Kiddie Christmas, Loras Style!

One of our very favorite holiday events continues to be the Loras College Kid's Christmas Party.  The Campus Ministry department puts this event on each year for the children and grandchildren of Loras' faculty and staff.  It's low-key, just the right amount of time for little ones, and a wonderful chance for them to see Santa (for free!) without fighting big crowds or long lines.  We've been so impressed each year we attend! 

 

 

 Dressed in the Christmas best and ready to play!

 

Santa Clause made his big entrance just shortly after we arrived.  Usually we lay back and wait for awhile before we get in line to meet him.  Last year though I remember I was cleaning icing off their faces, putting shoes back on, etc. so this year we kind of made a beeline for Santa and were the second ones to meet him.  Then, we had the photo op out of the way and I didn't care how messy the kiddos got.  ;) 

 

 MJ was first to sit on Santa's lap.  He was just slightly hesitant, but he didn't seem scared.  I think they were deep in conversation.  ;)

 

 Charlotte seemed like she was going to be okay with it until I sat her down and backed away.  This face is just priceless.  Of course I couldn't help but snap a quick pic before I scooper her back up. 

 

 Cooper's first time meeting Santa...aww!  He grabbed a hand full of beard that I had to pry out of his tiny little fingers.  He looks pretty cozy in Santa's soft, warm arms. 

 

 Cooper slept through the whole party...

 

 Santa gives each child a gift box full of goodies.  It's always a big hit! MJ was pretty thrilled if you couldn't tell!

 

The biggest hit for our kids was the balloon artist.  MJ stood in line to get a balloon for each and every member of our family.  He was proud to run over each time with a new balloon creation to give us.  Charlotte loved her heart balloon and ran all around playing with it.  She had so much static electricity by the time we left that her balloon just stuck to her without her even holding it. 

 

We're really thankful for this event and excited our kids had the chance to participate once again!

2 Months

 

Our little Cooper Steven turned 2 months old on December 11, 2013. 

I'm having fun documenting the months by taking pictures this way.  With him being our third baby, I find I'm really struggling to write down his milestones, so by making these chalkboards and snapping a picture, it's an easy reference for me to keep track of what he's doing at each month. 


The biggest change that took place by the time Cooper hit the 2 month mark was that he really began moving his arms and legs a lot.  He started swatting at his toys a bit when lying on his play mat, and his legs are constantly on the move, too.  The smiles continued to be more and more frequent, and he began cooing as well.  All of this of course only took place when he was awake, which didn't seem like it was very often.  He has been one sleepy baby!  It's sure made it easier on me transitioning to be a mom of three, but at his pediatrician appointment I even asked if I should be worried about him possibly sleeping TOO much??  Basically I was told to just count my blessings and enjoy it while it lasts.  No problem! 

Cooper had his two month appointment two days after.  This was his first appointment with shots.  Mat's always been able to go with me to all the kid's appointments, but now that we have three, toting them all to the doctor's office just isn't feasible, so I went solo this time. 

My sweet little guy was a trooper just hanging out waiting for the doctor.  He was cooing and kicking away, and then fell asleep before the doctor came in.  The doc kept commenting on how laid back of a baby he was.  He finally cried a bit when he stuck the tongue depressor in his mouth.  He received a clean bill of health!  He cried his little lungs out when he got his shots, but luckily he stopped quickly as soon as I was able to pick him up and cuddle him. 

Cooper's 2 month stats were 13lbs. 8oz (88%), 22.5in. (24%), and a head circumference of 40.5cm(64%).  He's right on track to be a little chunker like his siblings were.  :) 

Back home and all worn out!  Shots really wear a little guy out...

 

 

All those bandaids on the chubby little thighs always breaks my heart a bit. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful for immunizations, but I just hate seeing my tiny babies get them!

 

Like all my kiddos, and I think most babies in general, Cooper is not a fan of tummy time.  After his appointment though, it served as a reminder to me that I need to at least be trying it with him each day.  So, I propped him on the boppy and then sat next to him as I was drying my hair.  He was very curiously watching me for a few moments, and then I noticed that he was just  really still and not moving.  Not kidding, only about three minutes later this is what he looked like...

Out cold and even snoring!  Ha! 

 



 

Cooper recently discovered the wonderful world of ceiling fans, and this is the face he likes to make when he realizes the glorious apparatus spinning above him!  MJ was also fascinated with ceiling fans.  So cute!!

 

 

Cooper continues to be a pretty easy baby.  He is a cuddler and loves to be held.  He's beginning to like being down on the floor playing on his mat more and more or hanging out in his rock and play just chilling out.  He likes a pacifier when he's tired.  He loves when his siblings give him attention and responds really well to MJ's voice and affection. He's eating on average every 3 hours during the day.  His nighttime sleep is still rather inconsistent.  He goes down pretty easily at night around 8/8:30, but wakes once or twice to eat and there's not a whole lot of consistency as to when. 

 

He even had his first road trip recently!  More to come...

 

 

Missouri or bust! 

Sing a Joyful Noise!

On December 8th, our church had their first kid's Christmas musical.  No one tells you that when you become a parent these little performances will turn you to absolute mush!  Seriously.  Mat and I both sat in the audience with tears in our eyes in awe of this little boy. 

 

 

Lucky for us, he was front and center.  All the preschoolers were first to file out on stage.  We were sitting in the very back since we had Charlotte and Cooper.  You could tell MJ had a bit of a worried look on his face as he couldn't spot us in the audience.

Then, Mat snuck up the aisle to get his attention.  He was all smiles and waves then!

The song they sang was SO cute.  MJ was adorable and was mostly concerned with doing all the motions rather than doing any actual singing.  It was really cute to hear him practicing it around the house though.  The message of the song was that it's all about how Jesus died so that we could be born again!  Loved the melody and the message!

 

 

Baby Dedication-Cooper Steven

We wrapped up our Thanksgiving weekend by celebrating our biggest blessing of the year, Cooper Steven.  On Sunday, December 1, 2013, his baby dedication was held at Hope Church in Dubuque, Iowa. 

This picture was displayed on the screens as we made our way to the stage.  We were a bit nervous about how we'd manage on stage with all three of them, but they did great.  We received so many sweet comments about what a beautiful family we had, and we really appreciated them all.  As the service came to an end and we were singing songs while Cooper slept and MJ and Charlotte had big smiles on their faces, I couldn't help but just close my eyes for a moment, take it all in, and wonder how in the world I was so blessed!

Daddy took a picture of the big kids downstairs as he did the final touches before heading off to church, and

I took a picture of Cooper upstairs as I was getting him ready for this big moment at church. 

 

We were really thankful that our church provided us with these family photos as well as a video of Cooper's dedication.

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Once again, we stayed put for Thanksgiving this year.  Since both of our families had just recently been to Dubuque to meet Cooper, we didn't have any family come in town for Thanksgiving.  It was a quiet, long weekend spent at home with our new family of five.  I use the term "quiet" loosely though, because with a new baby, a busy toddler, and an inquisitive preschooler, life is never really quiet!  It was nice though to enjoy some really special moments together, not have to run around to various places, and spend some time just resting around our own home. 

 

The season of Thanksgiving always makes one express gratitude for the many blessings in life, and this year was no different!  Of course we've been so blessed for the recent addition to our family and we really realize just how lucky we are to have three healthy, happy children.  This is just the beginning of the things we have to be thankful for this year, but in this season in our life, it's certainly at the top of our list!  

 

How can you not be thankful for this lil turkey?! 

 

 

 

It's already hard to imagine our life without this tiny little turkey!  He was wearing MJ's first Thanksgiving outfit, which was WAY too big for him, but of course I had to take his picture in it.  :)  It's so hard to believe that next year he'll be eating turkey with us!

 

 

One thing that I have always wanted to do is volunteer to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter.  Due to travel plans and what not, it just doesn't seem like it's ever worked out.  This year, it had really been on my heart, and I saw an ad posted on Facebook looking for volunteers to help with a long-standing tradition in Dubuque called the Donna Ginter dinner.  They prepare hundreds of meals that they deliver to elderly or other people that are not able to leave their home.  Then, they also serve a meal to homeless in the afternoon. 

 

I thought it would be a good experience for MJ to open his eyes to helping and serving others, so I brought him along.  It was really a special experience for us to do together.  The scenario was different than I'd expected though, and MJ wasn't able to be as hands on as I'd hoped for.  Luckily a friend of mine, Angela, and her son Jackson were there as well, and the boys were able entertain each other during the downtime.  Our role was going through an assembly line and preparing boxed meals to be delivered.  Because it was hot food, MJ wasn't allowed to handle it, but he went through the assembly line with me each time, and I think he gained a general understanding of the whole process.  I'm so in love with is tender and giving heart! I hope this is a trait that will stay with him throughout his life. 

 

 

After our volunteer time, we picked up the majority of our Thanksgiving meal from HyVee.  Thanks, HyVee for making Thanksgiving meal prep a cinch for this busy and tired mama!  I made homemade mac and cheese and pumpkin cake, but the rest of our meal was courtesy of the good ol grocery store.  I still had to bake it all, but it sure made it MUCH easier on me!

 

Once all of our little turkeys were awake from nap time, it was time to take a few pictures and get to the good part...food!

 

 

 

Aren't they all just the cutest?!  How blessed I am to be their mommy!

 

I recently inherited Grandma Dorsie's china set, and I was very thankful to be able to use it to set our Thanksgiving table.



Part of our centerpiece was MJ's thankful tree that he made preschool at church.  The leaves represent things he told them that he's thankful for.  :)



It's not truly Thanksgiving without pumpkin cake!

 



This was Cooper's spot as we all ate our Thanksgiving meal.  He had a nice yummy meal of milk, of course.



Daddy helping get the kid's plates ready.



The perfect end to my evening as I sat and held a sleeping Cooper on my chest while the other kiddo's watched a Christmas show on TV.

 

 

The next day, it was time to haul out all the Christmas decor.  I was really excited to decorate for Christmas as a family this year.  In my mind, I had this really picturesque idea of how it would go.  Let me just say that reality really set in this year, and my picturesque view was really nothing like it went.  Ha!!  Between stopping frequently to feed Cooper or soothe him to sleep, Charlotte who can tear apart a room in a minute, and MJ who was very impatiently waiting for each decoration, it was a long and tiring process! 



MJ's enthusiasm was sure sweet though.  He could not wait to begin the decorating!  He was really good at helping with the tree this year. 

I turned on Christmas carols on Pandora, and that seemed to keep Cooper happy for quite awhile we decorated the tree. 

Little Miss Charlotte even helped with a couple ornaments before losing interest...

and finding more stuff she could get into and spread ALL over.  ;)



MJ liked to hear about each ornament, and he declared this train ornament, which we gave him last year, his favorite. 

 

After a day full of decorating, we got cleaned up and in our Christmas gear...

Although she doesn't keep them on long, Charlotte is really into all things girly lately like bows and bracelets.  

MJ was SO excited to get his Christmas shirt on for the first time this season.  He was quickly off to play with his Polar Express train.  

 Even little Cooper was full of smiles in his Christmas outfit. 

 Sweet, sweet girl

We then bundled everyone up, packed up the kiddos, and headed downtown for one of our very favorite Dubuque traditions.  Santa and Mrs. Clause right down the 4th Street Elevator each year to kick off the Christmas season.  There is Christmas music, hot cocoa, and cookie decorating for the kids.  Then, at 6PM the whole hill at the end of 4th Street lights up with Christmas lights, and Santa and Mrs. Clause board the elevator and slowly make their way down the hill.  They are greeted by lots of eager little ones, and they do such a great job making their way through the crowd and shaking hands of all the boys and girls. We just love this event!

 

Cooper made his first appearance at this event by being all snuggled up next to mommy in his wrap.  I couldn't live without this wrap.  It's so great for carrying him and keeping him nice and warm and happy right next to me. 

MJ was anxiously trying to get a glimse of Santa.  Later, Santa shook his hand.  We have such great memories of the first time we brought MJ to this event.  It's neat to see his development from year to year.  Here, he's holding his Polar Express bell in his hand.  :)

Last year Charlotte was snuggled up in the stroller, but this year Mat and I pulled her out of the stroller once Santa was on his way down so that she could get a better view.  She wasn't too sure of it all really, but I'm guessing by next year she'll be even more into it. 

After watching Santa, we piled back into the van and headed over to Reflections in the Park.  This is Dubuque's drive-through light display.  They do such a great job, and we enjoy it every year.  Cooper was really impressed as you can tell.  Such a sweet baby!

 



We wrapped up our Thanksgiving weekend by completing all of the decorating the following day.  I was SO excited to put up this decoration.  This ceramic tree was made by Grandma Dorsie 1976.  I used to love seeing this tree in her house each and every year. Since grandma passed away, we hadn't found this tree and just assumed that it had been given away, but this summer when my grandpa was moving, mom discovered it boxed up in their garage, and she gave it to me.  I am so honored to have it in my home now!  MJ was really excited to place all of the lights in the tree for me and we enjoyed lighting it up together.  It was a really special moment.  

Finally, our tree is done and proudly displayed in our front window! 

 

Merry Christmas!