Darren?

So as part of Darren & Donna's Christmas gifts, their parents gave them some of their old clothes.

Here is Darren circa 1978 showing off a stylish outfit complete with saddle shoes.

 And here is Ryan in the same outfit some 30 odd years later.  Too bad the shoes don't fit.  And I totally want to take him to JCPenney to see if we could get a retro backdrop like the one above...it would be really funny if they still had something like that.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas was great.  Santa brought lots of fun toys for everyone.  And we got to spend it hanging with family. 

Christmas Eve

Here are some photos from Christmas Eve.  We tried to get some family shots since we were all dressed up for church but you can see that it is hard to get everyone to cooperate.

The kids

 Our family.  I like how no one is looking at the camera and my dress is making me look pregnant.  Awesome...guess I should not sit like that in this particular dress.  Or I should get rid of it.

 Trying to wrangle the kids...Darren & Ava look great but I looka bit tired and Ryan is thinking about making an escape!

 Ok 3 out of 4 of us look ok...but c'mon Ryan! I know you are only 8 months old but look at the camera! Ha!...you really can't expect much.  Sadly I think these 3 shots were the best of the bunch. 

 After church, we got ready to open presents.  Ryan got his jammies on as it was late (and he ended up opening one gift and then going to bed -- oh well, he did not know the difference).  As he laid on the floor, Ian & Ava had fun running around him circles.  Silly kids.

 We gave Ava a doll this year (the kind you dress up, the 18" doll, not a baby one).  I love her face in this photo when she realized what it was.

 And Ava loving on her new doll.



Holidays

This year we spent Christmas with the Okruhliks & Friends down in Conroe.  Ava spent a good deal of time playing with her cousins but she did show a lot of interest in hanging out with her Granny & Aunt Donna...she did more baking, setting the table and crafts with them than I would have thought.  She loves to help around the house (but only when she's not at home!)

Granny reading stories to the kids.

 Aunt Donna & Ava baking cookies.  All 3 big kids (Ava, Ian & Emily) started in the process but by the end, it was only Ava & her aunt.  Guess I need to bake more at home.  Anyone care to eat what we bake??  I don't need too.

 Donna & Ryan

 Emily & Ryan.  Emily was very interested in "Baby Wyan."  Although like most kids her age, I think she would prefer him to do what she wants.

Well Hello There

I was sitting on the couch yesterday looking at the photos on my camera thinking that I really needed to update the blog before we head out when all of a sudden, this guy pops up.

Uh yeah, never pulled up on the tall couch before...I was quite surprised.  Little man wants to be everywhere these days!  He just needs to learn to get back down (without falling like a tree).  We're working on it.

Will update the blog when we get back from Christmas vacation...which starts tomorrow for us...woo hoo!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Early Christmas with the Easterwoods-McFaddens-Tilsons

Since we are headed out of town for Christmas this year, we got together with my sisters, their families and my mom to do a little early Christmas gift exchange amongst the cousins.

For all of the cousins (on this side), I made clothes.  I knew the older girls would be fine with it, Guthrie would not know the difference (since he is not quite 1) and Griffin wouldn't be too excited but we gave her a baby doll too.  I couldn't not make her a dress when everyone else got one.  Of course, the older girls were excited to model their dresses.

 Griffin had no desire to try it on and ran away laughing when I asked her if she wanted too...what do you expect from a 2.5 year old?  She is too cute!

We got a rare photo of all 6 cousins...this is the best and that is not saying much. :)  But I still love it.

 Guthrie's hoodie (and Griff's dress) were made from t-shirts that Cortney had while all the others were Target shirts I found on sale plus old shirts of Darren and some fabric I ordered online.  I really love Guthrie's...very boyish.

 I somehow did not get a picture of Ryan in his hoodie other than this bad photo below. But his is pretty cute and has a picture of a chick (baby bird chick not girl chick) and the word magnet on it (get it? chick magnet?  got it at goodwill btw).  I will have to get a better shot sometime.  Somehow I managed to forget to take photos of the clothes before I gave them away...oh well..not sure they will make it on the project blog.  That's what happens when you make 5 things in 3 days.  (and if you are wondering these are from the Lil Blue Boo patterns I have bought --still amazing!)

 And this might be my fave photo of the day...I was looking down at first and then heard a huge squeal followed by "I love this cash writer" as she hugged the box. "Cash writer" is cash register btw and Ava has been wanting an older kid version for awhile. Wish granted!  Thanks Me-Mommy!!

We had a great time at our early Christmas...thanks everyone!

Santa Time

Today's advent activity was going to Santa at the Galleria.  It's still free and the lines are still not too bad.  Ava was by far the most excited person in line.  She was jumping up and down and being very hyper.  The girl LOVES Santa!  Btw, she picked out her outfit...she wanted to wear her Christmas dress from last year because she loves that it is so fancy!

Me & the kiddos in line

 Ava's crazy face...do you know where it comes from?

 This guy!

 Ava gave Santa about 5 hugs when she finally got her turn.  Seriously never seen someone so excited to hug a complete stranger...she said her hugs were like 100 hugs for him.

 Pure joy on her face!  She told him she wanted a drum set (first I have heard of it but guessing she did not want to tell him her other list since she already mailed that to him).  I don't think we need a very loud drum set for our already very loud and talkative little girl.  Maybe when she's older.

 Then Ryan got on Santa's lap.  He was fine with it but kind of wanted to know what was going on. Best photo I could get...it makes me laugh since you can barely see Santa's face.  At the end, Santa gave Ava a bell that "only little kids & people from the North Pole can hear."  He must have really liked Ava because we watched the 10 or so kids before her and no one else got a bell.  Kind of strange especially when he pulled it out of his pocket.  But of course Ava loved it!

8 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that the little guy is now 8 months old...where did the time go?  As difficult as the baby stage can be, it is going by too fast this time and I am kind of sad about it. Although really Ryan has been pretty easy. 

Look at that sweet face (btw, he LOVES the cat, just like Ava - they are both glad it is cold and Zaphod has to be inside)

A little update on the little man: Ryan is still crawling and dragging his legs - he gets up on his knees all the time, I think he is just faster not trying to crawl the normal way so he doesn't really try too much.  He can now go from lying on his stomach to a semi sitting position.  And just the other day he started pulling up on stuff...I think he learned it from his cousin Guthrie who is 3 months older.  Seriously we were over there on Saturday and then Sunday, Ryan pulled up on Ava's mini armchair and then did it again on his red barn.  Of course, when he pulled up the barn, he ended up falling face first on the floor after a minute or so...needless to say, it was not a fun moment.

Ryan is also about to get some teeth.  The 2 middle bottom and the 2 middle top are bulging out his gums and he is not sleeping very well (at least last night) so hoping they are going to pop out soon.  We'll see.  I'm personally hoping he'll be like Ava and just get one tooth after another and be done (except for the molars) by the time he is 1. Wishful thinking!

Here's Ry & Guthrie on Saturday playing near one another.  I'm still so happy that they are close in age...will be nice for them to have a buddy in the sea of girls that is my family.

I'm really excited about the next photo..not because it is so great but because I finally got Griffin to sit still and smile for a photo.  That girl is always on the go and rarely lets anyone take a pic of her.  I asked her if she would do her cousin Ava a favor and pose for a photo with her (because I know Ava would love it) and surprisingly, Griffin sat there while I took a ton of photos. This is the best of the 2 of them.

And I think Griff looks a lot like Lexie in it (think it's the smile).  Of course Ava had to ham it up.

Speaking of Ava, she is all about dressing herself these days.  I mean she has been for the last year, but we finally just gave her free reign with her clothes and let her pick stuff out, regardless of whether it matches.  I think it is probably good to let her express herself some way and not battle about every little thing.

So lately, she picks out hats and other accessories to complement her outfits.  And the most recent find of hers are her fingerless biking gloves.  She loves to wear them.  Quite hilarious to see what she will wear every day.

Update

Yes I have been WAY behind at posting here.  What can I say other than life gets busy.  Darren noticed that my last post was Oct 31st..that is sad and I promise to try to do better!  Anyways, I have now updated the blog for the month of November and will update you here in this post on what has happened at the beginning of December.  That sentence makes it sound like I have exciting stuff/news to share but I don't!

Anyways, after Thanksgiving we got home and starting decorating for Christmas.  Everything other than the lights on the house is done.  Woo hoo!  This is probably one of Ava's favorite days since she loves to put out all the Christmas stuff and hang ornaments on the tree.

For some reason, we still put out our very breakable nativity set each year.  Usually it gets put somewhere safe where little hands won't play with it.  Apparently this year, that did not happen.  And the other day while I was getting dressed, I came out to hear Ava say that baby jesus was broken.  I asked how that happened and she told me he fell.  Of course she did not tell me at first that she had been playing with him!  Anyways, I tried to fix him but he was in too many pieces so he ended up being unfixable.  Ava though, had an idea.  She led me to her dollhouse, picked up one of the little baby dolls and said "His name is Jesus" and then she proceeded to carry him back to the nativity and place him in his bed of hay.

Guess it works for now!

 Pretty sure when we get a new nativity, I am going to search for a child friendly one...maybe wood or something.  These were apparently too tempting to Ava to not touch.

Arf, the Elf came back to our house on Dec 1st.  He is our "Elf on the Shelf."

Ava was excited to see him on our mantle waiting for her.  He even had a name tag so she would remember him.  The day before he flew back to our house, Ava's friend Sienna was over and telling us how her elf, Jingle Bell, came to her house.  She was telling Ava all about how you can't touch him or he'll lose his magic.  She was very serious about it and it was hilarious to hear the 2 girls talk about how the elves fly to their house and get in with magic. I love being a fly on the wall to 4 year olds' conversations.

 Day 2, Arf found himself hanging in the blinds.  I don't know if Arf is as creative as some of the elves out there I have seen, but maybe when Ava is older, he'll be braver and do crazier things.  Maybe when he has more time.

 Yesterday, Ava & Ryan actually played side by side for the first time.  This was Ava's old barn when she was a toddler and we had taken it a few years ago to Granny & Pop's house as a toy the kids could play with when they visited. At Thanksgiving, Ryan found it and loved it!  I kind of thought it would be too old for him because of all the smaller figurines but I was wrong.  They aren't choking hazards and there is enough there that Ryan will actually sit still and play..something he really does not do as he is too busy crawling everywhere!

 Then this morning, Arf flew back and decided to sit in one of Ava's teapots...Ava thought it was silly and kept telling us how she was surprised when she saw him. 

We have also started our advent calendar and just like last year, the boxes contain activities.  So far, we have gotten the Christmas books out and read them, gone to dinner (Ava's choice) and written a letter to Santa and mailed it.  These are always fun family activities and Ava is already enjoying them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  We had a super yummy meal at Rudy & Jeanie's and just like the past few years, my dad came (along with a friend this time!).  Dad also brought the amazingly delicious pies from the Flying Saucer again.

Of course I have no proof of this as once again, I did not take any photos.  I had every intention of taking some pics of dad and the kiddos but then Ryan laid down for a nap and I forgot. Sorry Dad!

After lunch and after our guest left, Ava (who had been showing off her soccer skills and uniform), we caught up with the neighbors. Their granddaughter Caroline was over (you might have seen her a long time ago on the blog).  I think it has been at least a year since Ava has seen her but she remembered her and the 2 of them had a great time running around together.

 Ryan woke up and since no one knew where his jacket was (and it was a little chilly), he borrowed one of Ava's hoodies...thankfully not one of her pink ones so that he could join in the fun.

Thanksgiving Holiday & Twister

Once again we headed down to Conroe for the week of Thanskgiving.  For many reasons, I did not take too many photos.  One, I think having 2 kids (one of whom is a baby that I hold) limits the amount of photos I can take.  Second, Darren & Rudy did a lot of work on the dock that week (since there is no water in the canal - sad but true) so that made it so there was one adult per child.  Third, well I'm just not as good at busting out the camera as I used to be.

Anyways.  While in Conroe, we went over to Ian & Emily's other grandparent's house (so Uncle Mike's family's house) to see the cousins and Donna & Mike for a bit since they were not spending Thanksgiving with the Okruhliks this year.

And Ava played twister for the first time with Ian...think she liked it?

We are all excited for Christmas this year since we will get to be with the Friends.  Ava always enjoys the good cousin quality time!

Silly Faces

You can really see the similarity here between these 2 (not that you can't normally see it anyway).

Soccer Trophy

Yep this is the size of the trophy you get for participation in U5 soccer in Lake Travis.  I would hate to see the size of the trophy if they actually played in a league where you could win.  They would probably be enormous!  I think when I was a kid the trophies like this were for 1st place and the participation stuff was about 1/5th the size of this.

Ava of course was excited about it.  This is her very own "soccer trophy" pose..too funny with the leg up.  Not sure why she thought to do that.

Happy Halloween!

Finally the big day is here!

And the winning costume is....

Alice in Wonderland!

 Ava, as usual, had to put on a big show while taking photos.  This is one of my favorites.  Crazy, silly Ava.

 Because I did not wash Ryan's 2 previous costumes (I forgot!), we ended up dressing him as "Mr. Smee" or "Pirate."  Ava said he looked like Cubby, a character off Jake and the Neverland Pirates...mainly  because he has a doo rag on his head.  In hindsight, we should have dressed him this way when Ava was Captain Hook.  Oh well.

 Ryan surprisingly enjoyed the stroller ride while trick or treating.  I wasn't sure he would since he likes to be free and move about but he did great!

 About 10 minutes in, we ran into Ava's friend Emma, who lives down the street and is on Ava's soccer team.  Ava was super excited, and Darren ended up pulling the girls around in the wagon for at least half the block.  Good thing we brought the wagon this year...Ava enjoyed riding and did not get as tired walking down the street.

We had a great Halloween but got WAY too much candy.  Plus we only had 2 visitors to our house to get candy so needless to say, we had  a ton of candy leftover.  Thankfully we can donate it up to our school (they take it to the firefighters and other groups).

360 and Crawling?

A few weeks ago, Ryan starting doing 360 turns on the floor.  He has gotten really fast at turning around and we were just waiting for him to crawl.

Last week or maybe the week before, Ryan starting getting up on his knees and rocking back and forth.  I thought for sure he was going to crawl.  But he made us wait.

  This past weekend he started trying to move when up on his knees. He failed (because he hasn't figured out you have to move your arms and legs at the same time) and was a bit frustrated.  But then he decided to do his own form of crawling.  It is part army crawl, part frog crawl and part dragging your legs as you use your arms crawl. Which form he uses (or whether he uses a combination of all 3) just depends on what time of day it is.  We have found that he gets really excited and will start to crawl if you put one of the following out in front of him 1) a bottle of milk 2) the remote control or 3) an iphone.  These all really motivate him.

Here is a video of his crawl this morning...this is more of the "let's just drag our legs" crawl.  Maybe a touch of an army crawl too.  Quite interesting to watch how he gets around.  Maybe once he masters crawling, he'll sit still for awhile...Ryan can sit upright but you wouldn't know it if you came for a visit.  The second you sit him down, he lays down so he can roll or crawl around.  No sitting for him!

In other news, I really hope he is getting a tooth because he has not been himself lately.  Been a bit cranky sometimes (which really never happens..he usually is SO happy) and his sleeping situation has detoriated.  I've broken out the Tylenol and Oragel and am hoping these help.  Of course, the situation probably isn't that bad, it's just hard to go from extrememly good to just so so.  If you know what I mean.

Ava Sings & Dances, Again

Again, these videos are several weeks old, but Ava decided to entertain me with 1) a song she learned about Church at school and 2) a Yo Gabba Gabba song complete with her own dance moves.  Enjoy!

Mouth Noises

This video is from October 10th....Ryan had been making these funny noises with his mouth for awhile and I finally got it on video.  I'm not even sure how you actually do what he is doing.  And now 2 plus weeks later, he pretty much has stopped doing this.

Galleria Trick or Treating

Second Halloween event of the year, Trick or Treating at the Hill Country Galleria.  We did this last year, and Ava loved it so we decided to go again.  We don't really need the extra candy but it is a fun thing to do and it's great to see all the kids dressed up.

Sadly, this is the only photo of Ava I got...she decided to be Cinderella for this outing.  She's still has not decided what she will be on actual Halloween so it will be a surprise!

Mowing

We've been trying for 2 years to get her to go for a ride on Darren's lawnmower and finally she wanted to do it.  Darren said it was probably the slowest he has ever mown the yard but Ava had a blast "driving" it!

Pumpkin Carving

We finally got around to carving our pumpkin today.  These are not great photos but really just proof that I do exist and that I do things with my kids.  I figured out the other day that Darren & I (especially me) are rarely in any photos these days.  We need to be better about it.

Ava picked a witch pattern for me to carve...not too easy...you would think we me being crafty and into art that it would turn out great but it is only so-so.  And somehow I did not manage to get a photo of the finished product.  Maybe for the best!

 Ava does not like "pumpkin goo" but for some reason will pretend to eat it.  She also put her rain boots on so her shoes would not get dirty.  Smart thinking!