And we have a big boy!

As of Christmas Eve, we have a potty user in training. We aren't ready to break out the big boy underwear anytime soon, we're just letting him use it before bed and a few times during the day. He loves the attention and praise when he does use it though. And just for the sake of I'm his mom and taking embarassing pictures is a rite of passage, I leave you with this...

Hey, we'll work on early reading skills and kill two birds with one stone ;)

Merry Christmas!

This was our first Christmas with 2 children and we made some great memories and traditions that I hope will continue for many, many years. I am all about traditions and holidays, so this time of year is amazing! Some of the traditions we have started so far with our kids are...

~a pizza Happy Birthday Jesus party on Christmas Eve. What a fun way to teach our kids the true meaning of Christmas and take some of the emphasis off of presents. And any excuse to eat pizza and cake in the playroom is a winner ;)

~Daddy reading the Christmas story to the family on Christmas Eve, after our birthday party.

~opening one gift on Christmas Eve. Last year- pajamas, this year- board book Christmas story.

~Christmas morning biscuits. Nana's recipe, cut out with Christmas cookie cutters. Porter even ate one! (food has been quite a battle around here lately, so that was a definite success)

 

 

(singing Happy Birthday to Jesus)

(opening his Christmas Eve gift)

(Christmas Eve. Freshly bathed, snuggly babies)

(Listening to the Christmas story)

(Christmas morning biscuits)

 

 

Christmas morning was extra special because we were able to spend time with both kids one at a time. Savannah woke up at 6:30 ready to see what Santa brought her (and hoping it was milk ;) so we were able to feed her and snuggle her before putting her back down for a nap.

 

 

Porter slept until closer to 8:30 (which was driving me crazy...of all mornings to sleep in?! I was dying to play with him!) and got up (not as happily as his sister, I might add) ready for breakfast before he would even think about opening presents. He walked right by his presents on his way to the kitchen.

 

 

After some delicious breakfast, he was ready to go! He didn't get quite as into opening presents as I thought he would this year. He was FAR more worried in stacking the presents in size order (teacher's child, anyone?) and putting the wrapping paper back into his stocking as he opened things...

 

 

 

He did find a favorite present though, and I think he had a great morning. Being able to spend Christmas morning at home with our babies is something I'll never take for granted. Each holiday will be special in its own way, but this is one for the books!

 











Thankful

Tonight, in the aftermath of an unthinkable tragedy, I will hug my babies a little closer, kiss them a little longer, and pray an extra prayer of thankfulness over them. I cannot even begin to imagine the heartache and pain that so many parents and families must feel after finding out that they won't be able to do the same thing tonight because of the evil and wicked act that someone has committed. Our only hope is that the end times are coming and our Lord is coming back for us. Until then, Christians need to be spreading the message loud and clear and loving on our families like there is no tomorrow. Thank you Lord for one more day to love on my sweet babies!

Happy 1 month baby girl

Somehow the first month of our tiny girl's life has already flown by. So many exciting, new things have happened in this last month so it's hard to know where to start with the recaps. This little angel has come into our lives and fit in so beautifully that life before her feels like a distant memory. She and Porter are already the best of friends and their relationship is just the sweetest thing! He adores her beyond belief and she is highly amused by all of his antics already. (side note: this kid is quickly learning to sleep through anything and everything. Quite a useful skill when you have a big brother that thinks the louder something is, the better!) She is just the sweetest, most precious, angelic little girl I could have possibly imagined. I truly believe that the Lord fashioned every part of her sweet little personality to fit into our family just perfectly. If you haven't gotten the picture yet, all 3 of us are quite smitten with her ;)

Savannah Joy, at 1 month you...
~are super close to sleeping through the night. You go to bed around 10:00, wake up about 4:30ish for around 45 minutes, and sleep until 7:00. (I think you're trying to convince Daddy that #3 is feasible ;)
~still sleep the majority of the day. Your 2 long awake periods are in the morning and right before bedtime. You stay awake for about 2 hours both of those times.
~seem to be able to sleep through just about anything, which is amazing because keeping your big brother quite is no easy task! (You even slept through your own baby dedication and first church service this morning, which was not exactly quiet!)
~have been nicknamed quite a few (some a little more interesting than others) names by your loving brother: baby girl, baby sissy, baby, my baby, anna, and our personal favorite... cookie. Yes, he calls her cookie. Only every now and then, but it's quite hilarious!
~are a champ at going back and forth between nursing and taking pumped milk from bottles, which makes feeding you on the go (as in chasing your brother around the house) much easier! When you have bottles, you take about 4 oz. You eat every 3 hours (almost on the dot!) during the day and can go quite a bit longer at night.
~still love sleeping in the Nap Nanny! I think the elevation makes you feel more cozy. We take that thing into whatever room we're in because you love it so much. (The only time you've gotten upset in it was when Porter tried to get in it and go night night with you. Don't worry, I saved you!) You even sleep in it at night, hey whatever works!
~love, love, love to snuggle. You fall asleep almost instantly when mommy or daddy snuggle you close to us after you've just eaten. (And you'd better believe I'm soakin' up every one of those snuggles before you outgrow the snuggly, still phase!)
~have a love/hate relationship with your paci. Sometimes you absolutely cannot fall asleep without it and other times you act like it's choking you to death. (Yes, I do believe we have a bit of a drama queen on our hands!)
~have rightfully earned your middle name. You are such a joyful, sweet baby girl! You are proving to be quite a bit less challenging than your brother at this stage. (Anyone who tried to ride in the car with us for the first 11 months of Porter's life would attest to this truth. Don't get me wrong, we love our boy to pieces, I'm just sayin'...) You have brought so much joy and happiness to our family already!
~are loved more than you could possibly ever realize! We have no doubt that you were fearfully and wonderfully made just for our little family. Daddy and I thank God for you and your brother every single day!

Happy 1 month birthday sweet Savannah Joy!

Oh Christmas tree

One of my favorite things about having a toddler is being able to see the world through their little, curious eyes. Things that I might overlook are so fun and so new in his little world. This morning, when he came down the stairs to see the Christmas tree all decorated and lit up was one of those times. So cute!!! He ooohed and ahhhed for quite some time. I heard WOW, COOL, and AWESOME many, many times. He touched (or more like swatted at) the ornaments near the bottom and spent the majority of the morning staring at it intently from his side of the gate. The rest of the morning was spent carrying around two tiny light-up snowmen that I have never been all that amused by. Again, something I take out of the box every year and never put that much thought into. I thought the newness of the tree would have worn off by after nap time, but wouldn't you know it was just as exciting as this morning. I love this boy and his curious, adventurous little self! What a fun Christmas season we have to look forward to!