Holiday Pictures and New Years

It's official.  We have our annual holiday pictures done and ready.  The location and weather ended up working in our favor for these beauties.  That means the holidays are officially here.

Photo with santa = complete
Family photo = complete
Wrapping presents = incomplete
Shopping = incomplete

So we have a little work to do before the end of the year - big deal. Doesn't everybody?  I know one thing I'm going to complete before that pesky ball drops - getting these pictures online of course! At least we can all enjoy the season with family, good memories and a big cup of cocoa. Maybe we will even get a bit of snow? I hope so.  We could use a big snowman in our little yard.

Visiting Santa

Every year our borough has a little Christmas party.  Well, it's really just a chance to enjoy some snacks and take a picture with santa.  It's one of the two free pictures we get every year (the other being the Halloween hayride).  We got to the hall too early and ended up coming back.  When we returned we immediately got in line for the picture since it was very short.  Figured it would be better to get the picture done right away.  Lucian, naturally, didn't want to sit on santa's lap.  Mama had to sit on santa's lap too.  Daddy had to get his attention for the picture.  In the end, the picture came out pretty good.  The second photographer, who I thought was just affiliated with the first, was actually a reporter for the local paper.  That's right, the next day Mama and Lucian was featured in the Berks and Beyond section of the Sunday paper.  How awesome is that? Super awesome.  We ended up getting a copy of the paper so we can treasure the moment.  I will see if they have any online.  Otherwise, we will attempt to scan it to post.  We will see.  Just thought I'd share such a fun moment.  Afterward, we enjoyed cookies.

Coconut oil makes us Nuts

So we found out that extra virgin coconut oil is not only antibacterial, but a natural laxative. Lesson learned. It's funny though because I've used this as an oil for massage, the cat eats it, and I cook with it.  I guess raw is the way to go.  I'm glad we know now though.  Definitely a better solution than pain, holding, and miralax. Yay for small victories, even if they come out of discomfort.

On a brighter note, my grandparents came to visit.  That would be lucian's great grand parents. It was a wonderful visit and I'm thankful they were able to come down.  They treated us to lunch and Lucian was very well behaved.  One of the best I've ever seen him.  Watch out grandpop, he's taken a liking to you!

Now it's time to count down to the holidays and new year.  I hope everyone has a wonderful season as winter is officially right around the corner.  There is nothing I can think of that the little man needs. Maybe some fresh air? Until tomorrow....

The Holiday Season

This is the time of year where it is always more difficult for me to post things.   Mostly because I can't post from the nook and Lucian likes to "help" on the computer.  I am going to do my best to keep up.  I want to thank everyone for sending birthday wishes to Lucian in October.  He will be more stylishly clothed this year.      We definitely are all set in the clothes and shoe realm.  So thank you all again.  Now that the holiday season is coming up I have to try to come up with new gift ideas.  Honestly, I don't think he really needs anything.  If anything, I need to go through his toys and weed out the stuff that he doesn't play with anymore.

I'm hoping to start him in gymnastics class this friday and see how it goes.  The hardest part is going to be getting him into the car since he hates being in the carseat. I'm hoping that he'll like the class and want to go.  Otherwise I'm going to have to bribe him with cartoons or snacks. I'm definitely ready for the holidays to come.  People are always crazy this time of year, especially on the road.

Joe and I have been working opposite days and spending the weekends together.  We are patiently waiting to hear about graduate school.  I'm excited to see where we go next.  Will we return to Bloomington or head up to North Dakota?  I'm kind of intrigued by ND.  Close to Canada and Minneapolis. I think it would be a nice new experience.  And I'm sure there are some beautiful sites, including the stars.  We will keep you all up to date with the news and our decision.  We love you all :)

Smothered with Baby Love

Last night we had a nice adventure to the weekend hayrides in Exeter.  It became increasingly cold as the darkness came and none of us were dressed warm enough. The breeze wasn't helping either.  Thank goodness for body heat! But we were able to enjoy the (family friendly) hayride while it was still light out and not scary.  Lucian was really relaxed on the hayride and just enjoyed his time on it, even with the random chainsaw and horns (the not scary version- I know). Plus we were able to enjoy free cookies, cider, and cocoa. We went to this event last year too (also freezing). So we decided we just HAD to go this year to update the photo on our fridge.  See, every year they set up a photo station and take free fall photos of families, print them out, and supplement the package with advertisements.  I can live with that! So we end up with a new family picture, which I don't have to attempt to tripod and time (yay).  Voila, Family photo success. I'm sure I'll peak at the advertisements too before I recycle them.

While waiting for the hayride to begin, Lucian was just dying to go on the moon bounce. We were like "why not?" It's free and one other kid was there.  So we decided to give it a try and see how he does in that environment.  We couldn't go in with him so it was a solo act. Daddy popped his shoes off and helped him through the opening hole.  He was soooooo excited! He couldn't really bounce because more kids came in and made it unstable, but he was surely having fun.  He walked around, crawled around, sat while others bounced him.  It was cute.  Joe took some short videos on his phone; maybe I can attempt to load one again.  The last one I attempted wouldn't go through, I think it was too long. Oh well.

In the end we had a lovely day.  The best part of my day didn't come until right before bed. Lucian decided he was going to smother me with kisses. He would come over, kiss me and walk off.  10 seconds later he would come back over and give me another big smooch.  He did it over and over again - we were both giggling.  That made the perfect day for me.  He's so full of love and I love him more than he understands.
He even gave me more kisses this morning.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this new trend!

Birthday Ideas

Lucian's Birthday is coming up and here are some ideas for gifts:

1. Clothes - size 24 months/2T - Pants, long sleeves, tees
2. Socks - size 6
3. Large paper - poster size, he likes to color
4. A wooden ball - about 2 inch diameter to go with his hockey stick. We'd prefer wood because we'd like to also use it over the summer in the box hockey boxes, which typically use wood balls.  That way he won't steal the ones the other kids are using (which would require it be wood).
5. A Squirt toy/gun - We have a few small ones but he gets frustrated with them because they are crappy.  Maybe a better one that he would be able to operate? Anything related to water is good
6. Remote Control Car - A small one made for younger kids.
7. Phineas and Ferb - Season 1/2
8. Books - We have a lot and he is partially interested. He likes the touch and feel ones. We also make regular visits to the library and read him youth novels.
9. Gymnastics class - I'd like to sign him up for this year. Money towards this is always helpful
10. Gift Certificates - We typically shop online so a visa giftcard would be the best bet.  Target is a popular place for us as well (mostly because its close to the house and he likes to run around it)
11. Cash - Will either go into his piggy bank or towards a class for him to be social

As always I support reuse/rduce/recycle and welcome any hand-me-downs or used items. 

Fall Is Here

Fall is officially here.  Cool breezes, rain, and tons of fresh produce. Does it get any better?  Of course it does! Lucian's Birthday is around the corner, followed by Halloween.  The summer has been fun while it lasted.  We picked fruit, went swimming, and even went to knoebels (outdoor camping and amusement park).  Lucian went on several rides and enjoyed them. He's getting so big and I couldn't be prouder.

Now that he is bigger and taller he enjoys new things.  He likes to color on his giant paper (and sometimes the wall urgg).  We have hung several examples of his artwork in the hallway upstairs. Coloring on the wall is ok if he is coloring with chalk on the chalkboard wall in the kitchen, which he can now reach due to his stool.  Naturally, he wanders around color on everything with chalk as well.  But, he'll clean it back up if you give him a wipe. My cute little cleaner.  He even helps me vacuum on occasion.  The nook has become a good friend of his.  I downloaded a few games for him and he likes to play them everyday. Though he doesn't form many words, he still talks your ear off and is very smart and specific about everything he does.  I can't wait to see what he gets into this next year.

I'm looking forward to the next month with his birthday and Halloween events.  Hopefully I will be able to upload new pictures immediately after this post (wishful thinking).  I'll post another post with possible gift ideas for Lucian.  Happy 23 months Lucian!