Smithmas Vacation

No? Too much? Did I go too far with that title? Well, part four of our Christmas story (2012 edition), brings my family to our house for Christmas dinner and gifts.

Please excuse the fact that Ellyson is wearing shorts. Actually, if you look closely, she is wearing purple shorts in some pictures and brown shorts in others. Christmas fell in the midst of Potty Boot Camp week. She is now able to wear normal pants with underwear, but shorts allowed easier access for her to use the potty.

E could not keep her hands off Aunt Alecia's pimiento dip.

Graham with Aunt Leci (aka Alecia)

Because in this house, babies come in pairs

Christmas Morning

Christmas Day was pretty relaxing around here. C and E woke at their normal times and began taking inventory of their Santa gifts before G&G woke at 8. At our house, Santa doesn't wrap presents. And in an effort to "reset" Christmas a little (last year's level of gifting could not - and should not - be sustained with four kids), aside from Santa's gifts to the kids, the only other gifts were a small one from the kids (collectively) to each parent; a small gift from Mom and Dad to each of the kids; and a small gift exchange among the kids. No gifts from Santa to Mom and Dad (except stockings), and no gifts between Mom and Dad.

The "big" gifts from Santa this year:
Carter received a bike. He called it a "Batman bike" because there was a Batman mask hanging on it.
Ellyson received a Little People Disney princess castle.
Grant and Graham received a Little People Zoo Talkers Zoo.

Plus a handful of smaller gifts. And of course, all the kids played with each others' gifts. Carter has possibly had the most fun with his assorted super hero masks, coercing his daddy, sister and all visitors to play super heroes with him.

 

 

Potty Boot Camp

We have completed a week-long potty boot camp with E, and it has gone great! She's having an accident or two per day, but otherwise is using the potty every 1.5-2 hours, and wears underwear while she's awake. Bedtime is a battle because she fights diapers now. I use a disposable overnight because she was peeing through her (double- and triple-stuffed) cloth diapers at least five nights a week. However, she can remove disposables. So last night, I checked on her when I went to bed (her room gets cold, so I was going to make sure she was covered). Well, her diaper was dry and on the floor. Her pajama pants were sort of on, both legs squeezed into one side. Her bed was dry. So I woke her, put her diaper and pants on (probably should've put her on the potty) and put her back in bed.

This morning, her diaper was wet, on her floor, and she was wearing her pants inside-out. I think that indicates progress in that she doesn't want a diaper??

So I think the big hurdles are behind us. Hopefully when we start running errands again this week (E has spent the whole week at home or visiting family ... which was essential to make any progress), she can maintain it.

A Very Dillard Christmas (Eve)

Part two in our Christmas series: Christmas Eve with the Dillard family (Jack's parents, brother/family, and our family).

Carter insisted we needed "Christmas cookies," which apparently have to be made with cookie cutters. I'm not a fan of sugar cookies (or any cookie that is crisp or, in most cases, devoid of chocolate). So I found a chocolate sugar cookie recipe. And they turned out really well! I did learn to pour small amounts of decorations into bowls, then give them to the kids.

After decorating cookies, we celebrated at Nana and Papa Jack's house, and had our traditional brinner meal.

 

Jack and I made it home in time to get the kids to bed at a reasonable hour, and then begin the real work. ;-)

A Bagwell Family Christmas

Ahhh, the barrage of Christmas roundup posts. This is part one. I believe there will be three or four.

Our Christmases kicked off the Saturday prior, with a Christmas dinner at Jack's aunt's house, with Jack's mom's family ... the group that Jack grew up spending Christmas Day with.

Jack is one of six cousins in the family: the older four are in their 30s and married. The younger two are teenagers. In 2012, five babies were born to the older four cousins. Braden (Jan. 1), Hailey (July 25), Grant (July 26), Graham (July 26) and Emma (Oct. 20). Whew, that's a lot. I suspect there will be no 2013 babies in that family. :)

All the babies, but not all with their own parents.

Scoping a new babysitter.

Five Months Old

Guess who has four thumbs, two noses, 20 toes, and is five months old today?

This set of boys!

They're still 100% breastmilk. About 95% nursing - only an occasional bottle when I'm not home with them. I almost always still nurse them simultaneously, since it's so much faster that way. But sometimes if we have visitors, I nurse them separately in order to not be anti-social. (It's a lot easier to cover one squirmy baby under a wrap, than to try covering two squirmy babies!) I'm planning to wait another month before we start any solids. Graham is starting to show some mild intrigue when we eat in front of him, but that's the extent of their interest in food.

Graham is determined to take off running. He wants to stand, and is happiest when someone helps him stand up in a lap. (That's when he's most likely to crack a smile.) He enjoys tummy time, rolls in both directions when he feels inclined, and has used his legs to scoot a little bit on rare occasion. Grant is the opposite. He hates tummy time, but has learned to accept it a little. He does roll both directions, but doesn't scoot. He will sit supported and doesn't try to stand (as opposed to Graham, who rears back to an upright position if you try to sit him). Grant is a little charmer, though, always smiling and showing off his dimples.

Both boys are gaining weight, so I estimate them to be about 15 pounds now. Today I am switching their wardrobe from 3M to 3-6M and 6M clothes. Grant has become a little butterball, actually (despite his title of Spit-up King). The 3M waistbands were looking a little tight on him, though the 6M sleepers are so long that his short little legs get wrapped up in the opposite leg "sleeves" while he's sleeping. Apparently he really is my mini me, short legs included.

They are wearing size 2 diapers, though they're gradually shifting more toward cloth. In fact, they're up to about 30% cloth now. (As Ellyson has been in potty training boot camp, she has been using VERY few diapers. After I went four days last week without having to wash diapers - as opposed to my normal 2-2.5 days - I decided to shift more of the cloth to the boys.) I think we're making some huge strides in the potty department with Miss E, so I believe the boys will shift to more than 50% cloth within the coming month.

Do they still sleep together? You bet! 11-12 hours overnight (8 or 8:30 pm until 8 am), and two, two-hour naps (plus usually a short nap at our dinner time ... but they don't sleep in bed for that one). Sleep sacks, no swaddles. And no passies for these two. Grant sucks his thumb. Graham sucks his third and fourth fingers. I think I noted that last month.

 

Graham has started crying with big, sad "crocodile" tears. We think it's his response to Grant's dimples. :)

Wordless Wednesday (a few days late)

The Big Three-Oh

I may or may not have turned 30 last Wednesday. But even if I did, it probably isn't a big deal to me since I surround myself with people older than me (haha) - therefore ensuring I always feel young. (It doesn't hurt that I was told, at Jack's Christmas party, that I look like I'm "about 12 years old." That's a direct quote. From someone who I've actually met before. And not from the person that some of you might think said it. Nope, came from someone else's wife. I mean, I frequently hear that I don't look my age ... 25 ... 21 ... even 18. But 12? Really?!)

Anyway, my birthday honestly isn't a big deal to me. I'd much rather celebrate the kids' birthdays. I'd be happy with just a piece of cake. :) I'm even happy to make that cake these days. (Jack used to make it for me, or get it from my favorite bakery.) But Jack picked up my very favorite pizza (Johnny's margherita, in case you were wondering), and my family came over to join us for pizza and some black magic cake.

I treated myself to a bread machine (and have used it twice already - for a loaf of wheat bread, and a batch of dough for cinnamon rolls - which were delish). In fact, I joined Pinterest today just so I can start pinning the recipes I've been using. Yes, I'm doing it backwards from how I always hear other people talking ... I'm pinning the recipes I've already tried, for easier future reference. :)

And Jack and the kids gave me a fire pit with s'mores ingredients. (We broke it out already today, since it was a cold morning.)

 

Guess who has decided she must wear hair bows all the time now??

Carter actually didn't care for the s'more in this format. He preferred all the ingredients separate and uncooked.

Jack also surprised us all with a new tire for my van - yay! Not even 11,000 miles and I picked up a huge staple on my birthday. Honda said it wouldn't be covered under warranty because the tires were factory-installed (only tires purchased and installed at the dealership would be covered, apparently), and the tire place we always use said they couldn't patch it. So, hurray, I got a new tire for the van.

Pink Pig

While Jack was getting rain-soaked on the golf course Thursday morning, the kids and I, my sister, dad and stepmom went into Atlanta to ride the Pink Pig. We rode once before, two years ago. So this was the first time for Ellyson, Grant and Graham.

Ellyson didn't care for the pink pig character, but she did enjoy the ride. Even the twins enjoyed it.

Christmas Parties

The big two had their preschool Christmas parties on Tuesday (so much to write about, and so little time!!). Ellyson was in awe of her new Christmas dress (thanks, Julie!) and kept saying "me? me? mine?" (some of her new vocabulary words ... among a dozen others in the last week alone). She came home with a Rapunzel doll from her teacher, and she has been carrying "baby" Rapunzel with her everywhere! She hasn't even brought her goes-everywhere-with-me stuffed Minnie Mouse out of her bed in the last few days.

 

 

 

I took Grant and Graham to Carter's class party. Graham spent half the party with one of the ladies in the school office. I hear he enjoyed the company.

Carter's group is a riot! Half of them have been together since they were two, and they definitely feel at home with one another.