Shameless Plug

We had our family photos taken in October by a really talented lady. I was thrilled with the results! It was SO much easier than waiting in line at JC Penney. Plus, she captured my all time favorite photo of Xavier.




The photographer has had a contest every week on her blog for the month of December for various themes. My kiddos are up for this week under "My Favorite Things." While the photo is far from my favorite, I'd really like the prize! So, if anyone wants to vote for my kiddos, please copy and paste the link below. If you leave a comment, you get credit for an extra five votes. Can you help me, please? Voting ends Saturday.

http://blog.everydaybabystudios.com/

P.S. I PROMISE I'll update the Christmas festivities soon. My computer is having some memory issues and I can't upload photos. What good are posts without pictures?

Success!

I completed my first attempt at a triathlon this weekend at the Honda Wellness Center. They held an indoor, timed, event on Saturday. We were given 10 minutes in the pool, 10 minutes transition, 30 minutes on a stationery bike, 5 minutes transition, and 20 minutes on the treadmill. The final standings were based on total distance covered. After the pool, I stood in second place. Yee-haw! Unfortunately, I got destroyed on the bike. That is obviously where you can gain the most distance. I hadn't been on a bike since Spring 2007! It was so hard! After 30 minutes of pushing myself to the limit, I thought I was going to lose my breakfast. For those of you who know me, I haven't thrown up in almost 20 years and it is my biggest fear! Thankfully, I pulled myself together and finished out my 20 minutes on the treadmill. Final standing: Number Nine...out of 10 women. The lady that won only completed 10 laps in the pool and I did 23. She was a biker and a runner. Oh well, I feel great for completing the event and learned so much from the experience. If I'm planning on doing a real sprint event this summer, I need to get my rear on the bike!

Our Little Singer

Brooklyn was asked to do a solo for the children's Christmas program at church. She was paired with another boy to sing "Happy Birthday Jesus." She practiced for weeks, sometimes not so joyfully, before singing for both services yesterday. She was afraid she'd forget her words or that she'd get a frog in her throat. It was amazing, as soon as the spotlight hit her, she lit up! The first performance, she got the dreaded frog. I told her how to gently clear her throat before the next performance and she did great! I was so proud of her!

After church, we had lunch, then hurried off to Brooklyn's school's Christmas program. I've never been so bored at a school production! With the entire school on stage, it was like playing "where's Waldo?" to find Brooklyn. The only time I saw her was when they sat down between scenes. Otherwise, I could only see the little red bow sticking up on top of her head. The things we parents sit through for the love of our children...

Xavier's Christmas Program

Xavier's preschool had their Christmas program on Thursday. I wasn't sure how he'd do since he's always in his sister's shadow. I was pleasantly surprised! He paid attention, sang every word, and did the motions! I wish I had the video, but it is too big to post. I'll see what I can do.


Xavier was so happy he got to stand near his buddies Whitney and Jack.

Gee, can you tell they're up to something. Jack would poke Xavier and he'd dissolve into giggles.

Aww, Mom! Not another picture!

Doesn't she look innocent?

Warning: This post is not for children!


Last week, Brooklyn's teacher pulled me aside after school to ask me a question. "Does Brooklyn believe in Santa?" is what she asked. It seems that she announced to the entire first grade classroom that Santa does not exist. Yeesh.

Andy and I decided, before our kids were born, that we would not have Santa as the focus of our Christmas celebrations. We are not scrooges, nor anti-Santa. I don't look down on every other family that celebrates Santa, it is their choice! Our kids still receive plenty of gifts(it's amazing what people ask) and have lots of Christmas fun. We are merely trying to steer the kids away from the materialism of the Christmas season and focus on the birth of Christ. By the reaction of a lot of people, you would think we've chosen to dye our kids' hair blue and worship our dog.(sorry, I'm a little frustrated)
We've lived happily in our little bubble until this year. We've given our kids the canned answer of "my Mommy and Daddy give us gifts and we celebrate Jesus' birth" to the questions of "are you excited to have Santa come to your house," etc. Brooklyn has really struggled this year because it seems her entire first grade class can think of nothing but Santa. She feels left out. She WANTS to believe and WANTS Santa to be real. We've had endless conversations on the topic. We told her who St. Nicholas was and how he is represented in Santa, etc. Finally, Andy got frustrated with the situation and laid it out in this way. Brooklyn, we don't want to lie to you. We don't want to spend all our energy trying to make you believe in something that is not real. If we convince you Santa is real, then you find out he's not, what are you going to think when we tell you Jesus is real? That seemed to shut her up...until the next day. As they sit at the table, Brooklyn turns to my mother-in-law and says "Oma, why did you lie to Daddy?" Moments like that you just want to crawl under the table and melt into the floor!
Andy and I still feel we made the right choice for our family, but had no idea it would be this hard!
For the moment, Brooklyn seems to be silent on the subject. But, beware of the spoiler!

The Stockings Were Hung...

Saturday morning the kids were able to open their stockings. Brooklyn was about to explode, but I made them stop and pose with their socks. They were all standing together(including Isaac!) and looking adorable when I snapped the picture. When I looked on my preview screen Xavier had put his stocking in front of his face. Arg! Anyways, it was a fun event and nice that Andy was home. Onward to Christmas!

Franken-Baby

He's walking!
Isaac has been toddling a few steps at a time for about a month. In the past few days, he's really taken off! He walks for about ten feet before he loses his balance and plops down on his diaper butt. I think goose egg season has arrived in our house. The funniest thing is that when Brookln started to walk, she held her hands out to the side as if she were on a balance beam. Xavier had his arms straight over his head. Isaac is balancing by doing his best imitation of Frankenstein. Three kids, so amazingly different.

Santa Baby

Marysville held their annual Christmas Walk on Monday. As with each year prior, the weather was terrible! It rained and/or snowed the entire day. We bundled up and headed uptown to watch Brooklyn dance to "Santa Baby" with her class. It was cute, as always.

Here is the video, per my mom's request. The quality is terrible!



Xavier and his friend Jack were good sports while waiting for their sisters to perform.

All the tinsel and lights

Per tradition(and the begging of two children) we put up our Christmas decorations on Saturday. The kids were really into it this year! They blew through the boxes of ornaments and had them on the tree in no time. Unfortunately, the boxes were all strewn across the floor and the breakable ornaments were all on the bottom two branches. After a few adjustments, the tree looked marvelous! Brooklyn put the angel on top of the tree with some help from Daddy and Xavier threw the switch to turn on the lights. Isaac stood by in his reindeer antlers and looked cute.

I love how he's standing on his tiptoes to get to the perfect spot.

Oh, so not obviously posed!

Isn't he just the cutest reindeer you've ever seen?

This was his first touch of the Christmas tree. It's fake, so no injuries.

Mommy's New Toy

I've been wanting to take a photography class for a while. I love taking pictures of my kids and wish I had a better eye. While perusing the ads for Black Friday, Andy confessed that he wanted to get me a camera for Christmas, my birthday, Mothers' Day, and any other holiday that falls in the next calendar year. We ended up purchasing a Nikon D60 during our shopping trip on Friday. Over the past few days I have taken (literally) hundreds of pictures. Now I really need the photography class! Please bear with me as I get used to the new camera and learn all of its really cool functions. These are a few of the shots I took over the weekend.

The Feast

Xavier's preschool class had their Thanksgiving Feast with the Pre-K class on the Monday before Thanksgiving. His class dressed as pilgrims and the pre-k class dressed as Indians. They traveled to each classroom to learn about the first Thanksgiving. Afterward they went to the cafeteria to have a feast together. It was adorable! All the kids were very well behaved and very hungry! They scarfed down their food like they hadn't eaten in days!

A Bunch of Turkeys

I committed the ultimate error for all bloggers and scrapbookers on Thanksgiving Day. I FORGOT MY CAMERA! It was left on the dining room table in our mad dash out the door to Cincinnati. Thankfully(ha!) my mom let me borrow hers, but I have to get the photos off her camera.
The day began with a fabulous breakfast of Maple French Toast(I love Cooking Light!)
We stopped to see my Grandma in Kettering. We hadn't seen her since Isaac was a newborn! We stopped in Springboro to drop off the dog and Sea Doo. Andy's parents are storing it for the winter. Finally, we headed toward my cousin's house in Cincinnati. We arrived just in time for supper. The kiddos did very well, although Xavier wasn't a huge fan of the five dogs that all weighed almost twice as much as he does! The food was tasty and there was way too much, as usual. My cousin baked the turkeys(yes, there were two!) and ham in a pizza oven in the backyard. What an awesome idea! They were yummy! My only complaint is that Xavier now wants to eat ketchup on his rolls. Thanks alot, Ethan!

Grandma was busy again. The kids love their toasty new shirts!

I Was Wrong

I owe my husband an apology. He LOVES bluegrass music. We had the Southern Ohio Indoor Bluegrass Festival on our calendar for months. He even took a half a day off work to drive to Wilmington to catch most of Friday's acts. I made fun of him. I asked if I should wear overalls, flannel, and black out some of my teeth for the event. Bluegrass is not my style. The discorded harmonies, twangy instruments and thick southern accents drive me crazy. I went to support him as he supports me in my hobbies. In spite of my complaining, the kids and I had a great time! The groups were amazingly talented. Most of the bands' members play multiple instruments and can break into four or more part harmony at any moment. They were quite impressive! I'm not really interested in buying a large quantity of CD's or programming Bluegrass Junction into my favorites on the XM radio, but I definitely have a new appreciation for the talent that goes into Bluegrass music. I'm sorry, Andy!


Isaac was adorable! He bopped up and down to the beat and waved his hands when the bands were playing.

The other two kiddos were crazy! They danced to every song in crazy flailing movements. The did a great job of entertaining the Centerville High School Band that was sitting behind us. I'm not sure the rest of the audience(average age: 65+) was nearly as amused.



Dailey and Vincent was one of the groups that performed, although the video is not from the festival we attended. They were, by far, my favorite.

We Avoided Disaster, Barely!

I finally pulled a friend party together for Xavier last Thursday. All he talked about was going to Pump it Up. So, I gathered 3 of his friends and arranged to meet them at Pump it Up for "drop in playtime" from 10-11:30. Then, we would go back to the house for lunch, cake, etc. Perfect, right? We arrived promptly at 10 only to discover that they do NOT have drop in playtime on Thursdays. They were expecting a field trip from one of the local schools that would fill the building. WHAT!? I PROMISED my son he could go to Pump it Up for his birthday. I feel like such a schmuck. I pulled the flyer off the desk and showed the lady...It says Wed-Fri for drop in playtime, NOT Wed, Fri or Wed and Fri. Doesn't Wed "DASH" Fri mean Wednesday through Friday? She apologized for the misunderstanding but said there was nothing she could do. ARG!
So, I turn to Xavier and say "How about Chuck E. Cheese, Buddy?" He gets this sad, wounded look on his face and says, "I don't want to go to CEC, I want to jump!" My heart was breaking and I had to try really hard not to cry. I looked at the lady and she just shrugged. ARG!
After it all, Xavier decided to take his friends to CEC and had a good time. It wasn't his dream party, but we made the best of it. Thanks to all his friends and their parents for being flexible!

Dancin'

It is parent observation week at Brooklyn's dance studio this week. Yipee! It was really fun to see what they've been up to since classes began in August. Her competition team is composed of nine 3 to 6 year olds. That has to be interesting for her teacher! One major difference I noticed between the normal combo class and this year is the focus on stretching-as Brooklyn calls it. They spend a decent amount of time working on splits, flexibility, and extensions. Brooklyn despises the crunches.

Dancing buddies; Avery, Brooklyn, and Jamison

How does she do that?

We're still working on this one. I took this right before she fell over. She doesn't seem to have as much of a problem with the extension as standing on one foot!


The group is dancing to Humhumunukunukuapua'a.

A Trip to the Firehouse

Xavier's preschool class took a trip to the Marysville Fire Station on Monday. The original plan was to drive(two blocks!) to the fire station so the kids wouldn't tire out. It was too gorgeous of a day(70 degree weather in November?), so Xavier, Isaac and I broke the rules and walked to the firehouse. Isaac was a total grump during the presentation and really needed a nap. I tried desperately to rock him to sleep so he would stop distracting the other kiddos. Finally, I had success! Then, I had the joy of lugging almost 20 pounds of dead weight up and down the stairs while trying to get photos of my neglected middle child. What you see is my attempt at success.


This was the highlight of the trip. All the kids ooh-ed and aah-ed at the fireman's slide down the pole.

Nine Months

Isaac was nine months in October. His physical development continues to be right on target. He is crawling like crazy, pulls up on everything, dances, and claps. He is starting to get curls around his ears, which I find adorable! He isn't babbling, which makes me worry(surprise!) but he laughs, answers to his name, and "talks" in his own way. The doctor said we won't worry about his language until after a year. At his well check he was 19 pounds, 13 ounces, and 27 and a half inches long. That puts him in the 25th percentile.
As for the allergies, we're still sorting it all out. We've switched him to Alimentum formula which is both gross and expensive, but he seems to be doing well with it. He is on two different antihistamines to help deal with the itching. He's reacted to all rosecea fruits and corn so we are having to get creative with what we feed him. He doesn't want to be spoon fed anymore which makes things that much more difficult. We are meeting with the doctor again in a month to decide where to go with his diet. If you think of it, please pray for his healing. It is so tough to see my little guy suffer.

Power Rangers and a Dragon

Xavier's buddy Jack stopped over before trick or treat started. They are so excited that they have the same costume!

Happy Isaac sans costume.




Trick or Treat was a lot of fun this year. Brooklyn had this grand idea to invite our friends from Alliance to our house for Halloween. I laughed it off as one of Brooklyn's hairbrained ideas until I mentioned it to them. They said yes! They arrived just in time to bolt out the door into the most perfect Halloween weather. It felt like fall, but was warm enough for no coats. We had four Power Rangers; blue, red, white, and pink. Brooklyn had to remind everyone that they were all from Jungle Fury, but she was from Operation Overdrive. Whatever! Isaac was dressed in the most adorable dragon costume, but he hated the hood! He was much happier once I took the jacket off.
The kids have always done two laps around the block(once on our side of the street and once across the street) and decided that was enough. This year, they were running so far ahead we had to set some rules for waiting for the adults. After the two laps, they weren't quite done so we ventured out further. Unfortunately, they burned out before we were back and we had to practically drag them home. Some chili and candy from their bags perked them right up! Thanks for making the trip, Kings!