Well, so far, December has been filled with several hilarious moments, as our babies head into the sweetest childhood experience of all: discovering the magic of Christmas.
The hilarity of our month is epitomized in the photo below, chosen by us not because it was the best picture, but because we thought it was the most funny. Lyla took the experience of meeting Santa very seriously – she was focused throughout her conversation with him, making sure to convey the importance of her 2 biggest wishes this Season: Stomp Shoes (seen on a grocery shopping trip at Kroger) and a jump rope (discovered at the Watts Family Thanksgiving celebration at Aunt Naenee’s house). You can see the determination in her face.
And, Cade, well…he was okay with Santa because his hero (aka as Waa,Waa to him) was okay with Santa. I think he actually sort of liked him.
All in all, we absolutely love this photo.
In a word: Priceless.
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Elfie rejoined our family Thanksgiving night. Lyla was thrilled to discover him in Daddy’s Christmas stocking, along with striped, matching pj’s for them both. Of course, they had to wear them to bed that night.
Elfie seems to have a one-track mind – he gets stuck on something and can’t let go. His first agenda was getting our Christmas Tree decorated. Daddy brought it up from the basement and then worked several nights – so it couldn’t adorn its shatter proof ornaments (for Cade of course) until Daddy had a few days off. So, Elfie became fixated on getting it decorated himself.
First, he started gathering ornaments and carrying them on Cade’s dump truck:
Then, he got the lights out…
Then, when he finally located the shatterproof ornaments, he hung from the light trying to put them on himself:
Once our tree was decorated (only the top half of course, due to our “destroyer” named Cade), Eflie has moved on to more mischief. Here, he decided to do some decorating of his own:
He even tried to take over Mommy’s stocking one night:
He likes to leave messages for the kids sometimes, using a little sugar of course:
It says, “Be Good, L & C” if you can’t read it:
Here, he delivered a nativity scene to Lyla & Cade:
And, there was the day he was really tempted to eat Lyla’s beloved gingerbread house she decorated at preschool:
We never know what he’s going to do next, but we can’t wait to see. Lyla says he’s a very naughty elf!
Stay tuned.
We were so happy to have the opportunity to visit the North Pole via the Polar Express in French Lick, IN. It was a great time for all of us, and just another example of how magical the Season is for us this year. We were able to go with dear friends, which made the time even more special – Lyla especially loved seeing the whole thing with her good friends Liam & Lily. There’s nothing like putting your Christmas pajamas on and heading north.
Of course, Cade was excited about it too:
After lunch and a couple (or more) potty breaks, we boarded the train. I’m so proud to say that Lyla made it through the whole experience with NO accidents. She did a great job!
The Alvey’s:
More Alvey’s:
Cade loved charming a couple of elves:
Lyla was a little unsure what she thought about our elf:
And, his preoccupation with Christmas lights is the reason the Hottman family tree looks a little sad this year, decorated only halfway up with shatterproof ornaments and jute rope. He is a one man destroyer. Really.
Lyla and Cade loved the train ride:
The highlight of the train ride (if you don’t count our elf’s singing, dancing and hot chocolate) was a visit from Santa himself.
Cade went right to him – you can’t see Lyla in the photo, but she’s standing to the side explaining that she wants Stomp Shoes and a jump rope for Christmas. She’s very serious about them both, and has repeatedly told us that’s ALL she wants. We laugh at that – Lance says he’s sure it’s in stark contrast to what she’ll be saying when she’s 14.
At the end of the ride, we tried to get the kids together for one photo, but it didn’t quite work out.
Somehow, Lyla’s face was hurt, and she was very unhappy about it.
So, this is as close as we got. We took this as our sign to head home.
The kids fell asleep in the car, were transferred from their seats to their beds when we got home, and we never heard from them again until morning.
They had a magical night. We all did.
Today was the day that our Lyla turned 3, officially. I never ceased to be amazed when someone asks her how old she is, and she twists her little hand to hold up 3 fingers…where did the time go? How is it that our little baby is able to tell anyone who asks that she is 3 years old?
In many ways, it feels like the blink of an eye, but in many others, it seems like such a long time ago. Regardless, our lives are fuller than they have every been. She is a living miracle, and I love her more than I can possibly express in words.
I’m glad that Lance was home with us today – we had a full day celebrating one of the 2 most amazing days of my life.
First, we had birthday pancakes and opened a few presents:
The Birthday Wreath:
A happy girl with her new dollhouse from Mommy & Daddy. We heard the words, “Would you like to play with me?” about 100 times throughout the course of the day. She loved it the moment Lance carried it out to her, and her favorite family member of her doll family is, of course, the baby. She named it “Cade”.
We spent most of the morning at home. We spent some time at Barnes & Noble later, where Lyla read some books with Daddy. After a quick dinner, we went to the bakery to pick out cupcakes. Lyla then celebrated again with her beloved cousin, Isabella. She was so happy to see her, and I really don’t think her day would have been complete without her.
Cade seemed kind of satisfied with his eggless cupcake and icing – it’s not the same as the girls’ treats, but he was willing to make it work:
All in all, it was a great day of looking backward and forward. Watching Lyla grow up is a bittersweet experience, but mostly sweet. This time 3 years ago she was a tiny, helpless baby and I was a scared, overwhelmed Mommy. I’m still a little overwhelmed, but three years has given me a different outlook…on everything. I love hearing her laugh, talk and share her thoughts. These are the sweet parts…and in many, many ways, I am wise enough now to realize that these are the sweetest of days.
I love you, Lyla.
Happy 3rd Birthday – I am looking forward to many, many more.
Thanksgiving was held at John & Jennifer’s this year – we were all excited to celebrate our many blessings. First and foremost, we’re happy that John & Jennifer will be welcoming a new baby to the family next year – it’s looking like Cade might have a male comrade in the Spring, although we’re waiting for the official word next Wednesday. Today, Blaire was excited to celebrate Thanksgiving with Lyla – they had a great day playing, screaming and running through the house.
Cade had a great day too – here he is with Uncle Damon:
He had a great day today – he was such a happy boy. He was so glad to be with his cousins, and of course, following their every move, especially Lyla’s. Whatever she’s doing, he wants to do too:
We were also really happy to see “baby” Emory, who really isn’t a baby anymore. Just 4 months older than Cade, they’re really starting to seem more on the same page developmentally. It was fun to watch them together today. Here she is with Aunt Carole:
The girls today:
I know it’s a little cliche, but I really felt like counting my blessings today. Our family is so full of miraculous children, and I’m overwhelmed with gratitude at the amazing life our little family has with each other.
The ride home was a long one for Miss Q., who has been refusing naps for the last 2-3 weeks. She still needs them, but won’t give in these days…the festivities really wore on her today:
However, she was quickly revived when we got home and discovered that a special visitor had finally arrived:
That’s right! It’s Elfie!! He’s back from the North Pole!!! Lyla was so excited to see him and had a lot to tell him about how grown up she is now:
Elfie also brought Lyla & Cade Christmas pajamas, which he placed in their stockings. Of course, they wore them to bed tonight:
December is going to be a fun month – we’re all so excited about the Holidays! Lyla was so excited about Elfie that she had to go back to say goodnight to him several times.
Cade also enjoyed a good game of getting chased to the trash tonight – he loves to get into the trash and pull out one treasure or another. Tonight he made a game of running to the trash can and trying to get caught. It was great fun until he was carted away from the trash, in which case, he became very grumpy.
Here’s he’s formulating a plan to run back to the trash:
In action:
Getting caught by Mommy:
Not happy:
And, one last photo that Lyla took of Daddy tonight. She loves taking pictures:
All in all, a busy, full day at the Hottman’s . We all feel so incredibly blessed by each other. I love taking at least a few moments on this day to really think about the things in my life that are important. I sure do love these 3, more than I can even put into words. They are undoubtedly the most amazing people on the Planet to me.
Happy Thanksgiving.
