Christmas Festivities (part 1)

Merry Christmas! Be prepared for a few long blogs of Leah's first Christmas and all the festivities Christmas entails. I'd go on record to say it was her best one yet. Mom realizes how much harder the Christmas season is having a little one around.

But, as tiring as all the present buying and activities planning is, seeing the smiles on the kids faces makes it all worth it.

Christmas season began with Dschaak Christmas:

Getting ready... 

 

Dschaak cousins

 

Distracting the kids while waiting for the boys to come back after watching the Cowboys...

 

Grandma and Grandpa on the big screen...

 

Finally time to start opening...

 

 Leah was amazed that Grandma and Grandpa were in the tv...

 

 Finally getting excited over the presents...

 

Oh, Uncle Chad...

 

Big gift

 

And finally... finding out about their VACATION!!!! in 12 days...

 

Disney world maps

 

So excited!!!

 

And then home after a long day but ready to play with her new toys...

 

 

 

 

First Steps

Leah made her first steps before Christmas!!  She's really going to be on the move soon.

Short video but you get the drift :-)

 

Annual Christmas Baking

We had our 6th annual Christmas baking this year - but it was Leah's 1st... (the new addition wasn't much help :-) )

We determined even after all those years we aren't the best bakers. Every year we are googling recipes because we don't keep track of what's been good.

Oh well, we still got some great sugar cookies, peanut butter kisses, chex mix and puppy chow. And the kids loved it. In Paige's words "Oh, I love Christmas baking." She also mentioned that some years we do good and some years not so good. And that's the truth.

 

 These two took a lot of breaks...

Thanks guys for a fun day!

Santa

Our visit to Santa went great. Leah was more interested in the fountain across from him than actually looking at Santa but she went right to him with no tears. So, a success in my book.

I asked Parker yesterday if he thought Santa was going to come to Leah's house and he said "No. She naughty, she screams too much." Guess she better be a really good girl for the rest of the month :-)

November Favorites

This is our life... chasing this little girl as she goes up and down the stairs, squeezes into where ever she can and gets into everything she shouldn't.

 

 

 First time up the stairs by herself... with a huge smile!!

 

10 Months Old

You are bigger than the bear! Time is really flying by. Your major accomplishments this month mostly include movement. You are everywhere and into everything!! Nothing is safe anymore (which is hard for mom and dad).

Here's what's new:

• Finger food is all you want. You will take food from your spoon but it usually makes you mad and eventually results in you hitting it away and making a mess.
• We started a straw sippy cup this month and it works great for you. Way better than regular sippy cups. 
• Only those two bottom teeth still.
• You can now crawl up stairs. It was a surprise to mom one day when she wasn't paying attention and looked over and you were three stairs up... whoops.
• You are creeping everywhere.. furniture to furniture.
• You love to walk with someone, you would like to do this a lot more than you do but it gives everyone a backache. You also get very furstrated if they try to trick you into walking while only holding one hand.
• You started walking pushing your walker or pushing the kitchen stools (which you might find anywhere around our kitchen or dining area now).
• You can stand for 10+ seconds by yourself.
• You started to point at things you want - your bottle, which direction you want to go, etc.
• You help when we are getting you dressed and know when to push your arm through to get your shirt on.
• You have a HUGE temper... you get mad, scream and often throw yourself back and hit your head (we are hoping for no permanent damage) .
• You try to blow kisses.
• You will watch a cartoon for about 2 minutes... your favs are Dora and Elmo.
• You LOVE playing in the pantry, you hurry to it whenever the door is open. You also will play with magnets on the fridge for a while so mom can cook.
• You took your 2nd plane ride on a vacation to visit Grandma and Grandpa. The 2nd one didn't go as well as the first.
• You are a stinker... you know you aren't supposed to play with the computer so we will tell you "no" and you will just put 1 finger out to touch it and look at us to see if we stick to "no." You will do this over and over... we are in trouble!
• Your favorite toys this month are balls and cups.
• You still love to drop everything and then look over and try to reach for it.
• You are in up to 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.
• You still cry the majority of the times when mommy leaves the room.
• You LOVE shopping! You really do (or being pushed in a shopping cart).. you sit the cart and smile at everyone we walk by. You have no idea how many times I've been out to a store and hears "she's so smiley" or "what a happy baby."
• You like to imitate sounds so we've heard lots of new noises from you. I think mom and dad are going to start having to watch how we talk around you.
• Clapping is your thing now... if you hear applause on tv, or someone say "yeah" or hear patty cake. It all deserves a good clap. 
• Mommy think you are super silly. You do such funny things that make her and daddy smile.
• I have to work to keep the house cleaner now. You always find and pick up the smallest things on the floor and put them right in your mouth. I've seen you eat mud twice now. Ziggy doesn't help this with his muddy feet going in and out.
• You ate your first Thanksgiving meal and seemed to like it, unfortunately it didn't make you sleepy like the rest of us were.
• You are lot of work but give us TONS of joy. We can't wait to celebrate your first Christmas with you. We love you SO much!

Here you are at 9 months:

And 10 months:

O' Christmas Tree

Leah's been having a fun time preparing for her very first Christmas. First off the list... putting up the tree. So far she hasn't been very interested in pulling things off the tree but we didn't put much on the bottom, just in case. Christmas is a ways away...

Happy Thanksgiving

The Bryan's came to for a quick visit on Thanksgiving. We ate a yummy turkey meal and had some family time for Leah and Avery's first Thanksgiving! Luckily, the snow held off here until shortly after they left.

 

 

 

 

 

That night the Wixos/Dschaaks came over for the annual Black Friday shopping planning... see all the ads:  

 

Another year of too much food, buying things we don't really need and quality time with family. Happy Thanksgiving!