g is for greta

I love silence. I don’t get it very often. However, this year for Christmas, the kids are going on an extended trip to both sets of grandparents’ houses. My parents (bless them) drove 3 hours to Columbus this morning and spent the day with us opening gifts and just hanging out. I packed the kids’ suitcase, and they practically ran out the door this evening. Mason was heard multiple times throughout the day on his toy cellphone telling the caller that he was going to Papa Bill’s house to ride his bike. Corinne had her shoes and coat on and sat waiting by the front door for everyone else to get ready. Goodbye kisses for Tony and I were an after-thought. They will stay with my folks out in the country until New Year’s Day when Tony’s parents will go pick them up for part two of their vacation. The spoiling will continue in full swing in Cleveland. Ethan is smiling from ear to ear already due to all the extra attention. I’m dizzy with possibilities: a bubble bath, a library full of books, television shows/movies that aren’t kid friendly, eating a meal without anyone mooching a bite… Sigh. I know I’ll miss them eventually, but for now, I am at peace.

-g.

The kids are finally starting to relax six hours after opening presents. We had a fun Christmas Eve last night. Tony and I decided to do egg rolls with steak stir fry for our dinner. Perhaps a tradition is born… Afterwards, we started a fire and turned off all the lights. Each of us took turns picking out a Christmas carol to sing. Then we had hot chocolate and some of Santa’s cookies before putting on our Christmas pjs and heading to bed. The kids slept in fairly late (around 7:00), and the festivities began. Mason was really into it this year, and of course Corinne was more than ready to “rip” her presents. Now Mason is taking a bath with his new bubble bath, and Corinne is watching a “Jesus movie since today is about Jesus.” She said she wants her heart to grow. Ethan’s been happy today. I think it has to do with the kids being distracted by their loot and leaving him alone. Here some highlights:

Corinne is an aspiring chef and Mason is a wannabe. Here they are in their new duds and Corinne’s new purple spatula.

The favorite toy of the year is Marble Race from Grandma Ann and Papa Bill. It has my vote since it entertains them for such a long time!

Now comes the turkey. Bring it on!

Merry Christmas!
-g.

One of Tony’s favorite milestones is when the kids have started holding their own bottle. Ethan doesn’t get a bottle too often, but the kids are thrilled when he does. They take turns holding the bottle for him. Now they love to see Ethan hold it himself. He can’t do it until it’s almost empty so it suits everyone. The older two take turns holding it until it gets light enough for him to hold himself. Here’s some pictures Corinne asked me to take. She lays his burp cloth across his belly like it’s a lobster bib.

It’s a mixture of emotions watching Ethan master so many tricks. I enjoy watching him learn new things and get excited about him getting big. However, sometimes it feels like he is growing up faster than I wanted! He rolls all over the room, he laughs, he’s sleeping in longer chunks of time… Sigh.

-g.

The weather here has been really crazy. It goes from feeling like fall to the freezing cold chill of winter. I think we’ve already had more snow this year than we had all of last year combined. Anyway, it dumps snow then melts within a few days when things warm up again. The kids have enjoyed playing outside. We had some rain after our last snow which made it perfect for packing. Corinne was excited to FINALLY be able to make a snowman.

Mason has taken on the roll of a live advent calendar. He tells us each day how many days are left until Christmas. It makes me smile to see him so excited. I was worried that he still wouldn’t be into it this year. I think Corinne is telling him what Christmas is all about at night while they lay in bed. Should be fun!

-g.

From the look at some of these pictures that title could end, “One fell off and broke his head.” Mason has taken to climbing into Corinne’s bed after she has fallen asleep and dozing off himself. I move him back to his own bed before I head to sleep. Whenever I get up to feed Ethan during the night, I check in on the kids. Numerous times, the little rascal has woken up and gotten back into Corinne’s bed. Thank heavens she sleeps like a log! Tony and I have started bribing him with ice cream if he actually makes it an entire night without getting into her bed. It sure makes for cute pictures though. Check them out:

They are such good friends while they are asleep…

-g.

So my baby is chicken legged no more. I know you’ve seen the photos from this month and noticed the rolls. Thank goodness. When we got to Ethan’s appointment today, the nurse said there was a note in the chart to watch his weight. She asked if we had the right kid! His height and weight are now both 75% up from 50% and his head is 55% up from 30%. That seems like alot of growth for a noggin in two month’s time! He also got four shots and a liquid vaccine. While we were there, the doctor recommended a flu shot for the older kids. Mason was with me so he went first. He seemed more upset about me pulling down his pants against his will than the actual shot. I think I’ll take Corinne sometime soon. She’s at the highest risk since she is in school now.

Oh. The doctor wants us to start letting Ethan cry when he wakes up during the night. She thinks he should be sleeping 8-12 hours uninterupted by now. She says I’m jumping the gun and running in too many times. I guess I’m just worried he will wake u the older two and then I’ll have a real situation on my hands. Hmm… Maybe we’ll all get earplugs in our stockings…

-g.

Ethan is getting to be so grown up. He loves to roll over onto his belly. He does it as soon as he hits any surface. It scared me the first few nights to have him sleep like that, but he seems to sleep better that way. Yipee for me! The kids think it’s great that he laughs now so they try to find ways to hear his giggle. Ethan also is babbling some and screeching like what I imagine a pterodactyl would sound like. Here’s some pictures:

His four month appointment is on Tuesday so I’ll post his stats then.

-g.

Mason is addicted to chocolate milk. In the 2.5 years of his life, I have never known him to drink white. I blame his father. Anyway, I’ve been trying to convince him to try white milk. Corinne is soaking up all my words and (always the people pleaser) says real big sister-like, “I LOVE white milk, Mom.” So this morning at breakfast, I asked them what they wanted to drink with their waffles. Mason of course said chocolate milk, and Corinne said white. After breakfast, Corinne said, “Jesus spoke to me in my heart and said that he likes white milk more.” There you have it! I doubt it will help me convert Mason, though. He’s pretty stuck on chocolate.

-g.

The kids are always getting a hold of the camera and taking pictures. When I downloaded the pictures, I found these:

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Not sure who took them. I think I’ll call the series ‘A View from the Kitchen Desk.’ The extreme close-up of the air vent is actually rather abstract looking. Someone might hang it in their home or office! A budding photographer is born! Now to figure out who it is…

-g.