Winding down to a new year

Maren:

Christmas is over and the year is winding down. I don't really understand what mommy means when she talks about a new year coming and I definitely don't know what the number 2016 means because I can only count to 50!! 

In the few days right after Christmas we got some more snow around the house and mommy and daddy took us sledding.  We just drove up our road until the black top ended and found a great place to sled. We spent a few hours in the snow and I got to hang out with my friend Jasper again. 

Maddox:

My first adventure in the snow!  It was really, really cold out but mommy had me all bundled up and everyone kept me snuggled up close. Mommy and daddy even took me on a couple of sledding runs! 

Merry Christmas!!

Maren:

Santa came!!! Christmas Day at our house was wonderful!! We had a very quiet day as a family and spent the whole day playing together. Mommy, baby brother and I never even got out of our pajamas!!  Uncle Frankie, Miss Rachael, Payton, Darius, Nonna, and Nonno all came over to help us celebrate.  We spent the day playing games, relaxing and eating good food.  Mommy made cinnamon rolls for breakfast... what a special treat!  I even got to have sparkling cider!  We didn't have a big traditional dinner because mommy wanted to spend the day playing with us... it was fantastic! 

The morning started early of course but I approached it with my normal calm. I even presented Maddox his stocking and present from Santa first!  I had asked Santa for an Elsa castle but he left me a letter saying it wouldn't fit in his sleigh. Instead he left me a bunch of money so that I could go and visit Elsa and Anna in person which sounds pretty exciting to me! I also got the watch I asked for!!  I got so many wonderful gifts... there are a lot of people who love me!  Some of my favorites are my Frozen Fishing Pole, my Olaf Snow Cone maker, my Kristoff doll, Sven and his sleigh, and my "Karemoke Nachine". 

Later, after all of the presents were gone from under the tree, my mommy reminded me that I still had not gotten a present from her and daddy!  In all of the excitement, I hadn't even realized!  So, out came a huge gift.  It was so big that mommy had to wrap it in a sheet! When it was uncovered... It was the biggest castle I had ever seen! I was so overwhelmed!  I just sat and stared at it for a few minutes and then I ran and gave my mommy a huge hug! 

Maddox:  

My first Christmas!!  From Santa I got a really cool car... My big sissy instantly wanted to take me for a ride.  It took me a while but I eventually got the hang of it and started pushing myself around... Mostly backwards but hey, it was something!  I had a great day and got lots of attention of course!  I think I had the most fun with all of the wrapping paper, bows, and boxes but I also got some fun gifts.  My favorites are the set of cars from mommy and daddy.  They scoot on their own and they are soft so that I can chew on them. I also really liked the basketball, soccer ball and football from Dr. Frank, my mommies boss.  Getting started early on sports! 

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Maren:

This week was mommy's birthday and we are getting closer and closer to Christmas. 

The night before mommy's actual birthday Nonna and Nonno invited us over for dinner to celebrate. Nonna fixed a yummy dinner and of course served an awesome cake!  I stayed the night afterwards and enjoyed the evening relaxing in front of the fire. 

Daddy planned another great weekend away like he always does.  Instead of going to the mountains like we normally do we went to the beach. Daddy found a great little cabin right on the beach. It had steps that led right down to the beach so we were able walk and play, and we even got a chance to fly a kite. The cabin also had a hot tub that looked right out over the ocean.  We had a great weekend! 

When we got home we finally got to go and visit Santa at the mall. I told him that I really wanted a watch and a Elsa castle. I hope he remembers!! We also invited Nonna over and decorated cookies for Christmas. 

Maddox:

This has been a great week! I enjoyed helping mommy celebrate her birthday and I really liked the beach. The didn't put me down in the sand even though I really wiggled but mommy was convinced I would put it in my mouth! She was probably right.  They did put me in the hot tub and I really liked that. Unfortunately the water was really hot so I couldn't stay in it for very long. 

My curiosity has finally gotten the better of me and I have officially broached the Christmas tree. There is a present under the tree that has a pretty jingle bell on it and I love it!  I don't grab the tree as much as mommy thought I would... they put up a live tree in a pot because mommy was pretty sure that I would pull the tree over but I haven't really gone anywhere near it. I am just starting to really approach it and grab the ornaments.  We also got to open our presents from Miss Heather and I got a super cute hat for the winter.

A big milestone for me over the last few weeks... I started clapping my hands!  Unfortunately mommy has never had the camera close by when I am doing it! 

A special mommy and daughter day

Maren:

The Christmas season is in full swing and mommy planned a special outing for just girls. We picked up Nonna and mommy treated us to a great day. We started the day by going to the Nutcracker ballet... My first time ever! I was enchanted by all of the dancers and they were all so young. I really wanted to get up there and dance with them but mommy said I couldn't. 

After the ballet mommy took us to a nice dinner at a fancy Italian dinner. I had my favorite, macaroni and cheese, but they made it with really long noodles. 

After we went to the ballet, I wanted to listen to the c.d. over and over. I also carried the nutcracker that Nonna bought for me everywhere I went. When mommy and I played games I even invited him to play with me! 

Recovery

Maren:
Now that Thanksgiving is over we are officially gearing up for Christmas at our house.  Mommy has been a little behind schedule this year because we have been fighting some really yucky colds.  Just a few days after Pica and Grammie headed home I came down with an awful fever and got sent home from school.  Mommy picked me up and had to take me back to her office for the day.  I snuggled up in her office chair and watched movies while she worked until she could take me home.  Unfortunately I had a fever for 5 or 6 days and was just not my normal self.  I hardly wanted to eat, really didn't want to play... I just wanted to sit on the couch or lay in bed.  When mommy asked me, I would tell her that nothing hurt, but I was obviously not feeling well.  She finally took me in to the doctor when my temperature hit 104.7 and they told her it was just a virus that would eventually run its course.  It took me a long time to get over it and I am still recovering. 
Unfortunately mommy ended up getting sick with baby brothers yuckies during the weekend when we were supposed to decorate for Christmas.  But she got daddy to help out and somehow mustered the strength to get the house mostly decorated.  I am so excited for Christmas to come!  The tree is up... though I was a bit disappointed in how small it is this year... and there are already presents under it! I tell mommy and daddy every day how excited I am to open them up! 

Maddox:
Being a baby is no fun when it comes to colds and I have had some really bad luck.  A few days after my sissy got sick I came down with something totally different and spent one night vomiting all over myself (and my poor mommy while she held me).  Luckily once I got my tummy empty that whole mess stopped but I had yucky diarrhea for a few days after.  That made me equally unhappy!  Then, I broke with a fever and now have been fighting that for about a week.  Mommy is at her wits end with all of this sickness! 
I have been spreading my wings and really getting around.  Unfortunately, our floors are really hard!  Especially the bathroom tile!  Mommy was desperately trying to disinfect the house the other day and I was right in the middle of it all.  She was vacuuming the floor and while I attempted to crawl over the hose my hands slipped out from underneath me and WHAM-O right onto my head.  I ended up with a nice bruise and a golf ball sized swelling right on my forehead.  Won't be the first I'm sure!