Family Tree

One of Stanley's favorite things is to use empty boxes for projects. He likes to color on them, put stickers on them, ride in them, etc. Today, he was taping pieces of paper to an old diaper box. Then he said, "I'm making a family tree. I'm drawing my ancestors." From the top of the picture to the bottom, he drew: mommy, daddy, Grandma Wooty, Grandpa Wooty, Lisa, and himself.

Merry Christmas!

What a magical Christmas morning! Santa arrived, despite the foggy night. We were a little worried he wouldn't be able to find Portland, but his reindeer expertly guided his sleigh. Stanley and Lisa awoke to full stockings and fun presents under the tree. Santa brought Lisa an activity table and Stanley a drum set and guitar.

There were so many presents to open. Lisa got some blocks from Mommy and Daddy, baby keys from Stanley, and a giant bear from Auntie Monica. Stanley got a headlamp from Mimi and Papa, a yeti-catcher toy from Uncle Eric, and an Octo-compass from Mommy and Daddy. (Of course there's so much more: books, games, & more trucks.)

After opening presents we had homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast. You know a kid is excited to play with his new toys when we doesn't even finish his cinnamon roll! Lisa had goat cheese, bananas, and rice crackers. She was so hungry! I had to wake her up when her brother got up, so she ate breakfast and went back to sleep for a nap.

Glory and Max got new pet beds, and Glory even got a new toy. She got to do her favorite activity on Christmas morning: pulling the stuffing out of a plush toy!

This has been such a special Christmas. Adding Lisa to our family has made our lives filled with even more love. Stanley and Lisa are so full of joy and wonder, it makes Christmas such a magical time.  I know these years of them being small are limited, so I'm trying to soak in every moment. If I could freeze time right now, I would. These are the days I will look back on and remember so fondly.

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family near and far! The only thing that would have made this Christmas any more special would be spending time with you. Sending you all lots of love!

Santa

Stanley and Lisa visited with Santa. Lisa went right to him with no problem. Santa thought that maybe she would want a candy cane pacifier for Christmas.

Stanley was a little slower to warm up. Once he was comfortable, he told Santa everything he wanted for Christmas (drum set, guitar, and remote control lightning McQueen), and he also told him how he's already broken two guitars (and in detail how it happened each time...the kid is a talker! Wonder where he gets that from?!). When we got into the car he said, "Mommy, Santa is just like a person! Just a really, really old person!"

Christmas Card Picture Outtakes

Did you get our Christmas card with the super-cute, perfectly-posed picture of Lisa and Stanley?

It took quite a few pictures to get there! I thought I'd share some of the outtakes. Enjoy!

Peacock Lane

We braved the crowds and went to Peacock Lane to see the Christmas lights. There were bagpipe players, Santa, and two Christmas Star Wars displays. Stanley rode on his daddy's shoulders and had a great time. Lisa was a little trooper and loved looking up at his brother.

The Grinch!

Muppets

Christmas Star Wars

Stanley had the best view in the crowd!

Whoa, Mom! Did you see all these lights?!

7-Months Old

Lisa turned 7 months old yesterday!

It has been a bit of a stressful month. Lisa's chubby little neck got a yeast rash which turned into a bacterial infection. Her neck, chin, and chest was bright red and oozing, which was very scary. Even the doctors were very concerned and had me bring her in to the office every day for 4 days for check-ups. Once she was on an oral antibiotic and topical anti-fungal, her rash dried up. Now, it is totally healed up, with just a little bit of discoloration that is slowly going away. It is so good to see her happy, healthy, and super-smiley.

She also got a visit from her Mimi this month and got one of her top teeth. Now we are looking forward to spending our first Christmas with Lisa!

Since Lisa is so busy these days, I decided to post a series of pictures I captured while trying to get one good one. It definitely captures her personality.