Overdue Flashback

Recently I was going through some pictures from last Christmas and couldn't believe just how much Nicholas has changed over the last year. Here's some snipits from last January...

Yup, my boy has always loved his drinks!

He was enamored with the snow fall.

We were making progress on self-feeding skills (can't you tell!).

Nicholas was crawling around so fast it was hard to capture him in the frame.

Who are these people???

Yup, its a much younger looking Daddy, his little man and Olivia at her birthday party.

Always a lover of swinging!

We were hitting the neighborhood park on a regular basis - and even with a light-weight coat on!

Peek-a-boo's at the playground!

Nicholas' red racer was a favorite - and continues to be today.

We surely enjoyed some nice warm weather this time last year. I specifically remember this trip to the park - he repeatedly threw off his sunglasses and then got upset when the sun was in his eyes.

This is a classic - Nicholas was peeing consistently on the potty! I have a good half dozen pictures of pee pee in the potty - but now he doesn't even want to sit on the potty without his diaper on.

Splashing in the sink was always fun.

Nicholas had recently gotten his vacuum and took it everywhere with him. He's turned into such a good little housekeeper!

Moom-Lit Walk

After a super long nap this afternoon, we bundled-up for a moon-lit walk around the circle to burn-off some energy. Can you believe how high the banks are in front of our house!

As always, Nicholas insisted on holding Zoey's leash all the way. He called the chunks of snow "snow rocks" and kept referring to the moon as "the other moon." Daddy's guess was that it was because the moon was small and had lots of cloud cover - but who knows Nicholas' true reasoning.

Mommy had no idea it was so cold out - but you wouldn't have known Nicholas was cold in the least - nothing seems to phase this boy when he's having fun!

Keeping Busy with Olivia

Olivia came over to help us pass the morning - and boy did these kiddos stay busy!

Nicholas attempted to keep the place tidy - he's been obsessed with cleaning lately.

They had loads of fun playing in the bean bin - for nearly an hour! They fed the Cabbage Patch Kid, danced in the beans (okay, Nicholas did while Olivia and I laughed), they pretended to feed themselves and had a bean-tea party with the Curious George tea set. It's so nice to have a playmate over!

Mr. Fix It to the Rescue!

Every now and then, Nicholas asks for the "broken snowflake lights" from the garage....this is something how it goes...

"I need Daddy's toolbox and my tools...go fix the lights!"

"Hmmmm, why lights broken? Lights are off...I need wrench!"

"Wrench fix lights. Nicholas use wrench to fix lights."

"oooh, I am hammering lights! Why lights still broken?"

Snowed In!

With a case of laziness on Monday, a dead car battery on Tuesday and a snowday today (yeahhhh!) Nicholas and I have enjoyed the most wonderful week in the house! We've made cookies (and ate them all!), had an hour-long mid-day bubble bath fest yesterday and made a cool fort today. Nicholas insists on needing Daddy's big flashlight because he's "too scared" to read books in the fort without a light.

Highlight of the Day!

- Sometimes you just need to celebrate the little things -

I just love Nicholas' "cheeses" for the camera.

And although its hitting me I'll soon be the mother of 2 boys, I'm just treasuring the this cuddly, lovey phase that Nicholas is in. He demands "big hugs" out of the blue and asks for "lots of kisses." He even tells me "kisses on my lips, on my nose, on my hand...fingers...belly...." Even though the 5-minute long kiss requests typically come on right when I'm approaching the crib for the final nightly drop-off - its the highlight of my day!

Missing Our Little Man!

This weekend, Gammy and Poppie asked to have Nicholas spend Friday night at their house. Nicholas has been asking to "ride in Gammy's truck and go to Poppie's house" ever since he spent the night a few weeks ago - so he was all for this offer. Meanwhile, Mommy and Daddy had big plans to take down Christmas, since we've been worried about Nicholas' reaction to the lack of lights for him to turn on and off.

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We're happy to report Nicholas ended up spending 2 fun-filled nights at Gammy and Poppie's (at his request, of course). When we went to pick him up today, we quickly realized why he loves to be there so much. He basically runs the show, dictates everything he wants Gammy and Poppie to do with his infamous "come here.....turn this on...." - and Gammy and Poppie do all they can to make him the happiest little guy!

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Of course, we could have used some of their help when Nicholas woke up from his nap this afternoon yelling, "Mommy, where's the Christmas lights? Christmas over!" When I explained we put them away until next year, he insisted, "no, no....take out of boxes!"

Thanks Gammy and Poppie for the weekend off!

We know Nicholas loved his time with you!

Last week, Nicholas showed us his "ssshhhhh" that he tells Baby Heidi at Miss Judy's house.

Gotta love the double fingers!

Then of course there's always the double-handed "stop Daddy!" hands.

Squeezin' It

We may have a little "potty readiness" starting with Nicholas. Although he will want to strangle me on the day he reads this and sees that I posted for all to see, its just too funny not to share and remember.

The other night in the tub, Nicholas was standing and started to pee. Hearing this strange noise, I looked over and before I could even say anything he stopped, looked at me and said, "ooooo, I squeezed it and stopped." He started again and "squeezed" to a stop (and yes, there were no hands needed for this!). Maybe he's going to be a stander and not a sitter - who knows!

What's Your Sign?

The other night we had an absolute blast looking up everyone's astrological sign with our friends. Nicholas is definitely a true Scorpio...

Reputed to be the "most powerful" sign of the Zodiac, Scorpios lead fate-filled lives and have intense dramatic personal relationships. Even as children, Scorpios are often found to be wise beyond their years. Many astrologers call this the sign of the "oldest souls." Old and wise beyond the average, Scorpios often know all the answers. Determined Scorpios can be rather stubborn and resistant to imposed changes. In many ways this is a plus, for it gives them the stamina to accomplish things in life, due to their tenacity. On the surface they may seem easy-going, congenial and gregarious, but they also have a need to manipulate and control their situations.

Some famous Scorpios include Danny DeVito, Leonardo DiCaprio, Bill Gates, Whoopi Goldberg, John Gotti, Pablo Picasso, Puff Daddy, Julia Roberts and Meg Ryan

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If Baby B arrives on his scheduled date (May 22) he will be a Gemini. He's already proven to live up to the characteristic of "always on the move" (trust me!). After reading the Gemini description, we're imagining life with this addition:

The 'Twins' of Gemini are always on the move; thirsty for knowledge and new experiences. Terminally curious and sometimes even mischievous, Geminis are multi-faceted souls who enjoy knowing a little bit of everything but generally not too much about one particular subject. It's just that variety is the spice of their lives! Geminis have also gained the reputation of being the incessant talkers of the zodiac. They are flexible and changeable people. Their ability to adapt quickly to new situations generally gains them plenty of friends. Usually quite clever and witty, Geminis enjoy intellectual conversations and they are easily bored if they are not getting enough mental stimulation. Often quite adept at fitting in with others, Geminis easily adopt the moods of those around them (geeze, that sounds helpful!).

Waving the Red, White and Blue

Nicholas has loved the little flags - and knows just what to do!

Horray for the USA!

Our Pre-Inauguration Party!

With all the excitement of the inauguration, Nicholas showed his red, white and blue pride with a gorgeous painting! It's so nice he's more into using paint brushes than his hands these days - just waaaay less mess (even though his PJ's were covered and he had blue lips!)

When Mommy and Daddy were prepping in the kitchen, it got all too quiet in the other room. Sure enough, Nicholas found the stash of red candies.
Our neighbors came over to celebrate with us Monday night - Nicholas was in his glory with having the tv on the Disney Pre-Inauguration Bash all night.

We all decorated (and tasted) cookies.

Emilie was too cute with her tongue sticking out in such deep concentration!

The jury is still out as to who ate the most cookies between all the kiddos. Nicholas surely did his fair share, which obviously helped him stay awake and running around until 9pm!

Anyone with a toddler knows of the beyond-bedtime-buzz that kids get. Nicholas and Emilie took it to the next level, literally chasing each other all over the house, screeching in excitement. I took nearly a dozen pictures, but they are either blurry from them going so fast or just plain out of the frame.

Future Mr. President Relyea practicing his wave.

Of course, it wouldn't be a party without a little Guitar Baby Hero!

(and yes, it was nearly 9pm here!)

A Case of Big Sibbling Regression

Nicholas and Kalie would rather play with Baby Erica's playmat than the big kid toys.

Go figure!

Lipstick Boy

Giving up my lip gloss can always keep this boy from going into a full tantrum!

Great color for him, hun?

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