Holiday Recap

Mimi was making him laugh hysterically by offering him sips of her drink, then wiping his lip with a napkin. He might have inherited her peculiar sense of humor. ;)

Enjoying his new coloring book and crayons back at home. All great artists work best while wearing pants on their heads.  

Jace got a very realistic-looking toy Dyson vacuum from C and I, and his cousins gave him a cute little broom/mop/dustpan set. He loves them! He has been extra helpful around the house these days, sweeping up dirt into his dustbin and throwing it in the trash. Love my little helper.

At Leavenworth, pre-tantrums.

He LOVED the Christmas "tee." His favorite ornaments were a little red car and a miniature train. He said goodnight to the Christmas tree every night before heading up to bed, and he wanted the lights on first thing in the morning.

December was a bit of a whirlwind over here. I think that's probably how the holidays are, once you become a parent. My birthday was on the 16th, and both boys spoiled me with flowers and cards, perfume/body spray/lotion, and the traditional Oreo ice cream dessert that Colt has been making me every year (except for one) since before we started dating. Bonus: Colt took a half-day and surprised me by coming home at lunchtime! My parents came into town that weekend, and Colt took me out for a birthday lunch and a movie (we saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and we both liked it a lot. I'm excited for it to hit Redbox). Then, on Sunday, we braved the pass and headed out to Leavenworth. We didn't stay too long; it was bitter cold (14 degrees or something like that), and Jace was having meltdown after meltdown. We still enjoyed ourselves, though, with lots of hot chocolate and a German bratwurst for dinner. We watched the movie "Miracle," over and over again-it's Jace's latest favorite. He wakes up every morning asking for "Hockey? Hockey?!" Then he goes and grabs  one of his plastic golf clubs and a little golf ball and runs around the house using them as a hockey stick and puck. Should I start saving for skates and pads now, or wait a few years? ;)

We spent Christmas and New Years Eve at my parents house in Oregon. Remember how I mentioned in my last post that Jace was having some weird night-wakings? Well, while were at my parents house, the purpose behind those bizarre sleep patterns was manifested: his language took off in a pretty epic way. He learned multiple new words and phrases every day, started finishing the sentences in his books as we read together, and has been putting 2 and 3 words together. Additionally, he's been pushing our barstool chairs up to the counter and climbing over to the sink to play in the faucet (we've been working hard to teach him that sitting in the chairs is ok, but climbing on the table and counters is a no-go). He also started refusing to drink out of his sippy cups at Mimi and Papa's. He wanted to drink out of the regular cups, and he did a great job most of the time. And over the last couple days, he's started asking to sit on the potty! December was a big month for Mister Jace. 

Colt and I kept the gift-giving rather small this year. We only bought JJ a couple of presents and stocking stuffers. He doesn't really need anything, and isn't old enough to ask for anything specific. He also hasn't quite grasped the magic of opening presents, and he's not super interested until after he sees what's inside. He did really enjoy the few small gifts we got him, as well as the gifts from his aunties and uncles, though. He especially loved his choo-choo bathrobe, the "janitor supplies" from his cousins, his Lightning McQueen hotwheels car, and his truck and train books. He's a spoiled little monkey.

My parents did a "giving tree" Christmas this year: they put gift cards to stores, restaurants, and movie tickets all over the tree, and my sister and her husband and Colt and I were able to use them for date nights all week! It was so nice to be able to spend some quality time together and take advantage of the free childcare-Jace LOVES when Mimi and Papa watch him, and he's asked for them pretty much everyday since we got home. 

We drove home on New Years Day so that we could enjoy the following Monday off together as a family. We cleaned the house, took down all of the inside Christmas decorations (I'm holding out on taking down the outdoor Christmas lights, I just love them so much), ran a few errands, and tried to soak in the last little bit of the holiday season. I've had a little bit of a hard time adjusting back to normal life this week. I think my brain is still on vacation!

My resolutions for this year:

1. Worry less, and trust God more.

2. Read the New Testament from cover to cover.

3. Be kinder to and more appreciative of my body, and be grateful for my health. Pregnancy is truly an exercise in being kind and patient with yourself-while growing the baby, in recovery, as well as throughout the post-partum aftermath! But our bodies and our health are such miraculous gifts. I want to treat mine with more gratitude and appreciation, and become adept at recognizing it's cues and giving it what it needs. It is doing a pretty awesome job at growing this baby for me, after all.

4. Use my body as a tool to do the things I love. Run more! Go swimming! Ride bikes! Hike with my boys! Go camping! Snuggle my babies! Enjoy being the only girl in a houseful of adventurous boys.

5. Relax and enjoy Colt, Jace, and Littlest Man. I think with Jace, the shock of new motherhood and the responsibility I felt to take care of him and do things the "right way," or way I thought things should be done, created more stress and prevented me from fully appreciating every moment. And I would get so frustrated and stressed out once he hit his 3 month sleep regression and his naps got so short, and his night wakings increased...I was so tired and just wanted to fix it so we could get some rest! This time, I'm going to try to be a little more easy-going and accept the good and the tough times for what they are, and be grateful for each moment. Because there is purpose in both. And I'm realizing time goes so fast-I think I'll try a bit harder to treasure those private moments in the middle of the night with my new babe, rather than frantically googling "how to get my baby to sleep through the night" on my phone at 3:00 am. Or at least, reduce the googling. ;)Reducing the googling in general should probably be my 6th resolution...baby steps.

I can't believe Jace will be two years old at the end of this month. And in 9-10 weeks, we get to meet our newest little guy! There will be so many changes this year, and last year brought so much joy...I'm a little sad and scared to see 2016 go! Sometimes I get a a bit anxious that life is too good right now, too easy, and that trials and adversity MUST be right around the corner to balance everything out (see New Years Resolution #1). But I'm hopeful that 2017 will be just as great, if not better, than 2016. God is good, and mindful of each one of us. So grateful for my boys, for our good health and strong bodies, for our home, for our families. Happy 2017!