9 months

height: 29 3/4 inches (95th%)

weight: 21 lbs. 8 oz (76th%)

head: 90th%

And one tough little guy!! 

Where does the time go?? The more kids I have, the faster time flies, and I feel like I don't get to sit and enjoy every second of it like I did with my first. I'm always in awe as to how much changes in just one month. During Cal's 8th month he started crawling. . . everywhere (the earliest of all 3)! Luckily all of my kids have been pretty good about sitting and playing in one area for awhile - especially if I'm sitting there with them. Cal's definitely busy, but not into everything . . . yet! :) A few things to document from his 8th month:
- He goes from tummy to side to sitting (love finding him sitting up in his bed when I go into get him)
- Slept his first 12 hrs straight - I usually only get 10 or 11 hr stretches out of him, so I was excited!
- Top two fangs came in
- Moved up to big boy car seat
- At 9th month check-up we were given a green light on food - basically the sky's the limit! I went home and immediately made Cal his 1st pb&j. He LOVED it!
- Not nursing as much. Makes me sad. These past 9 months have really flown by and I'm not ready for him to be done.
- Pumps his arms when excited- especially when reading his favorite books: Trains, Wheels on the Bus, Mommies say Shhh, Peak-a-Boo Baby. 

Cal's such a handsome, happy little guy. He smiles on cue for the camera and continues to be the peacemaker of the family (cause honestly- who could be in a bad mood when you have this adorable face to look at:)!?!

Christmas Day 2012!

Totally magical! My giddy school-girl excitement woke me early (4:30am) and I couldn't help but do my traditional "sneak out" to look at the tree. Luckily I was able to get back to sleep (even with how excited I was about my new stroller- I just got back in bed and planned out my morning run)! When I was younger Tish and I would be up all night. Seriously! We'd wake up anywhere between midnight and 3am and just hang out in our bedroom (well, with sneaking out to peek at the tree at least once) until 6am (when our parents allowed us to get up). Thankfully our kids slept a bit longer than 6am. When they get older I know we're gonna have to set a time rule, but for now when they were up at 6:45, we were too! 

Don't let Madi's serious face fool you - she was thrilled to open her new diary with lock! She was pretty darn excited about those fins behind her too (she learned how to swim this past summer from borrowing some from a friend).

At first the girls were a bit confused when stockings weren't hanging by the chimney. For a minute they figured the Grinch had been to our house! I think Santa must have wanted all the gifts to be together (for picture taking purposes of course)! Santa had left notes with each stocking:

Santa really is pretty awesome- taking the time to write such sweet notes even with how busy his night must have been. Mr. Elf left a note as well (written on a picture that Madi had drawn of him and left by the tree). Boy are we gonna miss having Mr. Elf around. The girls had such a fun time searching for him each morning. 

After reading letters, the kids dove into their stockings:

After stockings we all got dressed, ate a little breakfast, put Cal down for a nap, and then about 10am I loaded the girls up to try out my new double Bob!! At 4:30am (when I first saw the stroller), I'd already started making plans for my morning run. It was the prefect plan to run over to Boppi and Grandpa Al's with the girls and have Spencer head over once Cal woke up. And what a run it was! This stroller pushes like a dream - at one point I was running, while talking on the phone, pushing one handed! Amazing! By the time we got to mom and dad's everyone was done with breakfast and ready to exchange presents. We went first with a BIG surprise for mom and dad! Spencer decided to get them a new cat! He and Madi picked it up Saturday morning (the 22nd) on their daddy daughter date. "Kitty" (who has yet to be named) lived at our house for a few days and we all fell in love (Spencer especially)! He's a super good kitty and we're sure is going to make a perfect addition to the family!

Look how happy and content he is right here! Such a snuggly kitty! Bummed I never got a pic of Kitty with the kids before we brought him over to Grandpa Al.

The kids had fun opening presents from Grandpa Al and Boppi. Cal was quite entertained by it all!

Realized later that I didn't get many pictures while we were over there. But at least I caught Spencer getting in on the unwrapping action!

I had so much fun watching my little guy on his first Christmas!

When it was time for Cal's second nap, we headed home. While he napped we let the girls open their presents under the tree. Well, we actually took breaks in between each one. The kids each get four presents from us - something they need, something to read, something they want, and something to wear. Works out quite nicely if you ask me.

Elle was super excited to open her "want"!

Once it was opened, she needed some time to set it all up and play!

Luckily Madi also needed some time to play with her present!

Spencer was super excited about this gift and it's been a fun thing for them to do together. They've already been out at night checking out the moon and distant planets!

After a little break we came back together and let them open their "NEED"!

This was taken after they unwrapped all the presents inside. These art kits are stocked to satisfy all their crafting needs (I was getting a little tired of them using up all my good paper)!

Cal's gift was a "need" and "want" combined. Spencer's been dying to get Cal some trucks!

And he made out BIG this year!! Pretty sure he won't be in need of any new trucks for awhile. Next gifts are gonna be trains!

The last presents of the night were opened at 7pm! I could hardly believe how late we stretched present opening this year. Below: something to READ (sorry so fuzzy - we were all tired after a long day full of lots of excitement)!

It was a fabulous day! We felt so very loved and spoiled by our parents and grandparents. How blessed we are to have so many wonderful family and friends. Oh, and I probably ought to mention my (other) big gift from Spencer:

He's oh so very good to me!!

Christmas Eve and the Nativity

Something about Christmas Eve always brings out the excitement of the season for me. I have a list of ideas for traditions I hope to start once our kids are a bit older (once we're out of the nap time/early bedtime stage). Acting out the Nativity has always been one of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions, and in the future, I hope to make it like a play with actual speaking parts, lots of songs incorporated, etc (gotta remember to get a copy of the script that Karlee wrote). 

While the girls got into costume, Cal hung with his Grandpa Al. It wasn't long before they were both fast asleep (pre-nativity cat nap did wonders in making for a perfect baby Jesus:)!

Elle first requested to be a lamb, but eventually gave in and agreed to be Joseph. Madi, of course, was Mary and had to remind us why she couldn't smile for the pictures: "because Mary is delicate". Thanks to Uncle Michael for volunteering to play the donkey - giving Mary and Joseph a fun ride into Bethlehem!

Uncle Morgan (shepherd), Aunt Jocelyn (angel), and Aunt Corinne (wise woman):

Cal wrapped in "swaddling clothes", laying in the "manger":

Bringing forth gifts. . .

The whole crew:

Grandpa Al reading the traditional "T'was the Night Before Christmas" story:

Then we hurried home for jammies and Santa letters:

I SO love the excitement that Christmas Eve brings! 

Pre-Christmas

December has flown by much too quickly for my liking. I can hardly believe that Christmas has already come and gone. Each day seems to pass faster than the last and all the events that I wanted great documentation of are now beginning to blur in my mind. Makes me so sad when I'm not able to document as I'd like to. I have a lot of catching up to do, so here goes a brief summary of pre-Christmas activities....

Dec. 14th: Spencer cleaned up my Dad's old train and got it working again. Calvin fell in love! We put it around the tree and Spence would make sure he and Cal had "train time" every night (how Spence loves having his boy to do "boy things" with)!

Dec. 15th: Family shopping for secret Santa gifts. It was fun to have this project to stress the importance of giving and thinking of others, but the shopping part with all three kids was so not fun (Madi and Elle one-on-one are total sweethearts, but put em together and you get complete craziness)!

Dec. 15th (evening): Our Gingerbread House started out as a family affair, but then kids got tired, Spencer got possessive, and ended up working on it til midnight putting on the finishing touches. I sure loved watching his concentration while creating this masterpiece (Spence has ten times the creative juices that I've got - so NOT fair)!

Final Product!

Dec. 16th: Christmas cards - which always turn into such a huge project!!
Dec. 17th- 20th: Cookie making (another huge project)- Peanut butter balls, sugar cookies, and m&m cookies! After two nights of frosting and decorating til 11pm (alone), I got a little burnt out and shortened my list of cookie plate receivers. Cal and Elle joined me during the week for visiting teaching and cookie delivery. Thinking about doing something easier next year.

One afternoon I let the girls decorate their own sugar cookies. I had such a great time watching them make their own creations, that I began to think that cookie plates might just one day be a bit easier - once my girls are old enough to really help.

Dec. 17th: Went with the whole family (Boppi and Grandpa Al included) to see the play The Best Christmas Pagent Ever. It was interesting. Not something Spencer would have chosen, but we had a personal invitation from Chet Thomas and it was free. I personally thought it was a good experience for Madi and Elle, plus it was great to see the Thomas family!

Dec. 18th: Madi's Mother Goose Play was an absolute riot! I had a such a great time listening to her and her classmates recite nursery rhymes while incorporating actions, songs, and their darling personalities. It was a fabulous show! Madi made one adorable Little Miss Muffet (and yes, she was in love with her costume)!

Madi was beyond thrilled when she heard her daddy was taking the morning off of work to come to her play.

Elle (who's currently going through an awkward smile stage) was super excited to watch her big sister perform. We joined Madi in her classroom afterwards for a cast party!

Dec. 21st: Primary Activity- Caroling at an assisted living center followed by ice cream party with Christmas movie at the church.

It was at the ice cream party that I realized Elle wasn't feeling good (got her ice cream and never took a bite of it). This was the start of the dreaded cold (terrible cough, runny nose, stuffy head, etc) bug that's been going through our house (I'm still not feeling 100%).

Dec. 23rd: Spending time with extended family is always a treat during the holiday season. Corinne, Morgan, and cousin Bailey (14 months) got into town on the 18th, but because of busy schedules, it wasn't until the weekend that we really got to hang out with them. Then Joc and Michael got in late on the 22nd. Although the driving back and forth from mom and dad's gets a little tiring, we love being able to join in on all the fun!

Nov 23- Dec. 24th: Waking up to discover where "Mr. Elf" had hidden himself was a daily treat!

December is always such a busy month. But despite all the busyness, I sure tried my hardest to make it a magical month for my kids.  I made sure we read Christmas stories each night before bed (lots of the feel good ones from the Friend), listened to tons of Christmas music, watched Christmas movies, talked about Jesus, and looked for ways to help or serve others. But for some reason, it never really felt like Christmas to me. There was even a moment when I was longing for snow - just to help it feel more like Christmas. Luckily, the magic did happen for me and our Christmas was wonderful (post coming soon).