Thursday, December 31, 2009
Header Picture
The header picture is of Livie on her very first birthday - December 28, 2005. The day she was born. She was as beautiful then as she is now. Wanted to post that in honor of her 4th birthday. We love you, Olivia Rose!
Livie's Birthday!
Can you believe my baby turned 4 this week?!!!! We were in IN, once again, to celebrate Livie's birthday. She loves being at her nana and papa's house for her birthday. Because we were spending the morning at the Trolingers and were going up to Em and Jeff in the afternoon, we had a morning celebration. :-)
She had to stick the dinosaur she got from Nana and Papa D in with her dinosaur party. ;-)
Check out her AWESOME T-Rex balloon!!!! It's nearly as big as SHE is!
Because we were having a morning party, we opted to have a donut cake. Pete ran out to the store in the morning and got 2 dozen glazed donuts in every shape and size (and frosting!). Delicious!!
She opened up some great presents from everyone. We gave her our presents at that point too, instead of carting them up to Syracuse for the afternoon birthday.
Here's Livie with the adorable vest she got from Nana and Papa. She got 2 shirts to go with it too. Soooo cute!
This is what we got her. A changing table, pad, and diapers for her doll Baby Elizabeth - though she tells me she might start calling her Baby Kendalyn. ;-)
After the Trolinger party, we headed up to Em and Jeff's. Poor Em was so surprised by Keni's early arrival, that she came home and realized she had a whole house that needed cleaning! We new moms have all been there. So, before mom and dad arrived, Em and I got to work getting the nursery up and ready. It was nearly done, just needed a few finishing touches and some sorting to be done. After that, I was able to hold Kendalyn for a little while before we began the party.
Since we already had the donut cake, we went with a regular cake - with ice cream this time! You can tell Livie LOVES the fact that she gets 2 birthdays!!
Blow those candles out, baby!!
Here's dad with Keni. Both mom and dad just love her to bits!
Livie opened her stuff from Em and Jeff and mom and dad. Em and Jeff got her a dinosaur and mom and dad got her card with money. Great stuff!! Em and Jeff had to take Keni in to get her first appt in that day, so dad and Pete put up all the wall art in the nursery, while mom, Noah, and I supervised (and directed). It looked so great when it was done. Then I did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and vaccumed. You could see the relief on Em's face to see that was done. She did that for me when I had Madie. Helped me get things in order and was there to support me in that first week of being a new mom. I loved being able to repay the favor! I still owe her many, many more favors though to make up for all the ones she's done for me, so that is just the beginning. Looking forward to helping out more in the years to come. :-) But, that is how we celebrated my sweet little Livie's 4 birthday. It was a wonderful time for a wonderful, silly girl who we've been blessed to have in our family for 4 fantastic years. Hard to believe it was only a year ago that she began talking and now she's a cut-up. Making us laugh at every corner. I love her to pieces and thank God for her every day. Happy Birthday!!
She had to stick the dinosaur she got from Nana and Papa D in with her dinosaur party. ;-)
Check out her AWESOME T-Rex balloon!!!! It's nearly as big as SHE is!
Because we were having a morning party, we opted to have a donut cake. Pete ran out to the store in the morning and got 2 dozen glazed donuts in every shape and size (and frosting!). Delicious!!
Mmmmm.... look at that donut!!
Here you can see all her decorations. It's been a tradition that we started back when Madie celebrated her 1st birthday to always have a theme. And, when they were old enough to pick a theme, they got to shop for the decorations themselves, before their birthday. Then, the night before their birthday, when they are asleep, we decorate the dining room, so they wake up and see their party! It's soooo fun! Once again, Livie picked dinosaurs. Surprising, I know. ;-)
She opened up some great presents from everyone. We gave her our presents at that point too, instead of carting them up to Syracuse for the afternoon birthday.
Here's Livie with the adorable vest she got from Nana and Papa. She got 2 shirts to go with it too. Soooo cute!
This is what we got her. A changing table, pad, and diapers for her doll Baby Elizabeth - though she tells me she might start calling her Baby Kendalyn. ;-)
After the Trolinger party, we headed up to Em and Jeff's. Poor Em was so surprised by Keni's early arrival, that she came home and realized she had a whole house that needed cleaning! We new moms have all been there. So, before mom and dad arrived, Em and I got to work getting the nursery up and ready. It was nearly done, just needed a few finishing touches and some sorting to be done. After that, I was able to hold Kendalyn for a little while before we began the party.
Since we already had the donut cake, we went with a regular cake - with ice cream this time! You can tell Livie LOVES the fact that she gets 2 birthdays!!
Blow those candles out, baby!!
Here's dad with Keni. Both mom and dad just love her to bits!
Livie opened her stuff from Em and Jeff and mom and dad. Em and Jeff got her a dinosaur and mom and dad got her card with money. Great stuff!! Em and Jeff had to take Keni in to get her first appt in that day, so dad and Pete put up all the wall art in the nursery, while mom, Noah, and I supervised (and directed). It looked so great when it was done. Then I did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen, and vaccumed. You could see the relief on Em's face to see that was done. She did that for me when I had Madie. Helped me get things in order and was there to support me in that first week of being a new mom. I loved being able to repay the favor! I still owe her many, many more favors though to make up for all the ones she's done for me, so that is just the beginning. Looking forward to helping out more in the years to come. :-) But, that is how we celebrated my sweet little Livie's 4 birthday. It was a wonderful time for a wonderful, silly girl who we've been blessed to have in our family for 4 fantastic years. Hard to believe it was only a year ago that she began talking and now she's a cut-up. Making us laugh at every corner. I love her to pieces and thank God for her every day. Happy Birthday!!
Drexler Visit
I could not drive up to Goshen fast enough on Sunday!! Though, we hit a short snag in our plan. We were supposed to go up for church on Sunday, but Madie woke up complaining that her eye hurt and the night before our nephew Ty was having some gooping issues in his eye and we were afraid it might be pink eye. So, we cancelled our trip to church and kept an eye on, well, her eye. Ty woke up fine as could be and about an hour after I called to tell dad we were coming, Madie said her eye was fine, so Em and Jeff gave us the go ahead to come up and we did. :-) I couldn't wait to meet my beautiful new niece!!
Em was upstairs nursing, but when she came down, I was greeted by this beauty! Looks at her hands! Praying already. ;-) I couldn't get over how tiny she was. She was like a doll. And, I swear she weighed less than a can of pop. Just teeny tiny! I could've eaten her up!
I took some time to hold her, then relunctantly gave her over to her Uncle Pete. He loves babies and is so good with them. He fought me for her on Tuesday! She's going to be spoiled with love, that's for sure!
Here's the happy new family. :-)
Now, after dad and mom got home from church, it was time for Christmas. Dad told the kids to sit on the couch and that he had installed a new plan for Christmas this year. It was called "We're not wrapping the presents!". hahaha I think that translates into "I shopped on the 21st and ran out of time to wrap!", but the kids didn't care. They closed their eyes, held out their hands, and were ready for their surprises. :-)
And, as you can see, they were spoiled rotten by them as well!! They got lots and lots of great stuff! Heck, these kids had 3 solid days of Christmases and then a birthday! Four days of presents. Wow! Lucky kids!
Em and Jeff told Madie if she washed her hands, she could sit and hold Kendalyn. She was thrilled! She just loved holding her. So sweet to see my little girl, holding Em's little girl. :-) Really was a beautiful thing to me.
Jeff took this picture of dad with Hobbes. Hobbes just celebrated his 18th birthday and, though I've been wrong many times before, I truly believe this is his last birthday and probably the last picture I will ever take of him. He's been "dying" for 3 years now, though never seems to ACTUALLY die. He just keeps plugging along, sweet thing. Can't believe he's that old!
Livie was fascinated by the baby. She kept rubbing her head and wanting to see her hands and feet. At first she didn't want to hold her, but she finally decided she wanted to.
So, we washed up her hands and Em helped her hold her. She asked to hold her 100 times over the next 2 days of our visit. ;-) Noah didn't end up holding her, but he came and talked sweetly and quietly to her (and for Noah, to speak quietly to anything is quite an accomplishment!). He also liked to rub her head and look at her. We really had a fun day, celebrating Christmas and meeting our brand new niece.
Em was upstairs nursing, but when she came down, I was greeted by this beauty! Looks at her hands! Praying already. ;-) I couldn't get over how tiny she was. She was like a doll. And, I swear she weighed less than a can of pop. Just teeny tiny! I could've eaten her up!
I took some time to hold her, then relunctantly gave her over to her Uncle Pete. He loves babies and is so good with them. He fought me for her on Tuesday! She's going to be spoiled with love, that's for sure!
Here's the happy new family. :-)
Now, after dad and mom got home from church, it was time for Christmas. Dad told the kids to sit on the couch and that he had installed a new plan for Christmas this year. It was called "We're not wrapping the presents!". hahaha I think that translates into "I shopped on the 21st and ran out of time to wrap!", but the kids didn't care. They closed their eyes, held out their hands, and were ready for their surprises. :-)
And, as you can see, they were spoiled rotten by them as well!! They got lots and lots of great stuff! Heck, these kids had 3 solid days of Christmases and then a birthday! Four days of presents. Wow! Lucky kids!
One of my kids favorite things to do is open and sort baseball cards with their papa. I think he's just been waiting for the moment to strike when he could introduce them to his love of baseball (and thus, cards) and now that he has, they are almost as addicted as HE is! Everytime we're at the store, they want to look for cards. EVERY. TIME. ;-) And, of course, Noah's closet is filling up with boxes quite quickly. Dad LOVES it!! So, after lunch, the kids sat on the floor and opened the cards they got them to see what they got. They like to have him go online and check the prices. And, Noah always wants to know which ones are the best and most special. He's asked me on occasion, so he knows how to sort them, but I've been informed that I don't know as much about baseball as papa, so I can't give him the right answers. I told him that I grew up sorting cards, but he still doesn't believe me. Papa is the one to go to, I guess. Noah loves it the most and really enjoys that time with him. So, do the girls. :-)
Em and Jeff told Madie if she washed her hands, she could sit and hold Kendalyn. She was thrilled! She just loved holding her. So sweet to see my little girl, holding Em's little girl. :-) Really was a beautiful thing to me.
Jeff took this picture of dad with Hobbes. Hobbes just celebrated his 18th birthday and, though I've been wrong many times before, I truly believe this is his last birthday and probably the last picture I will ever take of him. He's been "dying" for 3 years now, though never seems to ACTUALLY die. He just keeps plugging along, sweet thing. Can't believe he's that old!
Livie was fascinated by the baby. She kept rubbing her head and wanting to see her hands and feet. At first she didn't want to hold her, but she finally decided she wanted to.
So, we washed up her hands and Em helped her hold her. She asked to hold her 100 times over the next 2 days of our visit. ;-) Noah didn't end up holding her, but he came and talked sweetly and quietly to her (and for Noah, to speak quietly to anything is quite an accomplishment!). He also liked to rub her head and look at her. We really had a fun day, celebrating Christmas and meeting our brand new niece.
Trolinger Family Christmas
We were in IN for 4 days, right after Christmas, and I am just now getting around to posting about it! Just realized today it's been nearly a week since my last entry. That's SOO not like me. But, it's been a busy past couple of days with cleaning and taking down decorations. That sort of thing takes up loads of time. Oh, and did I mention we played lots and lots of Mario Bros? Yeah. Um. That took up a lot of time too. ;-) Anyway, on to the entry....
We went back on the 26th to celebrate Christmas with the Trolinger side of the family. We had a fun time seeing our niece and nephews and everyone. The kids literally walked in the door and ran to the presents, where Trevor and Ty were ready participates in seeing what they opened. :-)
Trevor and Ty had been there since lunchtime, so they had already opened their presents. Ty wanted to show me his super-awesome Transformers helmet!! Pretty cool!! Weighed a ton though! My 2 yr old niece Allyssa tried to wear it and it almost knocked her over!
All 3 kids asked for snuggies and nana delivered! I too got a snuggie, though I think a kids-sized version would've worked better. The kids-sized one fits me perfectly and the adult one is big enough for Pete. And, considering Pete's a foot and a half taller, well, you can imagine how dwarfed I am by it. ;-) I can snuggle really nicely in it, that's for sure! We've all been wearing them each night while playing Wii. The kids have been sleeping in theirs. Whoever came up with the idea of putting sleeves on a blanket are now walking around with a buttload of money to show for it! Why aren't I the one who comes up with these things?!
The kids got lots of great stuff, but none quite as special as the one Nana T gave them. She got this wardrobe for the girls American Girl dolls. Painted it up. And then made a slew of clothes for it. Don't know if you can tell what Livie is holding, but it's a wedding dress. She made that from her very own wedding dress! How special is that?! Even made a bridesmaid's dress as well. Soooo sweet and so wonderful!
Here's Madie with her doll Emily and her nana. :-) What a special, special gift!
We went back on the 26th to celebrate Christmas with the Trolinger side of the family. We had a fun time seeing our niece and nephews and everyone. The kids literally walked in the door and ran to the presents, where Trevor and Ty were ready participates in seeing what they opened. :-)
Trevor and Ty had been there since lunchtime, so they had already opened their presents. Ty wanted to show me his super-awesome Transformers helmet!! Pretty cool!! Weighed a ton though! My 2 yr old niece Allyssa tried to wear it and it almost knocked her over!
All 3 kids asked for snuggies and nana delivered! I too got a snuggie, though I think a kids-sized version would've worked better. The kids-sized one fits me perfectly and the adult one is big enough for Pete. And, considering Pete's a foot and a half taller, well, you can imagine how dwarfed I am by it. ;-) I can snuggle really nicely in it, that's for sure! We've all been wearing them each night while playing Wii. The kids have been sleeping in theirs. Whoever came up with the idea of putting sleeves on a blanket are now walking around with a buttload of money to show for it! Why aren't I the one who comes up with these things?!
The kids got lots of great stuff, but none quite as special as the one Nana T gave them. She got this wardrobe for the girls American Girl dolls. Painted it up. And then made a slew of clothes for it. Don't know if you can tell what Livie is holding, but it's a wedding dress. She made that from her very own wedding dress! How special is that?! Even made a bridesmaid's dress as well. Soooo sweet and so wonderful!
Here's Madie with her doll Emily and her nana. :-) What a special, special gift!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Christmas Day
Ahhhh...Christmas. It finally came. :-) We were woken up by 2 very excited children (Livie didn't want to get out of bed) at exactly 6am. We've told them they can't get up until 6 and they wake up and watch that clock until it says exactly that!
As you can see, Santa was very generous this year! They got lots of great things and have had fun all day and afternoon playing with it all.
I took this just to kind of show the wreckage of our morning. And, even though the paper and boxes are put away now, the floor looks worse right now than it did during this picture, because the toys are now strune about. But, hey, that's what Christmas is supposed to be. Messes, laziness, and turkey. :-)
As you can see, Santa was very generous this year! They got lots of great things and have had fun all day and afternoon playing with it all.
These are the outfits that Pete got the kids when he was in China. I think they're FABULOUS!!!!
I took this just to kind of show the wreckage of our morning. And, even though the paper and boxes are put away now, the floor looks worse right now than it did during this picture, because the toys are now strune about. But, hey, that's what Christmas is supposed to be. Messes, laziness, and turkey. :-)
Noah found this sock monkey in his stocking. He was THRILLED!!!!
This is the doll that Pete got her from China. Isn't it beautiful?!
And, of course, Livie's very favorite thing ever!! A big, red dinosaur!!! She's been patting him on the head and saying "It's ok, boy". It's adorable.
Even Olive got in on the action. Checking out Noah's Ben 10 figures.
As is a tradition in our house, whenever we are home for Christmas, we make a big Thanksgiving meal. Smelling that turkey all morning.... YUM!! It was all delicious. I decided, after having such a miserable thanksgiving in Nov, that I would limit myself to one, very small plate of food. I am now sitting comfortably and hopefully it will stay that way. :-)
Even Olive got in on the action. Checking out Noah's Ben 10 figures.
As is a tradition in our house, whenever we are home for Christmas, we make a big Thanksgiving meal. Smelling that turkey all morning.... YUM!! It was all delicious. I decided, after having such a miserable thanksgiving in Nov, that I would limit myself to one, very small plate of food. I am now sitting comfortably and hopefully it will stay that way. :-)
I am now just getting around to blogging. Heck, I just got around to showering a few minutes ago!! No one else has even gotten that far! But, that's what we enjoy most about christmas. Just enjoying each other and not worrying about silly things like a clean house or clean children. It's all about lying around in our own filth and making a mess of things. ;-) So, Merry Christmas to you all!!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Our Christmas Eve Routine
Christmas Eve is always a busy day for us. We have a lot of fun things we do that day, so I tried to chronicle them for my "viewing audience" aka the 3 1/2 people that like to keep up with my blog.
If we are in IL during the holidays, we always have a big turkey dinner - just for the 5 of us. Which is kind of nice, because then we get all the leftovers. :-) Since I follow my mom's lead when it comes to turkey dinners, we make our own stuffing. So, the kids help me tear up bread, so it can sit out and crustify all day. Don't really know if "crustify" is a word, but it sounds reasonable.
After showers and a little down time, it's time to start on cookies for Santa! Now, word has it that Santa doesn't like chocolate in our house, so we opted to make peanut butter cookies. Adding a few hershey kisses to a couple in case, he's not a crazy weirdo and actually LIKES chocolate.
Cookie making wouldn't be complete without some type of a mess being made. This time, it was me, spilling the flour all over the floor. Thankfully we still had enough flour in the container for the gravy for tomorrow's turkey dinner. If I had destroyed all the flour, Pete would've sent me out, regardless of the pouring rain, to get more. There is no such thing as a "No Gravy" dinner in this house. I signed that in our marriage contract.
Then, since we have no fireplace, hence no chimney, for Jolly 'Ole Saint Nick, we hang a Santa Key on the front door, so he can come inside. Livie put it on for us this year. :-)
This is something new we've done. I got this at Hallmark. Isn't it cute? The kids have been taking turns putting their magnets on and were soooo excited to put the last one on today!
We got the cookies laid out and the reindeer food that Livie and Noah made at school in their bowls. Looks delicious!
A Drexler tradition that I HAD to pass down to my kids is the "opening of a present on Christmas Eve" thing. Every year they get a book on Christmas Eve, so they can read it before bed. We gave them to them early this year, because we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. Livie insisted on closing her eyes when she opened the present, which meant it took 10 min to open that package.
Her brother and sister weren't nearly so slow and everyone was happy with the books they got!
Noah has already read the first one and started on his second before bedtime. :-)
Like I said above, we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. The first we've ever been to at this church and the first one I've been to in over a decade. That's so hard to believe! I realized how much I missed those special services. But, the kids sang again and they did a great job. That's them above, though it's dark and you can't see them well.
Then, towards the end, we all lit our candles and it just looked so beautiful in there. Just a real reminder of what's important during this season. To worship Jesus Christ our Lord, to be with those who love us, and to see our children talk about the joy of Jesus' birth. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas tomorrow and is blessed to be with those they love.
If we are in IL during the holidays, we always have a big turkey dinner - just for the 5 of us. Which is kind of nice, because then we get all the leftovers. :-) Since I follow my mom's lead when it comes to turkey dinners, we make our own stuffing. So, the kids help me tear up bread, so it can sit out and crustify all day. Don't really know if "crustify" is a word, but it sounds reasonable.
Then the kids write their letters to Santa and stick them in their stockings. Madie wanted Groovy Girls stuff, which she just decided upon last night, so I'm making a wild guess and say she's NOT getting that. Livie wants a big, red dinosaur, which she drew on her paper, eating a polar bear. I'm sure Santa will enjoy seeing the carnage she drew for him. And, Noah (this will surprise you all, I'm sure) wants sock monkey stuff. THAT, I believe, he might just get.
After showers and a little down time, it's time to start on cookies for Santa! Now, word has it that Santa doesn't like chocolate in our house, so we opted to make peanut butter cookies. Adding a few hershey kisses to a couple in case, he's not a crazy weirdo and actually LIKES chocolate.
Cookie making wouldn't be complete without some type of a mess being made. This time, it was me, spilling the flour all over the floor. Thankfully we still had enough flour in the container for the gravy for tomorrow's turkey dinner. If I had destroyed all the flour, Pete would've sent me out, regardless of the pouring rain, to get more. There is no such thing as a "No Gravy" dinner in this house. I signed that in our marriage contract.
Then, since we have no fireplace, hence no chimney, for Jolly 'Ole Saint Nick, we hang a Santa Key on the front door, so he can come inside. Livie put it on for us this year. :-)
This is something new we've done. I got this at Hallmark. Isn't it cute? The kids have been taking turns putting their magnets on and were soooo excited to put the last one on today!
We got the cookies laid out and the reindeer food that Livie and Noah made at school in their bowls. Looks delicious!
A Drexler tradition that I HAD to pass down to my kids is the "opening of a present on Christmas Eve" thing. Every year they get a book on Christmas Eve, so they can read it before bed. We gave them to them early this year, because we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. Livie insisted on closing her eyes when she opened the present, which meant it took 10 min to open that package.
Her brother and sister weren't nearly so slow and everyone was happy with the books they got!
Noah has already read the first one and started on his second before bedtime. :-)
Like I said above, we went to the Christmas Eve service at church. The first we've ever been to at this church and the first one I've been to in over a decade. That's so hard to believe! I realized how much I missed those special services. But, the kids sang again and they did a great job. That's them above, though it's dark and you can't see them well.
Then, towards the end, we all lit our candles and it just looked so beautiful in there. Just a real reminder of what's important during this season. To worship Jesus Christ our Lord, to be with those who love us, and to see our children talk about the joy of Jesus' birth. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas tomorrow and is blessed to be with those they love.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Kendalyn Ryleigh
Jeff posted some pictures of his sweet baby girl last night, so I thought I'd copy them and put some here for you all to see. Not all of you have FB accounts, so here they are!
Jeff labeled this one "Our first family picture". :-) How sweet!
Here's my beautiful new niece! I'm having a hard time remembering her name. For some reason I keep combining her first and middle name and thinking it's Kenley, not Kendalyn. So, for now, I'm calling her Kenny. :-) We'll see if that drives her mommy and daddy nuts. Madie keeps telling me, "Mommy! It's Kendalyn, not Kenny!". I'm too old I guess to remember. But, Em said she woke up from a short nap yesterday and couldn't remember for a good 3 minutes what they named her, so I didn't feel so bad. ;-)
Loved this picture! That little hat. I can only imagine how small that hat is, considering what a peanut she is.
Thought this picture gave you some indication of what size she is. Can't WAIT to see and hold her when we go out in a few days. I asked Em if she needed anything from me when I'm there. Ya know, clean the house, do laundry, whatever. She said, "No, just relax and hug her." Now, THAT I can do !! :-) Welcome to the family, Kendalyn!
Jeff labeled this one "Our first family picture". :-) How sweet!
Here's my beautiful new niece! I'm having a hard time remembering her name. For some reason I keep combining her first and middle name and thinking it's Kenley, not Kendalyn. So, for now, I'm calling her Kenny. :-) We'll see if that drives her mommy and daddy nuts. Madie keeps telling me, "Mommy! It's Kendalyn, not Kenny!". I'm too old I guess to remember. But, Em said she woke up from a short nap yesterday and couldn't remember for a good 3 minutes what they named her, so I didn't feel so bad. ;-)
Loved this picture! That little hat. I can only imagine how small that hat is, considering what a peanut she is.
Thought this picture gave you some indication of what size she is. Can't WAIT to see and hold her when we go out in a few days. I asked Em if she needed anything from me when I'm there. Ya know, clean the house, do laundry, whatever. She said, "No, just relax and hug her." Now, THAT I can do !! :-) Welcome to the family, Kendalyn!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)