didn't know if it was a stomach bug or something he ate. Poor guy continued to get sick for the next few hours. The next day we were all supposed to go to my niece Alyssa's baptism. Rob was in no condition to go, so I had to fly solo with the kids. Rob also had to leave that afternoon for a business trip. He was definitely not looking forward to traveling feeling the way he did. He had a 5 1/2 drive to Wisconsin. He does not come home until Wednesday night - so I'll be taking care of these babies by myself the next couple of days.

I left the house around 8:15 am with both of the kids. I am one of my niece's god parents, so I needed to be there by 9:00 to meet with the priest. I was a little nervous as to how the morning was going to go, considering I was by myself with the two kids.  They were both on their best behavior during the service. Alyssa looked so cute in her baptism outfit. I am so bummed - I didn't get any pictures because I was so busy with the kids. I am hoping my sister-in-law can send me some! There were a total of 5 people getting baptized that day (3 babies and 2 adults). Leah wanted to come up to the alter with me when it was time for us to go in front of the church. Luckily her Papa (my dad) was able to disract her and she ended up staying by him. My cousin held Mason and all was good! After the baptism, my brother had a luncheon following at Champps. It was nice to spend time with my family. It was a great day! God Bless Alyssa!!

My baby Mase all dressed up and ready to go!

Halloween 2012

We seemed to get in a lot of Fall festivities this year (between going to the pumpkin patch, to having our Halloween party, to carving pumpkins and other fun events). I am glad we were able to do so many Halloween activities! On actual Halloween, I was able to cut out of work a little early to get home to my babies! Rob was off for the day since daycare was closed, so he was home with them all day. I got home around 3:30 pm and Leah helped me get the candy ready for all of the kids. We put on her costume (and got Mase dressed too) and then we hit the neighborhood.

Leah was so excited to go out and trick-or-treat. We started with our neighbors and went around the block. She would only say 'trick or treat' about half of the time because she would get shy. I made sure she always said thank you though. A handful of people on our block were giving out full size candy bars! Leah made out! After trick or treating for 45 minutes, she told us she was ready to go home. This was fine with us since it was pretty chilly outside.

After we got home, kids came by the herds! We had SO many kids come by the house. Leah kept referring to the trick or treaters as 'customers.' She'd say, "mom, there are more customers here!" It was cute. She really enjoyed handing out the candy to the kids. She would take her time and drop candy into everyone's bag. Towards the end of trick or treating hours, we ran out of candy. (I had bought 12 bags of candy!!!) There are TONS of kids in our neighborhood. I resorted to pulling out granola bars and fruit snacks from our pantry.

Overall, Leah had a fun Halloween. Next year, Mase will be right there with her! I can't wait!