Santa Baby

I finally got around to taking pictures of Olivia in the Santa costume I had used for Jack on his first Christmas.

Jack was 8 months back in 2007 and Olivia was about 5 1/2 months. Kind of cute to see the comparison and that Jack had two little teeth in his picture...

Sliding

Today Steve, Grandpa Johnson, and I took Jack sliding for the first time. He got a new sled for Christmas, so with all the snow, we just had to try it out. Jack absolutely loved it and didn't really want to leave, but since we live so close to the hill we promised him another trip back.

The Christmas that never ends...

I know several of us had mentioned this, but this year seemed like the Christmas that never ended. We had started last Sunday at the Johnson's, then Wednesday night was at Grandma & Grandpa Battaglia's. It was another round of eating dinner, opening presents, and leaving with a car load full.

Christmas eve morning I woke up with the flu and spent all day on the couch. Steve took the kids back up to his parents so they would have something to do while I felt terrible and tried to get some sleep. Christmas day I was feeling a bit better so we went over to Great-Grandma Johnson's house for lunch then back up to Battaglia's for dinner.

Then, because the big Battaglia Christmas celebration had been postponed due to all the snow we got, Satuday we headed to Battaglia's in Duluth. Not everyone in the family was able to make it, but it was good to see those that did. In the evening we went back to Steve's parent's house to celebrate with his aunt and uncle from the cities.

And finally, today, Jack went with Steve's parents up to Great-Grandma and Grandpa Battaglia's to visit. He came home with yet another load of presents. I wonder if Jack will wake up again tomorrow and think it's another day of presents??

Christmas Program

They held a Christmas program at the daycare that Jack and Olivia go to, in which Jack performed a few jingles. I was pretty worried that he would be shy and once he saw me in the crowd he would coming running, but that was not the case at all. He was actually quite the little ham and stepped out in front of the kids to wave to Mommy, Grandma, and even his friend Easton. It was hilarious and I had tears in my eyes because I was laughing so hard. After each class took their turn singing, Santa came. Unfortunately, Jack was terrified and wouldn't even get within 10 feet of him.


Video was a bit hard to get because I wasn't super close, but this one is ok. It looks like Jack really isn't singing the words too much, but you can see about half way through he leans forward and spots his grandma's sitting in the second row (which he seemed to think was pretty funny).

Sheer Excitement

Last night we opened presents at our house since Jack is still too young to know what day it is and the next few days are going to be so busy.
Really there were only presents for Jack to open and a few for Olivia, but Jack opened them as well.

I just wanted to share these few pictures to show how happy Jack was to get something with Mickey Mouse on it.

Johnson Christmas

Tonight we celebrated Christmas with my immediate family over at Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's house. We had dinner and then opened presents. Jack got a ton of stuff as usual and of course wanted to play with everything right away. He also helped open almost everyone else's gifts.



And Olivia did a great job just hanging out in the bouncer, sucking on her toes, most of the night. She actually had all 5 toes in there at one time.



And our first family photo of the holiday. I'm sure there will be many more to come...



Thanks Andrea for letting me know your little secret on how to do these pictures :)

Christmas Cookies

This afternoon Grandma Johnson came over to make Christmas cookies with Jack and I. Jack was a little whiny because he wanted to do everything himself and just sit and eat the dough and frosting. I actually looked over at one point and he had a heaping spoon full of green frosting in his mouth.

All and all the cookies turned out great, considering they mostly done by a 2 year old!

Olivia - 5 Months

Today Olivia is 5 months old and unfortunately isn't feeling well. Early this morning I got a call from daycare saying Olivia had a fever of 102 degrees. I had to go pick her up and she can't go back until her fever is gone for 24 hours. It looks like she will be home with Dad tomorrow.

In the past month Olivia has started eating more baby foods and of course her favorites seem to be applesauce and pears. We are going to try to branch out to some of the vegetables next week or so. Jack never seemed to like them, so I want to be good about trying to get her eat them.

She is also starting to sit up a lot better. Not completely on her own yet, but she can sit for short periods with pillows by her. It's hard for her to get practice sitting by herself when her big brother runs around the living room like a maniac.

The beginning of the Christmas season...

I want to start off by saying I love, love, love this time of year and really couldn't wait to start decorating. Last Sunday we went to pick out our tree in Mahtowa at this place where you can cut down your own. We have gone there for the past few years and Grandpa Johnson cuts down our tree with his chainsaw.


Once the tree was all up we got lights and decorations put on it. Sorry I couldn't reach the top to get the tree topper on...so I think Steve will have to do that.


This picture is a bit dark and blurry, but Jack wanted to pose for the camera near his stocking.


Jack seems to be very excited this year. He loves all the lights, santas, and snowmen. I am excited to see him sing in his Christmas program at school. They told me today that he is the loudest singer in his class. I'm just hoping he won't freeze up when it comes time to sing in front of an audience.

Bentleyville 2009

Steve and I have been to Bentleyville in the past, but this year was quite different. Being held downtown Duluth at Bayfront Park it was much larger than years before and it was our first time bringing Jack. Tonight was the opening night so it was quite busy, but we decided to go since there is still no snow. Jack was all bundled up in the stoller with snow pants and boots, so he was nice and warm. Then we were able to walk around and get hot chocolate and cookies. They also had marshmallow roasting, but we decided not to take part in that.



I'm pretty sure at some point in the next month we will be bringing him back down there since that is what we had to promise him to get him to leave :)

Happy Thanksgiving

This year we had a very busy Thanksgiving. We headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Battaglia's house in the morning to visit with uncle Tim before he had to work, then over to Grandma and Grandpa Johnson's for lunch. At around 2 we headed down to Forest Lake to visit the newest addition to the Battaglia family. Dan and Erin had their baby girl, Braxton Christine Battaglia, on Wednesday, so they were stuck in the hospital for Thanksgiving. I must say, she is quite the cutie, and reminded me of how small Olivia was just 4 1/2 months ago. After getting back from the quick trip, we went back over to Battaglia's for dinner.

Burning Energy

Yesterday, I took Jack to Twin Ports Gymnastics in Superior to their preschool open gym, so he could burn off some energy. I've heard it is a fun place for kids and decided to give it a try along with Katie and Quinn.

At first Jack was a little shy, but quickly got into it once he went on the big trampoline. After about 20 minutes he was fearless. They had a giant foam pit, balance beams, mats, balls, and as I stated earlier the big trampoline. Needless to say, with Jack's energy, I am lucky he didn't break his neck.

The best part about it is that it is only $3. So if you are looking for something to entertain kids, I would definately recommend it. That being said, I'm not sure how often we'll go back given that Jack tends to have a bit of a listening problem and was pretty wild.

Christmas City, Wonderful City...

Tonight we decided to take the kids to the Christmas City of the North Parade in Duluth. It was in the 40s, so we decided it would be a good year to give it a shot. It was so busy trying to get into Duluth, but we had easy access to my work parking lot and with a pass were able to park within 2 blocks of the parade route.

At first we were about 3 rows deep, but a group of people right in front of us left about 25 mintues in, so we ended up almost right in front. At the beginning Jack was terrified of the really loud bands, but once the floats started to come - he warmed up to the idea. Olivia just sat completely still and quiet for the entire hour and half that we were there. We were pretty surprised, but I think she just really enjoys being outside.

Olivia's First Solid Food

Now that Olivia has hit the 4 month mark we decided to start trying to feed her some solid food. Tonight we started out with just a bit of rice cereal with apple juice and she really wasn't that pleased with it. The funny story with dinner tonight started with us putting Olivia in the highchair and Jack crying and crying claiming he wasn't going to eat. So we just carried on with dinner and when we were done we took Olivia out of the chair. At that same time Jack stopped whining and ran over to get in the highchair. Even though we told him it was only for babies he insisted on getting in. Once he was in there - he ate his whole meal. Hopefully he gets over this phase soon.

Beautiful Day

Even though it was only 35 degrees this morning, it was beautiful outside. The sun was shining so I decided to bring Jack outside to get some fresh air. We played basketball, baseball, climbed in and out of the wagon 100 times, and even raced to the fence and back. For some reason he beat me every time :).

Then after Olivia woke up from her nap we decided to bundle her up and go for a walk with the dog. Olivia really enjoyed being outside and being able to sit up in the stoller and watch. She didn't make a peep the whole time and was completely content.

Deer Hunting 2009

Steve left for deer hunting last Friday night after work and was expected to be gone all weekend. On Saturday I went shopping with my mom as usual and then met up with my aunt, cousins, and grandma for dinner at Applebee's in Cloquet. Once I got home I talked to Steve and found out that he had shot an 8-pt. buck. Pretty exctiting considering he got a new rifle last year and ended up coming home empty handed. On Sunday Steve decided to come home a bit early since he got one, but will be heading back out on Friday night again.

Here is a picture of Steve and Jack next to the deer in the back of the truck. Jack really wasn't too keen on hanging out next to the dead deer.

Dr. Appointment - 4 Months

Today I brought Olivia to her 4 month check-up. Her appointment was at 9:30, so I brought her to my work beforehand since they hadn't seen her since she was born.

The doctor said everything is progressing like normal and that she is a very strong and alert little girl. Maybe that can be attributed to the fact that she has a very wild and noisy 2 year old little brother whom she is constantly watching. We were told that in the next few months we can start feeding her some cereal and other soft baby foods.

Her growth stats are as follows:

• Height: 25 1/4" (83%)
• Weight: 14 lb. 8 1/2 oz. (70%)
• Head: 16 1/2" (75%)

It's exciting to see how quickly she is growing and how much she changes every week. Compared to Jack at 4 months - Olivia is 1/4" taller but weighs a little more than 2 pounds less. Maybe she'll be tall and skinny like her dad :)

Olivia - 4 Months

As of today Olivia is 4 months old. In the past month she has started to roll back to front and been just starting to reach for things. She is doing a much better job holding her head up and steady which means she is ready to start eating cereal and some other soft baby foods. On Tuesday she will go to the doctor, so I will post her stats then, but for today - here are some 4 month pictures.

Love My PJs

Jack got a new pair of pajamas and he is really in love with them because they have Mickey Mouse all over them. I just thought they were so cute I had to share.

Halloween 2009

This was the first Halloween where Jack actually enjoyed getting candy and dressing up. Ok, so he didn't really want to get in his costume after his nap, but he soon found out that being a Tiger would get him treats. Olivia on the other hand, didn't know the difference, but of course we still dressed her up in a little pink leopard costume for some cute photos.

We left home around 4 and headed out to Scott & Jayme's where Jack, Steve, and I all scored one of her yummy oreo ghosts. P.S. - I ate all of mine and part of Jack's when he wasn't looking :)



After that we headed around to all the grandparents and great-grandparents in town and then back home by 6 so Dan and Katie could bring the girls over to go trick-or-treating. Steve decided to take Jack along this year, but wasn't sure how far he would make it. Surprisingly, Steve said he did very well and after about 40 minutes came home with a whole bucket full of candy.

5th Anniversary/School Halloween

This post is kind of two part since today was an eventful day...

It was Steve and my 5th wedding anniversary and it's hard to believe that we have been married that long already and have lived in 2 different homes and now have 2 kids.

Our intent was to celebrate by going out to eat at the Pickwick in Duluth, but in the past few days I have developed a cold where I can't smell or taste. So we decided we would save Pickwick for another time and just ended up going to Applebee's. Regardless, it was nice to get away for a few hours.


Also, today was the Halloween party at Jack's school. All the kids get dressed up in their costumes and parade around for the parents and then there are a bunch of games and treats for the kids afterwards. Jack was still feeling a bit tired from being so sick, so he wasn't really to into parading around. He mostly just wanted to be held by Mommy and of course eat treats.

Here is a picture of Jack in his Halloween outfit that he wore to school today. Of course I had to add a few fun little images to the picture.



Then here is Olivia in her outfit for school with her little pumpkin onesie and striped tights.



Before I went to the party I made 15 treat bags for Jack's class. Since they were all out of Halloween party bags at the store, I opted for making my own with brown lunch bags and a little orange and black paint. They were pretty basic and nothing too special, but still fun to pass out to the other kids.

H1N1

This past week has been a very trying week in our household. Last Thursday when I picked Jack up from daycare he felt a bit warm. I gave him some Tylenol and put him to bed hoping he would wake up feeling better. As luck would have it, he woke up with an even higher fever, runny nose, and a terrible cough. After 4 full days of a101-103 degree fever and a cough they have classified as croup - we came to the conclusion that he must have had H1N1. Thankfully Olivia didn't get it and I only got the cold part of it (no fever).

Magic Broom?

So, Steve called me at work today to tell me that he heard, because of the Equinox, you could take a broom and stand it on its bristles and it would stand on its own. I didn't really believe him, so I told him to try it and send me a picture. He did...and it actually worked. Now I'm not sure if this is really because of something with the planets or if you can just really get a broom to stand on its own. Hmmmmm?!?



Maybe you should all try this at home :)

The Wiggles

A few months ago Steve and I found out that The Wiggles were coming to the State Theater in Minneapolis. Since this is one of Jack's favorite shows, we decided it would be a good opportunity for us to take him to his first concert and stay over night in a hotel without the baby. We asked our friends Dan and Katie if they wanted to join us with their daughter Quinn, and they agreed to come.

We left around noon on Saturday, so Jack could nap in the car on the way down. I just have to share this picture of him napping because A.) He looks like he is about 4 years old and B.) He insisted on leaving his hat on the whole ride with his ear sticking out.



We checked into the hotel, downtown Minneapolis, around 3pm and just hung out in the room until Dan, Katie, and Quinn arrived. The theater was only 1 block away so we waited to walk over to the concert until about 15 minutes before it started. We had pretty good seats on the floor level and were nice and close to the aisle. The concert lasted about 1 1/2 hours and Jack and Quinn seemed to do pretty well. Jack sat for quite a while on Steve's lap in amazement, but then ventured to the floor for some dancing.



Once the show was over we headed to The Hopscotch Grill for dinner. Of course Jack didn't eat much because he and Quinn were too busy playing around on the big corner booth we had. After dinner, it was back to the hotel so Jack could get to bed.


On to a completely different topic - this weekend Olivia also started rolling back to front. Now every time you lay her down on her back, she almost immediately rolls over. Hopefully she starts to like being on her stomach because we can't keep rolling her back.

Pumpkin Carving

Last night I went and bought some Halloween stuff and Jack was pretty excited to see it. So this morning we decided to make our first attempt at carving a pumpkin with him. He was interested for a while, but didn't seem too into cleaning out all the messy stuff. He kept asking us to wash his hands. So, Steve ended up carving the pumpkin by himself at the kitchen table.


Good job Steve - I think it turned out pretty good.

Spin Class

So, as most of you know I joined the YMCA in Duluth a few weeks ago. My intent was to workout on my lunch hour, so I didn't need to worry about doing it before 5am or in the evening when Steve is gone and I'm exhausted.

Things have been going to pretty good and on Friday I took my first 'Spin' class. For those of you who don't know what 'Spin' is...it's basically cycling on a stationary bike. The class lasted 1 hr and in addition to pedaling really really fast you do, what the instructor called, hills and pyramids. Switching gears and standing like you are seriously pedaling a bike up a big giant hill. Needless to say I thought I was going to die and my legs were killing me after...but I have heard it is a very good workout, so I'm hoping to stick with it at least once per week.

Olivia - 3 Months

It's hard to believe that Olivia is 3 months old all ready. She is smiling and cooing more and more every day. She is also close to rolling over from her back and has already done it a few times from her front. We are still getting up with her about once per night, but otherwise her night sleeping is getting better and she's actually taking a few longer naps.

In the past month she has also started daycare at the same place that Jack goes in Esko. It's nice having them go to the same place and Jack usually wants to go down to Olivia's room to "see his baby sister."

Here's a picture I took of her this last week...

And a link to her baby website... Olivia's Baby Website

Potty Training

This week marked the start of potty training Jack. We really haven't been pushing the issue since he's had a lot of recent adjustments with the new baby and everything. But last Monday when Jack woke up his diaper was dry, so I asked him if he wanted to try going on the big potty. Oddly enough he said he did...and he actually went potty. We mentioned it to his teacher at daycare, so they've had him go a couples of times as well. We'll see how it goes as I suspect this will be a long journey.

Olivia's Baptism

Today we had Olivia's baptized after mass at Queen of Peace. She was pretty good and only fussed a little bit while they poured the water on her head. Afterwards, we had our families over to grill.


And this was just a fun picture of Jack eating his huge popsicle yesterday.

Things I've Discovered...

There are a few cool things I have discovered in the past month or so...

Etsy.com - I know I have posted about this before when I bought Olivia's hat, but I just wanted to reiterate how much I love this website. Not sure why...becuase I am totally not the type of person to like homemade things. Maybe it's just because it is someone else's homemade items I'm buying. My most recent purchase from there were these baby leg warmers. They are great because they can be worn with just a onesie, under a dress, or even on your arms - and will be great to protect Olivia's knees when she starts crawling.

I am also in love with some of booties that people make on there. Although I have yet to buy any I look at them regularly just waiting for Olivia's feet to get a little bit bigger. A few of my favorites are:

The Halley Baby Shoe - The Vintage Clothespin

The Camille Baby Shoe - HomeSpun Threads

The Eva Baby Shoe - ivory & moss

The second thing I discovered while surfing around Etsy was a link to this blog - Thrifty Decor Chick. She shares good ideas for ways to paint and decorate your home...something I wish I had more time to do. Anyway, I really like what she did with the molding/paint on her staircase in one of her most recent posts.

Congrats Bryan & Jacie

Yesterday Steve, Jack, Olivia, and I attended my cousin Bryan's wedding in Leif Erickson park in Duluth. The weather was beautiful and it was a pretty ceremony overlooking Lake Superior. The reception followed at the Depot and we were able to tour the train station, which Jack really enjoyed. After dinner, the dance started and Jack was dancing like a maniac. He was so tired out by about 8:30 we decided to head home. Steve and I both said we think that is the first wedding we have attended where we have actually been home by 9...but I guess that is what you get when you have 2 kids.

The Miserable Flu

On Monday night I started feeling a bit sick before I went to bed and woke up shortly after falling asleep with one of the worst flu's I have ever had. I was throwing up for almost 24 hours, missed 2 1/2 days of work, and really didn't eat much in 4 days except for saltine crackers and Sprite. Then Wednesday night, Steve woke up in the middle of the night with the flu bug as well. He was lucky enough to only throw up once, but still had to miss 2 days of work as well as 2 football games. Luckily neither of the kids have gotten it since that would be really terrible.

Sadly enough this is the third time I have had the flu in 1 year. Steve and I are starting to joke that I must have no immune system left.

Olivia - 2 Months

Today Olivia is 2 months old and she had her doctors appointment this morning. Everything went well and she is growing properly. Her growth stats at this point are:

• Height: 23 1/8" (79%)
• Weight: 11 lb. 12 1/2 oz. (76%)
• Head: 15 5/8" (76%)

Compared to Jack at this age, Olivia is just a little over 1/4" taller, but weighs about 1 pound less.



On a side note, yesterday while Jack was taking a nap, I went upstairs to check on him and found this...



Prior to falling asleep, it looks as though he decided to color his bedroom wall with crayon. Wonderful!

Labor Day Weekend

We had a very busy Labor Day weekend and there is a lot to share...

We had been looking for a smaller camper for some time now and were just waiting for the right one to buy. Well a few weeks ago we came across this little travel trailer on Craigslist, but it was down in Iowa. Steve and I decided immediately that it was the right camper and, most importantly, the right price. We contacted the guy and drove down the following day to purchase it. All and all it was a 12 hour drive round trip, with a 6 week old baby, but it was well worth it for what we got.



We decided this would be the perfect weekend to try it out and make sure everything was running smoothly. We had first intended to head up to Grand Marais, but shortly before the weekend, realized they had no spots available. Turns out Labor Day weekend is a much busier weekend for camping than I had thought. So, after calling, all over the state of Minnesota, we found a place in Ham Lake. My parents joined us and we left Saturday morning. After getting our camper all set up we just hung out and then while Steve and Jack took a nap, my mom and I ran to do some shopping in Coon Rapids. I found the fabric below for my mom and I to make Olivia a dress. Now we'll have to see how it turns out later...





On Sunday, we all got up early and headed to the State Fair. Steve and I were excited to eat all the different foods and Jack enjoyed some as well. Between the three of us we had deep fried pickels, a pronto pup, french fries, lefsa, a blue snow cone, Sweet Martha's cookies, and a gyro. Our most important destination was to see the John Deer tractors and the animals. We were able to see the largest boar in MN as well as the goats, sheep, horses, and cows. Jack also got to sit up in the tractors and didn't want to get down.



Afterwards, we went back to the campground and again while Jack and Steve napped I went shopping. Then after dinner we decided to head back to Cloquet rather than spending the night. It was a good weekend and now Steve is back to school tomorrow.