Christmas 2011

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  It was hectic and full, but what a wonderful reminder of the many blessings we are thankful for!  

I attempted some brother/matching Christmas PJ pictures.  I just accepted the fact that it will be a few years before that isn't a stressful experience.  :)

Tate was really excited about Christmas this year.  In fact it was the first year I was worried about a middle-of-the-night waking.  But he slept all night and woke at his usual 6:30 a.m. time.  And amazingly, he still followed the rule of staying in his room until 7:00 a.m.  I was impressed.  I heard him and knew that he had come downstairs.  Sure wish I had my camera ready to see him sitting on the ottoman with a HUGE grin on his face as he excitedly pointed to the Jason Witten jersey Santa had delivered.  This was one happy boy.

Mean, football face.  And the jersey had to pried off of him later that day.  :)

There were a few more presents to open.  There was a big family present to come, so we kept the presents under the tree low-key.  It was a great reminder that it really doesn't take much at all to see some pretty excited faces.

Tate has started getting into Legos, and he loves the little figurine people.  This guy was a hit.

And so was the Playmobil band.  I often find them set up in his room performing a little concert.  :)

Finally around 8:00 a.m., our sleepyhead awoke.  Now quick before you blink, you'll see a couple pictures of Will actually participating in Christmas.  It didn't last long. Last year, he loved playing with the tissue paper.  This year...not so much.  He wanted nothing to do with opening presents.  Now once big brother had opened a few for him, he was excited about the Elmo & Mickey Mouse books.

And Santa brought him his own push mower.

And that about wraps up Will's Christmas experience.  Silly boy is just too busy and on the move to sit still for Christmas.

But he sure did love playing with Christmas ornaments.  :)

I was excited that we actually pulled off a great Christmas surprise.  To me the surprise part is just as much fun as the actual present.  On Christmas Eve, I was responsible for keeping both boys away from the house while the Dad Of The Year & Nephew Of The Year worked outside in the cold rain to assemble the gift.  With all of the blinds in the house closed and keeping him gone until dark.  The surprise was still safe.

So after he had opened his Christmas presents, we told him there was one more surprise.  The video is below of the reveal.  He was pretty excited, and it was so much fun that he was actually surprised.  Ever since, there has been some serious jumping going on.

The last part of our own little family Christmas at home was our annual tradition of making cookies to bring to a local fire station.  Wade gets all of the credit for this one.  In fact, he started the tradition years before we even had kids, when we brought the cookies over with our niece & nephew.  

This firefighter that answered the door this year was so nice.  Just a quick, easy way to say we appreciate the work they do...especially on a day when most of us get to be at home with our families.

Then we were off to Christmas #2.  I did not get a good grade in picture taking this year.  In fact, I did not get one single family picture of the four of us or any grandparent pictures.  Frustrating.  But we had a great time as always with the Strzineks.  And as always, if it's a holiday, I make people wear hats!  These three cousins are pretty great with each other.

And Will proved to be very consistent at each Christmas celebration.  He wanted nothing to do with it.  He much preferred running through the house and getting into this kind of trouble.  :)

The next day was time for 3rd and final Christmas celebration with the Enright side of the family.  I got a few more pictures...but still no family shots or grandparent shots.  Maybe one day.

These three cousins are all within 18 months in age of each other.  It is always a lot of fun when we get together.  And Tate was not lacking in excitement.  Every item pulled out of the stocking was met with loud shock and proclamations.  :)

Each of the big kids got a "big" surprise from Mimi & Grandpa.  A scooter and baby bed for the girls, and a "big boy" bike for Tate.  He feels pretty tough when he rides it.

Grandpa was breaking in Max's new chair.

And speaking of Max, it was so much fun celebrating his 1st Christmas with this cutie. 

The lone picture of Will from this celebration.  He is seriously funny.  We would hand him presents to open, and he would just throw them down, so he could run off.  Finally Grandpa got him contained with something on the computer.

It was a wonderful holiday with great memories and family around.

Tis The Season

December is such a crazy, fun month.  Add a December birthday and a quick trip out of town, it seemed to fly by.  We had a great time celebrating with friends and family.  I had big intentions of some special Advent activities...but the month was over before I knew it.  Cutting myself some slack and looking forward to trying again next year.  :)

For the fourth year in a row, we had a Christmas craft playdate with our friends Laura, Jackson, & Anna.  They decorated gingerbread houses and all did a great job.  I can't believe how little the boys look from our first time in 2008.  The years are going fast.

We made donut snowmen for breakfast once...or maybe several times.  :)

We also saw Santa.  Tate was excited.  Here is how Will felt about it...

What's funny is that he wasn't scared of Santa and was actually oblivious.  He just did NOT want to be held or sitting in someone's lap.  He saw the big fountains and room to run in the mall and wanted his freedom.  Priceless.  :)  Tate asked Santa for a Jason Witten jersey and the Cars 2 movie.  

We also had our 2nd annual Family Night of Christmas PJs, hot chocolate, and treats in the car as we drove around looking at Christmas lights.  Can you tell someone was just a little excited to get started?

Then it was time for Christmas Eve.  We had a little dilemma in that Tate needed to be away from the house most of the afternoon (surprise Christmas gift assembly in the backyard).  So while Will napped at my parent's house, I took him to the children's Christmas Eve service at another church near our house.  The entire service was done by kids and was adorable.  After his preschool lesson on fire safety and then a friend of ours having a devastating house fire, Tate was very concerned that everyone would be holding candles.  At first he wanted no part of it.  Finally I convinced him it would be safe.  :)  I LOVE candlelight services...so pretty!

And that night, the Strzineks came over for Christmas Eve dinner.  We also celebrated Ford & Mary Tish, the two family members that sometimes get the short end of the stick with having birthdays on the 21st and 23rd.

And before I knew it, everyone was in bed anxiously awaiting what the morning would bring...

Will ~ 18 months

A couple of months late, but I still wanted to document our Baby Will at 18 months before I forget.  What a difference the last 3 months have made since the 15-month post.  In some ways, he almost seems like such a different kid.  For the majority of his first year, Wade & I were often saying how easy, happy, and laid-back of a baby he was.

Well he is definitely still happy and laid-back.  Although easy probably needs to be replaced now with busy.  This boy is all-caps BUSY.  Once he started crawling, and then when he started walking, he figured out that mobility is the best thing ever.  Not sure if he's stopped moving since.  As we hilariously attempted a family picture for the Christmas card, and Will did everything in his power to wiggle out of our arms and run around...I reminded myself this is just a short season...right?  :)

Those that see us with him at church, the park, or pretty much anywhere, usually see us in a chasing motion.  We are always chasing this guy.  And he is fast.  :)  He has moved on from walking to running most places.  And now that is he is fully aware of how to get around, he is not near as much of a fan of the car seat or stroller.  I have found that he does better in the wagon.  Whatever works!

But Will is still a smiley, social little boy.  He is pretty happy to go most places (especially if it involves getting to run around everywhere).  Balls, cars, the ball popper, race track, phones, magnet letters, and Little People farm are his favorite toys to play with.  But what he really prefers to do is play in the pantry or kitchen cabinets.  He loves taking things out of all of those and finding creative places to put them.  I STILL can't find my computer mouse.  And he still loves Elmo & Mickey Mouse.  In fact, he probably loves TV a little too much.  :)

He is continuing to be a great eater.  We are so thankful!  It is a new experience for us to have a kiddo that eats pretty much anything put in front of him.  His favorites are strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, casserole dishes, cheese, rice, turkey dogs, spaghetti or most any pasta, bagels with cream cheese, and milk.  He LOVES milk and wants a cup filled with it first thing in the morning.  The funny thing is that he doesn't seem to care for chicken nuggets, apples, or sweets.  (All of which are his brother's favorites...funny!)

Will has thankfully had several good months in health news.  The tubes have proven to be wonderful...no infections since.  At around 15-16 months, we were able to wean him off the reflux medicine, and he has done great.

A bit of a scare ended with good news.  He had to have a sedated MRI after concerns of his head size.  It happened several times over the last year where the head circumference grew at a very rapid rate.  The pediatrician said after watching for awhile, it was time to make sure everything was OK. Thankfully the MRI came back normal and the verdict is he has a big head...because he has a big head.  :)  We were extremely thankful for our big-headed boy to get this good news!

Speech has been kind of funny with him.  He is very vocal and verbal.  In fact he talks a lot.  And he has all kinds of different sounds, inflections, etc., but he has yet to really pick up a ton of words consistently.  We can tell when he's saying, da-da, ball, dog, all done, hi/bye, and yes pretty easily.  The rest is in his own little language.

Two of my favorite things about Will are that he loves music and that he is still a snuggle bug.  Almost anytime there is music on, he does his little bounce dance moves.  He loves when people sing to him and always claps for you when the song is over.  I can't wait to see if this ends up being a real interest of his.

And one of the best parts of my day is when I go in to get him after his nap.  I sit on the glider, and he will lay his head on my shoulder for a good 5-10 minutes and rock.  I usually sing "You Are My Sunshine," then he claps for me, and then he is off and running.  Love it!  And he is our kid that will come up to most anyone and give a hug.  Sweetest thing ever.

He is at an exhausting age, but at the same time, such a sweet and fun age.  Wade & I both have loved seeing his little personality emerge, and we enjoy so much when we get time with him by himself as he is usually cracking us up.  So thankful for this little ray of sunshine and the joy he brings to our home!

New York City ~ 2011

During the second weekend of December, I spent a fast and furious weekend with my bestie, Paige, in New York City as a very belated Happy 35th Birthday to us both.  (Just ignore that we're both very close to turning...gulp...36.)

We had both been there before and had seen most of the usual sites and attractions.  So knowing this trip would only give us 48 hours in the city, we had to be strategic.  Our goals before we left were to see at least one show (we'd be thrilled if we saw two), eat great food, see the store's Christmas windows, and spend some time at the MET.  As the overachievers that we are, we met and exceeded all of those goals!  :)

The running joke throughout the trip is how it was serendipitous.  We had a very short amount of time and a hotel reservation.  That was it.  No other dinner reservations or show tickets purchased ahead of time.  From the very beginning (including me running late to the airport and absolutely NO traffic on 114 at 7:30 a.m.), it seemed that everything went our way on this trip.  It was perfect, and we both loved every minute!

Paige left Little Rock at the crack of dawn and met me at DFW.  A great flight to Newark, and we were off.  Our shuttle took us right to our hotel just a couple blocks from Times Square.  We ran in, threw our bags in the tiny, adorable mod room and headed out to the big city.  It was late afternoon, and we were very hungry.  But time was short, and we had to move fast. 

First stop...the tkts booth in Times Square (1/2 price tickets to Broadway shows).  I got a little panicked when seeing the hundreds of people in what looked like a 2+ hour line.  And then the serendipitous moment of the Express Play Line...which meant NO line.  We were up for seeing a play instead of a musical and were very happy to not wait in line.  Perfect!  Our plan for picking shows was to see something we could only see in New York since most of the really big, popular shows have great touring companies.  

Once we had tickets for that night, we allowed ourselves to eat.  Dedication, I tell ya.  So we needed somewhere nearby and had several recommendations for John's Pizza.  It did not disappoint...and not just because I hadn't eaten since breakfast and was so incredibly hungry that I almost stole leftover food from a table as we waited.  Good thing Paige talked me out of that.  The restaurant is in a charming restored church building with some delicious pizza.

After we ate, we headed to the theater.  This was my fourth time to be in New York City, but I had never been to a Broadway show before.  I have to admit at getting a little teary when I walked in (no surprise really).  Such a fun experience.  I was shocked by how small the theater was but that just added to the appeal.  So our first show was a fun slapstick style, Relatively Speaking.  It was comprised of three one-act comedies, one of which was written by Woody Allen.  The familiar names in the show were Steve Guttenberg, Marlo Thomas, and the actress that does the voice of Marge Simpson. Marlo Thomas was hilarious.  

And to be a total cliche, we headed to Sardi's for dessert afterwards...New York Cheesecake!

By the time we got back to the hotel and to sleep, it was close to 1:00 a.m.  After a full day of travelling, this trip was not for the faint of heart.  We were up bright and early again and headed to breakfast at Sarabeth's Central Park.  Oh. My. Word.  It was pure yumminess!  I had the Fat & Fluffy French Toast, and I'm convinced it was the best French Toast I've ever had. Delish!  

Of course when you do a trip to NYC in 48 hours, there are so many things you wish you could do but just don't have the time.  We walked by Central Park several times, and it looked so pretty.  And I loved how they put the Christmas trees in the Central Park fountain...cute!

We decided to make a quick stop at FAO Schwartz for goodies for the kiddos.  The first time I ever went to New York was with my family the summer that the movie Big came out.  I remember walking in the store totally mesmerized.  And of all of my pictures of this trip, the one with the Lego Statue of Liberty is Tate's favorite.

Next we headed back to the tkts booth to see what they had available for the matinee.  Same exact experience.  HUGE line for the musicals...NO line for the plays.  We'll take it.  Another set of half-price tickets with wonderful orchestra seats.

One of my favorite New York moments was walking by the fire station that was just a block from the hotel. These two firefighters were hanging a giant wreath.  You probably had to be there but this was the conversation I overheard in full-on New Yorker accents:  Fireman #1 - "Does this look like it's hanging straight?"  Fireman #2 - "It's a circle.  It's not going to be straight!"  Hilarious.

We had about an hour to kill before the matinee and had been in constant crowds and walking all over the place.  So we found a coveted window seat at a Starbucks and did some people watching.  Pretty sure I could do just that for an entire weekend in NYC.  Paige enjoyed some SB coffee, and I snuck in my Diet Coke and sidewalk pretzel.  And we also loved eavesdropping on all of the conversations around us...agents, assistants, actors...fascinating.

Next up...our second show!  Great orchestra seats again to see the dramatic comedy, Seminar.  The big names in this one were Alan Rickman (my favorite...the Colonel from Sense & Sensibility...or the guy from Harry Potter to the rest of you) and Jerry O'Connell.  We loved it and even were crazy rule-breakers by getting a quick picture.

We knew we didn't want to waste the little time we had left waiting in line for the musicals at tkts.  So on a whim, we walked across the street to the Billy Elliott-The Musical Box Office to see if they had any tickets available for that night.  And they did!  Again half-price, orchestra, great seats, no line....serendipity!  :)

The only time things didn't quite work out was when we could not get a cab to head to a restaurant that had been recommended.  It seemed that every person around was trying to get a cab at the same time, and none were available.  So instead we found a cute, little Italian place and enjoyed the quiet for awhile before Billy Elliot.  And that show did not disappoint, either.  The dancing was incredible, and the story was so wonderful.  I had to try hard at one point not to go into the ugly cry.  Absolutely loved it.

It is fair to say our theater plan was a success.  Before the trip I was nervous we wouldn't be able to get any good tickets.  And we ended up seeing three great shows all at 1/2 price...success!

At this point, it was close to midnight, and we were spent.  Headed to the hotel to get some sleep before the next early wake-up.  These pictures are from the hotel window.  The bright lights are from Times Square.

We woke up on Sunday trying not to focus on the fact that it was the last day.  We got going early and did some walking up to Herald Square to see the Christmas window displays.

From there we took a cab up to Central Park & 5th Avenue determined to enjoy a good 'ol New York bagel.  There are some beautiful condos/apartments in this area, and they looked SO cute with the Christmas decorations.

And we were just thrilled to be walking city streets in the quiet without bumping into all kinds of people.

After the bagel breakfast, it was time for our last stop of the trip.  In all of my other trips, this was a place I had also never been.  The hard part was that we only had 90 minutes to cover it.  Pretty sure you need an entire weekend.  But what I saw, I absolutely loved!  I really did not expect such an incredible museum.  And I was pleasantly surprised to learn you could take pictures as long as there was no flash.  I definitely enjoyed the beautiful paintings, but I was very surprised with how interesting the Egyptian and Medieval exhibits were.  Loved it and definitely want to go back.

And sadly by noon, it was time to head to the airport.  Sigh...the whirlwind adventure was over.  I am so thankful for such a wonderful experience.  I loved everything about the city...the culture, the energy, the diversity, and the excitement.  Don't think I could live there...but for 48 hours...I loved it.  Plus I got to spend a couple of days with one of my most favorite people.  Wonderful serendipity...