Christmas Morning!

Today the kids woke up and Anna was very excited to see what Santa brought! Before breakfast we let her open her stocking. She got barrettes and some Elmo books!

Olivier was excited to get his stocking down!
Checking out all the books Santa brought!
Mason is happy to read us his stories!
Love those smiles Olivier!
Anna opening one of her gifts after she had breakfast!
So excited to see those long awaited Elmo slippers! (Thank you Joe and Heather!)
Showing them off some more.
And now she is looking at the Minnie earrings from Daddy and Mommy.
Showing them to Mommy. :-)
Mason and Olivier got a giant Mr. Potato Head.
The boys were typical kids, more interested in the boxes than the toys!
Anna playing with her princess art and craft kit, and of course she is wearing her Elmo slippers!
Merry Christmas!!

Santa Visits Daycare!

Today Santa took time out of his busy schedule and stopped by daycare to give everyone a few presents before Christmas! We are so thankful to have seen him! We were able to get photos of all three kids as they were getting gifts from Santa, and no tears! Mason did get upset on his second trip to see Santa but they all did really well!

Olivier was the first to be called and he wasn't sure what to think, he did not take his eyes off Santa!
Anna didn't want to sit on Santa's lap but did go to Santa and let him hand her a present! Much improved over last year when she wouldn't go within five feet!

Mason was all about the present during his first visit to Santa. I have a feeling he is really going to love opening gifts this year!
On Anna's second trip to get a gift from Santa, he was asking her to turn around so we could get a photo. We didn't get her turned around for a photo but we did get this one where it looks like he is scolding her, no fear though, she has been a very good little girl this year!

Christmas is almost here!!!

Proof of Mason's climb

And here is the proof that Mason is now climbing up on the couch! Can you tell it makes him happy? :-)

Having Fun!

Today Anna and I went to a Victorian Teddy Bear Tea Party. Anna had a ball! When we first arrived it was time for gingerbread cookies. They had one cookie already decorated for everyone and the kids got a second one that was blank to decorate and eat. I didn't realize how much Anna likes gingerbread! She did not want to do anything while she was eating her cookies!
Then I convinced Anna to visit the Snow Queen. She was little hesitant at first but after talking to the very nice Snow Queen she agreed to sit on her lap for a picture. Of course she made a silly face while I was taking the photo!

After a successful visit with the Snow Queen, I convinced Anna that we should go say hi to Santa. She was much more hesitant but after giving her a small gift and a little help from Mrs. Clause, Anna agreed to sit on Santa's lap so I could get a photo. No smile but our first no tears Santa photo!

After visiting with Santa, Anna went and had her face painted. She liked having her face painted and being able to see it in the mirror after. Lots of fun!
Anna also had a lot of fun dancing with the other girls at our table. I have a feeling we will be getting her some dance lessons for her birthday next year. She loves to dance and twirl. Amazing how many times she can twirl around and not get dizzy. And of course, a dress isn't very good unless you can make it twirl!



I had to attend a work conference and was gone for just over two days. Mason is a Mama's boy and always tends to want to give me love and kisses. After getting back, he didn't want to leave my side and was giving me lots of hugs. It felt good to be missed but I had to laugh because I felt like he was stuck to me all weekend! And this weekend, Mason discovered that he can climb up on this couch all by himself! Yikes!


Olivier has started taking steps on his own. He will periodically walk and take a few steps on his own. We are not surprised that he is our first walker because he has no fear! If he is standing and he wants something that is close by, he will now walk to get it (for the most part) and he is getting more confident. No long distances yet but he is well on his way. Go Olivier go!! Matt was trying to fix his pants because he kept stumbling and instead, Olivier just took off!

Christmas Photos!

We were able to get some great family photos! We knew it was going to be tricky to get it done but we planned all day and when it came time, the first shot was the best one! Always nice when it works out that way!

Matt holding Mason, Anna, Tania holding Olivier

Mason, Anna, and Olivier

12 Month Checkup!

Today we took the boys for their 12 month checkup! Boy have the boys grown! We talked about how the boys are doing (they have a cold right now) and all the things they are doing (crawling, cruising, no more bottles, clapping, etc).

We talked a lot about Olivier and his belly issues and how to go about making him feel better. We have started giving him medication for heartburn and it looks like he is allergic to milk. We need to give it some time and see how he does with the heartburn medication. We had tried giving him whole milk earlier this month but that sure did a number on his poor system so we are sticking to soy milk, for everyone's sake!

It looks like they both just had a bit of a growth spurt based on the growth curves for height. And we continue to be surprised that they are lower on the weight side because they are chunky (but in a very cute way of course!). :-)

Olivier:
30 1/2 inches tall (70th percentile)
21 pounds 12 ounces (30th percentile)

Mason:
30 3/4 inches tall (75th percentile)
22 pounds 8 ounces (35th percentile)

Just to compare, Anna was 30 inches tall (80th percentile) and 21 pounds (55th percentile).

Will work on getting some photos up soon!

Mason and Olivier's 1st Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Mason and Olivier's 1st birthday. It was a beautiful day (very much like a summer day, if not better since we had no fog!). The boys had a lot of fun but were a bit overwhelmed by all of the activity. Thank you to everyone who made it! I have some great pictures of the kids who joined us for their baby books!

Mason enjoying the swings and beautiful weather!
Olivier happy to be outside.
And since we all know the 1st birthday is all about the cake, here are the cakes before the boys got their hands on them.

Olivier already checking out his cake before it is even put down for him to enjoy!

The boys digging into their cakes. Well at least Olivier is! :-) Not at all surprising.
Olivier kept checking in with Daddy (off to his left). Mason was tentatively eating his cake.
Olivier wants to share with Mason and Daddy.
Olivier trying to decide if Mason's cake would taste better.
Olivier:
Mason:
Great photo of my brother with Olivier.

And of course, here is a video of the boys eating their cakes. There is no sound because it was very noisy.