Here is a story in pictures of our holiday season:
Our cute three month baby boy is a little smiler! Honestly, he couldn't be any happier, and it feels like you can really connect with him now that he can express himself more. His smile just lights up his whole face, and he has started cooing as well. Perhaps the most heartwarming of all is when he smiles at Harper; He just looooves her, and the feeling is totally mutual.
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| Smiles for Mimi! |
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| Our homemade Advent Calendar! |
Then, right on the tails of Hunter's three month milestone was Christmas. We were more excited than ever to celebrate; having little kiddies at home brings magic to the holiday season, and we tried to really embrace the spirit of Christmas in our home this year. One of the special things we did this year was making our own Advent Calendar. After searching high and low for one I liked and coming up empty-handed, I decided that the only solution was to make one. I came up with the concept, and Dallin brought it to life with his amazing wood-working skills.
It was well worth all our efforts. Each day, Harper couldn't wait for bedtime, when we got to open that day's special envelope. Inside, there was a scripture relating to Christmas and then either a special treat, the title of a Christmas story that we were to read, or a fun Christmas activity. We decided to keep all of our Christmas books in one particular basket so that Harper could have easy access to our favorites. She fell in love with The Story of Holly and Ivy, wanting to read it everyday. It's an amazing story so it wasn't hard to comply; it even inspired her to name our Elf on the Shelf Holly.
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| Our Christmas story basket |
Speaking of the Elf on the Shelf, Holly the elf was definitely the highlight of Harper's Christmas season. Every morning, she would dash out of her room to see where Ivy was hiding. It was too cute--she would talk to Ivy like an old friend, and she would be so excited to show Hunter where Ivy was each day. We were getting worried about Ivy's departure after Christmas, but fortunately she accepted that Santa would take Ivy back to the North Pole with him until next Christmas. Here is Harper showing Ivy (who is hiding on top of the kitchen cabinets) the "tall tower" that she made that is "so cool"...
Here are a couple of the other fun Christmas activities that we enjoyed:
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| Getting a Christmas tree! |
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| Snuggling in Christmas jammies |
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| Harper's first gingerbread house! |
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| Merry Christmas morning! |
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| Christmas cuddles with Gil and Annie |
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| Christmas snuggles with Great Gramzy |
Then, in the afternoon, we went over to Gramzy's house for Christmas dinner. It was a fun, hectic evening, and we were happy to share the day with family and friends. It was also an exhausting day! We were glad to get home and get into our own beds. The next morning, we got up and hit the road for Mimi's house, where we spent the rest of the weekend. We got to celebrate Auntie Annie's 25th birthday on December 27; it was a fun way to end the Christmas weekend, and Harper--who loves singing "happy birthday"--was super excited to celebrate Annie's special day (and to try on her birthday sunglasses, of course).
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| Happy birthday, Auntie! |
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| Borrowing the birthday glasses! |
Unfortunately, New Year's wasn't as much of a success; for the second year in a row, we were sick! I think that all the stress of the holiday season probably catches up with us, and then we totally fall apart. Harper was first, coming down with a small pneumonia. We spent the Sunday before New Year's in Urgent Care, where Harper had to have a nebulizer treatment, and was sent home with amoxicillin and an inhaler. Fortunately, her medicine started working quickly, and she began to perk up in the next few days. |
| When the medicine started working |
Then, I caught a lesser version of what she had, feeling the worst of it on New Year's. While we did manage to eat some yummy Chinese food to keep things festive, we did not manage to stay awake until midnight. Then Hunter continued to get progressively more sick in the days following. The Sunday after New Year's, we were back at Urgent Care; my poor little bud had bronchiolitis and double ear infections! That didn't stop him from giving his signature smile though, that sweet little guy.
Fortunately, we all made a full recovery, and we have been doing our very best to enjoy the chilly New England winter. Here's how we have been spending 2014 so far:
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| Making breakfast with Daddy |
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| Snuggles with my sweet boy |
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| Braving the snow--in pajamas |
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| Arts and crafts (and snacks) |
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| Playing dress-up |
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| Harper discovers Snapchatting |
The next big event is my return to work next week. I can't believe that my maternity leave is already over. It seems like just yesterday it was summer, and we were counting down the weeks until the arrival of our sweet baby boy... I'm nervous to leave him, but I know that he will be happy wherever his big sister is. And Harper is sure to take great care of her little bud! And so the next chapter begins.
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