2011

Happy New Year's Eve, from our family to yours!!!!!

Best wishes for 2011!

We are really looking forward to 2011 and what it will bring. For us, it will be the Year of Colin, and we are so excited to meet the much anticipated, newest addition to our family!

But, in the meanwhile, good riddance to 2010. We couldn't be happier to finish writing this chapter in our life, thru all the ups and seemingly endless and unplanned-for downs: replacing the water heater, car repairs, B's company's selling, E's visit to the ER for a head laceration, more car repairs, B's salary bonus-structure change (for the negative), basement flooding (throwing things out and replacing carpet/trim), B's transfer to a further away location (more gas/mileage), being sick about 10times this year (no joke and each time 'quarantined' for a 1-2weeks), miscellaneous home repairs, several scares this pregnancy that have left me in tears, and stressful work changes for B (mostly layoffs for employees), substantial (read, ridiculous) increase in our monthly health insurance, B's serious accident this past month and car repair, and we are closing out the year, once again, sick with sore throats and colds. Yep, ready to close this non-exciting chapter and ring in the new year!!!

All said, we are so thankful and blessed to have our little family, our own fabulous and comfortable home, the giggles and joy our little one brings us, and another little bundle of our love on the way.

Happy New Year!!

Half way there!!!!!

Mommy & E at 20 weeks!!!

Two years ago today, with little E.

This was my first 'picture' with E.

Mommy & Colin at 20 Weeks!!!!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 20 weeks

Size of Baby: ~10in (from head to heel). Think banana.

Total Weight Gain: 11 lbs. Both pregnancies have started at 125lbs, and it's evident that I'm growing another linebacker.

Maternity Clothes: Thank goodness I aleady have some to wear.

Gender: It's another sweet boy!!!!

Name: Colin (?) B.

Movement: He has been moving since week 14, and is continuously in motion, more than I ever felt with E!!! I can now feel him when I touch my belly.

Sleep: Yes, please! Dealing with two bundles of energy takes up all mine by midday.

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach, enjoying a glass of wine, coffee in the morning.

Cravings: Cranberry sauce, tomato soup!, pies/cakes.
Symptoms: Just tired and hungry ALL the time.

Best Moments: Listening to his heart beat, seeing him kick/move on ultrasounds, feeling him wiggle right after eating.

Let it snow!!!! & Some holiday spirit!!!

E's first snowfall.

December 4, 2009
E's 1st snowfall he was excited about!!
Today!!
We scampered outside to get some fresh air and enjoy the first dusting of the season.
Tasting the snow.
I had even promised him that we would pull out his sled for the first snow of the year.
He went for a short ride and then enjoyed pulling it himself.
I'm thinking he can pull Baby CB next year ;)

Typically our Christmas decorations go up the first of December. This year they went up the day after Thanksgiving!! I'm really excited to decorate for E and have him enjoy all the holiday spirit.

This is our mantle. Our stockings are from Pier1, and E's and C's (can't wait to put all four up next year) are from an old cable-knit cashmere sweater of mine- so cute.

The living room, half a-glow.

My husband made the sweetest comment when he came home from work and saw the tree for the first time: "It is just what I imagine when I think of a perfectly decorated Christmas tree". Guess I did a good job ;)

E even has a miniature tree in his playroom (mine from college).

Still have a bit more decorating to go!

The tree decorations/stockings are all silver/platinum or champagne (our wedding colors), but I snuck a fun one in this year- a bright red cardinal from Great-Great Auntie S. I thought it would be neat to move it around every so often and have E find it.

Even decorated the dining room credenza.

The banister garland is from Great G&G S. and it looks beautiful all lit up.
I added some jingle bells in for more E fun. He loves to ring them every time he passes by.

Jingle. Jingle. Giggle. Giggle.

Home for the Holidays

This year we hosted a very intimate Thanksgiving with my BIL and his new wife.

As an occupational default we had a late dinner, and then stayed up till 2am playing Risk. Yours truly won- again!

The table was very simple this year- decorated with things E has picked up on our 'hikes'. Next year we are looking forward to having an entire afternoon of celebration with a filled house again!

Holiday Pictures... have been nothing short of a beast this year, between a tot with too much energy and a camera battery that won't stay charged any longer. Here are some hysterical outtakes from our numerous attempts to get some decent holiday pictures of my boys:

This one obviously did not make the cut.

The lighting didn't work for one; and, is E trying to send me a message?? Ha.
Half the way there.

Ok, pics sooo weren't happening on Take 47!!!
Flustered, yet determined to get some kind of resemblance of normal family pictures, we bought a new camera (our Christmas present to each other), and scheduled yet another picture-taking time.

A Sip & See for Baby Declan

Tiffany and I hosted a Sip & See for our sweet friend, Emmalee, and her

precious new one, Declan. We couldn't be more excited to welcome the newest playmate for our sons! I remember Emmalee saying she was just thrilled that her second child was just as welcomed as her first.

The proud mommy!

I love how Baby Declan looks like he's smiling, too.
I brought the desserts, fruit platter, and some drinks.
I had the onesie and rattle cookies made at a local bakery, and bought the cupcakes (little time to bake with a tot running around) and thought it was cute to put teddy grahams in the middle ;)
Tiffany and I made these tea favors.
All the craft supplies were from Jo-Anns (one of our favorite stores, and the one our husbands can't stand- ha). I printed off the tags on the printer and added the silver circle to them. I'm sure I'll find lots of other uses for the tags.

The beverage table (minus the wine & Pellegrino).

I have to say that I love this decorative platter idea so much that I will have to get one for myself! I'm guessing that it is a 'southern' thing.

"Ah, Mom, why are you taking pictures?!? Nothing going on here."

Caught Eli and E right after they were cuddling :)

The boys all loved this step.

I believe Peter is a month older than E. It was so cute watching all the little boys run around.

Some of my own cuddle time with Baby Declan.

Congrats, Emmalee & Tim!!!!!!!

Coming soon to a mailbox near you....

Provence Holiday 2011 Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

It's a ............!!!!!!!

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Due to an emergency ultrasound to check the baby's obviously irregular heartbeat, we got to find out several weeks early whether we are having Colin (?) or Claire Jouet. I don't think I can take another pregnancy scare. We've already had 4 ultrasounds, and not to mention quite a copay bill! But, I just love being able to see what our little one is up to, and it brings tears of total joy every time!

Baby2 waving 'hi' to Mom!!

It amazes me to think that the hand is only about the size of my thumbprint.

I think this is just an incredible image of Baby2's skeletal system.

I don't recall E ever being 'upside down' for his ultrasounds.

...............

BOY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The ultrasound technician said it was 'without a doubt' a boy, but I could have told her that myself- Ha ;) Sweet Baby2 is another son, Colin, and we are just ecstatic!! It is a dream come true for me to have two adorable, sweet little boys less than (or, to the date) 2 years apart in age. I was planning on doing a post to mention that we had names picked out (we think it is important to give our baby a name/identity as soon as we know the gender), and that the initials were "CB", but I guess the little darling beat us to it! I've always loved the name Colin, and it was second pick of E's. We just haven't decided on his middle name: Emerson, Miller, or Royer. Can we give him all three?!? Needless to say, we are thrilled to have two sons to complete our family and are so happy that they will have each other. We can't wait to meet you Colin (just please don't give Mommy any more scares!)!!

It's that time again....

...to ponder which holiday card our family will be sending out this year, and the 'honor' is always bestowed upon me. So many decisions, too many cute designs to select from, an array of pricing, and many card companies to choose from. I wonder if the companies realize just how much time we (I) spend looking through each selection, picking out our favorite designs, and then eventually narrowing it down to one or two top contenders.

This year we will be sending out cards from Shutterfly. They have an expansive selection of holiday cards, www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery , with some of the cutest, most festive designs. I really like their selection of stationery cards this year- the templates, wording and colors. I always prefer a 'happy holidays', being more inclusive of all the celebrations during this time of year (thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, various religious/cultural holidays), and I have never been quite been a fan of the traditional red/green color-scheme. Add in a couple of snowflakes, monograms, browns/blues/or greens, then you'll find a card that is perfect for us. Here are our top contenders for this year:

... Onto the hard part: picking out which pictures will adorn this year's holiday card from Shutterfly.

If you think these are cute, you should also see the rest of their selection. And, if you are a blogger, they are will give you 50 free holiday cards if you share your favorite Holiday Collection picks with your readers!!!! Click here: http://blog.shutterfly.com/5358/holiday2010-blog-submission-form/ . Is there a better way to enjoy this time of year?! Happy choosing!

The Big 18!

And I thought staying up all night and having a newborn 'hooked up' to you was tough. It has been the most trying last couple of months, but also the most hysterically FUN!! E has become a rambunctious 1.5year old tot going on 3: nonstop energy until sleep time, lots of babbling and talking, dancing, climbing, investigating, and just plain getting into everything he knows he's not supposed to. B & I couldn't be more in love with this little one, and he has just made us laugh the last couple months with his hysterical antics and attempts to satisfy his curiosity and insistent desires. These are all of the things I want to remember about E over the last three months: * At 15months he was all about 'GARBAGE', or "ga/ga-ga". Anything that he could pick up tried to make it into the nearest receptacle. Eventually he learned that leaves, mulch and toys don't get thrown away, and the difference between recycling and garbage cans. It was quite embarrassing on the playground when my son was more interested in finding/throwing away garbage than playing on the cool equipment! His newest trick was 'Touchdown' that he learned from Daddy's video game, and he loves to throw his arms up in the air for attention.
* At 16months E started to say new words/sounds on a daily basis and get into EVERYTHING. We never wanted to do much of any child proofing (can you say 'tacky'). We now have door locks on all cabinets, locks on bi-fold doors, door handle locks, and other things we just hope guests don't notice. It's a fine line between allowing a child to explore and discover vs. keeping them from destroying your expensive equipment/things ;) And, how could I forget playing in the car- for as long as I will possibly let him. He loves pushing all the buttons in looking in the cubbies.
* E's 17thmonth has been by far the most amusing. He is all about 'commanding'- grabs and pulls you to where or what he wants you to be doing (this includes mom & dad, close neighbors, and relatives). And if he insists on you playing with a particular object he will literally touch your hand to the object until you interact with it. Just wondering when this stage ends- Ha. He has his first character love: Curious George. What do they have in common?? Chubby Cheeks and Curiosity. He loves George and watches short DVD clips and reads the books. Can't wait to take him to see the exhibit at the Kohls museum. His new trick: showing off his muscles.

E-Speak!!! E is starting to say more and more but still in his own language. Now it is neat to hear him try multi-syllable words. Can't wait for him to actually start talking!!! Here is my attempt to record some the new words he's tried out the last couple months:

caca/ca = crackers

mi= milk

gee= geese

ga= glasses/sunglasses, garbage, grass, garden

cuh= cup

moo= cow

guh= girl

ogah= yogurt

deh= dishwasher

dih= dirt/dirty

tee= teeth

cac= clock

mow= mouse

cuh= washcloth

cawa= colors

mo= moon

caco= scarecrow

anguh= magnet

ba= bark from trees

nay-nay= fire alarm, fire trucks, fire hydrant

Mama e Dada= Mommy & Daddy (he says this non stop throughout the day)

guhcuguh= Go Cubs Go! (yep, that's right, the little fan can cheer on the home team!)

He also says 'particular sounds' for circle, triangle, heart, rectangle, but I haven't a clue how to write them down.

What Else!? In no particular order, because, as you can see,the last couple of months have been busy for him ;)
* scooting backwards on his tummy on the hardwood floors.

* unzipping & taking off his vest jacket.

* putting cars/trucks in a straight line/row.

* moving an objects (such as a lego box) to help him climb up on a bigger object.

* flushing his toothbrush down the toilet!!!! He thought it was hysterical and waved goodbye until he realized that it was 'GONE'. HAHAHAHA

* insisting on what he wants. Tantrum training.

* realizes that things are missing (long-term memory) aka. Daddy is at work, Teddy & Paci are gone and goes looking for them.

* tries to put socks and shoes on.

* more dancing, and listening to music. He LOVES Ralph's World and will hum along and dance to the songs.

* he loves to get and open the mail with me. And then throw it out or recycle.

* he knows FEAR. I was amazed that a bit of his innocence is gone. He is terrified of: Fisher-Price Big Foot, Matchbox Stinky the Garbage Truck, and R/C CAT dump truck (had to take the batteries out). Found this out at the toy aisles of Target- he is scared stiff!

* he drinks from a 'big boy' open cup during meals. His kid cups are from the restaurant and he thinks the guy on the cup logo is Daddy, so to him they are the coolest cups- Hahaha!

* he is able to handle more alone playtime and stays/waits downstairs when I tell him to, instead of needing to follow me around everywhere. Still working on upping the duration.

* tries to feed us/share his food. Sometimes I'm a willing participant, other times, when I see sticky fingers or soggy food I insist that it is 'E food'!

* eats with a regular spoon & fork.

* will spend an extended amount of time playing with his megabloks.

* he loves Gershwin. He gives him treats, chases him around and torments him, and loves to help feed him in the morning.

* he likes to sweep, and enjoys insisting Mommy sweep by getting me the broom and dust pan and opening the garbage can for the 'dih' (dirt).

* insists on helping unload the dishwasher, and can point where each thing goes or put it away himself.

* he is trying to walk upstairs/downstairs upright. Yikes. Since he fell and split his forehead in April, there's a reason I'm discouraging it.

* he's such an amazing helper, and oh so good at cleaning up his own toys every night.

* he is still such a cuddler and is full of kisses and hugs, and loves to be read to, and interact with us as much as possible.

* he is a fantastic Big Brother and will randomly lift up my shirt to give kisses to Baby, and put his Teddy on my tummy to 'share' with his little brother/sister.

All this said, E has been an amazing trooper since I found out we are pregnant with his little playmate. He spent ALL of September dealing with my around the clock nausea/sickness, exhaustion, emergency doctor appointments, and didn't whine or demand extra attention, on top of dealing with 1.5mth of colds/coughs/sore throats between the three of us. And, he has been an angel since yesterday- I have had the most excruciating lower-back pain, and after I explained it to E, he has helped with everything, not demanded to be picked up, gone up/down the stairs by himself, allowed me to just sit and play, been lovie, calm and funny, and has fallen asleep easily (no holding). Sometimes he seems so much older than he looks.

The Force is Strong with This One

E's 2nd Trick-or-Treat!!!! Even Yoda loves football ;)

Two weeks ago at our neighborhood's clubhouse Halloween party.
E was fascinated by the fog machine, strobe lights, DJ, and the balloons.
Since Dad had to work all day Halloween (he's planning to be off at least every other year), we visited him at work. E is also growing up to be a restaurant baby- full run of the place and lots of attention from all the employees!

E at his first door.

I took E trick-or-treating all by myself this year (kindof sad)
We had been reading trick-or-treat books from the library and 'practicing'.
We just went through the motion of trick-or-treating since I'm trying to keep him away from candy until he discovers it on his own (if he's anything like me, once he has is first taste, he'll want it all the time). E loved it- we spent about 3 hours trick-or-treating! Every door we went to he invited himself in (only took him to neighbors we knew) and he just had a blast hanging out and getting loved on :) He is the most popular person on our block!

I had to wake this little one up from his nap since nieghbors were starting to wonder where he was. I could not get him to part with Teddy and Paci- grrrr.
As long as he had them he was all smiles!

On a mission.

We even bought E Yoda's lightsaber ($20!!!!@) and he didn't want anything to do with it.

Oh, but now he's having fun playing with it.

E's Treats!

He got a card and treat money from Great-Grandmom W., and a cute 'Boo' card from Auntie E.

He's always getting spoiled by the neighbors, too. One neighbor gave him this bag full of toys.
I was told next year they'd be getting us 2 bags, and I couldn't figure out why......

Happy Halloween from 'Baby' Yoda!!!!!!!

Pumpkin Moonshine

What does it take to carve a pumpkin with a toddler??

A Pumpkin Carving party, of course!! The P Family hosted their second annual pumpkin carving party, and we wouldn't miss it.

The Boys this year.

L, EP, and E- all with something in their hands.

The Boys last year.

L, EP, and E- just chillin on the carpet.

So I started to carve the pumpkin. E was entertained with apple sauce and pretzels... for a couple seconds. Did I mention I was the only one without a husband to carve the pumpkin or watch the youngin?!? Talk about man-on-man defense!! I gave up on the pumpkin carving the second he started reaching for our knives, and then started investigating everyone else's utensils, partially full beer bottles laying on the ground, cameras and phones at eye level, and crayons for the taking (& teething). Hmm, next year the hubby has to take off of work and join in on the fun!!

So we lined up our poor little uncarved pumpkin with everyone else's and lit the candle.

Oh, but my little guy and I still had lots of fun even though we didn't get his pumpkin carved yet.

Touchdown!!!!

We finally carved the E's pumpkin the following day.
Ha- I even washed his outfit overnight for a repeat photo shoot.

(He couldn't help it- he's all about doing his 'touchdown' pose for pics)

I miss you too, Auntie E!!!!!!

**We went to our neighborhood Halloween costume party at the clubhouse last week, but since E was wearing his costume, I'll post the pics after tomorrow.