I was really worried - when we were spending so much time outdoors during the spring, summer and fall - that winter would be incredibly difficult. It hasn't been nearly as bad as I thought. In fact, we've found our indoor activities to be quite cozy. I have noticed bedtime (for Gemma) has become a bit more difficult, and I am wondering if that's due in part to not burning so much energy during the day, but alas it is what it is. Some of our favorite activities of late are:Reading stories. Gemma is really getting into "big-girl books". And daddy and I both enjoy reading longer stories much more than the shorter board-books. It's win-win.
Changing baby's diaper. Hence the naked baby-doll in the photo above. Look at that sweet, patient daddy! 
Really, Gemma loves any activity that involves her baby doll, and treats her much like a real little baby. She's quite the mother-hen, and I know she will be eager to help with the new baby when he or she arrives.
And of course, all the new Christmas toys have made for a great new playroom in our basement. And who doesn't like a bit of ketchup on their ice cream??!
Indoor life is good...but we will, as always, certainly be glad to see the spring.God bless, and I hope 2009 has been wonderful for all of you. Best wishes in 2010!! I know that we have an exciting year in store at our house. I will, as always, keep you posted.
CHEERS!!!
Gemma got to play in the snow for the first time earlier this week. The picture really is worth a thousand words. She wasn't a huge fan.
We have been having such a fun Christmas...and here is the pictorial proof!! We started the celebration at my inlaws' on Christmas Eve. Prior to going over we showed Gemma the new tricycle that Grandma and Grandpa D. got for her, rather than having two trikes (one for Cooper, too) at their house. She was pretty taken with it, and has been ever since! Now for some warm spring weather in which to ride it...yeah right!! It's fun in the basement (and living room) for now, though.
It was fun watching the kiddos open their gifts. Gemma and Cooper are just about a week apart, and they played soooooo nicely together. It was a great evening!We have to take shifts in the highchair at Grandma and Grandpa's. Here's Gemma trying to feed Cooper. Such a little mother-hen.
Me and my sweet, sweet sweetie!
Let the gift-opening begin! Gemma and Cooper LOVED the sit-and-spins from uncle Mikey.
Cooper wasn't quite so sure how it worked. He apparently had horse-back riding on the brain, so Gemma gave him a few pointers!!
Gemma was very particular about handing me or Aaron each tiny speck of wrapping paper. Imagine.
Sharing the new trike so nicely! They played together like this all evening.
Christmas morning Santa left a kitchen set by our fireplace for miss Gemma-goo. She was incredibly excited and knew just what to do with it!!
She kept saying, "is that GEMMA'S phone?!!"
Doggy and kitty were hiding in her stocking...
...and they make great pals to ride along in her new "pack-pack". Here we are on the way to celebrate "Happy Birthday, Jesus" at Mass.
The family picture at Church just wasn't happening this year. Oh well.
I was glad to get a few good pics in front of the tree at home. I did the same thing I did last year...gave her an ornament (which she normally isn't allowed to touch) and she was happy to sit there!
She got to open her magnadoodle after naptime, and it has been a huge hit, too!
We spent the later afternoon and evening Christmas day at my parents' and had a very nice time. Here Gemma is opening her toy smurf. My mom has a bunch of little smurfs that sit on her window-sill and the kids love them. Now Ira and Gemma each have their very own. And she carried that thing around all evening and never once lost it, even amidst all the wrapping paper and commotion.
And here she is opening her food-set from uncle Drew, which goes GREAT with her new kitchen. She is already having tons of fun playing with all the foods. It's cute and fun to watch her use her imagination.
We had a fun morning the day after Christmas around the house getting out and organizing new toys. In fact, when she woke up from her nap that afternoon she said, "oh, I wake up...and play with new toys?!" What a fun time of year. We were certainly blessed by the generosity of many...and continue to enjoy celebrating the birth of Christ together with those we love.
Just wanted to drop in quickly to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. May your day and season be blessed.
..and a few pics. More to come, of course, but thought I'd give you a sneak peak!
Gemma in her sweet little Santa dress.
And my other baby...whom we will be meeting in the next month or so!!!
Here's a picture of Gemma with her special Christmas eve surprise she got this morning.
We are having SUCH a lovely day. Aaron has the day off, it is snowing outside, we are all home together, we have a fire in the fireplace, and are just hanging out as a family enjoying our time together with nothing in particular to do. Life is good, God is good, happy Christmas to all.
You may think I had forgotten about my sewing machine of late. I finished most of my "necessity" sewing for baby several months back, so I had slowed down a bit, but I've had several projects recently. First, a friend of mine is doing some knitting for me, so in return I am doing some sewing for her. You guessed it...diapers!! They were mediums, which are a nice size to make. And yes, they're for a little boy in case you couldn't tell by the prints. :-D
I've also been making flannel wipes with some scrap flannel. I made some for my sis who just had a baby, and she liked them so much I decided I better make some for our babe, too. Here's a handful, you get the idea. They are very easy, and pretty cute, too. Plus, I've had a chance to experiment with some of the special stitches on my machine as I sew around the outsides.
And thought I'd stick Gemma's 23-month pic on this post, too. She's getting soooo big...can't believe the next monthly pic she'll be a 2-year-old, and we'll have a baby due very soon!
For my birthday last year, Aaron got me a bird feeder to hang on the deck. I was so excited and couldn't wait until late fall/winter to hang it. Well, we hung it the first part of November, and after several weeks we started having some regular visitors. Mainly finches and junkos currently. And Gemma LOVES it (as do the hubby and I...who knew bird watching could be so interesting). She gets sooooooo excited and yells, "hi birdies, hi birdies, hi birdies". They are pretty regular in the times of day that they visit, which I find fascinating. We also have a squirrel who has been seen trying to make his way towards the feeder. No success yet. We'll see who wins, him or Max. Could get intersting if Max gets him "treed" up there.
Here are some picture of G watching the birds.
Oooooohhhhhhhh, it's BIRDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the feeder. Sorry, I think the pic focused more on my snowman window-clings. But it's out there, full of yummy sunflower seeds.
We've really been enjoying the new whole-house humidifier we had installed on our system. Our skin is smoother, our throats are less scratchy and our noses are less dry in the mornings. But apparently there is still some static in the air...especially when your uncle decides to rub a pillow on your head. (click on picture to enlarge for the full-effect)
As Gemma gets older, I really would like to focus on Advent with her as we journey through December and all that goes along with preparing for Christmas. I don't really have anything against Santa Claus and all that other fun happy joy stuff persay, but I just think the focus gets so lost anymore, especially with children. I don't want to sound cliche, but for lack of a better way to put it...Jesus really is the reason for the season, and I want to raise my children to know and understand that, and for HIM to be the main focus of our energy and excitement. This year we have our "Little People" Nativity that I got out when we decorated the house, and Gemma really thinks that's pretty neat. She plays with it fairly regularly (I kind of slimmed our toy rotation upstairs a bit, and I'm amazed at how much more entertained she is with less selection), and we've talked about the different characters and like to sing "Away in a Manger". We also have a couple books that talk about Mary, Joseph (or Jofus, as G would say), baby Jesus, the kings, the star, etc., so we've added those to our usuals.
I also try to do the Advent wreath with her on a daily basis. I'll be honest, we haven't made every day, but she has started asking about it so I think it's making an impression. We light the candles and sing a little "Jesus is Coming" song I learned when I was teaching PK. She really gets into it, and yesterday I was so tickled when we walked into church and saw the Advent wreath she said, "ooooohhhhhhh, LOOOOOOOOK mama, is Jesus candles, oooooOOOOOOOOooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I thought that was pretty neat.Here we are singing our song and counting the candles.
Isn't she sweet?
Blowing the candles out is always an added bonus!
Happy Advent, and may we all experience the true JOY of the season. God bless!!!
Here's my sweetie combing her hair after bath and before bed tonight. Don't you love her "froggies jammies"? And yes, for the record, she is wearing her snow boots.
Aaron has a product he sells at his office called Greens First. It is basically a supplement shake with the nutrition of a day's worth of servings of fruits and veggies in it. We certainly don't use it as a replacement for said foods, but it's a nice little "extra" with lots of "goodies" in it when it comes to healthy eating. It really is pretty palatable, as evidenced by Gemma's frothy-green mustache!!
Changing baby's diaper. Hence the naked baby-doll in the photo above. Look at that sweet, patient daddy! 
Really, Gemma loves any activity that involves her baby doll, and treats her much like a real little baby. She's quite the mother-hen, and I know she will be eager to help with the new baby when he or she arrives.
Indoor life is good...but we will, as always, certainly be glad to see the spring.
