Playing Outside

So, the week before Christmas, Karson gave up his nap.  Well technically, DJ and I spent the entire week in a fog, because he wasn't going to bed until anywhere between midnight & 3am.  I was still getting up all night with Ellary, and DJ was still getting up at the crack of dawn to go to work.  Needless to say, something had to change.  No more naps for Karson.  The plus side, he goes to bed at 7:30 now.  The not so plus side, we no longer have a nap time.  The one {very short} nap Ellary took on me, during Karson's nap, has been replaced with play time & please for help with various 2 year old needs.  Both kids are going to be earlier, and surprisingly, I am getting a lot more done.  Except for blogging.
A favorite activity right now is playing in the snow.  Karson loves playing on the deck.  I have sent him out a few times to play, and Ellary and I sit at the window at watch.        She loves to play in the snow too...but it was really windy and cold this day, so we hung out inside & watched big brother play.  She was less than thrilled with this, and never left the window.      It was cold, so I convinced Karson to come in, only with the promise of a snack & some "hot cho-co" with marshmallows.      Notice how both my kids were in their pajamas.  We have pajama days often around here.        After his snack, he insisted on going back outside.  He was so upset that Molly was freezing and wanted to stay inside.  He loves her so much!  

Another sight seen often around here.  Ellary rearranging our kitchen chairs.   All.day.long.

1 Pink & 1 Blue

Last night, we traded a New Years Eve get together for sledding, pizza, and an early bed time for everyone.  The whole house was asleep before 10.  Ellary actually woke up to nurse at 12:30 and I half laughed, thinking I would still be awake had we stayed up.   I kissed my babies good night & said goodbye to 2012.  A year that brought us our sweet girl.  Our sweet girl that, aside from waking up 6 times last night, let her overly exhausted Mama stay in bed until 10:00 this morning.  Now THAT is something to celebrate. It was one of my favorite New Years Eve's ever.  
Mother Nature finally sent Michigan some snow on Friday.  And being the snow loving family that we are, we loaded the kids up for the sledding hill as soon as DJ got home from work.   
We have been back every day since. 

These kids of ours, they were born into the right family.  They love the snow.    
He yells "YEE-HA" all the way down the hill.  If he doesn't, it is because he is belly giggling too hard to talk.

The first time we went, I wasn't ready to let him go down the (extremely small) hill by himself.  Ha! He does just fine, and he LOVES it!

He will be three in 2 short months, and while I sometimes catch glimpses of my little little boy, sometimes he reminds me that he will soon be three.  Like when he drags his own sled up a hill by himself.

Snow loving doesn't stop with his Mama...it continues on.  To Nanny and Bumpa, who also joined us sledding a few times this weekend.

Every single morning, the first thing he asks for is to go sledding on the 'big hill.'

I can't wait to take him skiing on the really big hill.

And then there is this sweet girl....

  ...who has absolutely NO FEAR.   We started taking her down on the big sled with us.  If we didn't start moving fast enough, she started yelling at us, and moving back and forth until we started moving down the hill.  
She looks ticked-she isn't.  She was likely just annoyed that we were letting her big brother go down alone, and she wanted to join in the fun.

Every time she got to the bottom of the hill...huge grin!

Every time.

And then on a whim, and because it was easier to leave her in her little sled that we carried her up the hill in, DJ got in position to go down...with her still in her sled.  Mama freaked.  Daddy insisted she was fine and he would hold on to her.
  Daddy was right. You could see her grin in her eyes.  She was having so.much.fun.

  So much so, that now we just push her down on her own, and one of us catches her.  Yes, my 8 month old sleds down a hill solo.  Mommy of the year.   One time, she was going slow, then caught some packed down snow and took off.  I freaked, and my mom burst out laughing.  The look on that girl's face when she took off...priceless!  Her grin was so big.  Trouble, this one is.  A dare devil...in pink...with a grin so big you can see it in her eyes.     My favorite part of our 5 sledding adventures this weekend?

The times I catch the pink & blue, together, and it hits me. 


I am the Mama to 2 littles.  One covered from head to toe in blue, one in pink.  Both smiling from ear to ear.


  I am blessed beyond belief.

Merry Christmas

Insta Friday

Some Insta's of the kids lately...  

Ellary :: 8 Months

My sweet girl turned 8 months old yesterday.  The poor girl has had some bad luck in the sick department lately.  While she spent the majority of her 7th Month under the weather, her sweet smile and no fear attitude is back. 

{Ellary is wearing my dress from when I was little.  The framed picture is me, when I was a little older than what Ellary is.}

Sweet Ellary, at 8 months you:

*Aside from being more than 2 inches away from Mama, you have no fear.  This morning I put you in your walker in the bathroom while I took a shower.  I looked out and you had wiggled your way up, and almost out of it.  Yikes!  The walker will be going downstairs, and I have yet to figure out when I will get a shower in now.  

*You still haven't figure out how to sleep.  You did, however, take 3 naps in your crib last week.  None of them were over 20 minutes, but that is still HUGE for you!  You still get up a lot at night, but you are starting to go to bed earlier, which is so nice!!  

*You decided last week that you like solids.  You still refuse all "baby foods."  Absolutely nothing pureed.  You will only eat tiny bites of whatever we happen to be eating.  You also love chocolate cake...which you stole off my plate last week.  I tired giving you yogurt, you made it very clear (by screaming) that you are not a fan or yogurt. :)

*You crawl, fast! You pull yourself up, walk furniture, and can take 6ish steps on your own.  You actually started taking steps the day after you turned 7 months old.  People usually don't believe Mommy & Daddy though.   :)  You love to walk back and forth from Mommy to Daddy all on your own.  You also like to let go of furniture and try to walk away.  The only problem with that is, no one is there to catch you when you fall. 

*Your favorite thing to play with is the wooden puzzle pieces.  You also love to sneak to the Christmas tree.  I am seriously thinking about taking all the lights off and only putting them on the top half. :)

*You had your first ear infection, which was actually a double ear infection that wouldn't go away.  Two antibiotics later, and nasty side effects from the antibiotics, I am praying they are gone.  

*You are love, love, love to play in forts with your brother.

We love you so much, sweet girl!