December Memories

It's a Monday afternoon, and I should be working. Technically, I am off of work on Mondays, but I often use my Monday's as a cleaning, grocery shopping, cooking, laundry, working out, organizing and catching up day around the house kind of day. Especially, knowing that I will get a lot of 1:1 play time with the kids during the upcoming week, as Kyle works most evenings and this upcoming weekend. Instead, I am sick with the stomach flu. Aside from getting the kids off to daycare and doing a few loads of laundry, I have been in bed trying to nap and sipping on ginger ale.

One of my New Years resolutions is to blog more often, but the nights go by so quickly! I truly love this stage of life. We are thankful for our 2 healthy, active kids. I love our laid-back mornings letting the kids be my alarm clock, eating breakfast together, and watching Sesame Street. Our evenings fly by as I try to make a point of putting a homemade meal on the table, enjoy some more play time, and bathe both kids each night. I love rocking Macey to sleep each night and reading a few Bible stories to Micah before he falls asleep. By the time that Kyle and I (or just I on evenings that he works) finish cleaning up the kitchen it's nearly time for an episode of House Hunters before falling asleep.

Now that I'm trying to rest up before the evening routine begins, my options include watching TV or online CEU's for work or catching up on some much needed blog updating!

Our immediate Raadt family was able to enjoy a great December together. The month began with Kyle and I going on a last minute cruise to the Bahamas. We both had the week off of work several months ago, and were planning to do a Winona "staycation". When my parents found out about our plans, my mom insisted we go somewhere warm. So, 2 weeks prior to leaving, we found a great deal on a 5-day Bahama's cruise.

Our boat - Royal Caribbean, Enchantment of the Seas

One of the many fabulous meals onboard

We seriously used the Cruise to relax and enjoy some time alone together. We sat out on the deck or beach a lot, I read 2 books, we used the work out center, swam, enjoyed all of the wonderful food and drinks, and took in the entertainment offered by the Cruise each night. There were a lot of other couples our age on the cruise.

The weekend that we got back, we decorated for Christmas, and Micah and I tested out a new cut-out cookie recipe.

The kids' daycare/preschool had their Christmas program in mid-December. Both kids did awesome. Micah was a lamb and was happy to stand up with his friends and perform his songs. Macey rode in on a wagon with her friends.

Macey tried to climb out of the wagon when she saw Micah

Micah and Macey's Grandparents came over to Winona for their Christmas program, and afterwards we all had dinner at our house. We attempted to get a few Christmas pictures, but the kids were clearly not interested!

We've used our sled a few times this past December.

On December 23rd, Kyle and I took the kids up to the Macy's display in downtown Minneapolis. The kids did great considering the long car ride and all of the crowds.

Micah had planned to tell Santa that he wanted a train table for Christmas, but then became a little shy when it became time to meet Santa.

We stopped for supper on the way home, and Macey had her first taste of Noodles and Company

We spent Christmas Eve in Northfield with the Raadt side of the family, while Christmas Day was celebrated in Stewartville with our immediate families. The kids received many, many great gifts - I am still trying to find places for everything in our house! We had to travel back to Winona on Christmas Day, as Kyle and I both worked on the 26th. Santa did not let us down though, and Micah received the train table that he wanted.

My dad had set up his Lionel train set from his childhood for Micah

The kids received a lot of musical instruments. Some were from Goodwill, but they were new to them. Both kid received a keyboard/piano, Micah got a drum, and my Uncle brought all of these shakers and bells that he and my mom used to play with when they were children. Nonetheless, we have been making a lot of music at the Raadt house!

The weekend after Christmas, we were up in the cities for Kyle's cousin's wedding reception. We also celebrated Macey's 1st birthday. See last post. Kyle and I also attended our last Viking's game in the dome. Here's to outdoor football for the next 2 years!

New Years eve was laid-back. We spent the evening with our neighbors, although I did not get any pictures from that night. I think that we were home by 10:00, and both fast asleep by midnight.

We enjoyed 2013, but are looking forward to 2014. Like I mentioned, my goal is to blog more often about the small things that make up our daily lives versus the monthly update on the kids. I also am determined to get our house more organized!

Happy Birthday Macey!

Happy first birthday to our sweet, sweet little girl. "Little Miss" actually turned 1 at the end of the December, but just today had her 1 year appointment. Thankfully, Kyle was able to join me at today's appointment, as the one year appointment is the cruelest one when it comes to shots and a blood draw. Additionally, our little peanut and her daddy have been sharing a lot of germs lately, as both have been sick over the past week. Kyle likely had influenza earlier this week, and it's seems to be taking a long time running it's course. Our pediatrician feels that Macey has RSV, but we elected to refrain from the testing. We simply felt that a deep nose swab would probably put her over the edge after 3 shots and a blood draw that was unsuccessful. The course of treatment wouldn't change either if she were to have RSV. Now, Macey and daddy are both taking afternoon snoozes and Micah is at daycare for the day. The house is completely quiet!

Macey did have a much, much better 1st birthday on December 28th. We were up in the cities for the weekend celebrating Kyle's cousin's marriage. She and her husband were married in a small, private ceremony in October, but the reception was on Macey's birthday. We made a weekend out of it, and stayed in a hotel with a small Micah and Macey sized water park near the Mall of America. We got a lot of swimming in and did a lot of Macey's favorite which included walking in the hallways and climbing stairs. We also ate a yummy lunch and stopped at a cupcake shop to get a cupcake smash in for Macey. It was great to be together as a family!!

Before

During

After

Micah enjoyed his cupcake too!

My sweet, confident little girl. I love you sooo much!

Macey continues to change a lot! We love her determined personality, her curiosity, and the fact that she still loves to cuddle for a few minutes each day. It's so hard to believe that 1 year has passed, as the memories of snuggling with Macey during last years snowy winter are still vivid in my mind.

1) A big girl! Macey topped the scales at 23# 8 oz (80%), 31" long (95%), and a head circumference of 18.5" (90%). She's wearing size 4 diapers, and just barely squeezing into her 12-18 month clothing. Most of her pants are "capris" these days.

2) Sleeping has been a little rough over the past week as not only has Macey been sick, but she's also teething. Some nights she's up 4 times. We have really been trying to refrain from taking her out of her crib, but recently she has needed to cuddle for a few minutes before going back to sleep. I'm optimistic that this will improve over the next few days.

3) Down to 1 bottle/day which is before bed. I'm finishing up all of our formula, and don't anticipate buying anymore. During the day drinks whole milk and water from a sippy cup. Unlike Micah, who was very picky about sippy cups, Macey has no preference.

4) Loves to eat! She is my little carb fanatic too! She loves bread, pasta, pancakes, muffins and yes, sweets. Other recent favorites include cottage cheese, string cheese, clementines, pears and apple sauce. Vegetables are hit or miss.

5) If Macey hears me pouring goldfish or dry cereal into a snack cup for Micah, she is right there holding her hand out for a snack cup too.

6) A motor maniac! Walking at different speeds, trying to run to keep up with Micah, squatting down to pick up toys or crumbs off the floor and yes, doing A LOT of climbing.

7) Gravitates towards music. Both kids like it when I put Pandora on. The kids both received a lot of musical instruments for Christmas, and have a little "band". Naturally, it does seem that Macey is very interested in what Micah is playing with, and tries so much to interact with him. We now keep Micah's door closed or baby-gated off, as Macey would easily clear his train table.

8) Gets excited about Sesame Street - especially "Abby's Flying Fair School" jingle. She will clap her hands, turn circles, and dance when it comes on.

9) Does not like getting dressed after her bath. I don't know if she gets cold in the process, but she generally screams, kicks, and tries to flip over onto her stomach. Getting her pj's on seems more of a wrestling match.

10) Car rides were also traumatic for Macey until we turned her seat around a few weeks ago. We used to plan our long car rides around her naps, or I would end up sitting in the back with her. Now that she's forward facing, she loves it!

11) Has overall been healthy, until this past week! We did find out that Macey has a heart murmur, like her daddy and uncle Paul. They will monitor it over the next year and if it persists more testing will be done.

12) Has a lot to look forward to over the next few months including Micah's birthday, a weekend in Wisconsin Dells with Kyle's family, a play date with the Chamberlains, and a lot of grandparent time. In April Macey will transition down to the toddler room at daycare.

Macey will be getting 1 year pictures taken within the next week by the amazing Amanda Kelley. I can't wait to see how they turn out!