Gearing Up

I have been meaning to sit down now for over a month to write. 

Kiptyn was sick for almost two whole months, we got a new computer (which I am still figuring out), I put on a Dance Show (which was great but had added stresses of its own this year) and then Christmas holidays came and was spent relaxing with family and friends.  In the back of my head I kept thinking about how backed up I am on this Blog and how big my job was going to be when I get back on here the next time. So, I put off  "the next time" for a long time.

I decided tonight when I logged in that I wasn't going to put any pressure on myself about getting a Blog post done.  I decided I would get the pictures off of my camera and my iPhone, organize them a bit, and then pick a few to use in a quick little update (this being the update), so that I could at least start somewhere without feeling completely overwhelmed.  I feel a little better already.  I will do a massive Christmas/December post very soon but for now I need to allow myself to "be okay" with being behind.  I had a great holiday (it is not over yet!), and spent so much time with loved ones and I want to be sure I don't feel guilty for that.  For not keeping up.  For not staying afloat.  For just living, and loving.  Sometimes we put too much pressure on ourselves to get things done that it takes the fun out of it.  I want to spend time looking through the holiday photos and remembering new traditions and really reliving those memories when I go to post on my Blog.  I don't want to feel rushed or push through it just because part of me feels that I haven't been "keeping up".  

SO...without further ado...here are some recent photos (most of them from iPhone...sorry for the poor quality) with a promise of holiday cheer to come!

My Bestie Colleen had her baby boy- James.  He is tiny and squishable, healthy and perfect.  I had the pleasure of spending some time with him when he was first born to get a few pictures and a snuggle.  

My own little man, is getting Cheekier and cheekier by the minute.  He is so FULL of personality and I am enjoying every second.

He is a nature lover that is for sure.  He LOVES being outside and with the new snow that has fallen, he is such a little explorer.

Although he is getting bigger and finally putting some of the weight back on that he lost during his many weeks of illness, he is still so much a baby to me.  I have a feeling I will feel this way no matter how big he gets.

On my birthday we went out for dinner.  He had the time of his life and ate everything in sight.  Please note- that is not his glass of wine.  

He had a beer. 

(kidding)

Cars are his favourite thing and he goes around saying,

 "Car! Car!  Brrrrroooooommmmm!" all day long.

At a party the weekend after my birthday, Dave surprised me with one more cake. My birthday lasted about two weeks.

And Kipper helped Daddy bring his Mama two bottles of her favourite wine.

During a strange "feeling okay moment" at the hospital at 3am, Kippy Boo decided that he wanted to play.  It didn't last long, and he soon went through some torturous tests but it made Mama happy to see he still had some "play" in him.  

PS-  Please don't be alarmed.  I didn't allow him to play with the germ-infested toys in the ER waiting room.  This room was the x-ray waiting room in the basement of the hospital where we sat all alone. 

Sweet Bug waiting in between tests.

One of his favourite things these days?  Brushing his teeth.  

One of his LEAST favourite things?  Allowing us to brush his teeth.

Squeaky Clean!

Elmo tattoos from the stocking.  He hated it.  Wanted it off...and then scraped it off with his teeth. 

 Okay, I have spent enough time up here on the computer now.  I need to go and find my husband, relax in front of the tv, and soak up the last day of our holidays.  

See you soon!

Here Comes Kippy Boo-Boo!

I couldn't resist!  I made the shirt.....we call him Kippy Boo all the time and I just had to....

 

It was a wet but fun Halloween #2 for my baby.  Don't you just LOVE boots on babies?

We got into the Halloween spirit early this year.  It is so much more fun when you have a "little" in the house, even if he has no idea what is going on.  The week before Halloween Kiptyn rocked a few different Halloween outfits at day care.

 

 

One day I dropped off a "Kiptyn" at day care and picked up a Tiger!  ROAR!  He loved looking at himself in the mirror and at the other kids with their faces painted.

I made Halloween cupcakes for a meeting that ended up being cancelled due to the Hurricane situation.  My students sure loved Mrs. Welbourn the next day in dance class!

We had our little Halloween photo shoot in the family room....but he didn't quite fit inside the pumpkin like he did last year, and he also didn't want to stay still.

 

Naturally, Kiptyn had more than one Halloween costume this year.  

Ha!  I actually bought one last year (Sock Monkey) and ended up using the hat for his birthday party outfit.  The second costume I just picked up for $3 in the spring at a Mom 2 Mom sale- it was brand new and still in the package.  I knew Kiptyn's little friends who were a bit older would appreciate Buzz Lightyear so I had to get it.  By the time Halloween rolled around I wanted to do a family costume so Dave and I went as Pirates and he was our talking parrot. I ended up making his costume since I couldn't find a parrot costume that was cute enough and didn't look cheap. He ended up wearing all three to different Halloween parties anyway and it all worked out.

I didn't get a picture of the three of us dressed in our family outfits (crazy I know!), but here is Mama as a Pirate...

 

....and here is my little parrot! 

 

 We took him to the local toy store one night in costume.  They had a special on that if you came to the store dressed up you would get a free light-up Halloween necklace. Kippy Boo was the cutest Sock Monkey in the land, and absolutely LOVED playing in the toy store...past his bedtime.

 

Here is our little "Buzz" for the Halloween party we hosted

 

A week before Halloween we had our Baby Halloween party.  The kids were so cute in their costumes but it was a little harder to get them all together for a photo this year than it was last year.

 

On Devil's Night we went to a pumpkin toss in our neighbourhood.  Some of the kids dressed up but mostly we just got little pumpkins, crated a ramp, and tossed the pumpkins down the hill on the street to try to get them to go up the ramp.  It was actually hilarious!  Next year we are planning on it being even bigger and better!  

Our friend's daughter and our "babysitter" Olivia

See the ramp?

On Halloween day I dressed him as a parrot once again for day care

 

 

He was so excited when he got there that he didn't want to stay in the classroom to let Mama get some photos.  He just wanted to go and see his friends!

 A little "square mouth" actually showed up for a while

At the end of the school day, I ran out and grabbed my Bug from daycare to bring to my after school dance rehearsal.  The girls adored him and he had so much fun dancing with the big kids.

Nice Grande Plie Kippers!

Halloween night it was cold and rainy so we put back on the Sock Monkey outfit and only went to three houses to Trick-Or-Treat.  Bug ended up getting fishy crackers, an apple, a cookie, and a few actual Halloween treats that Mama and Daddy ended up eating. All in all we had a tired little boy the next day.  So tired in fact, that he did something he never does....fell asleep at mealtime.  It was precious.

Since Halloween we have been.......going out for matching shirt family breakfasts....

...lining up his growing collection of cars....

...still trying to get those shoes on all by himself....

....snuggling with cousins....

...waving at everyone and everything...

...protesting about Movember...

...and getting into the holiday spirit!

I just LOVE this time of year with the change from fall to winter.  I love the coziness of Christmas and the warmth of the holiday season.  We are looking forward to lots of Christmas cheer and relaxing traditions in the next few weeks!

Until next time, have a great holiday season!