Life at the Zoo!: January 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Livy Bug

Miss Liv is getting so dang big. She is now officially eight months old... you read that right EIGHT months!!! Where does the time go?!? She has mastered sitting now, and has a great ability to catch herself when bumped by her brother, a cat or a large puppy! HA! She also has started doing this super cute thing where she likes to rest her hands on her legs while she sits... it's too freakin' cute!

She is also army crawling. She gets faster by the day!!! What used to take her a few minutes to do is quickly becoming a few seconds... she is officially very mobile!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Cars...

This is what we found when we went to get Mason from nap today. He was supposed to be sleeping...

Monkey Man Mason....

Mason is quickly becoming a little boy instead of a toddler. *sigh* We have told him many times that he wasn't supposed to grow up... he obviously didn't listen! While he IS rather adorable at this age, you could also call him-- naughty, defiant, sassy, stubborn and well...

a typical two-year-old! HA!

His speech is improving every day. You just never know what is going to come out of his mouth! It certainly has inspired us to make sure that we watch out mouths too! HA!

Who knew a laundry hamper could be so much fun?!?

Aren't you a little too big for that Mason?!?!?

(this was TONS of fun, until he realized that he was stuck... and then Momma was so mean to him that I just laughed and kept taking pictures! Ha!)

Olivia's FIRST Christmas!!!

Livy was soooooo much fun for Christmas!!! She loved watching Mason open gifts and be all excited about what he got. Santa Claus even remembered our LuLah Bug! She missed out on most of the action though when family arrived later in the day... our girl was t-i-r-e-d from all of the Christmas fun from the morning and needed a nap! Although she was too little to open up most of her gifts (plus she had Mason to assist her with that! HA!) she did have some fun with the wrapping paper... although it didn't taste as good as she thought it would!

Livy with the seahorse that Santa brought her.

Watching intently while Mason opens gifts. (Love those cheeks!)

playing with some of her new toys that Santa Claus brought her. The purple puppy says her name and sings songs about his friend Olivia! She loves it!

Snuggling the purple blanket that Daddy picked out for her.

Watching Mason build towers out of duplos!

Getting her pirate face on again! She is such a goof for the camera now! (notice Sophie trying to get in on the Christmas action... she really wanted Livy's blanket!)

Sitting like a big girl with her Christmas goodies!

Mason Christmas 2009!!!

This was Mason's 3rd Christmas!!! WOW how time just keeps flying!!! I have to say that this has been by far the most fun Christmas with him! It was just soooooo much fun this year for him! This was the first year that he knew that Christmas was coming and looked forward in anticipation. While we did go and see Santa at the mall last year... he really didn't understand the concept at all. This year he loooooved talking about "Santi Claus" coming to "my house!" We had so much fun explaining how Santa Claus would bring him gifts if he was a good boy. He really got into Christmas movies this year as well. He loved watching Polar Express and Elf! He also enjoyed when his favorite shows would have a Christmas special as well.

As it was nearing Christmas Mason and I were in the kitchen when all of a sudden he stopped in his tracks! He looks at me, very intently and tells me, "WAIT!!! Santa Claus is always watching!" Then he went back to what he was doing! HA!

The joy we felt with our kiddos was also bittersweet... as this is the first Christmas without both my mom and my cousin Axel. It was an absence that was felt immensely by many that I love. I brought a glass angel out to the cemetary to leave with all of the other gifts that had been brought to her. It was an angel that had an LED light on the inside that flickers like a candle... the amazing thing is that it has been going day and night for three weeks now. I love to drive through at night, and see it glow. She is still her with us... even if only in our hearts and memory.