Happy Holidays 2012

Happy Holidays & Merry Christmas...wow, I've been absent for longer than anticipated.

2 days before Christmas, Bryon and I realized that we hadn't taken Maks on a trip to see Santa.  I bounced back and forth with this for quite some time because we aren't teaching Maksim to believe in Santa Claus.  We do, however, celebrate the Holidays with presents and family time. And, as Bryon pointed out to me, he has a picture of himself on Santa's lap when he's nearly 20 years old (and clearly not believing)...so there's nothing wrong with a harmless photo with the big guy!  So, we put Maks in his Holiday jammies and ventured down to the Boardwalk.

(Maks did get a quick photo with Santa, but it is already packed away with our tree and other decorations - which Bryon boxed up and put in the garage just yesterday.  I'm thinking it's in my best interest to not request that he go and retrieve the photo after he kindly put everything away without me even asking!)

He's not too sure about that unfriendly reindeer.  At least Kira wags her tail and greets him with a kiss!

"Oooooh, I'll take one of these!"

Although it was overcast, it was plenty warm enough to leave coats/hats/mittens behind.  In fact, most have been boxed up since we left Minnesota.  I've been enjoying our warm winters for the past 4 years.

I don't miss the cold and snow of the Midwest throughout the winter months.  But, the lack of all things wintery (evergreens, snowfall, icicles and a neighborhood full of twinkly lights) made me feel as though we needed a little bit of "The Holidays" in our own home.  We aren't too big on decorating for the seasons.  It's hard enough for us to decorate in general!  Our tree is pretty "natural" - aside from the white LED lights, we only add pinecones.  (Hey, at least we have a tree!  That was a battle I won when we first moved to TX!)  We generally add 1 photo ornament per year - something that highlights the biggest event of the year...an engagement photo, a picture of Kira's 1st year with us, a wedding photo, etc.  However, this year I decided to get a little crafty instead.  Here's what I came up with to capture Maks' first season:

No, Maks does not have two right feet.  What he does have are kicky feet.  It was far less messy for me to paint one foot than it was for me to paint them both.

Reindeer thumbprints for Daddy, Mommy and Maksim!

Bryon receives nearly two weeks off during the Holiday season this year.  He came home early on the 21st and besides needing to work for 2 random days, he doesn't return to the office until January 7th.  Well, he'll be leaving on a jet plane on the 7th, but you know what I mean. Anyhow, he needs to stay close to home since he's technically on call, so there is no traveling for us this season.  We've spent a lot of time being lazy at home...ahem, which is also known as a full-time job.  Bryon is now fully aware of how time and energy consuming it is to watch after our son 24X7.  I'm appreciating having help round the clock!

Maksim was bound and determined to find a present underneath our tree!

Here are our littles enjoying a present or two on the morning of the 25th.  Maks scored big with...wait for it...spoons and bibs!  Ha!  We needed them.  It was a quick way to check some items off our shopping list...

I knew the kid would be far more interested in the wrapping paper anyhow!

Check out this thoughtful gift that my cousin sent Maks in the mail: organic, earth grown crayons.  Totally up our alley!  Little crayons for little hands, shaped like flowers, chili peppers, ears of corn, strawberries, carrots, etc.  I couldn't have thought of a more perfect gift myself! THANK YOU!!!

Stockings!!!  Maks was naughty, so he didn't get anything in his stocking.  We shoved him inside of it instead.  

Now onto our other "little."  Kira wasn't about to be fooled by silly presents.  She knows a good gift when she smells it!  In fact, I almost had to carry her upstairs on Christmas Eve because she could smell her knuckle bone that I'd wrapped and placed under the tree before bedtime.  And, believe me, Kira has no problem breaking the "do not open until Christmas morning" rule.  She also got a nice, new Kong leash.  The leash was essential because she loves walking with me and Maks, and her old leash is thinning to the size of dental floss.  Her big score, however, was a stocking full of squeaky tennis balls.  She generally only receives one ball at a time.  Once it gets dirty enough in the backyard, we throw it away and give her a new one.  She was completely overwhelmed when her stocking was full of tennis balls and she was able to play with them all...at the same time...INSIDE the house!  Kira loves Christmas.

We plan to give Kira a new ball every month or so throughout the year, so we needed to find a place to store the extras after she played with them inside on Christmas Day.  They're currently sitting inside of a basket, on top of our washing machine.  She knows it, too.  She'll sit with her nose on the door to the laundry room and whimper...this has been going on for nearly 10 days. She'll never give up.

Finally, Maksim's "real" present.  IT  WAS A HIT!  I bought him a swing and we installed it inside of our home.  Right now it's too cold to get much use of it when it's outside, and in the heat of the 110 degree summer I doubt we'll be using it on a regular occasion either.  So, inside is perfect.  We use it ALL OF THE TIME, and Maks just loves it!  

I hope you all enjoyed the Holidays, however you spent your time!  Happy Holidays 2012!

Happy Holidays 2012!

Set your piggies free!

Warning: this is photo overload.  Grandma Judy loves herself a baby playing with his feet.

Someone has rediscovered his feet.  I'm particularly fond of this for a number of reasons. Like, he can't throw his own foot across the room and then cry that it's no longer within reach.  And, it's impossible for me to forget to bring his feet along with on our trips across town.  Win, win.

Maksim holds onto at least one foot throughout the majority of our walks now.

  
Sometimes only using one hand just isn't enough fun.

Let me tell you, this kid is proud of his piggies!

He'll gladly show them off to you, if you ask (and if you don't).

The best part...remembering you've got a 2nd foot right at the bottom of the other leg!

Complete with toes and all!  Not a bad deal!

Feet aren't just fun during the day, either.  These fun toys are ready for playtime 24 x 7. Even during an intense episode of Dinosaur Train (part of his nightly wind down).  Look at how seriously he takes his Dinosaur Train time; he's in the zone!

No need to look at what he's doing...

This kid's a pro!

There's nothing like a bedtime snack!

 And there's always room for seconds, too (just in case the right foot tastes better)!

 And thirds (just to make sure you remember how the left foot tasted).

Finally, here is the song I've been singing to Maks since he was a newborn.  It's a favorite at our house.  Maks has never worn shoes (and it'll probably be quite some time before he does since his daddy is adamant about avoiding them), rarely wears socks/tights/booties (didn't have any until it got cool enough to need them when we went outside), and in general loves setting his piggies free!

Oatmeal, Walnut and Cranberry Cookies

I LOVE these cookies.  I made 40-some over the last weekend and Bryon said he'd try to make them last "a couple of days."  He has NO PORTION CONTROL.

Oatmeal, Walnut and Cranberry Cookies
(makes 10-12)

Ingredients

• 1 cup quick-cooking rolled oats
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/3 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon molasses
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Combine the dry ingredients (not including the fruit and nuts) in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and stir to combine.  Fold in the dried fruit and nuts.
3. Using your hands, make tablespoon-sized balls of dough.  Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet and press down slightly to flatten the tops.  Bake for 8-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Transfer to cookies to a baking rack to cool completely.

*slightly modified from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Life*

Thanksgiving, in review

The weather was lovely over Thanksgiving break.  It was perfect for walking outside and enjoying the fresh air!  (In general, Maks and I walk a lot - at least 3 times every single day.)  What a nice change of pace it was to have Bryon cruising the streets alongside us!

Maks continues to eat more than I can possibly imagine he has room for in his belly.  As he approaches turning 7 months old, I'm already wondering how I am ever going to be able to fill him up once he's a teenager!

He LOVES bananas!

Sorry for the blurry image, but we started our Thanksgiving weekend mornings with dance parties.  (Pausing for a quick, impromptu picture wasn't expected.) 

Take two is a bit better.  Give the kid a moment to realize he's getting his picture taken, and he'll slap on a nice, big grin!  

4 days in a row with Daddy at home is exactly what Maksim was longing for.  He's only just started to allow us to snuggle with him...I think our (Bryon and myself) combined snuggle experiences to date is a whopping 3 different occasions.  Our fingers are crossed for more in the near future.  (Please, please, please!)  We just can't seem to contain Maks long enough for him to get comfortable with either of us!  His mind set is always: GO, GO, GO...full-speed-ahead!

Pre-bed snuggles with Daddy

I am OH-SO-THANKFUL that our first girl gets along so perfectly well with our first boy. Watching them interact makes my heart happy.

Caught in the act!

"Nothing to see here, Mama.  Carry on."

Maks is officially on the move.  He's on all fours and pulling himself up into standing positions. In fact, I'm usually finding him bear crawling on his hands and feet.  Goodness, does this child have to accomplish everything so far ahead of schedule???

We didn't make Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Instead, we spent our time spreading our love.  Just as fulfilling and no clean up required!

And visiting the park...

And making friends...



And finally, some Black Friday shopping!  Daddy picked up a couple of Samsung Galaxy S III phones for $1 each.  Looks like we'll be sending back our iPhone 5's which arrived in the mail the day before and pocketing our saved cash!  Welcome, Android.  (Please don't make me regret turning my back on Apple.)

Actually, scratch that idea of pocketing anything.  I'm certain we found plenty of other things to spend our savings on!  For example, since when did vacuums top the list of fun things to buy when they go on sale?  I can't wait for our new Dyson to arrive in the mail!

Maks was a trooper!

Post-nursing smile while Daddy picks up a deal in the store! Nothing like a new vaporizer for restful nights of sleep! 

Whew!  This shopping business is EXHAUSTING!  C'mon, Daddy - let's take a break!

Not a bad 4 days.  Is it just me, or does it seem like as soon as the vacation is actually over...you're only just finishing your to-do list and contemplating the idea of taking a moment to relax?  Why do vacations ever need to come to an end?  

Fast Forward

Here's a bit of an update to get y'all up to speed on what's been going on down here!  I ran in to some trouble with the amount of memory that my photos were taking up on my blog, so I had to come up with another solution...which took some time amongst everything else I (try to) do on a weekly basis!  So, blogging has taken a back seat for the past couple of weeks, but hopefully I'll get back into the swing of a daily routine before we all lose our minds!

Kira has become quite the babysitter.  She keeps her eyes on Maks at all times.

And she teaches him the best ways to play with toys!

"Just like this?"

"Oh, now I get it!"

"Check this out, Mama!  I'm just like our girl, Kira!"

We've been spending some time finally putting together a "real" room for Maksim.  The 12" deep queen mattress that he's been sleeping on (which we moved to the floor after he was able to scoot/crawl) is just a little too high for my liking.  Although he's mastered the art of gracefully dismounting (ahem, yes, this took time to accomplish...thus, the padding on all sides of the bed in the photos), getting back into bed once he's out is still an obstacle.  He'll stay in bed throughout most nights, but during daytime naps, I'll often find him in conspicuous locations.  I've failed to capture the majority of these on film, but here are a few that I have managed to catch:

1st nap of the day.  "Geez Mom, I'm getting a little old for this queen size bed!  Time for an upgrade!" 

2nd nap of the day.  Still not digging the whole 'stay on the mattress' idea.

Cute as a bug though, right?

Another day, same story...with a surprise!  Look who sat himself up on his own!  Mind you, this is about 35 minutes after he was put down for a nap.  He wasn't making a peep; I just happened to need to go upstairs and found him like this on my trek down the hall.

"Napping is for babies!"

After researching our options for a natural mattress, we finally made our decision and patiently waited for it to arrive via FedEx.  It still baffles me how you can go through the trouble of purchasing a non-toxic product and then they wrap it in plastic!  We let it off-gas for a night before moving it into Maks' room.  He doesn't seem too concerned with the downgrade from a queen to a twin bed (probably the only time in his life we'll be able to pull that off!).

How I wish we lived in a community that supported non-toxic/natural products!  Online shopping is not something I'm fond of when I don't exactly know what I'm searching for.  When it comes to all natural decorating, designs/styles are limited!  And, even online, the pickings get slim quickly when it comes to eliminating toxins.  I mean, we found boatloads of organic cotton mattress protectors, but they were backed with PVC to prevent ALL leakage.  Don't worry; after digging deeper into the www, we found ourselves an 100% organic merino wool puddle pad.  We just always seem to end up paying a pretty penny once we finally find what we're looking for!  But we're working towards something we believe in for the first years of Maks' life, and hopefully these items can be reused with any more children we (might) have in the future.

We're still waiting for the other miscellaneous items for his room to arrive.  (Holiday backorders are becoming my worst enemy!)  A 100% wool area rug, a real sheepskin throw rug, photos I had developed for a wall display, and a rocking chair - to name a few.  It's a work in progress, which is especially frustrating because we only have 10 months left in this home.  I'm guessing that as soon as we finally finish, it'll be time to pack our bags and move on to our next adventure!

For now, playtime is calling my name!  As soon as the bulk of the items arrive, I'll be sure to show some photos and provide links to any of the useful items we found for making a safe bedroom environment for our boy.  In the meantime, if anybody has any suggestions, I'm all ears!