Wook At Dis!

A movie of our Christmas, starting with one present on Christmas Eve.  Preston LOVED all of his presents, but I think the toy computer was the winner. Way to go, Santa! (Yes, Santa left toys, but he also left a note reminding Preston to behave.)

Some of my favorite parts of this movie are all of the "WOOK! WOOK!" moments. If you stick it out until the very end, you can see some sweet peek-a-boo from Callie.

Hope you enjoyed the day with your family!

Carols, Naughty List, and Crawling

We recently watched Preston's video from his school Christmas performance last year, so he wanted to act it out for us again this year. (No program at school this year- BOO!) Here are some songs he wanted to sing. Love the made up words he throws in there...and all of the W sounds instead of R sounds crack me up. I also like how he stops mid-song to tell me how Santa comes in the chimney. Love when he is my sweet boy! (He was a very sweet boy today- must know Santa will be here soon!)

Preston got a special video message from Santa the other day. He got one of these last year, too, but he was on the nice list then. This year it is questionable. Does anyone actually not give their kids gifts on Christmas for being naughty? Doubtful.  Am I mean for putting him on the naughty list for this video? Probably. But he definitely knows he needs to try harder!

Don't want to forget about Callie- she is a wild woman and all over the place at all times. Preston is learning how to distract her from HIS toys by offering her something he doesn't want to play with. Let the sharing lessons begin!

A Christmas Dance

You don't need a shirt to feel the Christmas joy...

Santa Visit and Claps

Preston got to go visit Santa this week at our neighborhood tree lighting ceremony. Santa read the kids a story, listened to their long lists of 'I-wants', and then dazzled the crowd with his sleigh. Not just any old makeshift sleigh...his super-duper-rocket-booster sleigh! Preston was a sweet and patient boy while in the same room as Santa. He literally sat still for over 10 minutes waiting for his turn- you can see a small part of this in the video. Now if we could only transfer that perfect behavior into our everyday lives! We had our magic Santa Cameras installed this week to see if that will help. They are inside the smoke detectors and he has been talking about them frequently.

"Mommy, I see a wed light up thewe."

"That means it's working."

"I'm scawed of the light, Mommy."

"Don't be scared...just be a sweet boy and Santa will be happy!"

Thank you, Christmas, for giving me some leverage over my child at the moment. Stellar parenting? Probably not. But I'll take what I can get.

 

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 And here are some claps from my sweet girl. YAY! 8 months old and full of energy. Crawling everywhere (still almost exclusively army style), laughing, clapping, climbing up stairs, cutting two teeth, putting any and everything in her mouth, pulling up on the couch, following big bro around, and trying to escape from her crib are some of her latest milestones. Sleeping completely through the night is a milestone we're still waiting for. Desperately waiting.







Thankful

We had a great Thanksgiving week with Mimi Mary, Papa Joe, and Cousin Kevin! Preston decided to be on his best behavior...or not. He was a bit of a disaster all week (and that's putting it mildly), but he loved spending time with them. Kevin was tons of fun, and the boys played together very well. They even took a trip to the bouncy house and went swimming at the hotel pool! Kevin was super sweet with Callie, and she enjoyed watching the boys play. We all ate too much a Mima Ceese's house on Turkey Day.  Well, I did at least.

Preston was asking for them today...hopefully we'll get to see them again soon!! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of everyone together, but here is a super long video to make up for that. We're thankful that they endured the LONG drive to get here and back home to spend time with us.

 

Super Boots

Did you know Superman wears rain boots? Me either.

Lots of army crawling and rockin' from Callie lately. She'll be for-real crawling in no time, but I don't think it will make her any faster. She's a quick little squirt! I like the part of this video where she talks to Preston. And the second part with the monitor is from this morning. Thank you, Daylight Savings, for the early morning wake up call. "It's wake up time! It's wake up time! It's wake up time!" He probably said this at least 75 times (no exaggeration) before I finally went up there. I miss the days when we got an extra hour out at the bar as a result of the time change OR an extra hour of sleep! Ahhh, sleep. I miss you.



Halloween 2011

Some nuggets of cuteness in this video...a little long, but worth it. Hope you ate as much candy as I did!  

Sorry for the lack of photos lately. Still haven't bought a new camera, and the phone camera just isn't quite fast enough to get a non-blurry picture of a 3 year old and a 7 month old. Here are a few from the Cider Mill last weekend and playing in the leaves. 

Family Photos

A BIG thank you to Molly and Betsy for doing a little family photo shoot for us this weekend! The weather was perfect, and they did an amazing job.  Of course, Preston got a big 'ol rug burn on his chin the morning of the pictures, so we'll be doing some photoshop work before we print any. But I think they do a good job of making us look like we have it all together! Those who know us know the truth. Here are a few of my favorites!

 

  





Our First Kids

5 years ago, our first kids were born...MC and Phoggy! Such sweet little ladies they were. 

 Sadly, they are now somewhat neglected by us/terrorized by our children. They sleep all day, and talk to us incessantly every morning/night when it is time to eat. They DO still like to cuddle when Preston and Callie aren't around. Actually, MC is very tolerant of both kids. (I learned this today when Callie army crawled over to MC and yanked on her fur.)  And she always lets Preston pet her. He told her today, "MC, you're my best friend." Phoggy is a little bit jumpy, so she doesn't like to be out around them much. But we love them both and will shower them with attention tomorrow!

Ch ch ch changes

A few changes around here lately. Preston is now in a REAL bed! Thanks to the Wilsons and Briscoes for the mattress/box springs, and thanks to Mima for the Spiderman sheets! Here's hoping he doesn't fall out tonight and crack his head open. (Yes, I even worry about him when he sleeps.) He has also been spending a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time in time-out at school and home.  We're trying some positive behavior supports and hoping it helps. Forever a teacher- already implementing a behavior plan with my three year old. Sigh.  Luckily he is still cute and can still be quite sweet.

Our little Callie Rose turned 6 months this past week. Seriously? Seriously. She's changing so much each day and is truly on the verge of full-on crawling. (See video below.) She has the army crawl down pat, and I really can't leave her alone on the floor for more than about 10 seconds. Time to baby-proof the house again. This could prove to be a challenge with the amount of toys (not for babies!) Preston has around here. She is a happy girl and loves bath time, eating, bonding with Mommy in the middle of the night at least once (still), watching her big brother, putting anything and everything into her mouth, and squealing(see video).

Stats:

Weight- 15lbs 11oz (50%ile)

Height- 26.25 inches (75%ile)

Head- 16.75 inches (55%ile)

Cuteness- unmeasurable (100%ile)

 And here are a few pictures from the Velvet Creme Popcorn Festival today- beautiful day for a walk down the street!

 

Video footage from today. Enjoy!



OLD pics

I cleaned out my mom's camera today and found a few cute pics of Natalie and Julia on there.

Natalie getting her Preschool diploma- notice it is upside down...I'm pretty sure she takes after her father.

Halloween princesses

Here is one of the cousins from biggest to smallest! We took this on Sunday. Fun times getting all of the kids to sit AND stay still AND smile.



Roller Coaster Parenting

Even if you don't have kids, you know that parenthood has its share of highs and lows. Think of the things you put your parents through! I have been thinking about these ups and downs lately, and decided to make a list. Some are what-did-I-get-myself-into moments, while others are how-could-I-possibly-live-without-this moments.

high- pregnancy (So exciting!!)
low- pregnancy ( HORMONES, hungry, nauseous, happy, sad, excited, scared...)
high- the day you see that sweet face for the first time
low- changing tar filled diapers
high- being in charge of something so precious (I MADE this little person and can shape him/her into a wonderful addition to society!)
low- being in charge of something so precious (I don't want to mess this up, so I'll second guess myself 384 times every day.)
high- seeing poop in the potty for the first time from your wee one
low- pulling items from a poopy toilet (This week alone we have had 2 casualties to this act. Sigh.)
high- tiny hand grasping my finger while she eats
low- breastfeeding in general for the first month or so (My poor nipples! Will they ever be the same?! Panic- she's hungry and I'm in the waiting room...can I really DO this here??)
high- nap time!!!!! YAHOO! (This is especially nice when Mommy gets one, too.)
low- days without naps
high-giggles and smiles
low- screaming while I try to make dinner
high- hearing your child is waking up from his anesthesia and asking for you
low- taking your child to to ER (for any reason!)
high- hearing "I want Mommy to do it!" (awww)
low- hearing "I want Mommy to do it!'  (doh!)
high- feeding your baby solid foods for the first time
low- seeing the horrible rash resulting from an allergic reaction to said solid foods (What have I done?!)
high- "I love you THIIIIIIIIS much, Mommy! All the way to the moon and back!"
low- temper tantrums because I: flushed the toilet, turned off the light, forgot to put Buzz in the car, put Buzz in the car the wrong way, opened the wrong pack of fruit snacks, put 12 pistachios in the snack bowl instead of 13, used the wrong voice while reading a book, said no to candy and cookies and juice for dinner...(This list could continue forever. May have to dedicate an entire blog post to tantrums in the future.)
high- bath time and the smell of a clean baby/kid
low- bath time tantrums (see above for ideas of what may have triggered it- too hot? too cold? too many toys? not enough toys?)
high- sweet baby breath
low- washing poop out of clothing, sheets, blankets, changing pad covers, etc
high- tiny hands touching my face
low- tiny hands grabbing my hair and yanking like a bull rider
high- hearing thank yous for something simple "Thank you for making me dinner, Mommy!" or "Thank you for taking me to the park!"
low- "I don't like that!" (Potentially heard at every.single.meal around here.)
high- "I DO like that!" (Rare, but sometimes it happens.)
low- going to the store- "I want this. I want this. I want that. I want this."
high- up every few hours at night for months and months (Bonus cuddle time!)
low- up every few hours at night for months and months (Mommy needs sleep, kid. Seriously.)
high- hearing "MOMEEEEEEEE!" when I pick him up from school
low- leaving their sweet faces to go to work every morning
high- hugs and wet, sloppy kisses
This list could go on and on, and I'm sure there will be days with more lows than highs. But there is never-- NEVER a second I could imagine my life without my sweet (sometimes) children. I'm hopping back on the Hooker family coaster tomorrow morning! Or in a few hours if Callie decides she wants some bonus time with me at 3 am...