Christmas with a Toddler!

It all started with a snuggly Christmas morning at home. We decided we want the tradition of waking up in our own house on Christmas morning. So on Christmas Eve, Eric and I put together a tent with tunnel, stacked present after present, and tucked a giraffe pillow pet right smack dab in the middle of the tent. We were so excited for Jack to wake up in the morning! He, again, had no idea what gift unwrapping was...so he pranced around the house playing with Maggie's new little tennis balls while we opened his presents one-by-one. I swear I should buy him dog toys instead of real toys! :) I was upstairs getting ready a little later, and I noticed it was awfully quiet. I went to check on Jack, and he was pushing his new hot wheels cards back and forth through his new fort/tunnel. Adorable!

Two hours later {filled with "It's raining, it's pouring and Jack be nimble" tunes over the speakers, a goldfish extravaganza, and lots of 'mama, dada, ahhhppple' mumblings and chatter} we were back home! We don't go home often, so we ended up making six stops in two days! Busy, busy.

Christmas with a toddler is oh so very different than before kids. Before Jack, we would pack up all of our gifts in our car, give them all away, and drive off with a full wallet and a purse full of gift cards...empty trunk. After Jack, we are arranging, rearranging, and stacking, stacking, stacking to fit everything in! Holy cow :) Santa was good to Jack this year....he must have been on the 'nice list'.

Here's a picture explosion of our Christmas...enjoy!

Homemade cutouts -- my kitchen was full of flour!

Christmas as a teacher... :) Too many gifts!

Lots, and lots, and lots of cards :)

Jack loves Jerry, his new pillow pet! And, the tent/tunnel behind him!

Presents, presents, and more presents...

All the toys in the world and Jack's fav? Maggie's little tennis balls!

This is what we call THE CHEESE! Jack's newest smile :)

Bow on head, check. Present opening, check. Car in hand, always.

Baby juggler?

Tunnel crawl!

Too many toys!

Our driving man :)

Books? Jack LOVES books! Gak, gak, gak!

My all-time favorite toy of Christmas! Singamajig :)

We decided to unwrap, put together, and display ALL of the toys Jack got for Christmas for the day after. It was so fun...Christmas all over again! His first toy of choice? His gak, gak, gaks! Books :) The singamajig was from Aunt Ally, and he just loves the teeth! And, we can't wait for his little cozy coupe in the summertime.

If I had to choose one thing to help me remember the Christmas of 2011, I would have to say the dog toy tennis balls! Jack couldn't care less about the toys and just loved walking around with Maggie's new toys. So adorable. We are so thankful for all of our amazing friends and family we were able to spend time with over the holidays. We have lots to be thankful for! I hope you all enjoyed a Merry Christmas!

The best gifts of all...

1. Time with Eric.
Eric and I had a wonderful date night on Saturday. My cousin, who's mom is our daycare provider, offered to watch Jack overnight! We dropped him off after his afternoon nap and were baby-free for the rest of the night!

I know, you're excited to hear about our wild, crazy adventures...here goes.

Jordan Creek shopping madness:
Pottery Barn Kids secret Santa gift, check. Pandora charm for my aunt, check. Bath and Body Works secret Santa gift items, check. Shopping without a stroller or squirmy baby/toddler - priceless!

Bravo Italiana:
We split an amazing salad, dined over lots of conversations about more than just Jack, and dug our forks into the world's biggest meatballs I swear. MMmmm.

Tonic Sol Fa:
Eric surprised me with tickets to this amazing acapella group. We held hands on our way into the beautiful, tucked-behind-the-big-city Hoyt Sherman Place Theater. It was definitely worth seeing!

Downtown:
We stopped by Sbrocco {a wine bar} for a glass of wine. After, we marched over to Heroes -- more of a "going out" bar. We lasted a few sips of our beers before laughing at the crazy, drunken dancing and left. Man, we're old. Then, we stopped by Fong's! A Chinese/pizza place. Weird combination, I know. We shared the Kung Pao pizza, and we were on our way.

Home by 11:30.

Picked up Jack by 8:30 Sunday morning.

Exciting adventures? I'd say so! It was nice to chat over dinner without having to make bite-sized pieces for Jack. It was great to hold hands and just enjoy each other's company. It was nice that we both agreed it was bedtime at 11:30...

2. Jack.

Time away makes me realize just how much I love this little guy...

..and we have way too many toys. Santa, take it easy this year!

3. Camera!
I just love my camera.

Best. gift. ever.

A little bubble bath to end our nightly routine...

Hey little duckie...

Hey, Mom...what's this?

I. love. baths.

4. Winter break. A whole week-and-a-half to spend with Jack, Eric, and the best family and friends around.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

Jack Dances!

Jack has been shuffling his feet and shaking his booty for about a week now. We've been trying and trying to get it on camera, but he's so excited to grab the camera that we can never film it. We finally caught a tiny glimpse of his "booty shaking" tonight! So funny.

Wordless Wednesday

Cheese Tortellini & Tomato Soup!

I am a simple, routine kind of girl. When we travel to the grocery store, I stock up on the usuals (ground turkey, frozen peas, canned petite diced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese). Each time I cook we enjoy chili, tacos, chicken-spaghetti toss, and some sort of grilled meat with veggies.

Not today.

Yep. I tried a new recipe. One I found on Pinterest, actually.

It. Was. Fantastic. See below!

Cheese Tortellini & Tomato Soup

{MMMMMM waiting for Daddy to get home from work!}

{Ready to eat...}

{Yum-O!}

It only took about 20 minutes from start to finish. Want to try?

First, boil a small pan of water for 1/2 package frozen cheese tortellini. Cook for 3 minutes. Drain and add to soup pot.

Then, in a large pot, bring to boil the following:
One can tomato soup (Campbell's)
One cup 2% milk
One cup half-and-half
One can chicken broth
1/4 cut chopped sun-dried tomatoes
Sprinkle in:
minced garlic
garlic salt
onion powder
basil
course-ground black pepper

After cooking for about 20 min, sprinkle in 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese...and enjoy!

Dear Jack,

It's been awhile since I've written you. It was so easy to do when you were just a little rumbling in my tummy long ago. Now, I tell you all the time just how much I love you.

Right now, you're stealing our hearts with your booty bump, your shuffling feet, and your giant smirk when you know you're in trouble. You walk around and talk and sing - no matter who's in the room to hear. When you fill your diaper with some awfully stinky stuff, you find your way near me as if to tell me -- change me, Mom! Can't you smell it? Adorable.

You fell down the stairs the other day. You've been so brave going up and down. Finally, you discovered that if you throw your toys down, you can play fetch with yourself. Well, the stairs won. BUT...you're not afraid of them and are still trying to play your game of fetch. Good thing I was gone at class or I might have cried with you. Boys will be boys I guess...

You absolutely love teeth. I know, weird. You play with yours, dig through my lips to find mine. You do this little excited shake when we hand you your little toothbrush...and you even do a "brush, brush, brush" motion in your mouth when we ask. Maybe someday you'll be a dentist?

I hope you grow up to love our family -- for what it is. You have lots and lots of "aunts". All of my friends who have grown up with you as if you are their own. Eric's family who loved you before we even had you. And, lots of fill-in grandmas who love to hang out with you. I hope you're not sad that you'll never know some of your family on my side -- my mom included. I'm hoping that it's easy for you since you'll never know any different...

We're working to make our life as happy as can be. And, although it may never be perfect, your dad and I will try our best. I can promise you one thing: you will grow up knowing this house is your home.

I cried on your birthday, bud. I know...sappy mom. It was so surreal to believe that it had already been a whole year since the day we met you. My little baby wasn't so much of a baby anymore...

I hope you continue to grow and thrive. I hope you still have a love for reading when you make it to school someday. I hope you never, ever, ever stop snuggling your momma. Ever.

I love you to the moon and back, Jack.

You are my whole world wrapped up into a tiny bundle of Gap fleece with a snotty nose.

Love,
Momma

"Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our hearts."

What's New?

Christmas cards sent -- check. I sent out more than 70 cards this year! Phew! We have a lot of people we love.

Pinterest is SO addicting...

Jack is so much fun right now! He walks ALL around, plays with his toys, and absolutely totally loves to snuggle. This week, he's a total Momma's boy -- he cries when Daddy takes him from me. :)

{Jack taunting Maggie with HER toy!}

{He loves his "gak, gak, gaks!" BOOKS!}

We had his 12 month check up. He's "thinned out" according to the doctor. Something I definitely don't see! He's 95% on the charts for height, and 45% for weight --- so a tall and skinny little man. I am wondering if he'll get the height side of my family? The doctor was amazed at his walking and talking. She said he acts more like a 15-month-old, and gave us some 18-month skills to work on (holding a spoon while eating, stacking blocks, colors, etc.) She asked for his vocab, and I told her "mama", "dada", "gak" (book) and "aaappplle" for apple. She said "are you sure he can say apple?" and before she finished Jack looked up and yelled "aaaaaappple". She was amazed! The poor guy had lots of shots and blood drawn though. He was settled down with his very first sucker -- which he LOVED. He's a sugar addict. He doesn't ever get sweets and junk food, so when he does...he chows down.

{He doesn't remember that he just got THREE shots and his finger pricked}

Class is OVER...for a month anyways.

It's such a relief to not have to worry about 50+ page readings, 3-5 page papers, and giant assignments for the next MONTH! No Wednesday classes until 10 pm, and no wasting my Saturdays in class. The cohort I'm in is way fun though. It helps to spend all this time away from my family with some funny people!

Maggie got a new haircut. She looks so cute! We finally found a groomer here in Waukee that isn't booked up into the new year. It's nice to call and get her right in.

We're thinking about finishing our basement soon. We've accrued quite the collection of toys -- and I refuse to let my living space turn into a crayola box of pukey bright colors. Solution? Finished basement family room with toy storage! We plan on finishing an extra bedroom and bathroom, as well as a big, comfy family room. Eric wants to do it himself. SCARY! If you know anything about Eric...he's the least handiest person I know. BIG time. I am hoping he caves and hires a friend to do it...

I got a new camera lens for Christmas - early.

It's a Nikkor-AF-s f1.8 50mm lens (for any of you camera users out there). Basically, I can get close to Jack and blur the background -- which is exactly why I wanted a nice camera in the first place. It's nice because its really pretty easy to use...and now ALL of our photos look professional. It's so hard to choose which one's I like.

Here's some crafty photos of our tree and ornaments:


Eric and I have a date night planned for Saturday night. It's been awhile for just the two of us to head out together...and my cousin is hanging out with Jack for the night. We're so excited! We'll probably get home early and watch the clock for when we get Jack back :) We'll try!

That's all, folks! Until next time...

It's Jack's Party...

...he can eat cake if he wants to! :) I don't even have to write he can cry if he wants to, because he didn't cry one bit.

We filled our house with our closest friends and family and celebrated our little man turning one.

When I think back I remember:
A happy, wandering, playful little one-year-old who LOVED the attention
Finger foods (suitable for wee ones) in pretty displays
Primary colored sixlets
Perfectly coordinated presents -- which turned into toy after toy after toy
Books and cake
Good times with good friends!

My goal: simple and classic. He's one. He had no idea it was his birthday...so I didn't go crazy with decorations or anything. Simple and low stress...so we could just enjoy the friends and family we had with us! I'm SO, SO, SO glad I did this.

Thanks to all of our friends {who are definitely more like our family} for helping us celebrate our little man's big day.

Happy Birthday Jack! It's been the best year of our lives.

We love you!

Mom & Dad