de-stressing

Teething......we've always said the number of fingers in the mouth indicates stress levels....this poor thing is REALLY stressed!

Erin adores little Cameron. He is so happy these days and such a cuddly baby.

Kate is "relaxing". Okay?

Erin had a stressful couple of days with weather complicating her final schedule at school but she walked into the house to discover little Cameron in my arms and immediately smiled. There is just something special about having a new baby in your arms to shed light on what is important. He smiled really big for her just before snuggling in for a little nap.


Ty has had another week of teething and has found himself a little grumpy at times. I have no idea how many teeth are in his mouth or how many are on their way. It is too dangerous to stick fingers in there to count!

Snow Day!

Kate couldn't wait to play in the snow. It was so cold, I kept trying to hold her off. In the end, she played outside for 10 minutes and came in looking like Rudolf, so we compromised. I brought a bowl of snow into the bathroom sink for her to play in.....she loved it!

Erin appreciated the snow day home from school as it allowed her an extra day to study for finals. She was ready for the study break as she headed to work tonight. Lauren and Makenna were once again horrified to discover our dining room table was still accessible for school today! They'll thank me in the spring when we are finished and the neighbors are sitting in classrooms.

Ty's 17 month stats

Ty is looking for the laundry balls I use in the dryer. They are generally tossed around the house while I fold each load.

This little man is already 17 months old. Trucks, balls, playing outside, feeding Brutus, wrestling, and "Dad" are his favorite things right now. He still sorts toys and loves his trash can. "Helping" Mommy keeps him busy. The dog food, stairs, kitchen trash and bathrooms continue to be too enticing to be refused so those things remain gated off. His vocabulary has grown to 20 words. We are noting his attempts to repeat us as well. He babbles all the time and is making a lot of new sounds so real conversations are just around the bend. I can't wait to hear what all he's got to say!  He's wearing 18-24 month pants, 24 month shirts, 24 month/2T one-piece outfits and size 7 shoes. Greg and I were watching him this weekend and mentioned just how much fun our "little surprise" has been. The first few months of his life were exhausting and rough, but he makes us smile every day. I wonder what God's got in store for him.

I love playdates!

I love getting together with two special ladies in my neighborhood. They have great kids and we can talk about everything from church, faith, breastfeeding, parenting, tea and meal planning together. We say we get together for the kids because it started off that way......

And afterward, the kids look like this and we can get things done! Today I was able to take a walk all by myself! It was 50 sunny degrees so I drank in the fresh air and felt nothing but gratitude for my friends, the sunshine and my kids.

This year's "Uncle Brad" gift was a hit too!

Last year's tee shirt read, "Oops, I just made a Michigan in my pants".

Ty added the word "touchdown" to his vocabulary during this photo!

One down....

We were able to work in our Baughman family Christmas today around Greg's schedule and the Baughman's travel plans. Ty fussed a good deal of the drive up, repeating "all done" and "down" over and over. By the time we arrived, we were all ready to be "all done"! He made up for it by sleeping the entire drive home. Kate didn't allow that peace to last and used the time to harass and taunt her sisters in the back seat. At one point, Greg told the girls to "just ignore her and she will quit" and immediately gasped saying he sounded just like his mother! Family road trips don't improve with time......It was a gorgeous drive though. Greg drove up and I looked like a tourist taking photos of the snow covered landscape out the van window. I couldn't help myself and wished there was more snow!

Ty found a trash can in the office and drug it out just as we started opening gifts. He was more interested in throwing away the wrapping paper than seeing what was inside any of the packages. He had a blast. Kate may be on to something with her prediction that he will grow up to be a trash man! Grandma has given up on her gift opening system. There are just too many kids to keep track of whose turn it is to start each round! They all had fun and were spoiled rotten, as usual.


After dinner and gifts, Grandpa used the tractor and took the girls out on the bobsled he and Greg built together about 30 years ago. They came in half frozen but smiling from ear to ear.

Haircut!

After taking this photo today I noted how overgrown Ty's hair has gotten again.....

Doesn't he look so much older? Yikes! I need my sweet friend Anne to show me how to use the clippers. Her son's hair is always so cute and I seem to mess it up every time. Today I went too far above his ears and he has bald spots! You should have seen the amount of hair in the bathroom when we finished! He has his daddy's thick hair. Those of you who have only known Greg for the last 10 years will be shocked by that statement. Greg is not bald. He shaves his head every day....seriously. Why? You may ask. Well, let's just say he strongly opposes the color phrase "salt and pepper".

Indulgence

Mom said yes!!!!

Erin calls hers "I love Grandpa" (He is responsible for the whipped cream being in the house...for that matter, Grandma is the reason the marshmallows are too!)

Makenna's "marshmallow mountain"

Hot cocoa.....mmmm.

Santa Claus!

I took the kids to see Santa today. Kate drew him a picture and he very boisterously exclaimed, "HO HO HO!" in response to his gift. Kate was tickled especially when he directed one of his elves to hang it on the computer counter for all to see. She told him she wants a pretty doll and princess slippers. Ty checked Santa out and decided it was okay to sit on his lap, but opted out of smiling. Oh well. Lauren and Makenna were in tow and Lauren asked for Justin Bieber...the boy, not a CD, not a tee shirt, nope, the boy. Santa assured her that he was not able to deliver and suggested that she was probably not THAT good anyway. Good eye Santa! She giggled as she headed off to have her photo taken with the Justin Bieber cut out instead. On her way back through the mall, she stopped to show Santa her photo and he wished me luck with my "wild child".

Big Boy/Big Feet!

Love this boy! He is so determined to make a break for it each time he sees the gate off the stairs. So, I decided to move it up a few steps to allow some practice space for him to learn how to go up and back down safely. He loves his new-found freedom.

Grandma bought Dr. Pepper this last week. Ty's saying "thank you" which is his way of asking for something. Not a chance buddy! And yes, this is cold sore #7 in 8 months. We've started some natural immunity boosters in hopes of finally stopping these outbreaks.

He is also determined to explore the kitchen and now flips things out of the drawers because he can't see inside them. I have all the cupboards locked, I really don't want to lock the drawers too! It just slows me down in the kitchen and I am a bit too busy for that! Ty doesn't mind.

Kate saw three snowflakes outside yesterday morning so we bundled up and headed out to play in it.....needless to say it wasn't enough to impress Ty!

And....what is the story on little boy feet? Good grief! He is outgrowing his 6.5 shoes! I cannot believe we are headed into size 7 shoes before he is 17 months old! Kate is only an 11 at five and a half years!

Tree lit photos

Typically I am not ready to see this season arrive; however, for whatever reason, I am ready to embrace it. I've baked, ordered Christmas cards, decorated and shopped.....it's still good! I guess God's been working on me a bit this year! I still believe most of it is unnecessary and pulls us away from any resemblance of the true meaning of this season, but in perspective, I am thus far, enjoying this time with my family.

I love the old fashioned style bulbs. I used only two strands as an accent over 500 white lights. They were a little too pricey to decorate the entire tree. I like the final effect.

My friend Stacey gave this to me a few years ago....it's one of my favorites.

The stockings were hung by the front door with care in order to keep Ty David out of Urgent Care! (He'd pull them off the mantle and likely onto his head!)

This little nativity is still my favorite. My mom has one just like it and it was my favorite growing up too. I have five different nativity sets! My grandma's would be under the tree; however, I'd like to keep all the pieces intact so I'll hold off on that one another year! We have two that the kids can play with and are great for advent devotions.

Only a few snowmen remain from my original snowman collection. You know how things tend to take on a life of their own? I've passed on so many decorations over the years. I want to keep from getting bogged down with "stuff" and enjoy seeing the things that hold special memories for me.

Deck the Halls....

Hey Grandpa, are you going to eat all of that?

Left over pumpkin pie....oh yeah!

Ty will only cuddle with Daddy and Grandpa. Lucky guys.

Multi-tasking Erin is able to text on her iPod while decorating the tree.

Greg's working or I would not be allowed on this chair! I love my safety guy!

She literally popped in for one ornament and a photo...too busy for tradition this year!

Everyone's a camera hog when Mom wants a nice photo!

Seriously, my poor shy children!

Much better....what a group!

My dad helped me get the tree up by fixing our tree stand issue. I am grateful. Greg and I bought this tree the day after Christmas six months before we were married anticipating our first Christmas together. I still love it. It needed new lights this year and I was thrilled to find the old fashioned bulbs like the ones I grew up with. They made for a fun new twist on an old favorite. Kate couldn't wait for the tree or our first snow. Lucky Kate, today was her day! We got both! Mom took the big girls out for the new Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber cds while Dad held onto one very curious little boy. I hope I don't regret having this tree with Ty on the loose!