Christmas Traditions

We're trying out Christmas traditions this year to see what ones will work for our family. I wanted to try to make a gingerbread house completely from scratch, but then I decided it was an insane idea for a mom of two tiny kids, so we bough a Wilton gingerbread house, glued it together (which took a day) and then slapped some candy on the roof and sides of the house. Avery had a blast decorating the house. I put all the candies in separate bowls, and she seemed to understand what to do right away. She also kept licking the icing off her hands and saying, "I love it!!". She couldn't wait to show Daddy when he came home for lunch. We're definitely keeping this tradition, but we'll have to see if I ever get around to making one from scratch in the next few years.

Six Months

Poor guy had a rough beginning to his six month (or I guess it's technically his 7th month). Anyhoo, he was dealing with a cold, a third and fourth tooth and a growth spurt all at the same time. We also discovered Avery was going into his room and "seeing if he was awake" during his naps, so he wasn't sleeping well for a few days. He's Mr. Pleasant again and as sweet as ever. Did I mention I adore him?

Way Back in October...

...we went on a trip to Massachusetts. We happened to time it around Avery's 2nd birthday, but the real reason we were in town was for this happy couple:

This is my brother Rick and his then fiancee Eveline at our wedding. They've been married for almost a year now, and they had a reception in honor of their wedding this past October. We had such a great time meeting Ev's family and listening to them talk to each other in French (Eveline is from Montreal). My parents, Paul and the kids and I were able to meet Ev's immediate family the night before the reception and share an amazing meal Ev's dad put together. On Sunday, we celebrated with the rest of the family at an open house reception in a beautiful home rented for the occasion. I loved every bit of it, but I must say the food was a big highlight!

Our cuties were quite the novelty, as they were the youngest and only kids there. My cousins Barbara Rose and Brandi (both 13, but from different sides of the family) were Avery's new best friends. I loved how much they paid attention to her, especially considering I used to dote on those two girls when they were Avery's age.

Adam befriended Eveline's mom. I don't think I held him at all during the reception.

My Dad and his sisters

The Whole Fam

Five Months

Okay, so he's already six months as I'm posting this, but this is what he looked like a month ago. Cute as ever, of course. Adam is turning into a very easy-going, sweet little guy. He was recovering from a cold at month five, but he still seemed to manage it all with a smile. (We'll talk about how cranky he is at six months when I get around to posting those pictures).