3o minutes of bundling up

15 - 20 minutes of outside time

=

John not being a fan of the snow. It was so deep that he couldn't even move his legs. He was not thrilled and it was the first time that I had seen him happy to come inside. I guess we'll try again another time.

A Christmas Break Day with Mom

Started with Starbucks (Mom got gifts cards from students!)

We went to Hobby Lobby to buy letters for John's room. I was going to decorate letters that spelled his name right after he was born...16 months later I am getting to it. John also said "Hobby Lobby"! It was more like "Obby, Obby". I'll post pictures when the letters are completed.

This is John after he woke up from his morning nap...not such a good mood!

BUT...he was better after a pudding snack!

I decided to do some last minute Christmas gifts.

I tried to cut John's hair and let's just say...it didn't turn out. He ended up looking like the Dutch Boy on the paint can. So he got his first big boy hair cut at Fantastic Sams. He really didn't like it but he sat there very well and he got a sucker after it was all finished.

He looks so handsome! He really looks like a toddler now. We drove around with Daddy in the afternoon to deliver gift baskets for church.

Time for bed! He said "Elmo" and we watch Elmo before going to bed. We had the sweetest moment (John and I). I laid down by him and he just cuddled up to me to watch TV. It was precious. I love that kid!

A wonderful day!

The New Baby Book

The new baby book has been bought! John's baby book is based on Eric Carle; so to keep the idea of "children's books", we went with a baby book that is based "Guess How Much I Love You". This is one of my favorite children's books. If you haven't read it...I would recommend it!

Christmas Time = Family Time

I am so excited for Christmas! A huge part of this excitement is that I get to see my brother and sister in law! They live in North Carolina, so we haven't seen them since July! I am so excited for John to get to hang out with them. They haven't seen him since right before he turned 1 and he has changed so much. We have been talking about them coming home at our house A LOT. John will now say "Ott" and "M" for their names. They haven't ever gotten to see me pregnant either, so I am excited for that. I understand why they are in NC, but we do miss them here in MO. Maybe some day we'll live closer together. I love them so much and I am so blessed to have them as siblings. I hope everyone else gets to enjoy their family as much as I do!

I should also put in this blog that I apologize for not blogging lately. My bad! John has been sick. About a week and a half ago, he was hit with an ear infection, a cold and swollen gums from teething. It was a rough week, but he has finally gotten back to his normal self.

Today, Matt put in the Sound of Music (he secretly loves that movie). John danced and sang to a lot of the songs. He even got up on the coffee table and did a dance to "Goodbye, Farewell" and "Edelweiss". It was quite cute and we were both excited that he likes that movie!

My little Huck Finn...what a cutie. Today has been a hard day. My lower back is killing me and the baby is sitting on a nerve that sends shooting pains down my leg. Sometimes my leg is even numb...it is so uncomfortable. I talked to the doctor and nurse. They seem to say the same thing...take it easy, sit as much as possible, take a warm bath, and try to not lift your son as much. The last one kills me. I already know how fast this time goes, so to not be able to hold my son as much as I want is so hard. This pregnancy is so different than John's. I didn't realize how easy his was until this one. I have so many more aches and pains with this pregnancy. I know it is so worth it, but man...it is hard this time around. Okay I am finished complaining...just had to get it out.

My little darling has learned to climb. He used the books to climb up on the end table. After I moved the books, he moved his learning music table in its place and climbed on that. Smart little cookie!

Tonight I accomplished something...my first semester of Master's classes in my cohort. It was such a good feeling to walk out of that classroom and know that I don't have to tackle another semester until January 13th. When looking back, there were some really hard times throughout this semester. Times when I wasn't sure if I could balance everything...but I did and I got through it. When looking back, I really did learn a lot and feel even more prepared to be in a leadership position. It seems that I was just getting the hang of it and now it is over for a short time. Next semester will be challenging, because we will be adding a new baby to the mix. I am anxious but I have hope that I will make it through it.

I really couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband. He listened to me grump, gave me hugs when I was in tears and stressed, told me "You can do this", gave up all of his Wednesday evenings to make sure John was taken care of, edited my papers, and was just there to listen. I know that sometimes he had to be thinking....why did we decide she should do this, but he never let on that I might not be able to do it. He is so supportive and that is one of the reasons why I love him.

Over a month of relaxing...how nice is that?