Return of the MACK

Yes, today started off with quite the BANG & full of excitement & joy! Our Elf on the Shelf, Mack, made his grand return! Last night, while the boys were fast asleep...he busily worked away to create our 1st Annual North Pole Breakfast 2011 since this was his first time to come back (thanks so much to Pinterest - see, I don't just waste time on there, I get great ideas, too) :)



That crazy elf even hung up a strand of Christmas lights!



Parker's 1st Christmas & experience w/ Mack

Last year, Mack reported back to Santa whether or not Nolan sucked his fingers (he broke the habit this last month - YAY!)

Holding proof that he placed 18 red & green balloons in Nolan's room while he slept!

Going to be a surprised little boy in the morning!

At about 7:23 a.m., Nolan came in our room, scratching his head and said, "Um..come here...someone put a lot of balloons in my room." We questioned him and asked him if he was joking and he insisted that he wasn't & that there really were red and green balloons all over his room. When we entered his room, he continued to tell us that "that's funny..." and then we talked about what the colors red and green could possibly mean. Brian quickly grabbed the camera, while Nolan mentioned that maybe...just maybe Mack is finally back. Here is what followed (disclaimer: pay ZERO attention to my glorious morning beauty - ha)!
*Reminder: be sure to "pause" the music on the blog before watching the video*

Afterwards, he continued to go on and on about everything. He even went as far to say that if Parker wanted to change Mack's name to Finn that it would be okay by him (reminder: Finn is what he wanted us to name Parker towards the end & even refered to him as Finn occasionally for a couple of days to follow his birth). We said that was nice, but Mack would just remain Mack since that was the name Nolan came up with for him last year. We finished off the morning by eating our breakfast, watching the movie that Daddy recorded on TV earlier this week, "The Elf on the Shelf" movie, made his melted-bead ornament, & will have our Christmas pictures taken this afternoon (weather permitting). Here's a few more pictures from this morning:

It really is the most wonderful time of the year!

6 Months & Wedding Fun

Check out that BEAUTIFUL 6 month baby! I can't help but giggle at the middle picture of him "waving." It seems impossible for us to be here in November already with Thanksgiving next week and then Christmas right around the corner (YAY!). I remember Nolan's first year and being simply amazed by the changes and learning that takes place in that first year of life. It's completely remarkable to watch them transform in front of your very eyes. From conception to birth and from birth to 1 year you truly see some of God's most miraculous work.

Parker is 17 lbs and 7 oz which puts him in the 50th percentile yet again. It's crazy how he's stayed consistent with this since birth! He did just what he should be doing and doubled his weigh by 6 months. With that being said, he's also just a mere 2 lbs lighter than what his big brother was at for age 1! Parker is 26 3/4 inches = 75th percentile. He's loving all sorts of foods still and we're getting ready to slowly start combining/mixing his milk with some formula. Overall, he's very healthy aside from his reflux. For that issue, he still has his good days and bad days. But, he's a very happy and content baby for the most part. In fact, he was such a trooper this past weekend when my best friend from Kindergarten got married. I couldn't believe the amount of compliments we received about how happy and quiet he was throughout the entire day/night.

Speaking of the wedding...my other little man did SUCH a fantastic job as ring bearer once again! This time, he even stood at the front of the church for the whole ceremony & did GREAT! Not to mention looked incredibly handsome. He was so excited because Erica gave him a Cubs pillow pet at the rehearsal...so, it looks, as if for the time being, he's back to being a Cubs fan (poor boy). His other excitement for the wedding weekend was getting to ride in the party bus limo with all of the bridal party. He was cracking me up dancing in there and just looking big! :) It was a beautiful wedding and we're so happy for Nate & Erica to finally become Mr. & Mrs. - 10 years together prior to marriage was long enough! ;)

The Beat of My Heart

"They know me in a way no one ever has. They open me to things I never knew existed. They drive me to insanity push me to my depths. They are the beat of my heart...the pulse of my veins...and the energy in my soul - they are my kids."
Tonight is definitely one of those nights where it dawns on me how fast time passes by, and these moments occur to me more often now that I have two sons. Two babies. It just takes a little, simple, everyday moment to catch me in the midst of my rushing to bring me back down to earth and soak it all in. Tonight's moment with Parker was when he was crying from being ready to get out of his exersaucer. I was consumed by other stuff in the house, and quickly went to his side. Upon him seeing my face his frown faded, the tears were still fresh on his face, and through them he gave me the biggest gummy, 2 teeth grin. I picked him up and he immediately nestled his head onto my shoulder & pulled at my hair. He's so happy and joyful ALL. THE. TIME. I love him. I am blessed. He enriches my life so much.

With Nolan, it's been a bunch of itty-bitty, little random sayings that he's said over the past couple of weeks. Everytime he gives Brian or I a quirky response we can't help but get a huge grin on our faces and scoop him up for a hug. He makes me laugh...even during those times when I don't feel like laughing at all. He knows how to get to us and seems to know just when it's needed. He can break down all barriers and through all of the stress & chaos, as if it's his own built in reminder to not take life so seriously and to remember what it's all about. I love him. I'm blessed. He enriches my life so much.

Just a couple of quick examples of things off the top of my head (and of course, these are most likely only adorable to us and the grandparents...or also one of those "you had to be there moments," but nonetheless, there things I want to hold onto and remember forever):

* Throughout the last several weeks, we've been consumed by our Cardinals in this house. Needless to say, we're completely ecstatic that they won the World Series & it felt like a holiday in our house! As you're aware, Nolan has been insisting for months that he's only a Cubs fan. Refuses to wear or acknowledge the Cardinals. The day after the Cards won the series, Nolan came out sporting his Cardinals hat that we didn't even know still existed. When we asked about this he just simple replied, "I was just kidding you and Dad about the Cubs this whole time."

* At dinner the other night, he was eating quite a bit. I cannot even remember what it was, but he grabbed a huge helping and looked at us and said, "Yeah? You don't think I can handle this...watch." and finished every last drop. NO clue where he learned the word "handle."

* After watching The Brave Little Toaster together and discussing how the "Master" misses his belongings from his childhood, our discussion continued and Nolan tells me, "I'm NOT having kids when I'm big...you are. Duh, you're the girl. BUT, I want a lot."

* He still asks thousands of questions and usually they end with the phrase "...in our world" (EX: Are there real werewolves in our world?" -- We can also no longer get by with generic answers either...even if we're on question #999 for the day.

* He constantly whistles ALL the time.

* He's completely obsessed with singing "Home on the Range" and knows pretty much all of the lyrics.

* He's great with numbers & starting to add! I'm hoping this will be his strength as I always hated math. Fingers crossed that he has Brian's natural talent for number sense.