Happy Holidays!

...and I don't mean that in a PC, don't-mention-Christmas-because-it-might-offend-someone way. I say it because there are, in fact, multiple holidays happening right now.

It feels weird that our second child is now old enough that he's no longer experiencing "firsts" in relationship to holidays...this was his second Thanksgiving and we are about to celebrate our second Christmas as a family of four. The last time I updated was after one quarter of my re-employment, now we are three weeks out from the completion of the second quarter and it's like I never left...I mean that in a good way. I'm exhausted and sometimes overwhelmed, but being a working mom suits me so much better than staying at home. We always get a week off at Thanksgiving and Craig was out of town the first two days, and it was so unbelievably lonely, being home all day with the kids and then dealing with nighttime alone as well. You'd think working and taking care of things alone would be more difficult and in some ways it is, but for some reason it's not as bad as being alone 24/7. Obviously, it's been good that I'm contributing financially again, but next year will be MUCH better as Ava will be in kindergarten and we'll be back to only paying child care for one kid.

Anyhow, we had a quiet Thanksgiving with just the four of us (love living NC but it sucks being away from everyone around the holidays) and I made an awesome meal...years of watching, helping, and enjoying my mom and grandmother's holiday meals has paid off and I made a dinner worthy of our family. :) SO. EXCITED. ABOUT. THAT. Christmas won't be so quiet, as we are heading up to my parents' house for NINE DAYS!!! WOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!! Craig, who isn't big on travel due to always traveling for work, really came through on this one. I can't wait to see everyone! (Mike and Gio won't be joining us from FL this year, but hopefully we will see them in the spring as we're planning a trip down there.) Speaking of Christmas, I decorated yesterday. For me, that means wreaths on all of the windows, (fake) candles in the upstairs windows, a few touches around the house (downstairs only), and of course, the tree. It's very simple: located in the dining room so it can be seen from the road (I have always loved seeing Christmas trees in the windows of houses), it's a pre-lit covered in our family's collection of ornaments. There are a few randoms on there, but most of them have meaning. I LOVE it. When the kids are a little older and less destructive, I will put that tree in the family room and put a "fancy" one in the dining room. Also considering getting a mini one for the recessed area above our staircase, if the price is right. Oh, and side note? I was SOBBING yesterday while decorating the tree...it was set off by CJ's "Baby's First Christmas" ornaments from last year, and the fact that my 18-month-old was trying to "help" me straighten out the branches of the fake tree. Sometimes I'm still sad at the passing of the mom-of-a-baby stage of my life, but we are having so much fun with each new stage as well! (Okay, I'm not having fun with the defiant-combative-tantrum stage that Ava cannot seem to leave behind, but that's another story.)

So, CJ. He seems so tiny for his age: at 18 months, he's wearing 12-18-month-old clothes, and his legs are definitely on the shorter side in comparison to everything else. I can't believe he's been walking now for almost eight months, but he's still not really talking. He says "Dahdee" for Daddy (and he actually uses it for both Craig and me), will occasionally say "Mama," and says, "Ee-ah" for Ava. That's seriously it...although his babble seems to take on more meaning and have a little more clarity every day, and he definitely understands when we talk to him, because he follows directions. He's becoming more opinionated about food (loves fruit, refuses almost all veggies...I've started giving him those pureed fruit and veggie baby food pouches--they do make some aimed at toddlers--in addition to table food so he can get the nutrients), but like his sister, he's a crack fiend when it comes to cheese. Hahaha! He sleeps about 11 hours a night and still takes two naps a day (for a total of about 3-4 hours), loves to laugh and give hugs and kisses, and is very easygoing. With Ava, we avoided eating in public from about 15 months (I still remember our last meal out with her when we realized it was no longer going to work) until about four years old. Now, we take them both out with us and they do great!

Ava is LOVING her ballet classes. She goes every Saturday, and in two weeks we will be on the dance studio's float in the local Christmas parade. This kid better know how much I love her, because I am most definitely NOT the ride-on-a-parade-float type of person, yet there I'll be, for her. Gah. She is also doing great at preschool and her handwriting is getting really good...she's recognizing certain words on sight and can write them, although she's obviously not doing real reading yet, where she learns to sound out new words. That's coming soon, though. She is pretty social and is going to two birthday parties today (put that on my list with things I love as much as riding on parade floats) for kids from preschool...planning for her fifth birthday party is underway as well. We are NOT doing it at the house this year! Ava has been big for her age pretty much since she was a fetus, and my not-yet-five-year-old is wearing size 6x-7 clothing, and size 12-13 shoes. Wondering if it will EVER slow down!

Craig...same old, same old. Working and going to school.

Me...I'm hanging in there.

That's about it for now, I guess. I have to put CJ down for his morning nap and start getting ready for the aforementioned birthday parties we will be attending today...good times!