Christmas 2010

Well, this year Christmas was very eventful! It started out with a very early 5am wake-up-call with Brody coming in to our room. He couldn't go back to sleep so he laid on our floor. That didn't last long, and we were all up for good by 6:30am! Santa came and left the kids lots of neat things in their stockings, as well as presents.

The biggest/best gift was waiting outside. And, of course, it was snowing and freezing cold. But, we had to go and test it out! Raegan's coat was being washed, so I had to put a sweatshirt over her pj's! Sorry for the racket at 7am neighbors! Brody and Raegan will love their new playset outside, for many years to come I'm hoping!

After Raegan's nap, we headed over to Ryan's parents' house. Brody was very grumpy when we got there (surprise, surprise, since he was up since 5am!) so he took a nap. He ended up sleeping for 3 hours. He woke up, was very thirsty, drank some orange juice, and......BARF!!! He got a nasty stomach virus. Fever, diarrhea and vomiting are not a fun combination, especially for a little boy on Christmas!

But, all of this was in addition to a little accident that occurred with Raegan while Brody was napping. Ryan's parents had 4 stockings hanging on the fireplace with stocking holders. At our house, we did not have the stockings displayed this way, for obvious baby-proofing reasons. But, we all didn't even think about it at my in-laws. So, of course, Raegan pulled one down and it landed on her head. She got a pretty decent gash on her forehead, bleeding down her face, crying for Mommy. Luckily, there were 3 doctors and 1 nurse in the house, so we got her all fixed up. She has steri-strips, no stitches thank goodness. But, she looked pretty pathetic.

So, that was our fun day. We were all pretty happy to oblige Brody when he declared he wanted to go home after his 2nd time of vomiting. We packed everything in the van and called it a day. Brody slept all night, thanks to some anti-nausea medicine. He seems to be feeling ok today, no throwing up since.

Despite our stressful day, we had a Merry Christmas. The kids had fun, and that's what it's all about. We are blessed beyond measure.

Santa Claus!!

We took the kids to see Santa this Wednesday at Lexington Green. Brody has not sat with Santa since he was 17 months old (Raegan's age). He just has never been into sitting with some strange looking man he doesn't know! But, this year he was all about it! He went right up and sat with him. He told him what he wanted and enjoyed himself. I was so proud of him. Raegan, on the other hand, was not into Santa. She saw him from afar and exclaimed "Nana, Nana..." over and over again. But, the closer we got to him, the tighter her grip on me got. I tried to put her down next to Brody on his lap, but she refused to let go. She was yelling "Mommy, Mommy....Daddy, Daddy!" So, I figured I wouldn't make her go through with it. But, the people there were really nice and let Brody and Raegan sit in the chair with a Santa book. They then took Santa's picture on his own peeking over the chair, and through the magic of picture editing....VOILA! We ended up with a really cute picture of Santa peeking over the kids. I really love the picture, the kids' expressions are great. We will cherish it for years to come. 8 more days until Christmas!!

Brody's Preschool Christmas Party

This morning was Brody's school Christmas Party. We were nervous all week, since there has been no school. But, today they had a 1 hour delay. So, the party was on!

It was really nice to see Brody in the school setting. I stayed from 9-11 to help with the party and eat lunch with Brody. My dad came to stay with Raegan. Thanks Pap Pap! Brody is such a rule follower! I'm very proud of him for being polite to his friends and raising his hand when he wants to speak. His teacher complimented him several times in the short two hours. He had a great time eating all the goodies and treats. Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus came around to visit and gave all the kids a present! They all received a preschool t-shirt and a book. After all that junk food, it was then time for lunch?!?!?!

I got some cute pictures of Brody and his buddies. His best friends are Drake and Skylar. They are really good boys!

Ryan and I have a dinner to attend tonight, so the kids are staying with my parents. We're planning on going to see Santa Claus tonight before the dinner. We'll see how that goes! Brody's not a fan, and I don't imagine Raegan will be either. But, we've got to at least try, right!!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

We got our first snow of the season this past weekend. It was really nice. I love the winter and snow. Brody was outside before the snow even let up. He had a good time making snow balls and throwing them at the door as Raegan watched her brother in envy. She was pretty upset that she wasn't out there. Maybe next time, Raegan! She was happy to put on her new boots. Love the look she has going on there....

Memos from your child

This was written in Brody's preschool weekly newsletter. It really hit home for me, especially this week. It hasn't been my best parenting week, with regards to Brody. He is a wonderful kid, but struggles in certain public situations. I get embarassed at his behavior and take it out on him. When, really, it is not his fault. He is who he is. He feels shy and out of his comfort zone and acts out in response. I just pray he grows out of this phase. It is pretty wearing on us.

I love you Brody, more than you will ever know. You are my big boy. I promise to always love and comfort you.....forever.

* Don't spoil me. I know quite well I shouldn't have all I ask for. I'm only testing you.

* Don't be afraid to be firm with me. I prefer it; it makes me feel secure.

* Don't let me form bad habits. I have to rely on you to detect them in the early stages.

* Don't make me feel smaller than I am. It only makes me behave stupidly "big."

* Don't correct me in front of people if you can help it. I'll take much more notice if you talk quietly in private.

* Don't protect me from consequences. I need to learn the painful way sometimes.

* Don't make me feel my mistakes are sins. It upsets my sense of values.

* Don't be too upset when I say "I hate you." It isn't you I hate, but your power to thwart me.

* Don't take too much notice of my small ailments. Sometimes they get the attention I need.

* Don't nag. If you do, I'll have to protect myself by appearing deaf.

* Don't make rash promises. I feel badly let down when promises are broken.

* Don't forget that I can't explain myself as well as I'd like. This is why I'm not always very accurate.

* Don't tax my honesty too much. I am easily frightened into telling lies.

* Don't be inconsistent. It completely confuses me and makes me lose my faith in you.

* Don't put me off when I ask questions. If you do, you'll find I stop asking and seek information elsewhere.

* Don't tell me my fears are silly. They're terribly real.

* Don't ever suggest that you're perfect or infallible. It gives me too great a shock when I find out you're neither.

* Don't ever think it's beneath your dignity to apologize to me. An honest apology makes me surprisingly warm toward you.

* Don't forget I love experimenting. I can't get on without it, so please put up with it.

* Don't forget how quickly I'm growing up. It must be hard to keep pace with me, but please try.

Christmas Pictures

This past weekend, we took the kids to a Garden Club here in Paris. Our goal was to try to get a great picture for Christmas cards. Raegan had on a sweet red velvet dress with a white sweater. White tights and black shoes finished off her precious look. Brody had on a Christmas plaid shirt with khaki pants and brown shoes. He looked so handsome. The actual picture-taking event was fun, but of course, stressful at times. I get so stressed out when I'm trying to get "the perfect picture." These days, it is so hard to get a good one, when Raegan is constantly on the move. Brody was really well-behaved and smiled and posed wherever we told him. It just got hairy because Raegan was constantly moving, so we had to have Brody move around next to her. Haha, if only someone were there to get video of the whole thing!

But, after about 45 minutes, we managed to get a few cute pictures. Our children are so gorgeous, it would be hard not to! We achieved our goal and the Christmas cards are set to be delivered this week. I thought I'd share a few of our favorite pictures.

Staying Busy

We are keeping pretty busy here at the West house. Brody has 2 days of school this week before Thanksgiving Break. He is really enjoying school, and his teacher has nothing but good things to say about him. Yay! Raegan is becoming quite the sassy, independent little girl. She is learning lots from her older brother (yes, both good and bad).

Brody had a busy weekend. On Friday night, he went with his cousin Aerial to Chuck E Cheese. My brother and sister-in-law met us there and spent the night with both kids. We picked up Brody late that night. He wanted to spend the night, but his habit lately has been to wake up at 3am wanting to come home! So, we decided he isn't ready to try the spend-the-night thing for awhile. 3am wake up calls and driving in to Lexington is for the birds!

Saturday, Brody had a playdate with his little friend Asher. They met at swim lessons this summer, and then were in soccer together this fall. They get along really well, and this is our 2nd time getting them together to play. I'm glad he's making friends here and getting a social life.

Sunday, we took the kids to a garden club here in Paris for pictures. I dressed them in their Christmas clothes, and brought the camera. With Raegan, it's no telling what kind of pictures you will get. It's hard to take a picture of a constant moving target, and then get Brody in the same picture smiling and ready. But, I managed to get a couple of nice ones, after MANY not-so-nice ones!

We're looking forward to spending time with both of our families this Thanksgiving. We will be at my parents' house for dinner in the early day, and come back to Paris for the West's Thanksgiving dinner. Too much food will be eaten, I'm sure. I will have to run longer/harder this week. Although today, I'm not feeling so well. I really need to head to the Y to get my running in....I just don't feel up to it. My stomach is grumbling and groaning. I hope my kids don't get this yucky stomach bug.....

Happy Thanksgiving!

True Beauty

I just had to share this picture of my little girl. I think she is just so beautiful! Love you Angel Bug!!

Raegan's 15 month old stats:

24 pounds 60th percentile

31.75 inches 75th percentile

She's growing just perfectly!

Happy Halloween!

Jack-o-Lanterns!

We carved pumpkins with Brody last week. We chose to do it during Raegan's nap. Was that mean? She wouldn't get much out of it. She did get to pose for pictures when it was done!

Brody enjoyed it, but would not touch the pumpkin's insides or seeds! He was very grossed out by the whole thing, even cried when I asked him to touch it. I roasted the seeds in the oven, so yummy! They are really good, just melt butter and add worcheshire (don't know if I spelled that correctly) and salt. So good! I finished off the seeds that night, after Brody and Ryan had their fill of them.

All in all, a great time! We got some cute pictures, of course. It's now a week later, and I had to throw the pumpkins away already. They rotted out. I guess the warm weather wasn't ideal. We probably carved them a week too early. I bought a new pumpkin today and we'll give it another go so we can have a jack-o-lantern for Trick-or-Treat night!

The kids go trick-or-treating in Paris on Sunday, October 31st. Raegan will be a black kitty cat. I had her try on her costume last week to make sure it fit and everything was ok. She loved it! I was worried that the hat would bother her. But, she loved looking at herself in the mirror. She acted so proud! Brody is going to be Spiderman, of course! It will be a great night.

Happy Halloween!!

Peek A Boo!

This was taken before we put all the kitchen chairs in the closet until Raegan gets out of her climbing phase. Last week, Raegan was climbing on the chairs and was making her way up to the table. I didn't make it over to her fast enough, and she fell down and hit her head on the hardwood floors. She was crying and holding her breath. I picked her up and was blowing in her face and sprinkled water on her to get her to take a breath. She finally got one little gasp in before, to my HORROR, she passed out in my arms. She was out for about 5 seconds before she came to. I quickly called Ryan at the office, and he said to bring her there. So, I got the kids in the van and sped all the way to the office. Everything was fine, just a bump on her head. She was back to her normal self in an hour or so.

It was the scariest thing I have witnessed as a parent. I hope to never see it happen again. I really can't even describe what it felt like to hold my baby and watch her pass out in my arms. Ryan did this same thing when he was a little kid, so she must get it honestly. His mom said he outgrew the "holding breath and passing out"phase by the time he was about 3. I pray this phase ends soon. Now, when she gets mad or hurt and starts to cry, I can't help but to panic and scoop her up immediately and hope she doesn't hold her breath.

The joys of motherhood.......

Pumpkin Patch '10

Our family visited Bi-Water Farm yesterday to do the annual Pumpkin Patch activities. I was excited to take Raegan, since this year she would really enjoy it. Last year, she came along with us, but snoozed the whole time in the stroller. We had never been to Bi-Water (in Georgetown), but it was pretty nice. The train and putt-putt were not operating, so we might have to make a return trip this weekend.....

We had a great time. Raegan enjoyed roaming around the farm and looking at all of the "balls" or pumpkins as we would all call them. She liked exchanging "baa" sounds with the goats, which was pretty funny. Brody had a great time as well. He needed a fun day, and he really enjoyed himself. The slides and "scary" houses were his favorite. He really liked the hayride too. Raegan wasn't that thrilled with sitting still during the ride.

After our visit to the farm, we ate dinner at Fazoli's and headed home. It was a nice night out for our little family of 4! Here are some pictures, of course.