Eleven Months!

I know I post a lot of pictures of Jace that look pretty much the same...but I can't help it. I just think he's adorable, and I don't have anywhere else to put all of these extra shots! So they come live here, on the blog. 

Jace turned 11 months on December 26th, but we were pretty busy over the holidays and I never got a chance to sit down write his little update, or take his picture (these photos are from our trip to Leavenworth a week before Christmas). So this is a little late, and in just a couple more weeks, I'll be writing about his first birthday.

What.The.

How do I almost have a one-year-old??

At eleven months, Jace...

-Has five teeth, with number six on the way. He actually cut his fifth tooth while we were at my parent's house, so now he's had a tooth come through while visiting each of his grandparents. Impeccable timing, kiddo.

-Is becoming a great imitator. When we say certain words or phrases, he tries to copy the vowels and consonants, and his sounds and intonation patterns come super close to ours. His favorites are: "Where dada go?," "Hey Jace!" and "kitty cat" (he loved the cats at Mimi and Papa Todd's; whenever he saw Riley or Bella he would stop whatever he was doing and say "Oooooooh!").

-Is so persistent. I love watching him problem solve. He attempts a skill over and over and over again (like placing his food in the lid of his training cup. Why?) until he is successful, or something more interesting catches his attention. When he loses a toy under the couch or chair, he reaches his arm in there and adjusts his body angle until he retrieves it. I actually really admire that trait; I tend to get frustrated quickly and give up when I can't figure something out right away. That patient persistence is Colton all over.

-Says "doe-di doe-di doe-di" over and over again. No meaning, just fun to say I suppose.

-Is EVERYWHERE at church. It's hard!

-Loves to "help" me in the kitchen by emptying out the tupperware/bottle cupboard. 

-Just started exhibiting some separation anxiety. Not going to lie, I was a little worried. He'd go to anyone, without a second glance at me, and I was a liiiittle concerned that there was an attachment issue (thanks, Google). But now, even though he is still super friendly and loves to smile and interact with everyone, he definitely likes to stay close to mama. 

-Crawls like Grammy says Colton did as a baby: he puts his head down like he's going to ram something, and plows forward at full speed. 

-Stands up by himself for several seconds at a time, cruises around the furniture like it ain't no thang, and loves to walk around while holding our hands. I don't think we're too far away from having another biped around here.

-Has become extremely picky. No more vegetables for this guy, unless it's in a green smoothie. Even most fruits he won't touch anymore. Sigh. He does, however, play with all of his food-he shakes it, places it carefully on his head or in his cup, and drops it down the back of his shirt. So, you know. At least he's touching his vegetables.

-Gives me big, sloppy, open mouth kisses over and over again. I love it.

-Enjoys grabbing my hands and clapping them together. I guess he's bored of making his own hands clap. 

-Inconsistently waves hello. He doesn't do it all the time, and I don't think he understands what it means, but give him a break. He's only eleven months old.

-Loved getting up early with mama during Christmastime and turning the lights on the Christmas tree. He smiled and smiled up at the tree and we just sat together in the dim living room, enjoying the twinkly lights. It was my favorite part of the holiday season.

-Plays independently for longer periods of time, which is nice. He LOVES to drive his cars around the living room (he loves anything with wheels, including other people's strollers, toys, and wheelchairs). He purposefully rolls his little basketball out in front of him and chases it down.

-Quit the binky cold turkey. He refused it once he started teething. Sometimes, I miss the bink, particularly when he's screaming in the car.

-Still loves the blender, hair dryer, and the vacuum.

-Laughs and laughs when I fake sneeze

-Loves to stroke my hair softly...for a minute. Then his sticky baby paws enclose my strands in an iron fist as he yanks them mercilessly out of my head.

I used to believe I was a patient person. Now, however, I know that I was simply a well-rested person. I'm learning that I don't do well on very little sleep, and I'm a completely different mama after a peaceful night's rest. This boy keeps us on our toes, but I wouldn't have it any other way. That's what boys do, right? He's too much fun, and his little gap-toothed smile and playful spirit bring us so much joy. We love our little J-man. 

The Buildup

Jace has done this thing since he was just a tiny, and my sister finally captured it Christmas morning on camera. When Jace is startled (usually by a loud outburst of laughter, which was the case in this instance), or scared, or if he falls down or pinches his fingers or whatever, it takes him several seconds to process and decide whether it's something to cry over. Sometimes, if we catch it early enough, we can deter the tears. But usually, we get to witness the full spectrum of emotional processing before he starts to cry. First, he looks surprised for a second or two, then the corners of his mouth turn down, his chin starts to shake, he whimpers, then lets out a full on scream.  I probably shouldn't laugh, but whenever he does this I have to bite back a smile. Oh, my emotional little guy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Jace loved climbing the stairs, the little mountain goat

Jace opening his stocking with Papa

We framed the history of our last name and the family crest and gave it to my parents for their Christmas gift. It's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. 

My dad's paper airplane that he made at OMSI was perfectly aerodynamically sound, so we got a picture.

JJ gave himself a green smoothie unibrow and goatee.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you! It's been awhile since my last post, hasn't it? It feels like it, anyways. We spent the holidays in Oregon with my family. My sister and her husband were sealed in the Portland Temple on January 2nd, and so we were in town for almost two weeks, kickin' it with my sassy sisters and their husbands at Mimi and Papa Todd's house.  It's likely to be the last time we will all be home for Christmas, because Taylor, Chelsey's husband, just got into medical school at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, and Amy and Jefferson are going to school out in Virginia ( and Jefferson is starting the medical school application process, as well, so who knows where they will end up!). So we tried to live it up and make it special this year while everyone was together. 

On Christmas Eve morning, my parents orchestrated a gingerbread house decorating competition, and everyone brought their A-game. Jefferson and Amy made a Japanese cabin complete with a rock garden, Chels and Tay had an open fire-pit in their side yard which included roasting marshmallows, a basketball court with an M&M basektball, and a fir tree constructed out of pretzels. Colt and I built a stone chimney, a goldfish pond, and a little razor scooter for JJ in the backyard. When a cash prize is on the line, we get creative. That night, we ate a delicious dinner (hello, cheesy potatoes. I've missed you so), held a little nativity program to honor the birth of our Savior, and finished up playing the Name Game and goofing around. 

On New Years Eve, we went to the church gym and played several games of basketball. Turns out, I can still shoot the ball! Colt was impressed, which is why I insisted we all go play-Colt needs to know he married a baller. However, I played in constant fear of being crushed by the animal that is my father when he drives to the hoop. I have five bruises on my left leg alone, and two jammed fingers. Despite the minor injuries we all sustained, we had a ton of fun, and I can't think of a more suitable way for our family to ring in the new year:  Christensen Style. We got home, showered, ate some delicious steak and finger foods, and then laid down on the couch. At about 8:30, Colt and I called it a night. Yeah. We didn't even try.  I can't believe I ever used to stay up past 10:00 on purpose. We got over 9 hours of sleep that night, so it was a Happy New Year, indeed.

Like I said before, my sister Chelsey was sealed to her husband on the 2nd, their one-year anniversary. It was really special, and we are so excited for them. We took pictures afterwards and enjoyed an awesome dinner celebration at her in-laws house. We had so much fun, and Jace loved being the only baby and the apple of everyone's eye. 

Speaking of that JJ babe, he cut ANOTHER tooth while we were in Oregon. What the?! And he's getting close to walking. Where did my baby go?

Colt and I were able to go see Concussion (the SLP in me cheered for Dr. Omalu. Gotta protect that cognitive function) and have dinner together. I love date nights, and I love that man.

I got to run at the park, see a dear friend from high school and her new baby girl, and we took Jace to OMSI (an interactive children's science museum) on New Years Day. My sisters and I also hit up Salt & Straw (i.e. the most incredible ice cream shop in the world) even though it was 30 degrees outside. It's that good. I highly recommend a scoop of sea salt and caramel. 

I think thats about everything. Mostly, though, it was just nice to see my family and relax. I hope everyone had the happiest of holidays and wish you all the happiest year yet.

We Gon' Party Like It's My Birfday

Birthday tulips

It was my birthday on Tuesday, and Colt and Jace really rose to the occasion.

Birthday Highlights:

-Jace didn't sleep super well the night before, so I was up pretty early. However, Colt was up even earlier, sprinkling the apartment with a few different cards and notes for me to find later. Bless him.

-Jace and I went on a lunch date to Panera.

-Colt surprised me and came home at noon! Half-day for the win! Bonus: he brought me a bouquet of festive red tulips, which caused me to kiss his two-lips.

-We took Jace to the play area at the mall (his favorite spot these days), and while we were there, he stood up without holding on to anything for over 10 seconds. First time (and only time since) that he's pulled out that fancy little number! It was pretty awesome. Happy Birthday to Mama!

-Birthday snugs until 3, at which point I excused myself and went and got a manicure.

-We consumed a scrumptious birthday dinner of white chicken chili and cornbread (per my request).

-Colt built me a cozy fire in in our fire place, and JJ tried to touch it. Alas, he was unsuccessful. Our fireplace screen was delivered in the nick of time.

-We ate the delicious Oreo ice cream dessert that Colt has made me for all but one of the birthdays we've spent together.
-Colt bought me a pair of much coveted moccasins as an early birthday present, and I wore them all day long. They are perfect and I love them.  I'm so stealthy when I wear my moccs; nobody hears me coming. I think I might make Colt call me Tiger Lily every time I put them on. 

See? I was thoroughly spoiled. Major props to my main men for making me feel so special. I love you!

I honestly cannot believe I'm 28. The years are starting to pass by way too fast, especially this last one. I feel like time sped up after I found out I was pregnant (way back when I was just a young, naive 26 year old). My wedding day, graduation...it feels like a few months ago, but it's been two and a half years! Before you know it, I'll be 30, which is vaguely depressing. Good thing I've got the best buddy and the cutest babe to help me forget how old I'm getting.  And also, new moccasins. Beautiful, beautiful moccasins.

Leavenworth

Jace wasn't so sure about this "Santa."

"You sit on a throne of lies!"

Waiting in the bitter cold for the Christmas lighting ceremony to start

We finally made it to Leavenworth! I've been wanting to go since we moved here last fall, but we wanted to wait for the holiday season, and I was too pregnant to go last year.  Leavenworth is a Bavarian-themed town nestled in the snowy mountains about two hours from our house. We were told Christmas is a great time to head out there, because the town goes all out. It definitely did not disappoint!

The drive was absolutely beautiful, with the fir trees covered in snow and icicles; a literal Winter Wonderland. I love all the seasons, especially when the leaves change in the fall, but snow-covered mountains are my happy place. I was in heaven once we hit the pass.

The town itself is pretty small and very German. Bratwursts are a big deal there, as is alcohol (we did not partake of either). But we still had so much fun exploring the snowy streets, looking through antique shops and European bakeries. We bought a loaf of cinnamon bread from The Danish Bakery, in honor of my people. Apparently, it's "World Famous." We'll see. And we also found the coolest little shop where we bought my parents' Christmas gift. That's all I can say for now, but Colt and I were both pretty impressed, and that's saying a lot because Colt is not an easily impressed sort of guy (luckily, I'm super impressive, which is why we are married).

We stopped for dinner at a tasty burger joint, where JJ ate more of my cheeseburger than I did. He did great all day; we carried him around and he just took it all in! He wants to be part of everything we do, and I love it. He's our little buddy.

 Afterwards, we headed to the main street gazebo to enjoy the town Christmas lighting ceremony. They do it every weekend in December, and the whole town is covered in Christmas lights. Jace was getting a little cranky at that point because he hadn't taken an afternoon nap (too much to see!), but once the lights came on, he was captivated. 

I'm thrilled we made it to the snow and to Leavenworth this year. I had such a good time with my boys. I couldn't stop taking pictures because my heart hurt a little when I looked at them together. I love them both so much. I'm so lucky I get to spend all of my time and all of my Christmases with these two.