Fall and Winter and Spring, Part 2

Here's part two of my attempt to catch up on our blog. We had a wonderful Christmas season this year - busy with a little one in the house, but so much fun preparing for baby's first Christmas! We picked out our tree at the usual "lot," also know as our neighborhood grocery store. Everyone helped decorate, starting with Nelle's first Christmas ornament and followed by all the rest of our baby ornaments. Norah and Maddie had an assist with the star (though Dan's face would suggest he was about to drop Maddie in the picture below [click on the pic for a closer look], everybody did remain safe through the entire decorating process!).

Picking out our Christmas Tree

Our neighborhood got into the spirit with "crane day," when we put Christmas lights in the tall, tall trees.  Norah looks forward to the crane ride every year, and this year Maddie got to join her and Daddy. Dan always assures me that everything is safe, but they do seem to go a little higher every year. Maddie was initially a little scared by the loud noises coming from the truck, but in the end she enjoyed the ride.

Nelle got her first taste of solid food in early December. At first, it seems like babies use more calories trying to eat the food than they actually get from whatever makes it into their stomachs, but she eventually got the hang of things. Since then we've cruised through yellow and green veggies, fruits, beans, meats, yogurt, cheese, and more.

We continued to get into the Christmas spirit with a trip to visit Santa (no tears this year... Nelle was too little to know what was going on and Maddie is a big girl now!), and a horse-drawn carriage ride. Norah had a pretty specific list this year (Doc McStuffins books, some new clothes, jewelry, Frozen gear, etc.), so she had quite a lot to tell Santa.

Norah's Christmas program at St. Anthony's was right before break - so cute to see all the kindergarteners and first graders all dressed up and singing some very sweet songs! At that point, it was so hard to believe that kindergarten was halfway over already, though obviously we're much closer to the end now!

We worked on a few more last-minute Christmas traditions at home - frantic shopping for me and gingerbread train decorating for Daddy and the girls. It seemed that a fair number of the candy decorations (and a bit of the frosting) were eaten before they actually made it onto the train, but that's all part of the fun.

Nelle continued to grow and show off all her new skills... she's trying out her balance in her five-month shot below. She loved taking in all the bustle of the Christmas preparations: her sisters had fun finding new ways to make her smile and giggle, and she was a great shopping buddy for me (my secrets were safe with her!).

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were filled with lots of special memories. The girls' Elf on the Shelf, Ladybug, made cinnamon rolls on Christmas Eve morning before she headed back to the North Pole that night with Santa. We enjoyed a low-key dinner with the Devany side that evening, then got dressed up and headed to mass. Then, after a quick look at the Santa-tracker (he was just over Missouri at Norah and Maddie's pre-bedtime check - maybe even delivering presents to Ember and Autumn!), it was off to bed to await Santa's arrival at the McCoy house.

Every year, we say we're going to try to tone down the focus on the presents so we can spend more time enjoying the season and focusing on faith and family. We were a little bit successful this year, but our family room was still covered in presents on Christmas morning. Santa, Grandma and Grandpa, and Grammy and Grandpa Mike definitely came through on Norah and Maddie's lists! Since I wasn't fighting early pregnancy morning sickness (Christmas 2011 and 2013) and we had no pinkeye to worry about (Christmas 2012), Dan and I were really able to enjoy Christmas morning with the girls. The big girls always dart out to the family room as soon as they wake up to check out their stockings. Nelle was happy to watch all the activity. We spent a relaxing afternoon and evening at my parents' house, with more presents, more eating, and lots of great family time (including some nice phone calls to Dan's family). It was another wonderful Christmas on all accounts.

We stuck close to home for the rest of Norah's break, and we rung in the new year in our traditional low-key style - at home with a glass of wine and a kiss. 2014 was a memorable year for us, with our growing family and many new adventures. We thank God for all our many blessings. 2015 to be continued in the next post...