Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Schmitt Family!!


We celebrated Christmas Eve at MaMa and Pop's house. The kids loved opening their presents and giving gifts too. Delia is especially excited about Pop's new doughnut maker (or nonuts, as she calls them).

We hurried home to take baths and put out cookies and milk for Santa (and carrots for the reindeer). Luckily we had tired kids, so bedtime was a breeze. I'm sure it helped that John Grayson was eager for Santa to come and knew that he had to be asleep before he would arrived. Surprisingly, there wasn't an early-morning wake up from the little ones. John Grayson stayed in his room long past the nightlight turning yellow, and Delia played in her crib until we got her up. Merry Christmas, Mommy and Daddy!

Santa did a GREAT job this year and got the kids exactly what they wanted. John Grayson got a giant crane and Delia got a baby doll. Santa also had a few surprises. A headlamp for J Gray and a unicorn pillow pet for Delia. At dinner tonight, J Gray told us that he got more than he wanted and he had a wonderful Christmas. Yay!

To infinity and beyond!

Delia got a basket of dress up clothes from MaMa and Pop. She absolutely loved all of the pretty clothes!

And the dress up continues, with a feather boa, gloves and bells.

Santa's work is complete! A baby doll for Delia and a giant crane for John Grayson.

Happy boy on Christmas morning

Delia hugging her new baby doll while sitting on her pillow pet.

Santa had no idea that John Grayson would like his headlamp so much!

Mommy and Daddy thought it would be fun to give them a joint gift this year---bathtub crayons. Sharing, at its best.

Grandma and Grandpa got Delia a new stroller for her baby doll. She loves it!

Fun On Wheels

I had the opportunity to take the kids roller skating earlier in the week. There's a skating rink in town that has a preschool class on Thursday mornings for only $5! The kids get some time to skate on their own and then there is a short 30 minute class. The teacher taught the kids how to fall, how to get back up, and how to march on their skates. A few moms in my MOMS Club also went, and it was fun to have some buddies there to share in the fun. I was a little nervous about having two kids on skates, so I decided not to wear any myself (which was probably a very good idea since I haven't been on skates since I was 10!). Delia had a pair of fisher-price skates that she wore over her shoes and let her march on the floor. John Grayson actually more real roller skates, but they slow down the wheels so it's easier for the little ones to keep their balance. J Gray was initially a little leery, but he took to it quickly and didn't even want to hold my hand! Delia was fearless, as usual, and did a better job skating than most of the big kids! This is definitely an activity that we'll try again very soon :-)

In their skates and ready to go!

Delia was eager to skate with the big kids!

J Gray loved playing with the balls at the end of class!

Delia had so much fun during the skating class!

Look at him go! Skating all by himself!

Christmas Fun

December has been another busy month in the Schmitt household. There are so many fun things to do and so little time! Sorry for combining all of these activities into one huge blog posting, but I've had trouble keeping up this month!

The kids are very into Christmas and Santa this year. Preschool does a wonderful job of reinforcing Jesus and his birthday. John Grayson can now set up the nativity on his own and knows lots of cute songs. One of my favorite things happened when his teacher gave him a candy cane to bring home. In the car, he told me all about how if you hold the candy cane one way, then it's a J for Jesus and the other way is a shepherd's hook. Smart boy! Delia knows all about Santa and can say his name. She is also very into cookies and holiday lights.

Decorating the Tree
We had friends in town for Thanksgiving, so unlike past years, we didn't put the tree and outdoor lights up the day after Thanksgiving. The Christmas tree went up shortly after Thanksgiving, but we had trouble finding a good time to tackle the outdoor lights. It became incredibly cold and windy in early December, and neither John nor I really felt like standing outside stringing lights. And then it snowed. Twice. Needless to say, we have no outside lights this year, but John promises to up his game next year.

The kids were a huge help decorating the tree, especially John Grayson. He loved finding the perfect spot for ornaments and then admiring his handy-work. Delia was interested for about 5 minutes and then she wondered off to play.


Making Cookies
Another tradition in our house is to make Great Great Grandma Schmitt's famous sugar cookies. They take two days to make because the dough has to rest overnight, but they are oh-so yummy and totally worth it. The kids loved playing with the dough and putting sprinkles on the cookies. Delia was much more interested in eating the sprinkles so I ended up doing most of the decorating after John iced the cookies. The cookies were a huge hit (especially with Delia, our little cookie monster).

Daddy and the kids making cookies. Delia was too into playing with the dough to bother looking at the camera :-)

Delia taking a break from the business of baking cookies to smile for Mommy

Delia loved the cookies, especially the icing and sprinkles!

John Grayson also loved the cookies. He was a big help with the sprinkles too, but only the green ones!

Snow
To be honest, I'm not sure if I live in Virginia anymore. It's only December, and we've already had two snow falls, one of which was "bad" enough to close schools for two days. They're calling for more snow tonight. At least we don't have to travel tomorrow! We learned our lesson from last year's huge snow and bought snow pants for John Grayson. He LOVED playing in the snow and helped John shovel the driveway. Delia, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with being outside. She watched the boys from the warmth and comfort of a chair near the front door. We borrowed snow pants from a friend (thanks Kelly and Bill!), so maybe we can convince Delia to play in the Christmas snow. We'll see :-)

Our house in the snow

J Gray LOVED the snow this year!

Delia watched the boys (Dusty included) playing in the snow from the comfort of her chair. She watched everything they did but refused to go outside!

This is my only picture of Delia in the snow, and she wouldn't go any farther than the deck. She insisted that I hold her if we went into the yard!

Lewis Ginter
For the second year, we went to the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden's Gardenfest of Lights. Lewis Ginter is the beautiful botanical garden in Richmond and they decorate all of the trees and bushes with Christmas lights. It was fun to bundle up and walk around the garden with the kids and MaMa and Pop. Delia was a big girl this year and walked most of the way. It was really cold, so the kids announced they were done after about an hour. It's definitely a wonderful Richmond tradition that we love to experience!

A family photo among the lights

John and the kids

Delia, MaMa and Pop

Delia was so bundled up that she could barely move! She did a great job though and walked almost the entire time.

Daddy and Delia. She loved sitting on the tree stump so it took some coaxing to get her to get up and keep moving!

Not the way I was hoping to start my day

I had Bunco last night so John put the kids to bed. When I got home, he mentioned that Delia had been a little naughty and taken not only her pajamas but also her diaper off during her "falling asleep" time. She did WHAT?! Luckily it was a one-time thing and I went to bed without thinking much of it. Silly me....... I heard Delia on the monitor this morning around 6am. Typically I ignore her and did so until about 6:45 when she started calling my name. Since this is not normal for her, I decided to investigate. I was not prepared for what I discovered.

Delia. In the crib. Naked. Standing in a wet spot. Laughing.

Seriously!?

I tried not to acknowledge any more than I needed to. I simply picked her up, said "Yuck, Delia," gave her a new diaper, re-dressed her, covered the wet spot with blankets and went back to bed for 15 minutes. I just wasn't prepared to start my day with a naked, pee-covered toddler. John Grayson came in promptly at 7:00 (as usual) and I told both he and John my story. They both laughed. It was so not funny. When I went in to her room to get her, Delia was laughing too.

And then I smiled and laughed, because it is pretty funny.

Delia may look angelic and sweet, but that girl is a trouble-maker. Good thing she's so cute and gives great hugs and kisses.

I may love her dearly, but I am not stupid. She went to bed tonight with tape holding her diaper on. Of course, I just had to go into her room because she was undressed and stuck in the crib, so maybe I'm not that smart after all. But now she's wearing her pajamas backwards. Take that, little lady!

Visiting with Santa

Today was our day to see Santa! Sadly, our schedule has been so busy that this was the first chance we've had to go. John Grayson was excited, which was to be expected. He's excited about most everything these days, and his favorite way to respond to a question (how was school? how are you doing?) is GREAT! Such a sweet boy. But I digress. Typically I go into our Santa visits with minimal expectations. That's way I'm not disappointed if one (or both) of them decide that they're just not feeling it. It also explains why John Grayson had clunky white tennis shoes on in his picture from 2008 :-) The past two years, I've dressed the kids in their "dressy" Christmas clothes but was totally okay (if not expecting) a tear or scream from Delia. Little did I know that the act of getting dressed would be the most stressful part of the experience.

We went to the gym first thing and then came home to change into Santa clothes before heading to the mall. J Gray was great and dressed himself. Delia, on the other hand, decided to battle Mommy. It took almost 10 minutes and bribery via Elmo to get her into her tights, shirt and dress. Forget about the shoes. She wanted no part of them, so I decided to be thankful she was dressed and head to the mall. Luckily we saw some of our friends in the parking lot, which helped distract Delia. She knows who Santa is this year and can actually say "Santa" but I wasn't convinced she'd walk up to him and stand there nicely for a picture. Well, Little Girl made me proud, and so did Big Brother!! John Grayson, bless his heart, held her hand and walked over to Santa with her. She looked very awe-struck, almost like she was seeing a celebrity for the first time (and for kids, especially tiny ones, Santa is a BIG deal). She stood there silently while John Grayson chatted with Kris Kringle. They took an adorable picture (if I do say so myself) and even went back to give an extra hug and high five. John Grayson asked for a giant crane (whew--I was afraid he was going to change his mind because Santa has already done his shopping) and Delia said "baby" (as in baby doll).

Santa 2010 = SUCCESS!!!

Snow!

We got our first snow of the year today! Luckily it wasn't enough to cancel school (just an inch or so), but it was just enough to run around in before lunch and rest time. I'm not sure who had more fun, Dusty or the kids! Delia has a brand new hat and mittens, and she insists on wearing them all the time. She slept with them yesterday so it was easy to get out the door this morning without a hassle. John Grayson doesn't have snow boots, but he seemed fine wearing his fireman rain boots.

Here are some pictures from our snowy adventure:

Delia followed Dusty around the yard, calling his name.

The snow boots, hat and mittens were a hit! She's now added all three words (boots, hat, my mittens) to her vocabulary!

Trekking to the backyard

JGray loved going down the snow-covered slide

Hi Mom!

They love each other so much!

Fuzzle Fisbee

Last year, it seemed that everyone I knew was talking about their Elves. Elves? As in a Christmas Elves? Huh? If it seems strange, then I was right there with you. It made no sense to me either. Especially when I overheard some people talking about using their magical Christmas elves as a way to ensure good behavior in their kids. Seriously?!

Let me explain. The Elf on the Shelf is a roughly 4 inch tall doll, dressed in a red suit (like Santa). As the story goes, the Elf (the kids get to name it) watches what the kids do and reports back to Santa every night. Good or bad. According to the book, these reports help Santa make his Naughty or Nice determination come Christmas Eve. The Elf appears in a different place in the house each day, and it's up to the kids to find him.

Last year, I managed to avoid buying an Elf because both kids were too young to understand. However, this year, I thought it might be fun to bring some Christmas magic into the house. I'm still opposed to the idea of using the Elf as a means to ensuring good behavior, but I thought the kids might like searching for the Elf each day. I ordered the package online (gotta love Amazon) and John and I brought the book out on December 1st to introduce the concept to the kids.

Well, John Grayson was NOT a fan of the idea of having an Elf in our house. I think the thought of this little creature stalking him daily, watching his every move was a little too much for him. JGray is such a rule-follower. He is a very good little boy, with the occasional moments of naughtiness, and he seemed genuinely concerned that this Elf was going to ruin his chances of getting presents from Santa. John and I overheard him in the hallway talking to Santa. He said, "Santa, I do NOT want an Elf in my house. Thank you." We were pretty worried that he'd freak when he saw him the next morning. Luckily, the kids and their Elf got off to a good start. They named him Fuzzle (okay, John Grayson named him Fuzzle) and gave him the last name of Fisbee (after a name they saw in their Elf on the Shelf book). Fuzzle has had a few nights of mischief (of which J Gray was NOT a fan), but so far so good. Let's hope the magic continues until Christmas!

In case you were curious, here's what our infamous Elf looks like:

After looking at him, you have to admit that he does look a little creepy. Like those eyes really could watch your every move ;-)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! Derek (one of John's best friends from high school), his wife Kelli and their boys Louis and Jamey came up from Raleigh to spend the holiday with us. Louis is 3 months younger than John Grayson, so the boys always have a great time playing together. Surprisingly, Delia and Jamey (Derek and Kelli's 17 month old son) played well together too. Delia even shared her doll stroller with him!

MaMa and Pop came over for Thanksgiving dinner, but unlike years past, John decided to take responsibility for the turkey. John did an INCREDIBLE job! He smoked the turkey on the grill, and it was delicious! There was tons of yummy food and everyone was stuffed by the end of the meal. John Grayson announced that "I love Thanksgiving!" and I think that was caused by his full belly :-)

Here are a few pictures from our fun, food-filled weekend:

Before Thanksgiving dinner, we took the kids to the park. The little ones had a blast on the swings!

Delia loved the teeter-totter

John Grayson had so much fun playing at the park with his buddies!

Spinning until you fall down!

Jamey wanted to join in on the dizzy fun too!

John was so proud of his turkey!

Louis listened intently to John Grayson's blessing

22 Months Old!

It's hard to believe that Delia is almost 2 years old. In some ways, I still feel like she's my baby, but in many other ways, she reminds us that she is becoming a big girl. Actually, if you ask her, then Delia will tell you that she is not a big girl, nor is she a baby. JGray is a big kid and she is definitely not a baby, so she likes it when we call her a little girl (although I'm sure that will soon change).

At 22 months, Delia is:

• FULL of personality. Docile, quiet and demure are not words that we will ever associate with Delia. She is a fiesty, fearless, chatty, loving, happy, and spunky little girl.
  
• LOVES her brother. And we've finally figured out what she's going to call beloved big brother. Drum roll please......"Bobby!!!!" Why? Because since she was born, I've always referred to JGray as "Big Brother." I'd ask her, "Where is Big Brother?" Initially she called him "Ba Ba" but that has evolved into "Bobby." She runs around the house, yelling for him. "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby!!!!" The best part is that JGray answers to it :-) I don't know if the nickname will stick, but for now, it's precious.
• Is very, very close to having all of her teeth. Finally! We're still waiting on her eye teeth to push through all the way, but you can see them. Having top teeth has made a tremendous difference in her speech because now we can understand what she's saying.
• Yes, we finally have a talker (and one that we can understand)! It's amazing what top teeth can do. Delia has always been chatty, but now we can figure out what she's saying. She's started repeating phrases if we ask her too, which is awesome. She's also started putting some her own basic sentences together. Some of our favorite unprompted phrases are: "Mommy, where you going?" and "I love you" and "Go bye-bye." She has a great repertoire of single words too, including dog, cat, cookie, drink, shoes, coat, bow, sleep, ball, swing, and Mommy's favorites, please, thank you and excuse you (she says that when she means 'excuse me').
• Loves to play. She has a doll stroller that she loves to put her stuffed animals and dolls into and push around the playroom and kitchen. She also loves to play pretend with her Little People. She can throw and kick a ball too (one of the many pluses to having a big brother). Unlike a lot of little girls, Delia loves to play outside and doesn't mind getting dirty. She has a pair of Hello Kitty galoshes that she loves to wear (she'd wear them everyday if we let her). They're a little too big, but it keeps her from running too fast :-)

I cannot wait to see how much Delia enjoys Christmas this year. She's such an enthusiastic little girl, so I think she's going to love decorating the tree and unwrapping presents. Great practice for her birthday in January!

Here are a few pictures of Delia at 22 months:

She's growing up so fast!

Delia loves to play on the teeter-totter at the playground!

Halloween

Both John Grayson and Delia were very excited for Halloween this year. JGray considered himself a pro and told Delia all about walking from house to house getting candy. Delia totally picked up on it and we even taught her to say "trick treat" and "thank you" before the big night. It's amazing what you can teach a 21 month old when candy is involved :-)

John Grayson really wanted to be a fireman for Halloween and since Delia's best animal sound is a dog (she pants with her tongue out, just like Dusty), she went as a dalmatian. We weren't sure if she'd like her costume or not, but she LOVED it. As a matter of fact, she still likes to wear it, weeks after Halloween.

MaMa and Pop decided to skip handing out candy at their house and came over to see the kids instead. It was a huge help---Pop stayed at our house and handed out candy, while John, MaMa and I walked around with the kids. To say John Grayson and Delia had fun is an understatement! They went up to each house by themselves, and JGray was a wonderful big brother. He held Delia's hand and made sure she used her manners. The kids pooped out after about 30 minutes so we came home and checked out their impressive loot.

Because of our squirrel problem (those pesky creatures always eat our pumpkins), we waited until the last minute to carve our jack-o-lanterns this year.

JGray really enjoyed carving pumpkins. Delia, did not want to get her hands "gucky" (her word for yucky).

John Grayson and Delia with their jack-o-lanterns. JGray wanted a scary one and John carved a laughing pumpkin (with crazy teeth--just like her) for Delia.

This is one of my favorite pictures of the kids (because it shows their personalities so well). JGray is telling a silly joke and Delia is laughing hysterically.

John Grayson, the fireman, and Delia, the dalmatian. Aren't they adorable?!

Delia loved everything about Halloween.

John Grayson wasn't so thrilled about all of the pictures. He was ready for candy!

Delia broke into the candy early.

MaMa, Pop and the kids.

Family photo (it's pretty obvious that the kids were ready to go trick or treating, isn't it?!)

Best big brother in the world