Christmas 2009

I am only now getting around to posting some pictures from Christmas. We have been so busy getting things ready for the baby the past few days.

Owen had a wonderful Christmas and got so many nice things from family, friends, and Santa. Here are some pictures that were taken over the holiday...

Christmas Eve morning we exchanged presents with Ella. We got her some pots and pans for her new kitchen and a tea set. I enjoyed having a tea party with Ella since I probably won't be having too many of those. However, Owen really liked the tea party too!
Christmas Eve

Christmas MorningOne of his favorite gifts from Santa was a fire engine.

This year was fun because Owen was really into Santa. We left him cookies and milk and Owen was excited to get downstairs Christmas morning to see if he had eaten them. As he opened his gifts he would say, "Thank you Santa!".

Christmas Day

Priceless

Today they had a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at Linda's house. The kids also act out the Christmas Story every year. This year Owen was one of the three kings. I don't think I've ever seen a cuter king, although they all look pretty darn cute!

Fun in the Snow

Last night we went over to Boo and Judy's for dinner. Maddie is home from Baltimore and it was so nice to see her. Our neighbor and his girlfriend also came over. After dinner, Mike, Aunt Judy, Uncle Boo, Maddie, and their dog Elsie went cross country skiing. Here is a picture that Mike took from his iPhone...This morning, after Mike was done shoveling and snow blowing, he took Owen to his mom's house to go sledding. Owen loved it! I wish I could have gone, but I don't think that would be too safe for me right now. Nana Way went sledding and played in the snow too.They all came back home for lunch and then Mike, his mom, Aunt Judy, and Maddie went cross country skiing again. Here are some pictures from that... Crossing the creek...

Guess Who Likes the Snow???

This guy does...Mike and I decided that today would be the day where we make Owen go out into the snow. A few weeks ago, when it snowed, we did not make him go outside (other than for a picture), but we thought the only way for him to get over not liking snow was to nicely force him to play in it for a just a little bit. He and Mike got all bundled up and headed outside and he ended up loving it! In fact, he even wanted to go to the playground so Mike pulled him in the sled all the way to the playground. Mike cut a pair of socks to put over his hands (underneath his mittens) to keep his hands extra warm and Owen wanted a scarf, but I could not find one, so we used a dish towel as a scarf. I drove the truck to the playground and the three of us all played outside for a while. The sliding boards are really fun (and fast) in the snow with slippery snowsuits on! Mike showed Owen how to make a snow angel. I think Owen would have stayed out a lot longer, but we did not want him to get too cold and end up not liking it. Mike is thrilled now that he has a buddy to play with in the snow!

Pictures

On Tuesday night we took Owen to Park City for his Christmas pictures. He was supposed to get them taken the Monday after Thanksgiving, but due to his horrible pink eye and runny nose, we canceled and the only time they could take him was this past Tuesday. I definitely think Picture People (this time of year) should be on the show Worst Jobs. Just when I thought I had a rough job this time of year, I imagined being a photographer at that place. The store was about 95 degrees and packed full of babies, toddlers, and children that were tired of the long wait and getting cranky. Parents were getting angry and it was just a mess!

It was finally Owen's turn and we saw a side of him we don't normally see. He was quite embarrassed to get his pictures taken and said he felt "shy" although he was showing it in a strange way. He kept running out of the store laughing. We could not get him to calm down and sit and smile. He was like a wild animal. At times he was ready to cry which led me to believe that he really might be shy and acting out because of that. It did not help that the photographer thought it was funny and kept laughing too. After some "talks" and encouraging from daddy and I we were finally able to get a couple cute pictures. It took about 15 minutes and Mike and I were exhausted and sweating after the whole ordeal.

Then we thought we'd go visit Santa while we waited (once again) for the pictures to download onto the screen. We had been pumping Owen up to see Santa and he seemed ready to sit on his lap. The line was very long. Mike estimated our wait time to be about 45 minutes. After waiting about 15 minutes, I walked Owen over to watch other kids siting on his lap. Then Owen said, "I don't want to sit on his lap. I don't want toys." I think he thought he had to sit on his lap to get presents on Christmas day. So Mike got out of line and we went back to pick out our pictures and wait some more in the sauna. Luckily Owen was entertained for a while with a wipe- "cleaning the store". We very quickly picked our pictures and then waited another 20 minutes for them to print because the lady messed up and did not print enough postcards.

On our way out there was no line to see Santa. He was just sitting there all alone. We thought this would be a perfect time for Owen to just talk to him. He was terrified even though we kept telling him he did not have to sit on his lap. Santa was very nice and I was the one who ended up sitting on his lap and getting my picture taken alone. I thought Owen would sit with me, but he refused. I think my belly is bigger than Santa's. As we were leaving he was waving to Santa and starting to really warm up to him. Maybe next year he'll sit on Santa's lap with his baby brother.

I know next year we are getting our Christmas pictures taken BEFORE Thanksgiving. I do not like being in malls this time of year which is probably why I did almost all my shopping Online!

Christmas Cookies

Owen and I did not get out of our jammies all day today! It was such a rainy, cold day. After we all took a long afternoon nap we made Christmas cookies. Every year I make my favorite- Peanut Butter Blossoms. Owen helped unwrap the Hershey kisses. He also enjoyed looking at himself and talking to himself in the reflection of the mixing bowl. I did not get a picture of that, but it was pretty funny! Owen loves peanut butter blossoms too!

Our Dancing Elf

Christmas Traditions

Mike's mom, Nana Way, started a tradition when Mike was a freshman in college. She would send a wooden advent calendar back to school with him after Thanksgiving break. Everyday until Christmas he would open a little drawer and get a gift. Some days it was candy, batteries, chapstick, ties, and other things. She was very creative with the small things she would find. Some drawers would even have money!

Once we were married she bought another calendar box and did one for me too. We loved it! Now she does one for Owen and this is the first year that he really gets it. After Thanksgiving, she dropped off a huge sleigh full of gifts. Every night after dinner he gets to open a drawer from his calendar. In the drawer is a sticker and he has to find the gift that matches the sticker and that is the gift he gets to open. He looks forward to it each night. He has gotten so many nice presents like a Thomas watch, Play-Doh accessories, books about going to the potty and being a big brother, a boat for the bathtub, and much more. Owen is so fortunate! Every night he calls Nana Way to thank her for the present he received.

Another tradition we started this year is "Elf on the Shelf". A friend told me about it and I heard about it from another blog. I thought it was so cute and such a good idea that I had to go out and get the book and elf. Basically, Owen gets to name the elf (which he named "Sam"). Sam watches Owen everyday from Thanksgiving to Christmas to see if he is being "good". At night, while Owen is sleeping, Sam flies up to the North Pole to tell Santa if Owen has been naughty or nice. Santa can't possibly keep track of who is naughty or nice on his own so he has elves to help him. Then, Sam flies back to our house. In the morning, Sam is always at a different place in the house and Owen has to find him. Sam is usually somewhere up high because he does not like to be touched. This morning he was hiding in the Christmas tree.

Weekend...

Yesterday at my doctor appointment I found out the baby is still breech. Jana, the midwife that saw me, said a lot of times with second pregnancies the baby has more room because you are more stretched out. This makes it easier for the baby to be breech, but she believes he will flip. She said she does not get concerned until 36 weeks. So the little stinker has 5 weeks to get his act together :) I really really really do NOT want a C-Section so I am REALLY hoping he turns.

After my appointment we grabbed a quick and early lunch at Wawa and ate it in the car. I have never eaten at a Wawa before, but it was really good! I believe Owen liked the show, however he kept saying, "Where's Elmo?". He knows that we might be going to the Elmo show in Hershey (if Santa brings him tickets) so he was a little confused and thought this was the Elmo show. Then, I made the mistake of telling him he might see Santa Claus. There was no Santa in the show either. About 3/4 of the way through the show he fell asleep on Mike. Go figure... usually when I put him down for a nap at 1, he talks and sings and plays until 2pm when he finally falls asleep. We take him to a Christmas show with VERY loud music and singing and he falls asleep at 12:30. Needless to say, he was cranky and miserable when the show ended because his nap was cut short.

We went to the Blue Bird for dinner and the food was really good (for a change)! It was nice to sit by the fire and watch the snow falling outside. We would have liked to walk there, but Owen is still not fond of the snow. We have to work on that. Maybe today we can make a snowman.

Let It Snow...

Hooray!

Mike found out this morning that he passed his principal exam. What a relief! I think the only thing that would make his weekend even better is if we get the 4+ inches of snow they are predicting.

Tomorrow we are going to Lancaster for my doctor appointment and then to a Christmas show. We go to the same show every year, but I love it so much that I don't mind seeing the same thing year after year. We took Owen last year and he did really well, so I am hoping this year is the same!

Cancelled appointments

I had to cancel Owen's dentist appointment this morning because he still has a bit of a cough and they felt it would be better to just reschedule. I also had to cancel his picture appointment because his eyes were still too red from his pink eye. Therefore he would not be visiting Santa either. I was really bummed. Even though I am now not feeling too great, I knew that we had to get out of the house or we would go nuts. So, we picked up my mom and went to the Hershey Historical Society for their train exhibit. Owen LOVED it and was sure the tell the guy running the trains exactly what to do. We spent about an hour there just watching the trains and pushing the buttons. After that we went to the outlets to look for a coming home outfit for the baby, but once again, I can not find anything I like. I did, however, get Owen a cute "Big Brother" shirt. Owen was a good sport while we shopped and I think all that walking wore him out! Then we headed to Red Robin for lunch. My mom was able to keep Owen awake on the ride home and now he is napping in his bed. Now, what will we do when he wakes up?...

Post-Thanksgiving Post

We had a very nice Thanksgiving day. Mike, Owen, and Nana Way did a 5K in the morning while I stayed home and got things ready. Here's our little runner.

We went over to Papa and Finny's house around 11 for a very yummy lunch. Owen ate so much turkey, corn, and rolls. He had been up a lot coughing the night before so between running almost a mile of the 5K, being up the night before, and eating a big turkey dinner, he was ready for a long nap. He slept for about 3 hours when we got home. Once he got up he was still full from lunch so he did not eat that much. We had my parents, Mike's mom, my sister, and Eric over for dinner. It was my first time having Thanksgiving dinner at our house. Our dining room is tiny, but we managed to get everyone in. Mike set up a longer table so we could all eat together. I was excited to finally be able to use the white Pottery Barn linens that Paige got us for our wedding!
After dinner, I got out a gift that was supposed to be for Owen for Christmas. I got him Chutes and Ladders. I am so excited to start playing board games with him and I thought he would really enjoy it so I let him have an early present. He did very well and he loves to play it. In fact, when I got home from the store earlier today he was playing with daddy.
Friday I spent the day scrapbooking with my friends. It was so nice to get together with them and talk, eat, and scrapbook. I am FINALLY finished with Owen's book (from his 1st year) and now I am working on the baby's scrapbook. I am only doing scrapbooks for their first year. I am not that creative and I feel like my blog is enough of a scrapbook, however I do enjoy doing it. Mike stayed home with Owen who was not feeling well at all. He had been up coughing most of the night before and was starting to run a fever. Unfortunately Dr. Schaffer was not in or we would have taken him. So they just hung out at home and when I got home that afternoon we started to put up the Christmas tree. Owen was not feeling well at all so he just sat on the couch and watched.
Luckily we were able to get Owen in to see his doctor today (Saturday). He has bronchitis, a double ear infection, and pink eye in both eyes. I have never in my life seen pink eye like he has it. In fact, tonight before bed he wanted pancakes and we would normally not allow that right before bed, but he looks so pitiful that we could not say "no". This picture does not even do his eyes justice. We are wiping them as much as we are wiping his nose!Hopefully the antibiotics work quickly. I am starting to get severe cabin fever. Owen has not been out of his pajamas in two days. Tomorrow Mike leaves to go hunting for three days and if we don't get out of the house I might go a little nuts. Owen is supposed to go to the dentist on Monday morning, then we were planning on going to Park City to get his pictures taken and visit Santa. I am not sure his eyes will clear up enough for pictures by Monday, but we will see.