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Sit down, Spencer! |
'Tis the season! We ventured out to the Domain for outdoor fun pre- and post-cousins' pizza and enjoyed seasonal decorations and musical entertainment.
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We've heard the tales, but we've lived in Austin, Texas for 4 years and not once seen the miracle of snow. Alas, our time came! It was pretty darn exciting for these kids who had never seen snow before and had been in short sleeve shirts just a few days earlier.
not pictured: the actual snow falling |
We got sooooooo much snow that some actually stuck around until the morning! (Not pictured: Gabi who slept in.) Ethan had SNOW much fun...get it?
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It was like a Texan in a snowstorm:
More adventures in Ethanland this month:
Don't ask; don't tell. | 
special boys time at fro yo |
the obvious place to play catch | 
after a MUCH needed haircut |
Adventures in babyland:
Ummm, Spencer, your chest is hanging out. | 
It got quite chilly there for a few days. | 
Why play in child watch when you can watch swim lessons with Mommy? |
Maggie doesn't quite seem too sure why she's letting him get that close either. |
For the most part, Spencer William is a super happy baby. As long as Mommy is around. And paying attention to him. At all times.
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With his signature happy dance, here is said happy baby:
LOVING the swings:
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We fit into the beautiful sweater handknit (for baby Ethan) by Aunt Sandi!
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On December 24, big Spencer turned 10 months old. We have good news and bad news.
Bad news:
- Spencer still wakes up two times a night (to nurse). This is very exhausting.
- He has developed this perfectly irritating, ear-piercing high pitched scream whenever he wants to emote or communicate just about anything.
- Spencer will not be spoon-fed purees. Don't try it. (BUT, see good news.)
Good news:
- Big man got extremely interested in table foods this month and eats most of what we eat, feeding himself like a big boy.
- Spencer is able to stand for a few seconds at a time and can push a walker across the room.
- He can now drink from straw cups.
- The /n/ sound has been added to his vocal abilities. On repeat. Good news for Nana.
- The shiny glimmer that we've been watching under his gum FINALLY popped at the end of the month, and tooth #3 arrived!
- I am extremely grateful to still be able to breastfeed Spencer before naps and at night. My other baby boy was no longer interested in breastfeeding at this age, and I am thankful to still get this experience with Spencer.
- I am truly grateful for the extra 1-on-1 time I get with him while the other two are in school a few mornings a week that I didn't get with my other baby boy.
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when Mommy tries to take a picture of my new drinking skill, but I know how to flash a smile... | 
Look what I can do! |
| (For an added treat, listen for the whiny middle child demanding his mother's attention in the background. AND note the buncin' bronco 1-handed move around the 45 second mark.) |
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<<----Mommy could have stopped it. It was bound to happen at some point. He was pretty darn proud of himself. |
In one more month, this little lady will turn half a decade old. She loves asking questions, learning, and exploring. She wants to help in the kitchen and make sense out of letters and language. Gabi enjoys anything crafty, building, and can sit for hours at the coloring table. She also can be intentionally obnoxious, annoying, bratty, and defiant. Sigh. Luckily for my future self, I don't record too much of the latter.
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Gabi makes her own breakfast. Her typical breakfast is multiple bowls of fresh spinach with shredded cheddar cheese, no dressing. Yes, you read that right. |
Chanukah left us with some projects for this creative spirit to work on. She loved every one! (Good thing too because we had no school and a baby with morning naps!)
Lego Moana's Island Adventure (with some VERY TINY pieces) |
no-sew quilted butterfly (in progress) | 
DONE! |
We had some ridiculously warm and beautiful weather for December. So we enjoyed it with cousins!
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Being that we had winter break from school at the end of the month, we had to stay creative with activity and adventure. To the duck pond!
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We were very excited to come across some young ducklings to observe. |
melts my heart, sigh... |
More outside adventures:
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More winter break distractions - a box!
Sigh - these darn kids are going to cost me a lot of money in canvas printing expenses. |
Box fun doesn't get old. |
Just hanging out around the house:
"Can you take a picture of me?" | 
#laundryday | 
aka #everyday |
Baby playtime:
harmonious parallel play | 
Uncle Jon doing his thing |
Nicole Alexandra: whiner, ferocious tiger, sitter of tables
#getdownnikki |
Then there was that time right at the end of the month when my children were literally playing "No more monkeys jumping on the bed." And one fell off the bed. And then we called the doctor (because he wasn't walking on his foot). And we ended up in the emergency room to take x-rays. All clear, no broken bones. No more monkeys jumping on the bed...
(Aunt Sandi suggested that he learned his lesson by getting special-mommy-time and watching unlimited TV.) |
I leave you this month/year with the following 2 videos. I thought the first moment was cute, so I recorded it. And then the second moment happened. (brought to you by our recent watching of "The Little Mermaid")
In 2017, our family was completed with the birth of beautiful Spencer William. We celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary. And we have thousands of pictures and videos captured of the chaos in between! Happy New Year, bloggers! See you in 2018.
