we spent almost the whole month of december down at touisset point, RI at my grandparent's house. it was just wonderful to spend this christmas season with two year old rorie and six month old jake. and SO much has happened! i'll start with jakey...
when we first arrived we helped my grandma put up the christmas tree and decorated it. rorie decorated the bottom and jacob wasn't so sure about the texture (see photo above).
we saw a lot of changes with mr jake since thanksgiving...
he has learned how to sit, crawl, pull himself to standing, and walk around things. all within less than a month's time. it's really incredible to watch him navigate the world around him and watch his face explode with the cutest grin when he knows he's mastered a new feat.
he is also starting to comprehend and listen to what we are saying. i think the first thing he started to really "get" was the word kisses. and boy, if you say that word, you better be ready for an open-mouthed slobber fest complete with the sound effect "muah". because he's not shy about laying a big fat one on your cheek... or nose... or forehead... really anywhere. seriously. beware of casually throwing around that word.
he's also got "jump" down pact which can end very cute or very bad depending on the location of the boy when said word is uttered. jumpy-exersaucer=good. holding onto a coffee table=bad. not fully comprehended yet. eh, you'll get there dude.
and lastly, he totally says "hi" and "mama". not quite on cue yet, but it's still cute. i've found him giving a breathy "hiiiiiiii" to elle. which is adorable. and then just last night he yelped "mama!" when he was stuck under a chair... so that happened. he's seriously developing at lighting speed. make it stop!
rorie and i did A LOT of christmas crafts this month. and i love, love, loved it. we did watercolors of the newborn baby jesus in the manger, mistletoes for a present, painted birdhouses, and made bead necklaces. and she loves to tell you that "J" is for jesus. i don't think she quite gets it yet, but we've got a year to keep trying.
(p.s. last night she asked if she could do christmas again... sweet girl... you have a few more days to wait.)
rorie and i were a busy pair this year in the kitchen. here's what we've done: made cinnamon ornaments, created a gingerbread house, made and decorated sugar cookies, made spritz cookies, and homemade green playdough. her attention span wasn't really long enough for the whole baking process, but she is a great mixer, cookie-cutter, and a fantabulous eater of fresh, warm christmas cookies. oh... and she loves rolling pins. her grandma d got her a baking set from ikea which included a rolling pin. here's the conversation between her and aaron when she saw it:
r: "is that a rolling pin?"
a: "yep."
r: (elated face) "I LOVE ROLLING PINS! rolling pins, rolling pins!"
i did not make that up.
oh my gosh! was that a picture of my FATHER?! yes! you don't need to make an optometrist appointment. my father was indeed in the flesh on u.s. soil. and it was perfect. i was sure i wasn't going to see him until the summer, but his presence was requested in d.c. and he made a quick four day stop in new england before heading to chicago and then back home to bangkok.
christmas eve was a success for our family. both children were wonderful during the service. rorie loved holding her candle while i whisper-sang silent night into her ear. i could tell she was soaking everything up in that moment. i felt very close to the christmas story this year and purposefully made a point to invest all my energy on being in the moment and thanking god for every small detail. because he is the one who created the small details. and i am forever thankful for that.
our family party after the service was a blast as well as one of the most tiring nights. rorie's nose had turned into a snot faucet and could not be tamed. i think more germs were passed around this year than yankee swap gifts. jacob was up WAY past his bedtime and was also coming down with the faucet-nose. he cried a lot and didn't sleep long. rorie wowed the world with her cuteness and changed the yankee swap for good. you can no longer decide which present to pick- little-elf-rorie will pick one for you. it was really funny and slightly gross (considering the snot and all).
the highlight of the night was when santa claus came to visit. i can't even put it into words, so here's a video of exactly what happened:
i mean... this is just two minutes of our life with her *happiness for life*
umm... best photobomb ever? good job grandpa! and grandpa... if you don't know what photobombing is check this or this out :) and if you do...still check them out.
we got home around 11pm on christmas eve and our kids both had a screamfest and passed out in the car. we left some cookies and milk for santa and headed to bed. both kids fell asleep the moment their heads hit the bed. a moment i will forever cherish and think of often... like every night.
and when i came down to make a bottle for jacob... i saw that santa had come!!!
and christmas morning was so wonderful. two is a marvelous age to celebrate christmas. my favorite so far. rorie loved her sled and was totally smitten that "santa left one cookie for me!" among other cute things said that morning.
it's been a fantastic december. and a fantastic year. thanks for joining the ride.
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