Friday Favorites

 {ONE}

It snowed quite a bit this week, which means I'm basically hibernating.  For some reason, I do this every January.  I don't know if it's because I just want things to calm down after an overly busy December or if it's because I hate being outside in the cold so much!

Our weekends have been booked all month and are booked until March.  During the week, however, I haven't really left the house much, other than for appointments or errands. That's going to change next week, because Dylan will have after school activities twice a week!

On Wednesday, Dylan and Lexie had the day off from school. It just happened to snow late that morning, and it was enough to play in.  Dylan, Lexie, and Lily were so excited, and Liam seemed to enjoy it, too!  They lasted about a half hour, which is pretty much a record for my cold weather hating kids!

{TWO}

I love Valentine's Day, and I definitely have a thing for Valentine's Day clothing! Okay, I have a thing for any kind of holiday clothing!  Liam is all stocked up for the month of February, and the girls have quite a bit, too. I just ordered the CUTEST dress from one of our favorite online shops today: The Hairbow Company. 

I got this dress for Lexie and Lily, and I had to buy an adorable heart headband, too!

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{THREE}

I'm so excited to announce that Liam was asked to be a brand rep for an awesome shop that sells bow ties!  Details (and lots of pictures!) coming soon. I always say I will put my sweet boy in bow ties and suspenders forever, so this is perfect!  I, of course, think Liam is beautiful, but I am SO thankful for wonderful shop owners and companies who are willing to feature a child who has special needs.  Liam is rocking his extra chromosome and has the most contagious smile!

{FOUR}

I recently received the Reese's Spreads VoxBox from Influenster. 

Dylan, Lexie, and I LOVE this stuff.  It tastes just like a peanut butter cup that was put in a blender!  It is so addictive. Lexie and Dylan love it on toast, but my favorite way to eat it is spread between banana slices! It's my favorite snack right now!

I just might have already bought another jar!

*I received this product from Influenster complimentary for testing purposes.

{FIVE}

I started a new exercise program at the beginning of the year. Over the past two years, I did a lot of running and fast walking on paths with lots of hills, some pilates and yoga,  and completed all three levels of T25. 

When my kids went back to school this year, my workouts became infrequent thanks to a crazy new therapy schedule for Liam, followed by the holidays.  I started to lose muscle tone, I started to get frequent headaches, and I always felt tired.  I had a feeling the lack of regular exercise was to blame.

I decided to give Piyo a shot after hearing a lot of positive reviews.  I'm happy to say that I love it!  It isn't too difficult for me, because I'm used to Pilates and Yoga, but it's definitely a good workout.  I can already see a difference in my body after just 3 weeks!  

Even better, I'm not getting headaches as often, and I have a lot more energy!

Just for the record, I'm not a crazy fitness/diet person.  I eat healthy, but I basically exercise so I can maintain my shape, stay healthy, and still indulge in treats. Have you tasted Black Tie Mousse Cake from Olive Garden?  Just saying!.  Ha!

I definitely plan on running again once the weather warms up, but I'm going to mix in some Piyo and weights, too!

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On that note, I'm finally leaving the house today! I've been cooped up in here since Sunday! Happy Friday!!!

I'm linking up with Andrea, Narci, and Erika for the first time for Friday Favorites!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

It's hard to believe that Christmas was almost a month ago! I'm convinced 2015 is already going by quicker than 2014! Thanks to my lack of free time, I'm just now getting around to posting about our amazing Christmas.

We had the best Christmas this year!  It just felt like life couldn't possibly get any better!

We kicked off Christmas Eve by making our gingerbread houses.  My mom bought my kids a kit that contained 4 mini houses, so it was perfect for my family!






I don't think we made gingerbread houses last year, because it ended up being a lot more work for me.  This year, Dylan, Lexie, and Lily completed their houses with minimal help from me!  Liam, of course, preferred to eat and watch what everyone else was doing!




After we cleaned up the gingerbread houses, the girls made some reindeer food to use that evening.  We use a simple recipes: oats and edible glitter!



The boys wanted nothing to do with that process!




By that point, it was afternoon, and Lily and Liam fell asleep.  Dylan wanted to play, but Lexie decided to help me in the kitchen.  We had cornflake wreaths to make and cookies to bake.  Lexie impressed me so much, and ended up doing most of it herself!  I'm so glad I have a new baking partner! 





We had a fun, productive Christmas Eve morning and afternoon at home. The only thing that would have made it better was if Grant was home, but unfortunately, he had to work.   Hopefully he can stay home next year!

As soon as he got home we all got changed and went to my sister, Andrea's, house for Christmas Eve dinner and presents. 

It was the smallest Christmas Eve celebration our family has ever had. Unfortunately, our other siblings had other plans, but we still managed to have a great time!  My parents were there and Andrea's in-laws were there.  It really is a fun group of people, and my kids had a lot of fun playing with my nephews, Brady and Brandon!







If you ask the kids, they will tell you their favorite part of our Christmas Eve get together is the gift exchange!  We always do it after we eat, then send the kids on their way to play!





The big hit of the night was Lily's Frozen boombox from Annie and her family!  She opened it, and immediately got quiet.  Grant took it out of the box, handed it to her, and she took off to another room.  Within a few seconds we heard her belting out a song, in the dark!



Liam was so happy all night!  He had a smile on his face at all times!





The evening flew by, just as it always does.  I always end up reminiscing about when my parents, siblings, and I spent all of Christmas Eve together.  Time flies. Even though I miss the old days, I'm also thrilled that I still get to spend Christmas Eve with them, now with my family included!



By the time we left my sister's house, it was pouring down rain.  We drove to see a house that was featured in the paper (we weren't too impressed), and discovered a fantastic new neighborhood on the drive back.  It was so nice to look at all the Christmas lights with my family!

Our final stop of the evening was at Grant's Nannie's house.  We end Christmas Eve at her house every year!  We love spending time with Nannie, Grant's mom, and Grant's Uncle Scott! 

We eat (I have to admit, I'm a huge fan of Uncle Scott's homemade eggnog.  It's my favorite part of the Christmas Eve food spread!), exchange gifts, and have some awesome traditions with the kids!





After we ate, Grant and I gave the kids their Christmas Eve bags.  The only gifts the kids get from us is on Christmas Eve.  Everything else is from Santa and relatives on Christmas Day. I love how Liam's tiny gift bag is almost as big as he is!

 

Dylan's favorite gifts were his new xbox game and T-shirt, Lexie loved all her art supplies, and Lily loved her Disney Princess Klip Klop horses.  Liam just loved the wrapping paper!  Just keeping it real!

After they opened their gifts from us, Grant's mom gave them their new ornaments.  She does this for them every year and they really look forward to see what she chooses for them!  This year, Dylan got a guitar that plays music, Lexie got the Polar Express bell (she was obsessed with The Polar Express this Christmas), Lily got Rudolph with a light up nose, and Liam got a 2014 ornament.




Finally, it was time for our final tradition:  Christmas Eve pajamas.  I think the older kids are just as excited about their new pajamas as they are about their presents!  As soon as they open them, they run off to change!








Before long, it was time to go home.  Midnight was rapidly approaching, the kids were getting tired, and Santa still had to visit our house.  We said our goodbyes and headed home!

As soon as we got home, we rushed into our before bed Christmas Eve traditions.  The kids sprinkled reindeer food in our yard, put out milk, cookies, and carrots, and hung their new ornaments on our tree.




Grant and I tucked our sweet babies into bed, kissed them goodnight, and sat down to relax for a few minutes.  We both talked about how much we enjoyed Christmas Eve this year and how it felt like the best one yet!



It was such a wonderful Christmas Eve...and shortly after the kids drifted off to sleep, Santa arrived!

Liam at 16 Months

Liam Dayne
16 Months
16 1/2 lbs
29 inches



Milestones:  Cruising one handed and playing more while standing up, without holding on.  He is getting very close to walking independently!



Tooth Count:  5, with 2 on the way!!! He has his bottom middle teeth, two top molars, and one bottom molar.



Eating:  3 meals a day plus 2-3 snacks.  Drinks milk and water from a straw cup.  Nurses morning and night.

Favorite Foods: Bananas, Cereal Bars, Yogurt Melts, Mandarin Oranges, Gerber Graduates Curls, Tapioca Pudding, Macaroni and Cheese, and Pasta with Marinara Sauce.



Sleeping:  I have NO complaints.  He sleeps 12-14 hours straight through the night, takes 1 long nap in the afternoon, and falls asleep during car rides/errands!



Sounds/Words:   Mama, Dada, Hi, Uh-Oh, No, and Papa.  He makes a lot of sounds, babbles constantly, and seems to be repeating a few 2 syllable words that we can't decipher yet.  He occasionally signs Eat and More. He will also bark when he hears a dog bark.



Likes:  Eating, nursing, snuggling, reading books, playing, getting into things he isn't supposed to touch, speech therapy sessions, cruising from room to room, playing with his siblings, and taking baths. Bath time is his absolute favorite!



Dislikes:  Messy diapers, feeling cold, getting his face wiped, being forced to do things he doesn't want to do (PT sessions!), and bumping his head. These never change!

Favorite Toys:  Play kitchen, Leapfrog Cook and Play Potsy, Little People, Fisher Price Incrediblocks Train, vtech drum set, foam letter mat, Mega Bloks, shape sorter, our ottomans and play table and chairs (to push around!), and books.



Nicknames: SuperLiam, Miam, and Little Dude.





Health:  Liam doesn't have any health issues, and we are incredibly thankful. However, over the past week,  he got sick for the first time in months.  He got REALLY sick.  He went from perfectly fine to really sick in a matter of minutes, ended up being transported from Urgent Care to the Children's Hospital ER by ambulance, and was diagnosed with Croup, RSV, and Bronchiolitis.  We have never had a child that got that sick before. His fever never dropped below 103 for days, went over 105 on many occasions, and he didn't want to eat or drink.  After a visit to Urgent Care, a day in the ER, a steroid, and antibiotic, 3 strong breathing treatments, 3 visits to his pediatrician, and round the clock breathing treatments at home, he is finally getting better!!! 




Early Intervention: Occupational Therapy once a week, Physical Therapy once a week, and Speech Therapy once a week.  Each session is for one hour, and the therapists come to our home.  We love his therapists!

Wearing:  Mostly 3-6 months clothing, and starting to wear some 6-9 month clothing.  Moved up to size 3 diapers and size 2 shoes. His doctor said he's the size of an average 6-7 month old boy.  He's so tiny!



Personality: This sweet boy is pure love and pure joy!!!