Christmas 2018

Christmas was absolutely magical this year!  We kicked off the season with a fun "Cookies & Cocoa with Santa" party at the new house with our new neighbors.  We continued many of our favorite Christmas traditions, including several trips to Busch Gardens Christmas Town, our annual Grinch family movie night, lots of cookie decorating, visiting the guy in red, and our Friendsmas with our Riverwalk neighbors.  We also celebrated with a lot of new events such as caroling through our neighborhood and receiving a special Christmas gram from Anna and Elsa!  Both Addie and Bella shined at their holiday program at school and their mini-performances at ballet.  It was a crazy fun month with very, very excited little ones who were full of holiday cheer.

We spent Christmas Eve doing their sibling gift exchange and then attended mass with friends and picked up Chinese food on the way home.  We prepped for Santa by sprinkling our reindeer food, leaving out cookie and milk, and checking the Santa tracker.  They ran around the house so eager for his arrival and I could not believe that they actually closed their eyes when their heads hit their pillows because they were so excited.

We woke up bright and early with even more excitement than the night before!  We spent our Christmas morning opening presents in record time!  The girls loved their new dollhouse that I renovated for them.  It was extra special because it was the same one my grandpa built for me when I was a little girl.  Addie loved her arts and crafts, Bella got the paw patrol toy she had been asking for daily, and Noah loved his new basketball hoop and cozy coupe truck.  The biggest surprise of all was that we were taking them to Disney World at the end of January!

Christmas 2018 was perfect!  There is nothing better than watching the magic of Christmas through your kids' eyes and I swear each year it gets better and better.  I cannot wait to see what next year has in store for us, Merry (very, very belated) Christmas from our family to yours!

A letter to my favorite FIVE year old

Dear my favorite Addie girl,

I cannot even believe that you are FIVE already!  One whole hand, a handful some would say :) FIVE seems so old to me for some reason, especially when it seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home from the hospital and navigating this whole parenting for the very first time.  YOU made me a mom and it's by far my favorite job I've ever had and I am forever grateful for that.

At FIVE years old, you are so smart.  You amaze me on a daily basis with your vocabulary and the questions you ask.  I attribute your vocabulary partly to Fancy Nancy though :)  This year you are in the Panda class at Oak Grove Preschool and you absolutely adore your teachers.  You know all of your letters and can almost write them all too.  You are even learning French!  You love to learn and I cannot even believe that you will be starting Kindergarten next year.

At FIVE years old, you are beautiful on the inside and out and don't ever let anyone tell you differently!  No one else in the world is just like you and you should be so proud!  You have the best personality and such a love for life!  You are fun and energetic, people just love to be around you and that says a lot!

At FIVE years old, you are such a mommy's helper.  Your little mama instinct is so strong.  You are so caring and loving to your brother and sister (most of the time), other little ones, and even your friends when they are sad or scared.  You are always helping me keep Noah safe and when I'm busy you are the first person Bella turns too.  You take your big sister role so seriously - and you are pretty darn good at it!

At FIVE years old, you are a Daddy's girl and you have been since day one.  You look at your Daddy differently than you do anyone else.  You absolutely adore him (and completely have him wrapped around your finger!)  You light up the second he gets home from work and make him about 100 pictures every day for his "workshop" because you miss him.  You've even agreed to let him live with you at college when you are older, although I'm sure that will change!

At FIVE years old, you have the best imagination.  You love to play "family" "going to the ball" or "married" and are always in charge of delegating the parts to everyone.  Right now, Bella happily plays along (sometimes you even convince Noah to play) and does whatever you say, but I have a feeling that won't always be the case.  The two of you will play up in the playroom together for hours and I love to stand outside the door and listen to your little conversations.  You guys have the best little imaginations and it's so cute!

At FIVE years old, you are an artist.  Drawing, painting, writing letters, you name it - you love it all!  Crafting is your jam and you would do it all day long if I let you.  We got you a caboodle filled of stationary and gel pens this year for your birthday and you love it. 

At FIVE years old, you are a people person.  You make a friend every where we go and just love being around other kids.  I pick you up from the Y, you've made a friend, we go to Chick-fil-a, you're inviting a stranger over to our house for a sleepover, we go to Disney, you find another little kid in line and they are instantly your best friend.  You are a social butterfly and so much more outgoing than I was when I was a little girl - definitely a trait you get from your dad. 

At FIVE years old, you love to be outside - at the beach, the park, or just riding your scooter in the cul de sac.  You refuse to leave the house in anything but a twirl dress and eat more ketchup/ranch than I am willing to admit.  You refuse to try any kinds of new foods and instantly tell me it's "disgusting", unless I bribe you with a pom-pom for our pom-pom jar.  You love things that are beautiful aka sparkly jewelry, high heels, and most recently thanks to the bibbidy bobbidi boutique - make-up.  You are 5 going on about 15 and I am sure not ready for those teenage years any time soon!  You are obsessed with princesses, playing sports, ballet, and digging in the dirt, you love hot weather so you can go swimming, but love the snow so you can sled ride, you are a perfectly well rounded little girl who can (and will!) do whatever you put your mind to. 

Happy birthday to our sweet Addie girl.  You are something special and I hope you always remember that.  You are smart, beautiful, kind - and all around a pretty cool kid.  I love watching you learn and grow every single year and although I don't know what the future holds for you, I know it will be something amazing and I'm pretty lucky to be a part of it!  Happy 5th birthday, I love you to the mood and back Addie girl :)

Love,
Mommy

Noah - 18 Month Update

Back in November, our little man turned 18 months old.  Now that it is already February and his second birthday is quickly creeping up on us, I figured better late than never to do an update on our favorite little guy.

-Right before Halloween this past year, Noah finally figured out this whole walking thing and pretty much hit the ground running.  He hasn't stop moving since!
-This kid is all boy!  Give him a ball and he is happy for hours.  He loves shooting basketball, reading any book with a ball in it, quickly notices if Daddy puts on sports and will point out the ball, and anything else sport related.  I know Eric is already counting down the days until he can sign him up for his first baseball season, I mean the kid does have a pretty strong arm already :)
-Noah has a huge obsession with Mickey Mouse and its grown even more since our trip to Disney World.  He drops everything the second the hot dog song comes on to go over and dance, wants to wear his Mickey clothes daily, and even points him out at stores.  His second favorite character is Donald Duck, but no one can quite compare with the mouse himself.
-Molly is Noah's girl and it is young love at its finest.  They've been together since the day they were born, but this age is so fun.  They give the sweetest little hugs and kisses every time they see each other and we may or may not already be arranging their marriage in about 25 years :)
-Noah also has a thing for his sisters.   The second he wakes up he asks for Addie and Bella and he loves to follow them around to play.  Unfortunately for the girls, Noah's new line of defense when things are going his way is hair pulling and that boy has got a grip!  He knows what he wants and does his best to get his way, although that usually doesn't work out for him in the end.
-Noah's favorite word is "Snack" and his favorite phrase is "More snack please!"  This kid loves to eat and he literally doesn't stop all day long.  His favorites are bananas, pineapple, pancakes, peanut butter and jelly, yogurt, and pretty much anything else he can get his hands on.
-Noah is the best sleeper in the house.  He sleeps for 12+ hours of sleep per night and never ever wakes up in the middle of the night (unlike his sisters!)  He naps for about 2 hours every afternoon too.
-He is currently taking a class at the Little Gym and he absolutely loves it.  I love that it is our little one on one time together since we go when his sisters are at school.  He loves the balls, bubbles, and to run around and climb on just about anything he can find.
-Right now Noah has a mouth full of teeth, is constantly mimicking words that he hears us say, and is counting down the days until he gets to go to school just like his sisters. 
-At 18 months Noah weighed 22 pounds (20th percentile) and is 31 inches tall (10th percentile.)

Noah, you are such a happy little guy and at one of my favorite ages right now.  We love watching you learn, grow, and explore the world around you.  We cannot wait to see what the future holds for you.  We love you to the moon and back Noah Ryan!