HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY, ELLIOT!!!

I can't believe it but today my baby boy is turning one. A year ago today, you entered our world and since then everything has changed but only for the better. Because of you, we have smiled bigger smiles, laughed louder laughs, hugged much tighter hugs and kissed more cheeks than we can count.  You are curious, smart, fearless, silly…. you are the missing piece that made our family complete.

You started out so tiny and helpless but over this past year, you have accomplished so much. You learned to hold up your head, roll over, sit up, and stand. And in the final weeks leading up to your very first birthday, you have mastered taking your first steps and walking on your own. These steps will take you further into the big world and lead you to bigger and better things in your second year. For the past 365 days, we have watched you grow from a tiny little baby that slept all the time into a feisty little boy that never stops moving.

Today, part of me is sad because I miss nursing you, a time for just the two of us, and holding you tight in my arms when you fell asleep. But for every “baby” thing you are leaving behind, there is a wonderful new “big boy” experience to come. Now you walk, almost run thru the entire house, chasing the cat and trying to catch up with your sister;  you clap your hands and dance when we have a jam session in the bedroom; you wave bye to everyone and you snuggle back into my lap when it is time for your evening milk from the big boy cup.

You are definitely all boy. As soon as you became mobile, you climbed onto the furniture and pulled down everything on the coffee table, you have a thing for cords and outlets, you love to open cupboard doors and you'd rather play in your sister's room than in your own. I can tell you are constantly growing as  you are always ready to eat and you keep outgrowing the clothes I just bought you. So far, you eat everything. There is nothing you won't try or don't like. You eat as much as your sister and you get upset when she doesn't share something with you. You are a strong little boy. I would guess you are around 23 pounds and at least 31 inches tall. A big boy for sure.

But you are also totally sweet, tender and loving. When you love, you love completely. When you hug, you hug with your whole body. That first hug of the day and the last one at night make my heart skip every time. And here's the thing about boys and tenderness: it's one of the best qualities they can have. At some point you might question that and think you've got to be tough all the time, but please don't. Boys who are both tough and tender rock.

Everyday, you and your sister challenge me, test my patience and make sure I keep up with your ever expanding knowledge and curiosity. I'm honest when I say it is not always easy being a stay-at-home mom but I'm so happy that I can share every little step you take and every little smile and booboo you have with you. You both make me a better person, stronger than I ever thought I could be. I will forever be grateful that you are mine.

Happy 1st Birthday, baby boy!

I love you for ever and ever.

Mommy

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas

December is in full swing and we are enjoying the holiday season. On the weekend, we finally finished decorating our home, inside and out. This year it feels much more christmassy in our house than past years as the kids, especially Amelia, are truly in to the Christmas spirit and enjoy all what this season has to offer.

In Germany on December 6th, we celebrate St. Nikolaus. He was a historic 4th-century Christian saint and Greek Bishop of Myra, who had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him. Thus on December 5th, many children put a boot called Nikolausstiefel outside the front door and overnight St. Nikolaus fills the boot with gifts and sweets, and at the same time checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite and helpful the last year. So Amelia cleaned her (rain) boots on Friday night and on Saturday morning, the kids woke up to some little gifts and a book from Nikolaus.

 And for breakfast I made some delicious Nikolaus pancakes.

Afterwards all four of us went to purchase the Christmas tree and compared to last years, it only took one try and I found "the one". We decided that a shorter tree would be better since there is less of a chance of it falling down when someone little is pulling on it. Since this is Elliot's first "real" Christmas season, we weren't sure how he will do with the tree but so far he has been very good and all the ornaments are still in place and so is the train and its tracks below the tree.

Amelia helped me decorate the tree this year and she did a fabulous job. I decided to use only shatterproof ornaments and put my few special (read: breakable ones) on top. I must say, I do love our tree and the 500 colorful mini lights it took to light it up.

In the afternoon, we all went to our town's annual Snow Fest. But since it was super crowded and very hot (90 F and sunny), the two pathetic looking piles of icy snow there had super long waiting lines, so unfortunately the kids were not able to play in the snow. However, there were other activities we enjoyed such as a Frozen show on the main stage, some yummy snowballs, raffles, arts and crafts, and other games. They also had a carousel and some bounce houses but since the lines were long there too, we didn't do them either.

On Sunday afternoon, Amelia's friend Sofia invited us (only Amelia and I went while the boys relaxed at home) to join them for a family-friendly Christmas play at their church. The play "When it Snows in Miami" was written and directed by their Rev. Dr. Walton and was set in 1942. It was a fantastic production including a great set and fabulous singing and acting. While the adults enjoyed the play, the kids were playing at the church's nursery and so we all had a fun afternoon.

For sure we had a packed and fun-filled weekend but I am so glad to be able to share the joys of this season with my family and to make lasting memories.



Visit to the North Pole

As we count down the days till Christmas, we make an effort to incorporate seasonal family activities into our daily schedule. Most days we actually get to do them and other days life (or sick children, rain, work, etc.) gets in the way. The kids love to do something new every day and it makes us appreciate advent much more if we participate in seasonal, festive activities. This weekend will be packed with fun holiday things.

Today, we visited Santa, his elves and reindeers at the North Pole and then played in the snow at an Ice Palace. It was so much fun and the kids' eyes were glistening the entire time. It was Elliot's first time meeting Santa and I must say he did great (I did a practice run yesterday at our local mall and let's just say it didn't went well at all). I dressed the kids up in their Christmas outfits and took them to our local Bass Pro Shop (outdoor and recreation store), where they set up a Christmas Wonderland. Compared to our mall, the scenery was so much nicer at Bass Pro Shop and they allow you to bring your own camera in addition to giving you a free photograph. They also have free arts and crafts, moving trains, a pretend fireplace, some games, delicious seasonal snacks (for purchase) and a Santa Mailbox.

 Sitting on Santa's lap: Elliot was wondering who that guy with the white beard is but he didn't cry.

Me and my little ones in front of the Christmas tree. Even though it is unseasonal warm here in South Florida, seeing all the Christmas decorations makes one definitely get in to the spirit.

And since we were already next to the Dolphin Mall, we went ahead and visited the Frozen Ice Palace there. I was worried that it would be crowded on a Friday afternoon, but luckily it wasn't at all.
The Ice Palace is an interactive holiday display with falling snow, a light show and featuring the art of the characters from the movie Frozen.

And then Amelia and Elliot played in the snow. In the beginning Elliot wasn't too sure about the white fluffy stuff but quickly got used to it and in the end he didn't want to leave.

We even took a picture with Olaf on the ice throne. And yes, that is my daughter with a shoe off and being grumpy since I told her we had to leave. This is real life!

We all had a blast today and for sure it is a day to remember. Let's hope the kids will be good and Santa will visit our house for Christmas. Now it is time to clean our boots and then go to bed as St. Nikolaus will visit tonight.

Christmas Season has begun

Today is the first Sunday of advent and there are only 25 more days till Christmas Day. So it was time that we started decorating the house this weekend. Little by little it is coming together.  This year, I ordered new stockings with our names on them and our advent calendars from Germany are hanging on the wall. We are not quite done yet as we won't put up the Christmas tree and the outdoor lights till next weekend. But here is a glimpse of our Christmas decorations so far:

Other than decorating we enjoyed a quiet and relaxing weekend. Again, the weather was just great and so we spent lots of time outdoor. On Saturday morning I went horseback riding. It feels great to get out and in the saddle once a month, like a well deserved break for a busy mommy. But the kids had as much fun at home with daddy as I did on the horse.

And today, we all took a walk to the ducks and had a picnic in the backyard. Elliot and his sister love feeding the birds and those birds come up pretty close to get the bread.   

The next few weekends will be much busier as there will be some holidays events we want to take the kids to, Christmas parties to attend and a special first birthday coming up. I can't believe that in just 2 weeks my baby boy will be a year old. Time flies and I miss holding and nursing him but I'm also happy to see him grow up and become such a good play mate for his sister.
On a different note, here are some pictures from our dinner outing on Tuesday. We finally made it to Texas Roadhouse as they do kids' night on Tuesdays. The kids had a blast. They danced and played with the mascot Andy, got balloon animals and indulged in throwing peanut shells on the floor all while eating yummy BBQ. I'm glad our friend Melissa told us about that restaurant because we will definitely go back there.

We hope everyone had a great weekend and is enjoying this season. I love the time of advent, all the holiday traditions we are creating with the kids and all the festivities that come along this month. It is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

 

Thanksgiving 2014

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I really enjoyed cooking an elaborate meal, eating as a family of four and saying our thanks on the dinner table. I also enjoy that this holiday doesn't come with any obligations such as gifts or cards and we truly can enjoy eating and then relaxing (as much as that is possible with two active children). My chalkboard sign at the door says it all:

We got creative this year and made some turkey family handprints. I love how they turned out and I will put them up every year.

While I cooked in the morning, daddy took the kids for a walk. We also watched some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Amelia was delighted to see Santa arrive in his sleigh.

For dinner I made creamed corn (from scratch), homemade stuffing, a turkey breast, a ham, stuffed mushrooms, sweet potatoes and mac & cheese. According to the empty plates and my loving husband: "It was delicious!". And Elliot loved his first Thanksgiving feast too, especially the turkey.

The rest of the day we spent relaxing on the couch, watching some football and playing in the backyard. The weather was just great as a cold front is passing thru and the temperature has been in the high 60s during the day.



In the past few years I have not been shopping on Black Friday as I tried to avoid the crowds and rather shopped online for good deals, especially since the sales started creeping into Thanksgiving day. Even though I said that I would not go shopping on Thanksgiving day, I went last night to Walmart (out of all the stores). I needed a new phone and the deal was too good to pass up. I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy going my shopping trip went (I got there at 7pm and deals started at 6pm and 8pm) and by the helpfulness of the sales people and by how many items they had in stock. The crowds were decent, I got my new phone without waiting in line and some other great deals I couldn't resist. Nonetheless, if it wouldn't have been for the phone I wouldn't have ventured out. And after 2.5 hours at Walmart (it took one hour to check-out), I was happy to be back home.

My heart is full and so is my belly, thanks to lots of leftovers. The food was great but the company was even better. I love my family and I'm thankful that we are healthy and that I can spend every day at home with my kids. I hope every one had a happy Thanksgiving!