December 2010

So much has transpired over the past few weeks. We've had a blast enjoying holiday events, family outings and everything the season has to offer us.

We started the month off with a few visits to see Santa at some of the local malls. Easton lasted about a minute, the first time, before crying. He is now fearful of anyone new even coming near him. Kyla, on the other hand, did awesome. She sat on Santa's lap every time and eagerly told him what she wanted for Christmas. This year, the gift she wanted most was a walkin' puppy dog.

We also enjoyed a yummy breakfast at Arrowhead Golf Course with Santa at the start of the month. Kyla totally enjoyed herself. She was able to eat tons of bacon (her favorite breakfast food for the time being), decorate sugar cookies and of course, visit with Santa. Yet again, she mentioned she wanted a walkin' puppy dog. She even told Santa Easee would like some new sippy cups.

Easton admired Santa from afar. When it was his turn to sit on Santa's lap though, he cried hysterically. Not even the present helped cheer him up. Hopefully his fear of Santa will be gone by the time Christmas rolls around next year.

Kyla had her first Christmas program at pre-school. Her class, along with another one, sang about eight songs. Some songs had sign language with them and others had dance moves. Needless to say, Kyla was fantastic. For as shy as she can be at times, she sang and danced her little heart out. It must have been due to the fact she had been practicing at school and at home for the past month of so. As a wise person once said, "Practice Makes Perfect."

Kyla also had a fun Christmas party at school before they let out for the year. Daddy was able to attend, and he had a blast watching her do a snowman toss, play pin the nose on Rudolph and make ornaments and cookies. They both had a great time. It's not every day Kyla gets to hang out with just Daddy, so she was busy enjoying every moment of the morning.

Kyla, Grace, Heidi and I attended a holiday shop at our church one Saturday. It's a cute little event our church puts on every year to allow children twelve and under to shop for gifts for their family members. I took Grace through first, and she did a great job. She was born to shop. Heidi took Kyla through. It sounded like there were many things Kyla wanted for herself, but Heidi was able to help her pick some great presents for all of us.

Santa sent Kyla both a video and letter this year letting her know she had been a good girl and an excellent big sister. Santa did mention she could do even better with listening to mom and dad, so we will see if that wise advice fell upon deaf ears or not?

The night before Christmas was entertaining. Kyla left Santa some cookies and red velvet milk. She also put out some food and sparkles for the reindeer. She really wanted to make sure they could find our house. At first, Kyla was a bit concerned about how Santa would get into our house without having a chimney to slide down, but she went to bed knowing Santa would probably find another way.

Our Christmas morning was magical. Kyla was so excited to open gifts and see what she received from us and Santa. Easton really had no interest in opening presents, but he sure had a blast playing with the boxes, wrapping paper and toys. Santa listened to Kyla and brought her a walkin' puppy dog, along with some other great gifts. He was pretty good to Easton too. Between all of their goodies, they should be entertained for weeks to come. Of course, that probably won't be the case, but we remain optimistic.

We drove to Minnesota to spend Christmas with Scott's family. It was a long drive, and we were thankful the roads and skies were clear both ways. We had a great time hanging out with family and can't wait to see them all again soon.

2010 was a great year for all of us. We look forward to seeing what 2011 has in store. We wish everyone reading this a Happy New Year. May your year be filled with love, laughter and happiness.

November 2010

November proved to be just as busy as October. Both Scott and I celebrated birthdays this month. Kyla enjoyed that because she was able to sing "Happy birthday" to us, and there was cake in the house for over a week. We went to No No's Cafe for my birthday dinner and to Famous Dave's for Scott's night out. Last year, Scott's birthday fell on a Tuesday, so Kyla was able to see Wilbur the pig. She was pretty disappointed he wasn't there this time. Thankfully, they are opening a Famous Dave's fairly close to us, so we can take her to see Wilbur on Kid's Night every now and again.

Kyla is starting to enjoy her ice skating lessons (if you can call them that) now. She is venturing further out on the ice, with Dad's help of course. She will even skate an inch or two on her own. Progress is being made.

Easton is doing great. He is pulling himself up on just about everything. He will "walk" along the couch, but that is about the only time he really takes any steps. It must be easier for him to scoot sideways, rather than putting one foot in front of the other to walk? He loves following Kyla wherever she goes. She likes to race ahead of him, so that he will crawl super fast to catch up.

There is nothing Easton won't put into his mouth. He seems to favor cords; especially the ones plugged into the wall in the office. He's like a magnet for anything and everything inappropriate. He is also really good at pulling the safety covers off of outlets. Kyla still has a hard time doing that, but he has it mastered at only ten months. Can't wait to see what kind of trouble he stirs up as he gets older. Oh, did we mention he has already put fridge magnets in the toilet? You can almost envision the fun we are going to have as the little man gets bigger.

Easton still has no teeth. Maybe they will all pop up around his first birthday.

Our second crib was recalled, so Easton got a new one this month. To avoid any problems with this third one, we got him a conversion crib that will turn into a full size bed when the time comes. He seems to enjoy his new sleeping quarters. He also got a new dresser to match. If all goes well, he'll be good to go with furniture until he heads off to college.

Thanksgiving was fun this year. We prepared a very yummy meal. Easton seemed to have enjoyed it the most. He gobbled up the stuffing and sweat potatoes as if he'd been eating them forever. He did well with the turkey too. He also loves bread, so he was in heaven with rolls to eat for a few days. Kyla was a bit less enthusiastic about the food. She's pickier than her Mommy, and her Mommy is known to be pretty picky. It's funny how you can spend almost an entire day cooking, yet you eat for all of ten minutes. The clean up takes longer. :D

Everyone is looking forward to Christmas. We put the decorations up inside and out, so we are all in the holiday spirit. Kyla can't get enough of the Christmas music. We have to listen to it every time we get into the car. Thankfully, KOSI 101.1 plays music from now until Christmas. She will be performing "Feliz Navidad" for her Christmas program at school next month, so she hopes that song is on every time. If it is not on the radio, we sometimes have to check the holiday station on TV. If only we were all still three years old.

Easton is taking everything in stride. He isn't as interested in the tree as we thought he'd be. We put all the ornaments up out of his reach, but he hasn't really tried to get any of them yet. Of course this is odd since he tries to put everything into his mouth. He ought to know a lot about the world around him from all he has chewed on over the past few months.

Kyla is tickled pink about all that is coming up in December. She has her pre-school Christmas program, her school holiday party, breakfast and pictures with Santa plus time with the family. Not to mention, Christmas itself. She is happy Jesus has his birthday too. However, truth be told, she is more excited about making a list of presents she wants. If all goes well, she will understand it is better to give than to receive. But then again, she is only three.

Stay tuned for all we will have to report next month. If only it were Christmas all year long...