Christmas Season

The Christmas season is upon us and I couldn't be more thrilled. Having two older kids has been a blast! The kids have helped me go shopping and even picked out gifts for each other. Eli was SO excited to get Cora a gift. He picked her out a Hello Kitty nail polish and necklace and wrapped it himself. Cora picked Eli out a matchbox car, and she has already opened it herself once ;-). The kids had a blast decorating and picking out the tree. We put on Christmas music, drank hot cocoa, and enjoyed watching our two big kids put ornaments on the tree. Eli was especially excited to put on his homemade ornaments he did last year. Eli made everyone homemade presents out of wrapping paper and tape. It was so adorable! He made what he is calling "instruments". He also has been wrapping up the little plastic food from the play kitchen and putting them under the tree for Nana and Bum and others. My brother used to do the exact same thing when he was little. It is awesome having kids that can actually understand what Christmas is all about. Even Cora will yell, "JESUS!" if you ask who was born on Christmas day. I am doing a "Jesse Tree/Waiting Tree" with the kids this year. My Mom gave me one that she had made when we were kids. It's sort of like an advent calendar with a scripture reading and felt ornaments that have to do with the scriptures leading up to Christ's birth. The kids loved starting it last night. I made special cookies and a big meal to start it off. I almost have all my shopping done so we can focus this entire month to remembering and focusing on what this time is all about: Our incredible Father sending his beloved Son to this world to save us all. Praise God for this magical celebration!

Thanksgiving

Being with family was such a blessing on Thanskgiving! We all missed our grandparents that passed away this summer, but we know they were enjoying an even greater feast in Heaven. We spent a great week in Texas hot tubbing, playing at the Arbors, seeing Santa (which Cora hated), playing with all the toys, and spending time with family. The kids had a blast and were perfect travelers. No crying or whining either way! It was a blessing. Eli and Gavin played like brothers and fought like brothers :-) It was so fun to watch them play together and talk nonstop together. Eli didn't nap the entire time we were there and it made for some tired and cranky moments. Overall, though it was a great time. Brandon spent several days getting his parent's old van cleaned out and fixed up for our growing family. I am excited to have a vehicle that will actually hold three kids comfortably. I pray it lasts long! We sold my little red car and Brandon will take over the Escape. Looking forward to all the changes this upcoming year will bring! We have so much to be thankful for!

Parent Teacher Conference

I had the opportunity to go to my first parent teacher conference last night! I was so excited and nervous to find out how Eli is doing. His teacher is wonderful in every way. I was so proud of Eli after talking with her! She basically said he is VERY ahead cognitively and very smart and doing great. He is very good at anything cognitive, but not as strong at activities that involve the fine motor skills, like scissors. I remember our Parents as Teachers rep telling me he might struggle a little bit with fine motor skills since he was an early walker and didn't get his wrist strength built up from crawling. I was so thrilled to hear he is doing wonderfully at following the rules, listening, playing with the other kids, no issues with sharing, etc. She also told me they have NEVER seen him angry, upset, mad etc. Basically, he has never misbehaved! Wow! What more could I ask for? I was oozing pride all over the place (considering several times when I've come to get him I've seen a couple of boys throwing tantrums or getting in trouble). I got to look at all the activities, worksheets, etc. he's done so far this year. It was so fun to hear about what he's like in class. She said he's a little timid when going to a new place or new person and on the things he struggles with (like cutting) he will say, "I can't do this." They encourage him to try and then after he has attempted, then they will help him. It was so fun! Yesterday, the fire trucks/firemen came to the preschool to talk to the kids and show them the truck. Eli loved it! He said his favorite thing was getting to walk through the truck, where he said he saw a special flashlight. They also talked about calling 911 in an emergency, and Eli definitely took it to heart. He was quizzing Brandon about it at the dinner table, "Dad, what do you call if there's a fire? 911!"

Cora had her 18 month appointment yesterday. I actually scheduled her next appointment, which is when she turns TWO! She is pretty much done with all of her baby shots. Here are her stats: 30 1/2 inches tall (30%), 22 lbs 1 oz (25%), 18 1/4 inch head (24%).

Rock City

We spent a fun filled weekend at the farm...it was so refreshing! We all had such a great time eating my Mom's awesome cooking, playing outside, being together, and taking the kids to Rock City. Rock City is a park of giant Dakota sandstone concretions outside of Minneapolis. It is our town's only "tourist attraction". The kids absolutely LOVED it! They climbed, played hide and seek, and explored. It was fun!

18 months

Cora is 18 months old! Honestly, it actually feels like she is older by how much she talks and the way she acts. She thinks she's a big timer! We comment all the time about how amazing she is and how lucky we are to have her in our lives. She is a wonderful gift from God and I am blessed daily by her! At 18 months she is:
1. Constantly saying "Hi!" to people wherever we go. It is hilarious. It doesn't matter where we are, if she sees someone she will yell out to them and try to get their attention. Sometimes she will be shy if they talk back, but she is very friendly.
2. Saying "NO!" and "STOP!" all the time. They are definitely her most used words. If Eli starts bugging her, you'll hear her yell at him. It's so sassy!
3. Loving doing running games with Eli and still loves wrestling.
4. Asking to go "outside" all day long. I think it is going to be a rough Winter, because this girl LOVES to be outside. She loves walks, bike rides, and just playing.
5. Always asking "I come?", "I coming!", or "Elijah COME!"
6. Loving dancing and has a new form of dance we like to call speedy feet. She also does spins and copies our dance moves.
7. Speaking in phrases constantly like, "Chunk of cheese", "Both hiding", "Go hide", "Let's go", "Here ya go", etc.
8. Tattling on Eli. She'll say, "Elijah PUSHED!" OR "Elijah KICKED!"
9. Now recounting what she did while I was gone somewhere. She will tell me exactly what she did with Brandon, my mom, or sister. She'll tell me, "Dada, bike ride, and park!"
10. Naming all of the titles of the book. She'll ask for, "Go to zoo", "Daddy and I", "Wocket in my Pocket", "Messy babies", "Tractors" etc.
11. Talking to the "baby" in my tummy all of the time. It is adorable!
12. Diapering her dolls and loves to feed, shush, and burp them.
13. Throwing herself back and arching her back for tantrums when she doesn't want to do something. Getting her dressed, changed, etc. can sometimes be a challenge.
14. Saying "OW!" all the time if she gets hurt (although she is super tough and has a really high pain tolerance).
15. An absolute DELIGHT!

Halloween

We are enjoying Fall! We taught Eli how to carve pumpkins over the weekend (he wanted a MEAN face), and roasted the seeds, which he loved. We had fun at a costume party (where Brandon dressed up as a bearded lady and I dressed up in my only costume I have....Ugly Betty). My parents, brother, and sister's kids came over on Halloween and we he gave Jacklyn her birthday presents and went trick-or-treating. The kids had a BLAST! Cora caught on right away and carried her little pumpkin everywhere saying, "Trick-or-treat", grabbing candy, and saying, "Thank you". Eli ran as fast as he could from house to house. We just did our street with our kids, and the cousins headed off for more candy snatching. We spent the rest of the evening handing out candy. Eli took the job very seriously and held the bowl on the porch ready to dish out the goods. It was so cute!