Christmas Cheer From the Norman Boys

Christmas is not always an easy time when you have little ones. In fact, when your used to Christmas a certain way, it can be frustrating. Decorating for Christmas looks very different. Anything breakable goes really high and even then your praying your toddler doesn't push a chair over, climb up and try and throw the pretty Christmas plate across the room. Christmas baking is non-existent this year, both because I definitely don't need to eat all the extra Christmas treats when I'm still trying to lose baby weight and baking is not so easy when both the littles are running around and are not old enough to enjoy helping. Traditions like Christmas parties and Christmas Eve services are really not possible when bedtime is between 6 and 7 and keeping them up later would not be a good thing, and babysitters are just too expensive. And pretty much all Christmas shopping happens online because I have no desire to go searching for gifts with the littles in the cart. Although, that one, I don't mind so much because I can avoid all the crowds. 

This Christmas, I am learning that stuff doesn't matter. I haven't really missed all the Christmas treats, and definitely don't miss the extra pounds. Decorating was fun, and Curtis loves the little soft snowmen that I put where he can play with them. And the joy on his face when I tell him we can go touch the lights and the ornament is priceless, he gets so excited. And we get to spend Christmas with family, 2 years in a row. Isaac gets to be home and go with us to visit my family. That part, I am very excited for. I've been trying to teach Curtis how to say "Happy Birthday Jesus!" He's not gotten it quite yet, but I think it's coming. And he is definitely excited about Christmas presents. He likes to look at the gifts under the tree. I'm excited for him to give the ornaments he made. I'm looking forward to teaching him the joy in giving and not just getting presents. So while this year has been different, it's been fun. I am looking forward to how each year will be different as we adjust for growing kids and hopefully one day a growing family. I'm looking forward to when Curtis and Judah do understand that Christmas is about Jesus, not gifts. But this year, I'm just really looking forward to being with all my family for the first time in 5 years. 

I love Christmas tree pictures, both the boys love the tree

A little blurry but I couldn't get Curtis to do it again, so I'll take it

Curtis was dancing in front of the tree while Judah ate the lights

Each of the boys contribution to the tree this year

And a bath picture because it's just too cute. We began unrestraining him last week and he just loves the bath, although he is definitely not stable and has face planted a few times.

Judah is 7 months

Judah is 7 months today. This past month has been the month that I think we've had the most changes, especially in the last week.

It seems like all within the last week he's started crawling all over the place and pulling up to standing. It totally changes things with him being mobile. I can no longer just put him down in Curtis' room when I'm reading to Curtis before nap or bed, or changing Curtis' diaper in the morning without him trying to climb to the shelf and climb on the shelf. I can't just put him down in the hallway after his bath while I'm doing Curtis' bath or while I'm doing laundry. I can't just put him down in the living room while I'm doing something in the kitchen without him trying to break in to the dog's crate or crawling in the kitchen, standing up and then falling on the tile.

And with movement comes him trying to play with Curtis some. That part has been fun. Last night, as Curtis was driving his lawn mower all over the living room and kitchen, Judah would try and chase after him. Curtis would change directions, then Judah would. It's fun to watch their little relationship develop. Judah is also really starting to eat some, which is so helpful to give me a little extra time at the clinic every week to finish my charting and hopefully not have to bring it home with me.

It has been a fun month. And I'm really looking forward to this next one as he gets more sure of his footing and more used to crawling. It means a little more independence and a little less time in my arms, which is good and a little sad. But I like the independence. I like my boys being able to do for themselves. It's something I'm really trying to work on with Curtis, to take his own shoes off, to put his dishes either in the sink or the dishwasher, to put his shoes in the basket. Anything that I know he can do, I'm working on that with him and most of the time, he's actually doing it. 

In the world of Curtis, he is starting to talk more, or at least parroting things, which is cute. He learned how to say "I got you!" and goes around saying it all the time. I heard him repeating it over and over in the car today. He's still an incredibly picky eater, with some days his entire diet consisting of PB and crackers, but we are working on it. Some days are good, some are very frustrating. He's a typical, moody, bipolar toddler, happy and laughing one minute and screaming the next, but those minutes he's happy, he has the biggest, brightest smile ever and a laugh that just makes my heart happy. That kid is hilarious with some of the things he does, and he knows it and laughs at himself, which cracks me up that he thinks he's funny. But it's so entertaining!

In family news...I finally got an iphone!! Or at least I will once I get it activated tomorrow. It will be nice to not get lost in downtown Norfolk, to be able to facetime instead of talking, to take music with me on a run or to the gym, and to have kid entertainers at the doctor's office. That one might be my favorite.

And, I started kickboxing. If you've never done it, you should, because it's a ton of fun. Who knew punching and kicking a bag could be so much fun? Sadly, it's too expensive for me to do all the time, but luckily, they have Groupon's so I will still get to go some, but we joined a gym, so I will at least get to work out, more than just running. And by myself, not with little ones. That is something I'm really looking forward to :)

Here's some pictures from the last few days.

Judah's 7 month pictures. This was fun to do. I'm going to try to do both the boys in front of the tree sometime soon.

Curtis learned to sword fight. This happened for over half and hour last Sunday. He had so much fun!

He's also learning to play tigers. Isaac had a few scratch injuries from this. He better be prepared for some black eyes and stitches like our brother-in-law, Ronnie

Judah planking, or downward facing dog. He likes to do both.

This may be my favorite. I love that little face!

Judah is 6 Months Old

I have survived half a year with 2 kids under 2 years old. When we first started on this journey, I'll be honest, I wasn't sure we would make it. I mean, I knew, obviously, we would, but in the midst of crying and sleepless nights and temper tantrums and never being able to to put Judah down, I wasn't sure for a while. But after several months, I finally feel like I'm not treading water to stay afloat most days. Most days, the boys nap and about half the time, Curtis takes his 1 nap a day when Judah is taking one of his. Most days, it's nice outside, so we can go out and play and Curtis can run and jump and explore and get some of that energy out and he's happy. Judah loves being out too and will almost always calm down if taken outside (unless a balloon pops, he doesn't like that). Most days, Curtis will sleep till 6:30 or 7:00 which gives me time with just Judah and sometimes even gives me time to put Judah back down to finish out his night of sleeping before I have to go get Curtis. So most days, not all, but most, are not too bad. Do I wish I got more sleep? Yes. Do I wish I had a little more time to myself where I'm not scrambling to clean or cook while the boys are sleeping? Yes. But that is life, and I do love this little life God has given me with my boys. I love Judah's happy smiles he gives pretty much everyone he meets. I love his little babbles and bubbles and jumps and squeals. I love that Curtis not just says "Hi" and "Bu Bye!" but shouts it excitedly to everyone he sees. I love watching Curtis discover new things and learn new words. I love the sweet spirit God has given my 2 boys.

More about Judah since this is his blog day:

He seems to be picking up on things quicker than what Curtis did. I'm not sure if it's because he is watching Curtis and wants to try and keep up with him, or if Curtis was just a little slower due to being 5 weeks early, or if that's just Judah's personality. But either way, he has been sitting up on his own for a week or 2 now. He is trying so hard to crawl. Today, I noticed he has a little army crawl going on that I'm sure will turn in to an actual crawl very soon. He can almost go from on his belly to sitting up, but not quite yet. He is beginning to eat food, and seems to like peas with mint and tonight he enjoyed pumpkin. Avocado is not his favorite, but I will keep trying with that. He has 2 teeth and I think is beginning to teeth another one, but we're not to the difficult stage of that yet, just the drooly stage. He's back to waking up only once most nights, but he usually wakes up between 5:30 and 6 and is ready to be up for a while, which means that's when my day starts. Most of the time he is very happy and chill. I can set him down and he plays very well. I don't have to hold him or entertain him all the time. I'm very thankful for that because it allows me to still give attention to Curtis and he has become more clingy lately so I'm having to learn to balance that.

I'm looking forward to these next 6 months to see how he grows and changes. I remember with Curtis, once he started crawling, life just wasn't the same. I'm sure it'll be the same with Judah and I'm excited for that next stage.

Happy 2 Years in this World, Curtis!!

This guy is 2 years old!

I feel like this pictures says a lot about who my little guy is. He is busy and my life is crazy with him, but it's such a wonderful life!

This little guy is hilarious, and he knows he is. He laughs all the time, at himself, at us, at Baxter, Judah, his friends. He makes up his own little games and jokes and just thinks he is so funny, but it always makes me laugh. My life is never dull with him. He loves to play outside, loves to throw the ball for Baxter, loves to climb on anything he can, loves to explore. He has no fear what so ever. At the playground, he climbs right up the stairs to go down the big kid twirly slide, all by himself.

He loves playing with his cars, loves pushing his little lawn mower around. 

He loves helping Isaac out, he's daddy's little helper in the garage, watching him and learning about tools. 

He's beginning to talk a lot more, mimicking what we're saying. Every few days, he'll surprise us by repeating something that we say.

He's not a big fan of food unless it has peanut butter on it, or has chocolate chips. I sneak in veggies and fruits in his chocolate chip muffins, and feel much better about his diet that way :)

He loves Curious George and it is pretty much the cure all for anything that is wrong. I've seen every episode so many times, I can be in the kitchen listening and know exactly what episode is on. But he loves it. His first words came from Curious George. Some days, we watch a lot of George when I just can't deal with the screaming from both kids anymore.

We do have our days that aren't so easy. He is definitely in the "terrible two" phase of his life. He screams and crys for no apparent reason, although it could easily be due to hunger (because he won't eat anything) teething( those darn 2 years molars) or exhaustion because he fights nap time. But he still can't communicate those things very well, so I never really know. And sometimes, I think he's just crying to cry. He's beginning to be more jealous of Judah, which does contribute to a lot of fits. But even though those days are hard, this is still such a great little life, getting to know Curtis, watching his little personality come to life, learning about who our little boy is. I am looking forward to another wonderful year and can't wait to see how much Curtis grows over the next year.

We had a little birthday party yesterday with a few friends in costume. I love that Curtis' birthday is so close to Halloween, I never have to come up with a theme because it can always be a costume party. Anyway, it was a blast celebrating. Curtis has fun, ate no pizza, pretty much only at frosting and learned he could climb our fence. That's what hangin with the big kids teaches him :)

Curtis took  alittle time waking up from his nap

Big sister Angela holding Curtis' plate for him so he could eat his cupcake

One of his best friends from church, Samuel

Enjoying a little cupcake

Auntie Vic having her Judah time

So glad mom and dad got to come

Uncle Mike trying to influence Judah to like him better than Aunt Vic

My busy little boy, never wants to cuddle

The balloons went over then fence, Curtis learned to climb

Probably should have stopped him, but it was fun to watch

Curtis loved his little lawn mower from Nana nad Nono

Mrs. Jennifer got her some Judah time

This is real life...

This, not so much :)

Picking and Painting Pumpkins

Last week we took the boys to pick pumpkins for Halloween. We have this great farm out in the country in Chesapeake that I love to go to. They have a "petting zoo", their farm animals, pigs, goats, cows, donkeys, horses and sheep. They have a sand box, and a fun little diner/store where they make their own ice-cream, and sell their homemade baked goods. It was fun to be out in the country some, it makes me miss where I grew up. It was fun to see Curtis with the animals, and to learn that he recognized some from his pictures and could make the sounds at them. We picked our pumpkins, and Curtis had a lot of fun with his first paint experience. Thankfully, wipes do a great job of cleaning, b/c he definitely painted himself and my jeans a long with his pumpkin. Hopefully, later this week, I'll get a few 2yr pictures and 6 month pictures with the boys and all of our pumpkins.

He had no interest in sitting for a picture

 A little different than Uncle Jonathan's pigs

 The donkey kept trying to eat Curtis' shoes

 The dilemma of getting 2 kids to look at a camera, I don't even think it's possible

Judah started screaming right after this so there was no pictures of his looking at me.

Having so much fun painting his pumpkin!