My Family Christmas

We traveled to my family for Christmas, on the actual Christmas Day.  We could only stay for part of the day because Mr. Fixit had to work the next day.  So, we gathered for presents in the morning, had a most delicious grilled pork loin lunch and then had to travel back.  "L" was taking a little nap, so "K" really cashed in on opening presents!

Mr. Fixit was helping him open his gift from Grandma and Grandpa.  He received a new fleece pj!  We were very excited, because has outgrown all his other warm, winter jammies.  Santa also stopped and brought a puzzle for "K" and some soft, busy blocks for "L."  It was certainly a Merry Christmas!!

A Full House

Christmas at Mr. Fixit's family grew by 5 more babies this year, 1 more in-law and several girlfriends.  I did not count the crowd, but I would be willing to guess that we had close to 70 people in Mother's house before the festivities were all said and done.  Your next question likely is, did you all fit?  Yes, we sure did, creatively, but we did fit!

Mr. Fixit's Mom has picnic tables, card tables and chairs that remain set up in the basement.  The tables are covered with cloths, and ready for family gatherings.  The pool table is used as the food serving table.  Scads of plates, silverware and napkins are stacked nearby.  Two-liter bottles of pop and an ice chest filled with ice, sit atop the freezer - high enough to keep little kiddos out and the perfect height for pouring.  Don't forget to write your name on your cup!

I snapped a picture from my corner of the basement floor, while present opening was occurring.  I was trying to give a sense of how many folks were gathered to celebrate.  Hope you can get that sense from this shot!

Six Months!

Half a year has past since baby "L" entered our lives!  It has been quite the six months, and I never would have thought that two babies could be quite so different, considering they have the same Mom and Dad -- and are both boys!  So here is the latest about our six month old:

*"L" can now sit by himself!
*Still no teeth, but "L" sure enjoys rice cereal.
*Green beans were the first vegetables that "L" has tried.
*"L" is a fan of music, and takes naps to my Ipod of lullabies!
*Rolls across the room.
*Sits in the highchair and said good-bye to the bouncy seat.
*Still working on the sleep thing, but getting better!
*Current weight - 17 pounds 14 ounces - 50%ile
*Current length - 28 inches - 90%ile
*Current head circumference - 17 inches - 50%ile

We are looking forward to another month of learning fun, and I personally hope that crawling is on "L's" list of goals!

Mr. Fixit's Family Christmas - Featuring "L"

"L" was the second little guy to open his present!  He really is the third youngest, but one of the little guys several months younger than him was not at Great-Grandma's, so he only got to watch one opener before his turn.  Really, it worked out quite well, because "L" was completely satisfied with trying to eat the paper on his gift!

"L" received some super fun stacking cups, which can be stacked on top of one another, inside each other or fit together to make balls.  "K" has been enjoying this multi-purpose toy too!  Thank you Grandma!

Mr. Fixit's Family Christmas - Featuring "K"

The Saturday before the actual Christmas Day, we traveled to Mr. Fixit's family for our annual soup and snack celebration evening.  Here is how it works: each family brings a snack to share (I brought sugar cookies) and we enjoy soup, by candle light, prepared by his Mom.  There was tons of tasty food, and the evening was a fantastic memory!

Grandma purchases gifts for each of the 23 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.  So, we enjoyed watching each unwrap his or her gifts, from youngest to oldest.  Our little guys were near the beginning of the unwrapping line-up.  Mr. Fixit was "K's" unwrap assistant.  Thank you Grandma for some yummy food, and a fun gift too!

First Christmas

"L" got some really cool jammies - before Christmas - because they said "My First Christmas!"  The jammies were from our friend "BH," and she picked out a super soft pair!  The picture really does not show the feet, but they have reindeer antlers on each foot!  The green fleece features other Christmas graphics, and I only wish that this jammy would still fit our little guy next year.  "L" is ready for a comfy night's sleep!

Big Brutus

 

Did you know that coal was once mined in the southeastern corner of Kansas?  I honestly did not know this, until I attended the December KARL session in Pittsburg, Kansas.  The whole process was quite fascinating, and this machine, actually help garnish coal back in the day.  The machine is named "Big Brutis."

The massiveness is evident from the photos, but really, standing next to this big guy is unbelievable!  I could stand inside the track, and still not touch my head on the top track.  The machine removed overburden (ground above the coal deposit) and moved at a maximum speed of .22 mph.  The bucket could remove 90 cubic yards of overburden, in one scoop!

Coal mining still impacts this area today.  Much of the underground geography is riddled with abandoned mines.  This has caused cave ins and the after affects of mining have led to some unusable soil, and land.  Coal still remains in the area, but it currently is not cost effective to mine the remaining ore veins.

"L"

It is true what they say about photos of the kids born second, third, etc. - there simply are less of them!  This was the first "photo shoot" for "L," and he did rather well.  Mr. Fixit's niece helped us capture photos of the little guys.  We did not spend too much time setting up the perfect shot.  I simply wanted a photo of each, that showed who they were at this time in their life.  "L" is three months here, and singing away!

"K"

"K" is 20 months in this snap!  This was one of the photos taken by Mr. Fixit's niece.  She did a great job of capturing him, midclimb, on the rocks in our yard.  "K" is fascinated with rocks, and he loves trying to climb the big ones.  He loves to collect and carry the little ones.  Mr. Fixit found a small bucket for him, and he will fill it up while roaming the yard.  In two short months, "K" will turn 2.  Watch out world, more adventure soon to come!

Fall Family Photo

Thank goodness Mr. Fixit's niece is into taking photos, of babies, uncooperative toddlers and unpredictable weather.  Did I mention that she spent about an hour and a half trying to capture the perfect moment?  Well, we are forever greatful for the time she gave -- and the memories that she helped us capture.  We included one snap in the holiday card, but printed this one for our family 8X10 keepsake.  I do love the way the rock walls frame us!  The boys are so-so "happy" about this "posing" process, but at least they were not crying yet!!  Thanks niece "L" for your work!

Sweet "J's" Day

During the month of October, Sweet "J" celebrated her special day!  The Mommies of her daycare decided that her day should not go unnoticed.  We divided and conquered to decorate her door, bake cupcakes, deliver lunch and dine with them that day.  This snap was at the end of day.  Happy Birthday Sweet "J"!  We hope that you enjoyed your day of celebration!  These two little guys sure enjoyed celebrating with you.  =)

Girlfriends

I love seeing these two girls together!  What started as a work mentorship has transformed into a lasting friendship.  I never get tired of seeing the growth of a friendship!  EM came to visit us girls, and we ate some Orange Leaf, had some Mary Kay fun, ate some meals together and chatted and laughed.  That is what memories are made of!

Group Hug

Mr. Fixit is really taking this picture thing seriously!  He has been diligent to capture photos of me and the little guys.  This photo was taken one weekend when both were under the weather.  An annoying respiratory virus was bothering both, so we were having some snuggle time.  Thankfully, both were better within a week or two!

No Strings Attached

Mr. Fixit needed some new shoestrings for his work boots.  I offered, one evening, to purchase some on my next trip to the store.  I simply needed to know the length, so I would purchase ones that fit his shoes.  No need to purchase, Mr. Fixit said, he had some shoestrings that just might work.

Mr. Fixit had a BOX of shoestrings.  Literally, it was like a rainbow collection of spaghetti.  I never saw so many shoestrings!  Turns out, Mr. Fixit saved shoestrings from all his shoes that had worn out, and then acquired some other places too.  Needless to say, "K" dropped everything and focused his attention on this for the remainder of the evening.  He was quiet for 30 minutes, and diligently tried to figure out this strange "toy!"

Mommy & "L"

"L" was enjoying some floor time, and was in a pretty smiley mood!  EM captured this moment when she came for a recent visit.  Mr. Fixit was excited that I was in a picture, for once, because he thinks I take way too many photos of him.  So, in fairness, here is a post with "Mommy" as one of the photo subjects!  Baby "L" waves his fist in a hello to everyone!

Daddy & "K"

"K" has taken to this safari puzzle that he received from my Aunt "J" in the mail.  He loves playing with the animals and trying to put them in their spot on the board.  Mr. Fixit and "K" play with this puzzle nearly every day.  "K" is holding up the lion in this photo.  "Roar!" is what he says when playing with this piece!

Two Peas

"K" does a great job of interacting with "Baby," as he calls him.  I am sure that will change once "Baby" becomes more mobile. ;)  This shot was captured by my good friend EM, and I thought it was perfect at capturing their current interaction.  Here's hoping these bros will always get along as two peas!

Five Months

Oh wow, how fast -- and some days -- how slow the time has gone!  Baby "L" has made it to 5 months of age.  Some of the highlights from the past month of growth include:

*Mastered rolling front to back and back to front.  "L" really can cover some ground now, especially if toys happen to be in sight!
*Started attending childcare at his new place, full time.  He is the youngest, at the moment!
*Babbling "Da, da," repeatedly and loves to shriek with joy when he plays.
*Takes baths in the grown-up bathtub!
*Tried cereal for the first time.
*Working hard to sit unassisted, but still needs some more practice.
*Can hold both feet, and even suck on his toes, while laying on his back!

Mr. Fixit and I are looking forward to the next exciting milestone: crawling!  "L" has gotten up on all fours, but remains "stuck."  It is super fun to see "K" interact with "L."  "L" shrieks with delight when he sees "K," and "K" gives "L" little tickle touches on his face while "jabbering" back.  I do wonder what sort of mischief these two will be in someday!

Tummy Time

Baby "L" is not too sure of the tummy thing.  Why?  Well, he gets "stuck," because he cannot move yet.  However, I am sure with more practice, that he will soon be able to scurry across the floor.  My good friend EM snapped this awesome tummy time shot.  He will tolerate this position, if we lay on the floor and chatter with him.  Baby "L" is almost 4 months in this photo, and looking forward to getting into all of "K's" toys!

Couch Cousins

These girls were babies yesterday, literally -- yesterday, I tell ya!  Now look at them, they are biglike, and talking about texting, Ipads, and computers.  What happened??  This growing up thing is simply not allowed, except, for maybe getting potty trained.  That part would be ok, right?

Anyway, these girls were hanging out playing with their parents' tablets and other electronic paraphernalia, so I snapped a smiling shot.  What will my little guys be doing in 10 years?  Mr. Fixit and I better start learning more about all these gadgets!

Kids Say . . .

This niece is in kindergarten, and the thing about kindergarteners is that they love asking questions!  If I was a teacher, this is the grade that I would love to teach!  The other thing about kindergarteners is that they ask lots of questions.  Oh wait, I said that already!

Anyway, back to the questions part!  Niece "K" wanted to hold Baby "L," so that is what is happening here.  After holding "L," she poked at my belly and said, "Baby belly!"  I replied with yes, "L" was once inside my belly.  Then, without missing a beat, she said, "So, is there another baby in your belly?  When will that baby be here?"  A little surprised, I replied, "Nope, no belly babies for me, because we are busy with this baby already!"