christmas time is here!!

wednesday afternoon at naptime, malloy was yelling down "hey, mama!! is santa here yet?!" little did she know that he was coming early because we were leaving for the grandparents' on thursday!! that night we sprinkled reindeer food on our front lawn and steps so that the reindeer could find our house. malloy was so excited about it! she'd put a little on the ground and then look up in the sky to see if she could see the reindeer and ask "do you see them? are they coming yet?" then we went inside and made a plate of cookies for santa and carrots for his reindeer. malloy did her bedtime routine super fast, explaining "i have to go to sleep fast because santa won't come until i'm asleep!"

looking for reindeer in the sky

santa came and left presents!!! thursday morning was so much fun!! malloy was very excited to go downstairs and see what was under the tree! santa brought a Lady stuffed animal for mally and a Tramp for rex. malloy LOVES Lady and clutched her the rest of the morning, saying "she's just what i wanted!!" nice work, santa! :) the kids got some puzzles and dominoes. rex got a little sesame street phone. he loved talking to "ahka" (oscar) and ernie.
malloy had her christmas concert and party at school today. her class went on stage first and sang 2 songs. as soon as malloy got on stage, she announces "i'm on stage!" she was hilarious from start to finish!! and what a finish it was!! she sang very loudly and at the end of jingle bells, well, there was no end for malloy! the class finished and the audience clapped but malloy kept right on singing at the top of her lungs. neal and i were in tears, as were her teachers and a lot of people around us. she really had everyone laughing. our little ham!!! i'm so proud of her! we had a nice party in her classroom - everyone had lots of snacks and then passed out little treats to each other. we said our good-byes and it was off to grandma and grandpa's!



shortly after we got to grandma val and grandpa don's, santa came for a visit!!! malloy was a bit nervous around him and clung to me tightly. but she did tell him merry christmas and took a picture with him. rex wasn't too sure what to think, but clung to kassie. we had a nice visit with aunt amy, kassie, roro, and papa hank and showed them the video of the christmas concert!!! it's too good not to share! malloy loved watching it and was laughing right along with all of us. bedtime was a little rough - the kids were keeping each other up, but eventually they both went to bed (after separating them so rex could fall asleep!!)
we spent the whole day with grandma val and grandpa don today!! malloy went for a walk with grandpa this morning and then came back and helped make peanut butter blossoms with grandma! she was a great help! rex loves is at his grandma and grandpa's! he wanders all around the house and loves running up and down the hallway. he played while malloy made cookies. after nap, malloy made butter cookies with grandma. rex was a bit miserable because of his teeth, but was happy to have hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner!! bedtime was a little better - we let rex go to sleep first and then i bribed malloy by telling her i'd give her a present in the morning if she didn't yell for us once we put her down. it worked - she was quiet!!!  time for me to go get some sleep now - need to rest up for christmas eve!!!

malloy went to the doctor today to get a few shots. long story short - her school sent me a note saying that she wasn't up to date on her vaccines. turns out that she actually was up to date (which i was pretty sure of!) but she ended up getting a hepatitis A vaccine as long as we were there. we talked about her getting shots and that it's only going to hurt for a second. she told me "i'm not going to cry, i'm just going to say 'ouch'." and that's exactly what she did. she said 'ouch' and we put a special buzz lightyear band-aid that she picked out on her arm and she was good to go! the nurse brought in a bucket of toys that she could choose from because she was so good! when we were leaving, she had a little smirk on her face because she was proud of herself for doing such a great job! she's my little tough cookie!
rex had some trouble with his teeth this morning but was fine after he was medicated. he's my little saboteur!! he took a little flashlight from my room and must have brought it in the playroom, took the batteries out and threw them, one by one, into the garbage. i caught him throwing the last one in and then had to dig the rest of the batteries out!!! he was being so good - he was quiet and entertaining himself. i should have known it was too good to be true!!!

well, it's happened. malloy told me "i don't like you" tonight. repeatedly. my reply was "well i love you very much and you still need to go to bed." i think she must have heard it somewhere recently - it's not something we say at home! she's also been saying "it's not fair!" but doesn't use it correctly. she has no idea what it means. silly girl!
rex was sitting on the couch behind neal tonight. i was finishing a project and i heard him saying "mama, mama, mama...". i looked up at him peeking around neal and he said "boo" and then disappeared. he makes me giggle! his new favorite phrase is "holy cow!" he just repeats whatever he hears, but some of the stuff sticks and that's one of them!
we had a low key day today. the kids and i went to the gym this morning and then we just played at home the rest of the day. we also did some art projects for christmas gifts. it was a LOT easier with neal home to help out with rex when doing art!! much more mess control!!! i learned my lesson the other day after rex got paint all over himself, me, the couch, the floor, the coffee table, etc!!!

what a week!!! rex has been very cranky, clingy, whiny because of his teeth. malloy, on the other hand, has been such a good girl!! she's cleaning up more on her own and listening better - i don't know if she can sense that i need her to be good, or if she's just being good! either way, i'll take it!!! our week was pretty low key. we didn't have plans tuesday, wednesday, or thursday. it was nice not to run all over the place and actually get some things done! today we went to a cookie exchange playdate. the kids had a great time!!! they were running all over the place. rex wasn't clingy or whiny - he just walked right in and started playing. such a nice change! he did, however, fall down the 2 stairs into the family room twice :( both were nasty falls. i checked the poor kid for a concussion before i put him down for nap!
tonight, we went out to dinner with uncle ryan. malloy was so excited to get chicken wings! she ate a few on her own right off the bone. it was really cute. both kids were great!!! i love being able to take the kids out without either of them melting down. they love going out to dinner.

we had a little christmas party with our friends today! the kids were excited and WILD! they knew there were presents involved and were just itching to open them. everyone had a lot of fun!! malloy wore her christmas dress today - she was so excited to wear it out of the house. usually she just wears it when playing dress up. rex was a mess today. his teeth are bothering him a lot and he's just miserable!

rex took a short nap and woke up crying. he laid on me and watched sesame street for about a half hour. i even got a tiny nap in! after some cuddle time, rex was fine and went off to play by himself.
tonight when i was taking him in his room for bed, i said let's go put on your pjs. then he kept saying pjs, pjs, pjs. it's one of the cutest words he says now!

*side note: malloy has just started saying "today is my day" or "today is your day" randomly. last night, i got her up to go to the bathroom and when i put her back down to bed she said "today is your day, mommy", and then went right back to sleep. she is forever making me laugh!

the days fly by this time of year! i feel like i just posted yesterday - turns out it's been 5 days! woops!
guess that means it's recap time!!!

wednesday: we went to the museum with some BMG friends in the morning. the kids had a great time and malloy was the best behaved little girl! she was cleaning up when asked without a problem and listened to everything i said the entire time!! she even cleaned up at home before we left. not that she's awful every other day, but the complete compliance was like a dream! i gave her a treat when we got home because she was so good! rex had a blast at the museum, too. he wasn't as clingy as he has been and would wander off and play on his own. it was a nice break for mommy!!!

thursday: i co-oped at malloy's school this morning. she loves when i'm there. everything she does, she yells "mommy, look at me! look what i'm doing!" and she gets to be the line leader and the circle time helper when i co-op. she was so excited to help out at circle! while malloy and i were at school, rex was hanging out with our friends, safina and emery. he was miserable because of his teeth and he still has separation issues. he cried for almost the entire time we were gone. when i went in to get him, he was walking around and smiling, so he wasn't that traumatized!

friday: we went to the gym in the morning and then actually stayed home for once! the kids played upstairs in their rooms while i got some cleaning done downstairs. they play so well together (and also make a HUGE mess!!!). not much else went on today - it was very low key

saturday: we went over to katie's house this morning to have the kids' pictures taken. it was such a wreck!!! malloy was willing to cooperate for a short time, but rex was all over the place! he just wanted to explore. we'll see how they turn out - i'm not expecting miracles, but i have faith that there's at least one good shot! after pictures the kids went to the gym with me so that neal could get some work done at the office. in the afternoon, malloy and i went out to run a few errands. she loves her mommy alone time and is such a good girl. she's quite the little helper these days!!

today the kids hung out with daddy while i went to the gym, store, and then cleaned the house. uncle paddy and auntie andi came over to visit with wally this afternoon. wally ate a chip right out of rex's hand and then kept trying to lick his hand. rex thought it was hysterical and kept putting his hand out so that wally would lick him some more. so cute!!! uncle ryan, kari and bella came over a little bit later. malloy and bella play so nice together. they spent most of the time in her bedroom playing. rex was very upset that he wasn't up there with them. he would cry at the gate until he was distracted by something else. during dinner, the kids sat at the table and bella was feeding malloy her dinner. after each bite, malloy would say "bella, i'm ready!" and bella would shove more food in her face. it was actually quite helpful!!  after dinner, the kids played in the playroom. bella was helping malloy dress up in different costumes and then they would both run out with whatever they had on to show us. they had lots of fun!

it blows me away every time rex talks!!! he has so much to say and he's so clear (once i realize he's actually telling me something!) this morning he was in the playroom and he was saying "cuck. cuck. cuuuck. cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck!" at first i thought he was saying duck or quack. when i when in, he was stuck in the bumbo chair. so he knows what stuck means!! :) he also walked into the kitchen earlier and was saying "fruifar fruifar fruifar..." he wanted a fruit bar. i just can't believe he's talking so much! he also says "wuh woo" for 'i love you' ahhh so cute!!!
we went to the gym this afternoon and i told rex that he was going to go play and have fun and "i'll say bye-bye and then i'll be back to get you. i love you very much." so when i was leaving he started to melt down and malloy just said "it's ok. say bye-bye mommy." and he did! he was still upset and was pouty when he said bye-bye but he didn't cry! malloy is an amazing big sister!! nothing warms my heart like seeing her look out for her little brother!

weekend recap:

saturday: we went to a pancake breakfast at malloy's school this morning. santa and mrs. claus were there!!! malloy was so excited they were there. when it was time to sit on santa's lap, she opted to sit with mrs. claus. rexy did not was anything to do with sitting on santa's lap!!

sunday: we woke up, made molasses cookies and decorated the christmas tree! it was a fun morning!! later, uncle paddy and auntie andi came over with wally. uncle ryan came over, too! we had a family party. the kids were happy to have everyone over!!

today, we went to a playdate at gianna and kenadee's house. malloy had a blast playing in the "closet". she always forgets the word for basement and has always called their basement the closet. rex played so nice when i was in the room. the minute i left, he would scream and huge crocodile tears streamed down his face!! sensitive little guy! this afternoon, instead of coming downstairs right away after naps, the kids played in their rooms for a bit. i started making dinner and rex came out saying "hinga" (with a long i sound) over and over again. i had no idea what he was trying to tell me. i went in the living room and he came out saying "hinga". then he'd walk to the kitchen and turn around and say it again. i FINALLY figured out he was telling me that he was hungry!!!! it was the cutest thing ever once i figured it out!! it still blows me away that he's talking and communicating so much!!

quickly - we went to dinner last night and malloy ate all of my shrimp! after each one she'd say "mommy, can i have more lobster." it was cute!

we had a busy day today! we started out by calling grandpa don and singing happy birthday to him!! malloy sang the whole song all by herself - she was so excited about it! after school and lunch, i put rex down for nap and let malloy stay up and help me make the first batch of christmas cookies! she's such a great little helper - especially in the tasting department ;)
after nap, we did a photo shoot for christmas cards. they came out so cute and the kids had a lot of fun! then it was off to the gym!! rex is back to crying when i leave but will calm down a few minutes after i leave. i hate to leave him like that, but he needs to get used to it and is old enough now that he should get that i'll be back. he'll get used to it again. and when he does, then we'll be gone for a week for christmas and will have to start all over again!! ah well.
after dinner, we made our christmas advent chain. malloy had to take a ring off and look on the inside for the sticker. she then had to find the matching sticker hidden somewhere in the house that was attached to a box with a treat on it. she had a great time with it all! rex cuddled with daddy and watched rudolph while malloy made the chain with me. we were just one big christmasy bunch tonight!!