Christmas Eve Recap

We have been going to Christmas Eve Mass (the children's mass) for several years now because my sister Alli sings in the Girls Choir. They did a beautiful job and always sound like angels singing. It was interesting trying to get all three girls ready in time to get there early....lucky for us my family was there and able to save us seats, it was a packed church!! The girls looked so pretty with their curly hair and so special because they were able to wear dresses MY mom made for ME and my sister years ago. Angelica and Emma loved going up to see Baby Jesus after mass was over. After mass we headed to my parents house for a yummy dinner and enjoyed taking some family pics! So many good ones I put them all in a slide show but try to post my favs.

Dress Up

Angelica and Emma have been playing dress up more and more lately....and it is always fun when they play it with Aunt Alli. I have got to find some kind of dress up clothes chest because we are finding dress up items everywhere. One day at Marmee's Aunt Alli dressed Angelica up as a prairie girl (in a costume that my mom made for ME) and Emma came down dressed up as ????, your guess is as good as mine!

Baby's First Christmas Outfit

Cute outfit from Marmee and the fun rudolph socks, that mostly stayed on.

A First - NO Tears

This year was the first year that the Santa visit was not accompanied with tears! The girls were so excited and waited in line watching all the kids see Santa and get candy canes, the treat that I think helped get them to go. Emma and Angelica enjoyed telling Santa what they wished for Christmas and even told them that mama and papa were good this year too!

Nativity Fun

We are slowly gathering quite a nativity collection. Angelica had TONS of fun this Christmas playing with all the different sets. She is VERY meticulous about where all the figures "should" be and got a little frustrated when Emma would wander off with one or put them in the "wrong" spot. It was quite amusing watching and LISTENING to her play with them and explain the scenes. For example:
-One morning Angel came up to me and said: "Mama, mama...I put it on Mary's bum. Come see!" So I went to check it out and as Angelica explained she put the donkey on Mary's bum so she could ride it and because we had another donkey she gave one to Joseph too...and made sure the Wise Men were riding their camels as well.
-When I asked why all the pieces were so close Angelica replied: "Well the Wise Men traveled from "a-FAR" so now they are close!"

-This is a beautiful set my mom brought Angelica back from Mexico...makes me a little nervous to let her play with it that she might break them...but she loved them. She was however not happy that they did not have a stable or manger....so she turned the lid of the container into the manger area for Baby Jesus.

-This apparently is the Nativity rendition of Ring around the Rosy....Mama did not like the part where they all fell down because it involved shaking the tin and lots of noise! UGH!

I had to post this video.....I tried to be sneaky but they caught me taping but it was so cute...Angelica was explaining to Emma all about the nativity. She loves to "teach" Emma but isn't always so patient as you can see in the video. Oh well....here it is.

So Many Hugs

Michaela definitely does not suffer from neglect or not enough hugs and kisses, her big sisters make sure of that!! They love her so much and sometimes too hard!! We are working on that. It is sweet to watch Angelica's very motherly ways and gentle nature with the baby and it is um, amusing to watch Emma's entertaining antics with her (most of the time). Angelica was very excited one day when she not only got Michaela to stop crying but also smile with a little help from the Jesus Loves Me Bunny..check it out!

Baby Bliss

Michaela Update

I CANNOT believe that Michaela Marie is already two months old!! She has been the most perfect baby...if I was guaranteed they would all be this easy I would for sure have a dozen! :) She has the sweetest and most easy going personality. She is smiling a lot now and really gives the big grins to her sister Angelica who loves to sing and talk to her. Her little face looks more and more like her papa to me and especially has his pointy eyebrows! She still has a lot of hair, although has been losing some here lately....however, it has already lightened up in color and appears to have some red highlights, so we shall see. She is my first baby to sleep on her back and because of that has a bit of a flat head on the back. More tummy time for her! She is starting to coo and make noises and loves to gurgle back at us. She LOVES her swing and for the first time we finally feel like we are getting our money's worth out of it!! She has a bit of baby acne and cradle cap going on but nothing major like her sisters had. I am so blessed because she sleeps so well. We have yet to ever "walk the halls" with her or have a crying spree. She sleeps 6 hours straight at night and looks like a little mummy. She likes to feel secure still....so to sleep she is swaddled in the miracle blanket (it is AWESOME, love it more than my swaddle me wraps), then put in her boppy in the bassinet and she is ready for a long snooze. I still have to get a picture of it, so funny! Michaela has NEVER cried during her baths, she loves them and we joke that she likes blow outs just because she gets to have a bath. She is a very strong little girl, with a tight hand grip and already holding her head high. We love her so very very much and it is amazing to see our little family growing and the relationships between the girls get stronger and stronger.

So.....yesterday Michaela had her 2 month check up and here are her stats:
-22.75 inches long (50% - same as Angel was, Emma was 23.25)
-Head 39 cm (50% - same as Angel was, Emma was 41)
-13 lbs 5 ozs!!!! (97%!! - yikes, likes her mama's milk....I was shocked...Angel was 10.11 and Emma was 11.8)

So we have a very solid baby on our hands!! Or she takes after her mama, short with some reserves!! Very healthy little girl!! We don't do any vaccinations at this point, so we got her vitamin drops and were good to go!! Here are some pics of her over this past month and some cute smiling videos (other already a bit outdated!) Enjoy.

(gotta love Emma pulling her hair)

Emma's first hair cut!

Last month Emma was given her first hair cut...thanks to Marmee!! I had been debating cutting her hair for a while. Her hair has taken forever to grow and she has some beautiful wavy curls at the ends of it. I was a bit nervous as she doesn't sit still very well and I didn't want to ruin the curls (although I have now learned that cutting hair with curls is easier because it hides mistakes!). Anyways...we had an impromptu hair cutting experience after a bath at Marmee's and at least got the ends trimmed up. Thank you Marmee!!

2009 come back!

Ok, so I know many of you (family members mostly who I won't name) have been begging me for updates, pictures etc. I am so sorry...but as crazy as the end of 2009 was, 2010 hasn't been much easier!! We had a great Christmas season and rang in the New Year with some new friends to the area! However, we all ended up getting sick after the New Year. Angelica started with a cold, then fever then cough. Emma got a cold and cough and put on meds for sinus infection. Mama (me) got a cold then her first sinus infection ever....not fun...lasted awhile....eye sockets hurt, hear hurt, bad cough, teeth hurt...so when Mom is sick everything comes to a stand still. Jason even went in for a sinus infection and bronchitis. So....we are all finally on the mend. That coupled with putting Christmas decorations away and getting back to a "routine" has made the start of 2010....interesting. I hope to give updates on everyone soon along with recaps of our Christmas season. Sorry late, but better than never!

I hope they are dancing!

Today would have been the 57th Wedding Anniversary of my beloved Mamasan and PopPop. They were blessed to be able to share 52 of those years together. One of their favorite things to do their entire life was to ballroom dance, so I hope they are twirling around heaven enjoying one another today! Some pics I had fun looking at today.....miss and love you Mamasan and PopPop.

Overload and Recap

First, apologies to all the family members on the east coast that have patiently been asking and waiting for updates, pictures etc. I have finally downloaded pictures and hope to do several catch up posts!!! We have been enjoying this Christmas season and hope you have as well!! Here are some funny pics from our Christmas photo session we did, hope by now you received our formal card!! Catch up with you soon!!

Michaela at Four Weeks

'Tis the Season

I cannot believe that Miss Michaela Marie (my M&M girl) is 4 weeks old today!! My mom came over to watch the big girls today so I could go to mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with just Michaela. Listening to the readings and wonderful homily about how Mary was conceived without sin made me reflect even more holding a newborn on how Mary answered God's call to give birth to Jesus and is such a perfect example of Motherhood to follow and strive for! These last few weeks have been challenging with recovery, adjusting to a newborn again, keeping up with the two toddlers, a hubby working 12 hour shifts for a week, trying to keep house....and then with this time of year I always seem to get stressed anyways. I tend to be a bit OCD (ok, I know my family members are saying, a bit?) and like to be organized and have everything just so in my little world. Well, I am slowly learning that God probably gets lots of chuckles out of "our plans". So my advent activities and Christmas decorations and fun things I had wanted to do for this special time of year are not happening. And I am learning that that is OK and that next year will come and I can try again. Right now....the season for me is exactly what it is...my duties and responsibilities as a mother with all the nursing, changing diapers and constant care comes first. If I happen to get in a fun craft project or event then bonus points to us. I am learning that with each additional child not only do routines get changed and rearranged, but priorities do as well and so do my expectations of myself. I came across this poem the other day and truly enjoyed it...these baby moments and little times with my LITTLE ones are short and fleeting and I truly want to cherish them as long as I can. So especially today when we remember how perfect and immaculate our Blessed Mother is and a great example to model after and during this Christmas season when we remember how Mary said yes to conceiving and accepting the responsibility of being Jesus' mother....I too want to thank Jesus for my girls and say YES to my vocation as a mother and try to live it out as best and fully as I can. (And now the people in my life need to remind me of this Post when I get stressed out and overwhelmed!!)

BABIES DON'T KEEP

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullaby, rockabye, lullaby loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peek-a-boo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullaby, rockaby lullaby loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

I'm a WINNER

For those of you who have not heard....Faith & Family is doing a week of daily giveaways...CHECK HERE for all the details and enter!! Yesterday I entered and today I got an email and saw on today's post that I won!!! The item I won made me smile too!! I have looked at this for a long time, and had my mom make several church bags for my girls and done our own. So not sure if I will hang onto this or give as a gift...but so excited...it is the Quiet Time Church Kit which retails for $30! We don't do coloring books or toys in church, but we do have the books and holy card rings. Totally recommend this or making your own like we did! Good Baptism Gift ideas especially when you can make the bags, ours our much smaller. Anyways....so check out the daily giveaway at Faith&Family and hope you can be a winner too!!