Oh Christmas Tree

We have had lots of holiday fun this week, so brace yourselves for a ton of photos!

Matt's math geek artwork

The wonderful Tara from BirdieLou came over to do some family holiday photos for us, and she also did some 6-month photos of Noah.  I love the photos, and couldn't believe how tall Evie looked and how much Noah has changed in a few months.  Sometimes it takes that perspective to realize how fast our babies are growing up!  Here are a few favorites:

5 days old vs. 6 months old

Evie was so excited about her Christmas dress for the photos that she insisted on wearing it for the rest of the day, even when we made cupcakes (she did the decorations)!

We also made a family trip to Church Street to enjoy the Christmas lights and get in the holiday spirit.  It wasn't quite as dreamy as I imagined - Evie didn't seem to care about the lights, and seemed more interested in visiting every public restroom Church Street had to offer (including loudly exclaiming in Banana Republic that she was going to pee in her undies if I didn't take her to the bathroom RIGHT NOW).  We quickly scarfed down a burrito for dinner, and then went for hot chocolate, where Evie decided she wanted jelly beans instead.  Just as we were questioning our sanity as parents, we bumped into Santa, who was walking through the mall, and he stopped and talked to Evie, which made her night.  When we got back to the car, Evie started sobbing that she didn't want to go home because she was having too much fun, so I guess it was worth it after all!  Ahh, three year olds and their ever-changing moods.  At least we got some cute photos!

The next morning, we met up with my family and cut down our Christmas trees.  It was very picturesque with snow falling as we hunted for the perfect tree, and we all enjoyed some hot chocolate and munchkins afterward.  The cousins were so sweet together, and it makes me grateful that we live close to our families!  Noah was a trooper the whole time, and he even got in on the snacking - I nursed him in the parking lot of the tree farm while sitting on my dad's trailer.  Add that to my list of odd nursing locations (and it was probably the coldest one, too)!

Nursing (with a photo bomber)

Noah seems to have been un-sleep training himself this week, waking up a bunch at night and eating between 5 and 6 am every day.  We've been blaming teething or a growth spurt, but we really have no idea what's going on!  Maybe he's learning a bunch of new skills, because he has had several "firsts" this week - signing for milk, eating pancakes, sitting in a restaurant high chair, and riding in the grocery cart, to name a few.  While I miss the tiny newborn stage, I'm enjoying the freedom that comes with some of these "big boy" milestones!

Enjoying mommy's pancakes

Riding like a big boy in the grocery cart

He LOVED looking around during our shopping trip

Sitting like a big boy in the restaurant.  He loved people watching!

Snacking on a Mum Mum while we ate dinner

And, Evie is on the cusp of giving up her nap.  She didn't nap for four days in a row last week, then crashed on Friday.  The problem is now when she naps, bedtime is a struggle because she isn't tired, and she'll keep coming out of her room until 9:30pm or later.  If she doesn't nap, she is super grouchy in the evening but goes to bed easily.  Is it better to go cold turkey and eliminate the nap completely or just let her nap when she seems to need it?  (And yes, our 3.5 year old still uses a pacifier...argh!)

Snoozing on the couch at Grandma's after insisting she wasn't tired!