Vance's Christmas Day surgery

This could have been much worse . . . .

Ty, Paul, Zoie and I were watching The Chronicles of Narnia -- Prince Caspian while Vance was running around playing, mostly with the cash register in the other room. After dozing off, I got up and went into the kitchen. When I came out, Vance is picking his nose. Zoie does this all the time, but not Vance. So I took him in the bathroom and told him to blow. Nothing, but I had seen a big white booger in there. So I looked in his nose to try to get it out. And much to my surprise -- something was in there. "Ty, Vance has something up his nose" I shout. Ty calmly lays Vance on the floor and needs tweezers. So begins the operation on Vance. Vance laid there calm and quiet. Paul held his hand and I hid in the hall. No cries. He would just breathe in as Ty would also get the mystery item out. Soon enough, out came a large white bead . . . Where did it come from? It looked like it had come from a necklace of Zoie's. Nope. It was the end of a beaded headband that Zoie had been wearing and Paul had put on the back of the couch. No one knows how Vance got it or how it got up his nose or why. Oh well, he is fine and now it is just a good laugh.

Christmas Day

Zoie woke up on Christmas Day at 8:30am and we woke up Vance so they could see the tree and gifts before Ty left to get his gramma for breakfast. It was a great morning with our parents, my brother, and our family friend Dave. Santa used photo name tags so the kids could easily determine which present belonged to whom. It worked great. Vance loved opening the presents.

Playing with the Playmobil Horse arena.
Thomas the Train table and too many trains. (Notice the open computer as I have been working and working to get ready for my sub and the rest of the school year, should something bad happen and I need to stay home)

Ty had to only assemble one toy -- Handy Manny's Fix It tool truck.

Paul spent all of Christmas day with us -- opening gifts, playing the Wii, watching movie and doing surgery on Vance. Vance loves to call Paul, as he language is finally developing!!!!

My mom made this great Hockey quilt for Paul. She started it in March.

Vance and the trains.

Zoie looks in her own arts and crafts Hannah Montana box.

Christmas Eve

Every Christmas Eve, my family gathers at my mom's house in Burlington. Despite being home all day, we did not arrive for dinner until 5:30pm and we were the first ones. We enjoyed lasagna and homemade french bread, presents, and a game of Cranium -- boys vs. girls. Despite the late night (11pm), the kids were great.

Vance sits with me during game time.
My brother Paul and my cousin's husband David use the scuplting clay to create a dimple.

My Mom :)

Paul and Vance play a mini game of air hockey. Vance is indicating that he scored.

My cousin Amy won the rigged game of guess the number of jelly beans in the jar to win a pair of maxi pad slippers. She was so excited so had to call her friend afterwards.

The official "how big is Carrie" photo. I am talking to my cousin James.

Zoie plays with a wooden doll set with magnetic clothes.

I wanted to take the kids pictures before we went to my mom's and before they were dirty. After Vance made his funny face, I told him to put his hands in his pockets. Only one had found the pocket.

Zoie -- my mom made the beautiful Christmas dress.

Snow

I have had no interest in bundling up to go out in the snow (since I don't really know what I could put on to bundle up). So the kids have enjoyed playing outside with Ty, Nana, and Oma and Papa. These are taken from Nana at her house.

Change your vote!

I am now at the point in my pregnancy that I go every 2 weeks to see the doctor. Well, much to my surprise, I gained 5 lbs in those 2 weeks!!!! I about freaked! So now I have 6 more weeks and am nearing Vance's end weight already. At this rate, I will blow past it! Maybe we are having a baby whale, instead of a baby human. And I think I will definitely need to take off the rest of March and return to school after spring break so I can play with the kids more and loose a few extra pounds.

Gotta love growing a little person inside of you and all the wonder things it does to your body.

Celebration ... . . and just the beginning

To celebrate Vance's binkie separation, we went to Big Scoop. Vance had blue bubblegum ice cream and Zoie had cotton candy. I could just smell the sugar from the cotton candy ice cream as she eat it next to me. Ty got the giant banana split, in which he insisted I help finish eating even though I ate my own cone.

On the way home, Zoie and Vance are wacking each other in the back. Then I heard, the MOST famous line of them all,

"Mom, he started it."

I just looked at Ty and laughed. I said to him, "Do you think this will be the only time we ever hear that line?"

And so the adventure of "Who started it?" begins.

A second chance

On Monday, my mom "lost" Vance's binkie. They looked everywhere but nothing. Sad Vance just put his head down and with a very sad face said "B all gone" with his arms out, as if to motion "I don't know where it is". So I took them home and figured it would be a difficult night going to sleep and there would need to be an emergency trip to the store to buy a binkie. Well, it was TOO easy. He fused for a while about going to sleep, but I don't think he was ready for bed. He slept all night in his own bed. And didn't even wake up requesting that I help find the lost binkie. Tuesday night he came into our room about 2am. I just scooped him up and he went right back to sleep on my pillow. Big me was smashed between Vance and Ty. (How many kids do you need for a king or Cal. King ? :) ) Wednesday and Thursday nights he fused but went to sleep without it.

This is the 2nd removal of the annoying binkie. I am just tired of trying to find it in the house or car when we do something. But it's gone. Now, he just carries his blanket around everywhere, even on the bus this morning and to the freshman girls basketball game at the high school. At least it's easier to find the blanket.