a Christmas letter

I started this blog several weeks ago and never finished it. It might be a little late but I am going to finish it now.

So you know how people put a letter in their Christmas cards? Well...we don't do that. Maybe people we send cards to don't want to read about our year...also, maybe they read this blog and already know everything. Andrew read a Christmas letter yesterday and thought maybe we should write a letter to make the cards a little more personal. I was going to do it but sealed all the cards before I remembered I was going to write a letter. So I am just going to blog a letter and hopefully the folks that want to read it will and those who don't won't!!!

What a year it has been!!! Here are two pictures of the boys with Santa last year....



And here they are this year...




Aaron wanted to snuggle with Santas beard last year and this year he wanted nothing to do with him!!!

We have been through a lot this year and we have so very much to be thankful for. The boys are both on the growth chart and do not appear to have any delays. They reached all of their milestones so far within the normal range for their real age...not adjusted. They are amazing and it seems impossible but I love them more everyday. This year we were able to move out of my sister Annie's house and into our own.

Andrew still works for Verizon Wireless in East Peoria as a Sales Rep. It isn't the best situation but the job pays the bills so we are thankful. Hopefully one day he will have a job that allows him to be home to have dinner with us..his family. He has had a very good year as far as his job goes. He is good at sales but does put a lot of high goals on himself. He is always in a silent competition with another sales rep and really doesn't like when the other rep comes out ahead of him at the end of the month.

I am still a full time stay at home mom. It is by far the most demanding job I have ever had but it's also my favorite job!!! Some days are harder than others but the good outweighs the bad. I really struggled during the first half of the year with getting the boys on a schedule and getting them to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time but all that hard work has paid off. They are great sleepers, fabulous eaters, and the sweetest little boys you will ever meet =) I have thought about finding a job I can do at home to help with the bills but have been unsuccessful in finding anything that is not a scam. I would like to go back to school for speech pathology...but honestly..I don't know how well I would do with the demands of a new career path and raising my boys. We will just have to keep praying about it and asking for God to give Andrew and I the wisdom to know what to do.

In the past year the boys have learned to suck, swallow, and breathe at the same time. They have learned to sleep on their own. They have learned to roll from their backs to fronts and fronts to back. They have learned to sit without support, stand, cruise around furniture, sit up from laying down. They know how eat solid food and pick finger foods up to feed themselves. They have gone from 5 lbs to almost 20!!! Preemie clothes to 12 months!!! They are trying to talk. Elliott can walk and Aaron is not far behind!!! They are learning how to be nice to one another and not push each other down and take things from each other. Aaron loves to put toys in things...or his paci. He hides his paci in the laundry or in other toys. Elliott loves to be chased and held upside down. They both love to make people laugh.

So that way my attempt at a Christmas letter. I think it was kind of dumb. Oh well.

This is New Years Eve. I am at home alone with the boys. They are sleeping and I am feeling a bit lonely. Andrew went to Henry to play poker. My mom, Julie, Annie, and the kids are at Annie's house playing games and eating unhealthy stuff. I am not feeling very well but much better then yesterday and the day before. The boys are getting runny noses and coughing again. I am thinking about taking them to the doctor tomorrow to see if they have ear infections again or if either of them are wheezing. Runny noses and coughs have always turned into wheezing...I did read that boys grow out of the wheezing asthma stuff more often than girls...YAY!!!

I am trying to think about what has happened since the boys birthday. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Jamestown with Grandma and Grandpa Bock. Katie, Eric, and Cassidy were also there. It was pretty hetic opening presents. The boys wanted to play with Cassidy's princess cups and Cassidy wanted to play with the boys dump truck. I actually think that they didn't get to play with their dump truck until we got home!!! They didn't want to open presents...they just wanted to be all over the house. I think that they really enjoyed time with their grandma and grandpa...also with Katie and Eric....I am not sure what they thought about Cassidy. They were just like they are with Jackson. Cassidy and Jackson are both sweet and will hug the boys and stuff but the boys just kind of want to do their own thing. I think they will be different in a few months. It seems like they are getting more interested in playing with eachother instead of next to each other. I know that all comes with time and time is something I don't want to rush. I wish that the boys could see Cassidy more but I guess they can't!!! I think that their favorite gift was the toy box from Santa Bock. Elliott got inside of the toy box with his lovie. He was very graceful getting in and getting out. Aaron likes it better on the outside. They also really LOVE the big dump truck. I was bringing stuff in from the car and Andrew was watching the boys. I came into the living room to find Elliott sitting in the dump truck and Aaron pushing him!!! I wasn't fast enough to get pictures but I did get a little video footage. We have put Elliott in the dump truck a couple more times and he loves it!!! Aaron also loves to push him...they are too funny. Aaron does not like being in the dump truck!!!

Its been fun to watch them learn how to play with their toys that they have had for a long time. Aaron loves to play with the roll-a-round dinosaur. I was so suprised the first time I saw him put the ball where it was supposed to go. He puts paci's in the dino often too. Elliott has been getting very frustrated when he can't do things by himself. It's sad to watch but its all a part of growing up. Aaron doesn't get frustrated as much...he takes his time to figure something out and if he gets tired of trying he just goes to something else. They were given LOTS of books for Christmas too and its been fun reading them all the new stories.

I feel that this blog is boring and long so I guess I will stop. I will try to blog more often and about more interesting things in the new year. YAY 2009!!!

just a quick one

I just wanted to write a quick little blog. The boys are doing much much better...they don't even really have runny noses anymore =)

Also I learned from my mom who learned from our doctor when we were little that not wearing shoes is the best for little feet. The doctor told her that shoes screw up our feet. When kids are learning to walk its best for them to be barefoot because they roll their feet right and use their toes and strengthen their arches. So, no shoes for my boys!!! I am looking into getting cheap "robeez" but not actually robeez...some family in China makes soft sole crib shoes like robeez and sells them on ebay. I have seen many not be bid on at all and the bidding starts at .97 with $8 shipping...we can handle that. That's it...I must finish watching the Dark Knight...I guess it's important.

Jen

nebulizer and croup

I have no excuse for not blogging...I have just been lazy.

The boys had their last "first" on Thanksgiving for a while. How sad...I guess Aaron still needs to get his first tooth and take his first step... They had so much fun playing with their cousin Ashley's toys on Thanksgiving. She had tons of play food and a kitchen...she's in college now and doesn't play with that stuff anymore (as far as I know!!!). We will have to get them something like that soon...or when they have outgrown some of their baby stuff they are still playing with. We also put Aaron in a doll baby buggy of Ashley's and had Jenna push him. Its a pretty cute picture...I will post them soon.

The day after Thanksgiving Elliott started to get a cough and runny nose. Aaron started with the same stuff Sunday afternoon. They had their well baby check on Monday. Aaron started croup coughing on the way to the doctor office. He felt pretty bad by the time we got there and it's only a 15 minute drive!!! Elliott was feeling pretty bad too but I think Aaron was scared because it hurt to cough and he didn't know what was going on. They weighed and measured them but I, again, don't know how accurate the measurements are since they were super upset and the nurses were hurrying. Two different nurses measured them too. Aaron weighed in at 20.7 pounds and Elliott 19.11. Aaron was 28 1/4 inches and Elliott 28 inches. Here is the thing...when they stand up together, which they do all the time, Elliott is taller than Aaron. Anyway, Aaron was given a steroid shot and breathed epinephrine through the nebulizer at the office to help with his croup. He coughed a little when we got in the car but not again after that!!! Praise God!!! Elliott was wheezing and had an ear infection. He was given antibiotics and has to use the nebulizer at home with albuterol. They had a recheck on Thursday. Aaron is down to just having a cold...they don't do anything for that and Elliott was "wheezing all over" so he is up from 3 nebs a day to 4. He's doing pretty well with them so I won't complain. I just hope he grows out of it. Both seem to be feeling better every day.

Aaron is getting braver and braver. I have thought he was going to take a step several times but he always just goes to his knees to crawl. Elliott is walking more than crawling now. He is good at turning and walking around things too. Now we just need to find shoes with arches that fit them!!! I think they might have unusually small feet or I am just not shopping at the right stores. I used the shoe chart on the Old Navy, Gap, and Children's Place websites and their feet didn't even get to the smallest shoe size. I think shoes are important so if you have any suggestions let me know.

So..the boys are doing more and more grown up things. Elliott tried to put his sock back on and Aaron tried to put his santa hat back on. Both are doing well at drinking milk from sippies rather than bottles...even Aaron!!! Aaron held his bottle yesterday too!!! I think Aaron might be getting a tooth but I have been thinking that off and on for several months. Elliott's 5 tooth should be popping through any day. Aaron has decided that he is a picky eater again. Today he refused mashed potatoes, turkey, and fruit and yogurt. He would only eat deli turkey...smoked turkey at that...that has a strong flavor...he is a weird kid. Elliott loves yogurt!!! I wish Aaron did. I will keep trying with him. Hopefully he will remember that he likes everything soon. I don't know if either of them will eat green beans anymore. Neither of them can get enough Gerber Juice Treats. I am pretty sure Elliott threw his first real fit yesterday. He was drinking from the red sippy and Aaron from the blue. I don't like them to switch because then I don't know if Elliott has drank everything or if Aaron has had some too. Anyway, Elliott decided he wanted the blue one and I gave him the red one. I put the blue one out of his reach. He layed on the floor and rolled while kicking and crying and threw the red sippy. Later he and Aaron both wanted a bottle that was in the tub. Aaron took it from Elliott and Elliott tried to rip Aaron's face off!!! I am kind of freaking out because I don't know how to deal with it. I thought they would not fight...seriously I did!!! I thought they would be sweet forever!!! Don't feel bad for Aaron though!!! Elliott has put up with a lot this past year from Aaron =)

Oh my...I must pay attention to my boys now. Aaron is trying to eat a wagon wheel in one bite...

Jen