christmas 2015

Tomorrow I go back to work :(  After 14 wonderful weeks off, the time has come and I have to return to the real world.  I'm not as nervous as I was before and am looking forward to the adult conversations and a regular schedule.  And a paycheck, to be completely honest :)  I know the boys are in good hands and that makes it SO much easier.  Plus, absence makes the heart grow stronger, so I know I will be loving on them even more when I am home. 

In happier news, we had the absolute BEST Christmas together.  I absolutely love our new home and decorating it for the holidays was the best.  Who knew a fireplace and mantel could make someone so darn happy?  This was the first year Henry was interested and excited for all of the festivities.  We drove around the neighborhood several times to look at the Christmas lights and he was very curious about Santa and how he would be arriving at his house.  He was also incredibly concerned that Santa was going to be IN his house... We reassured him he would come while he was sleeping only.  So Christmas Eve, we set out some (awful) sugar cookies, carrots and milk to feed the big guy and the reindeer.  Both boys went to bed and we got everything ready.  If you haven't seen/heard of the Kringl app, check it out... The app takes a picture of your house and inserts Santa doing various things.  It was SO cute and Henry loved watching it.  

Christmas morning I was up early to feed Emmett & then couldn't go back to sleep, so I loaded up on coffee and waited for everyone else to wake up.  These kids like to sleep in!  Finally, after some coaxing, I got all THREE boys out of their beds and we let Henry scope out what was under the tree. He did a pretty great job taking his time and enjoying each gift.  Trains, trains & more trains were the theme this year and he was beyond excited for each and every one.  Another huge hit was a floor USA puzzle, which we have done over and over... and over.  Emmett was pretty content with a red ribbon off of a package.

I am so thankful to have had the holidays off to spend time with my boys and our families.  It is always so sad when they are over but makes me look forward to each year even more! 

CHRISTMAS EVE & DECORATIONS

CHRISTMAS MORNING

emmett- 2 months

Say What!?? I'm actually blogging about his 2 month birthday on December 3rd, only 2 days after it? Something must be wrong... I did almost forget to take his actual pics again and therefore had to take them after it was dark out :(  We did our best but he wasn't into it just like before. 

This past month flew by.  Emmett is doing so well- eating great, sleeping great and his fussy periods are getting better!  He usually sleeps like 7-8 hours at night, which is incredible for me.  He naps during the day and has started to enjoy playtime more and more.  Tummy time is touch and go but he loves to sit upright and look around.  His neck is SO strong.  I don't remember Henry having such good head control this early on.  Last week, he rolled over "accidentally" during tummy time.  I chalked it up to gravity pulling that big ol' noggin over, but yesterday he did it like 5 times in a row, so I guess we can count that as him rolling around 8 weeks!  He is very vocal, loves to smile at us and hear us talk to him.  We think he is definitely going to be just as talkative as his big brother, which is a good and bad thing :)  

I have one more month at home with the little man and I'm looking forward to every minute of it!  

He said, that camera?  Again? ...but he still humored me with a slight smirk.

and his pretty brown eyes.

Changing his mind, he started to loudly protest...

Henry didn't like it either and tried to snatch the sticker...

photo shoot over.  

hosting my 2nd Thanksgiving!

And just like that, another holiday has come and gone... this was my second year hosting Thanksgiving and making all of the food.  I was excited to use my new kitchen and finally had a functional dishwasher, so we were ready to go!  My parents and brother were coming up to enjoy the food (and bring my brand new dining room table made by Aaron!).  I got up bright and early, made my coffee, turned on Adele and started to cook.  This year, I opted to brine my turkey for 24 hours to see how that affected the taste and juiciness.  Honestly, I had a hard time telling the difference, but that's probably b/c the last turkey I had was a year ago.  The turkey was really good and so was everything else!  We all fit around the new table and had a nice day of food and relaxation :)

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  

emmett- 1 month!

Second baby syndrome... that's what I'm calling it so this poor child doesn't look back at his first year photo album and feel neglected.  I was so dedicated to taking Henry's monthly pics and put a lot of effort into it.  Emmett's?  I slapped the sticker on (after almost forgetting it was his 1 month birthday), snapped a few shots... he started crying and I decided, eh, better luck next month.  And now I'm finally blogging about it two weeks late.  Oh well, it's the effort that counts :)

The upside to second baby syndrome is everything with Emmett seems easier.  Or at least I think it is.  I know there is a certain amount of amnesia that occurs after the first 2 weeks of having a newborn.  If there wasn't, I don't know that we would continue to have kids.  With Henry, I was an absolute wreck.  I had meltdowns, I didn't handle the lack of sleep very well and just felt like I had no idea what I was doing.  Emmett was a different story.  I adapted to less sleep faster, knowing I had to take care of him and Henry each day just meant I needed to get it together with less rest.  Coffee helped a lot :)  Emmett also had WAY less issues.  He eats like a champ, he wasn't jaundice, no eye infections and seemed overall calmer.  Of course he cries for no reason and I finally understand that's what babies do sometimes and you just do your best to console them until they realize they are ok.  With Henry, I often cried along with him.  Another huge difference is that the second time around, you know there is light at the end of that very dark tunnel of newborn-ness.  Everything is a phase and it WILL pass with time.  I wish I had that knowledge when I was a first time mom (or believed it was actually true, lol).  

Henry has been pretty great with his baby brother.  He doesn't like him to cry and requests that I pick him up immediately.  He also demands that I "drop" him when he needs a little mommy time for himself :)  We are still learning what it means to be gentle and quiet...

  It's been a wonderful month and I can't believe we are halfway through month #2.  Now it's time to gear up for what will be a great holiday season!

annual orchard post.

We waited WAY too long to visit the orchard this season.  I suppose having a baby right in the middle of fall throws things off a bit... Regardless, major mental note to self that the end of October is not a good time to get great apples.  The orchard was completely picked over, we barely found any good ones on the trees... such a bummer.  Thankfully they sell bags of apples inside their store b/c I promised Darin apple crisp :)  

Henry was loving our trip as usual... Tractors, animals, apples and pumpkins are a huge hit!  It was a lot of fun to bring Emmett along for his first time, even though he slept through all of the good stuff.  

Looking back on our past trips is so fun (here & here) ... Henry has grown up so much!  It will be great to watch Emmett grow too, as this is definitely an annual tradition for the Miller family.