15 Months

Over super bowl weekend Lukie clocked in at the 15 month mark.  At this age he is still very silly and mostly chilled out, but he's definitely starting to show signs of sass.  I remember the attitude I got from his sister at 18 months and thinking, ok, this parenting thing is not getting easier.  Little man is growing up!

At his 15 month appointment the other day he came in at 22 lbs 12 oz, a whopping 12 oz heavier than his 1-year appointment, and 31.75", 1.5" taller.  Of course there is no exact science to this but at the 30th and 75th percentiles, he's a string bean and probably always will be.  He can still easily fit into 12 month pants, except for the whole 'length' thing but better to have pants that stay up than fall down.

Luke has been walking for three months now and we love to watch him chase after GG.  Those little legs get crankin' and he does this kind of robot-style leg swing where his knees don't totally bend.  Hilarious!  We've got all 16 teeth and have had a couple more ear infections over the last three months.  His eyes are still blue-ish hazel-ish which remain a genetic mystery.  But the blonde locks are courtesy-o-mom.

Over Christmas he actually had his first haircut. Matt said he was getting too much of a mullet.  I resisted but ultimately gave in.  Luke was a total gem in the barber's chair and barely noticed anything was going on.  The first thing Matt said after seeing his newly shorn big boy?  "I don't think I was ready for that."  

stylin and profilin.  notice the diaper which is his favorite lovie.  we call it a chewy.  he started chowing on them when the back teeth were coming in and hasn't really give up.  beats the orthodontics off a pacifier!

yo!

freshly cut kiddos

Luke has taught us that he is a total climber, and that we better beware of anything left anywhere.  I've found him in all kinds of crazy cubbies and corners, and busted him climbing on stuff that would never cross my mind to use as a launching pad.  I'm looking forward to getting him outside in spring and letting him take a few more years off my life via the play set.

oh wait, you can see me?

hi! mom, don't worry, i'll just get the elmo book myself.

yes, i sure do know that i'm not supposed to be up here

cheeky.  literally.

um NO.

He's still not very verbal (words so far include pretty caveman style versions of dada, mama, GG, Ralphie, and more) but this child gets his point across.  For example slapping the refrigerator door and screaming "meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh!" means, may I have some milk please?  He loves to do anything that big sis is doing - which is starting to annoy the bejesus out of her.  There are a couple books in his routine that he cannot get enough of.  One is a bunch of common kids songs and I have witnesses who can attest that, although he's not singing the words, he can absolutely sing the tunes to Baa Baa Black Sheep, Row Your Boat, and Three Blind Mice.  Most of all, he l.o.v.e.s. his nightly ritual of playing tackle with daddy after bath.

big man in the tub.  the best is when he points to his belly button, which he can't see when he bends over, and inevitably points to his little manhood.  hilarious.

double teaming daddy

oh here dad, i help you up (beware when he helps mommy up, there is always serious pulling of the hair)

mom, i pinned him!

He also seriously, like in all honesty, loves the vacuum and vacuuming.  Like, loves it.  

want to keep him busy for 20 minutes?  bust out the hoover

or for that matter, the dirt devil

Our little man is a decent eater - not the best, not the worst.  He will eat a pint of blueberries if you let him which leads to some delightful diaper presents.  And although he can be a little peckish at times, I've found that a lot more makes it down the hatch if he's given utensils.  He just loves to be a big boy.

notice the left handed tendency.  matt's dream of a southpaw might come true yet

he may not have a ton of words but he knows exactly what we are saying.  for example, luke, go throw this in the garbage please

ok mama!

let me just chew on the side of the can here while i check to make sure it's gone

Lukas and Genevieve are really starting to play together nicely.  The other night she and he were done with dinner well before Matt and I, so we released them both and told them to go play.  Which they did!  It was awesome.

two valentines

hanging at the children's museum.  crazy driver on the loose!

i wonder if i can get him baby mike holmes overalls

just your average crazy

snow day!

do you see what i see?

And despite our never ending game of sleep-of-fortune (what will you get tonight?  11 hours of glory or up every other hour?  tune in to find out!), there are of course those moments that just make you forget it all. 

the light is on because this cheeky monkey turned it on before crashing.  what a freshie!

Super Bowl!

Super Bowl XLXWhatever crept up on us in absolutely no time this year.  Matt and I have been so insanely busy with work that it was hard for me to wrap my head around the seven hour drive that was in our near future.  So the last week of January arrived and I panicked and had sixteen lists in four different places of stuff to buy, stuff to cook, stuff to pack, and stuff to do right before we left so that missing my 'off' day the next week didn't cause havoc.  Wheeeeeeeeeeee!

K&K graciously took Ralphie for a doggy spa weekend, so I ditched work at about noon on Friday, hit up the grocery store, and packed the car.  Our plan was to pick the kids up at 4 and hit the road right away.  When Matt was still not home at 3:45 I chose to put my increasing anxiety to good use and changed all the sheets and vacuumed the house.  Voila, checked 'don't go nuts next week' off the list. 

So we finally grabbed the kids and settled in for a loooooooooooooooong ride.  Luke must have had a rough day because he fell asleep pretty quickly.  To our shock we managed to make it to the Dells before the kids melted down for dinner.  To the Golden Arches we went, adding to my list the number of places I have changed my kids into their pajammies.  It was muther loving freezing and poor little Luke made the most pathetic little whine when the wind hit him in the face.  He fell back asleep without much fussing and G kept herself busy with books and coloring (although there was already a fair amount of 'I'm tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired.  I don't want to be in the car anymore'.  Like nails on a chalkboard).  We had to stop just north of Eau Claire for gas (holla, Blugolds!) which woke Luke up.  At that point I was pretty sure it was going to be a scream fest for the rest of the trip, but they did both manage to fall asleep after just a few more miles on the road. 

So we drove.  And drove.  And kept driving.  You know you're close when the tree lines start to change.  Finally we rolled in to the Harms Estate around 11 (or later?  Can't even remember).  And while my hope was that we would just wisk the kittens inside and snuggle them in their beds, the fact was that the -10 without windchill weather wasn't going to let that be an option.  So we bundled them up and dragged the littles into the house, and managed to get them back down within probably half an hour.  Not bad.  But so worth it to finally see everyone again!! 

The next morning we got up and believe it or not managed to get all 17 of us out the door by 11 a.m.  Jeez, I can't even do that some mornings when it's just me and the kids.  We took a brief tour of all the bowling alleys in the greater Duluth area and ended up at a place with good kiddie lanes, a few pizzas, and my new delight, a pitcher of hard cider.  Yummy.

i'll just stand here and wait for my fingers to get crushed

ready...aim...

fire!

ready to roll

not sure whether she got a strike here or not, but let's just pretend she did

northwoods visitors

don't worry, i'm still over here

99% not amused

Before heading back to the Estate we stopped at this restaurant which was featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives, the Northern Waters Smokehaus.  The guys ran in to grab some smoked fish to go while the moms and kids hung out in the warm cars.  We snacked on it after the kids went to bed later that night and it.was.awesome.  Hellllllllllllloooooooo trout, I love you.

While we had fun stuff to do, the fact is that with littles you still have to do all the normal scheduled stuff.  So there was general playing chaos at most times during the weekend with a minor catastrophe about every half hour or so.  Overall the kids did amazing with each other.  Although it's funny to see how the gap between the sexes is growing.  Miles, Henry, and Ethan were ready to make everything into a gun or sword, or to beat each other up, while GG, Alana, and Addie were all about the princess gear and dressing up.  And man alive was there a lot of dressing up to be done.  I'm willing to bet that Scott never in a million years imagined there would be that many tutus and pom poms in his home. 

do not cross this man!

 Saturday night was bath night for everyone.  3 tubs-o-3?  Pile in, friends! 

hello, we are the littles (reece, elle, and lukie)

yeah man, get that girl outta here

meanwhile...sundaes for everyone!  yahoo!

next up!  six little buns, all in a row

feeding the pack

mandatory group shots...moderate success

how old is everyone? (notice elle working incredibly hard on that "1" motion!)

luke continues to hate his pack and play with the red hot passion of a thousand suns.  since we came straight from daycare we happened to have his nap mat.  i mean, his new travel bed.  he did ok on it, although we were awakened sunday morning by genevieve hollering that lukas was sitting on her head

Sunday was of course Super Bowl day.  The boys went out to their favorite Duluth greasy spoon and we ladies hung with the tots.  By about 4 we were all whipping up our tasty delights and as per usual there was NO shortage of food.  Or beer.

is this how this goes?

luke and reece sitting on my lap, lukas decided that reece did not need his socks.  then they got into a screetching match which was the CUTEST!

here you go my friend

Monday we repacked the car and braced ourselves for the ride home.  Once again we stopped in EC for lunch and to let the kids burn off some steam at the mall.  Let me assure you that in all the hours and all the years I spent working at the old Structure at the mall, never once did I imagine I'd be back and praising the gods for the kiddie play land.

The kids did well on the way back until about an hour away from home, at which point it was melt down city for both of them.  What has two thumbs and can't gain weight or else she won't be able to fit between the two carseats in the back of the Pilot?  This gal.  Then to realize that the Cinderella video I packed was Blu Ray and not standard DVD?  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  Thank god for the 911 goldfish crackers which I was handing out like a junkie hitting the morphine button.  But we made it and had an awesome weekend to remember.  Hit me!

Two Tickets to the Gun Show

Elise Mommy Ha (longest.post.ever)

Tis the season to be jolly; decorate the house; bake cookies; and generally soak in all the fleeting fun of Christmas with tiny tots in the house.  A few weeks ago GG and I did just that, spending the afternoon listening to Christmas music and baking cookies.  She knows a lot of the tunes, and when 'Feliz Navidad' came on she chimed right in.  Except her version was 'Elise Mommy Ha', which just slayed me.  What a good start to the holiday season.

Every weekend in December has been jam packed with things to do, places to go, and people to see.  The first weekend in December we set out to get our Christmas tree.  It was a little odd choosing just the right tree in 60 degree weather but we found the one and hauled him home.

how bout this one?  it's just my size

Decorating a tree with a little one is always a special adventure, so we decided to split it into two nights: one of just getting it in place and lit, and the second for ornaments.  Matt and I positioned ourselves on either side of the tree to start the light rotation, when we heard GG holler, "Mooooooom!  He's on the table!".  What?

 

and who is the mother of the year taking pictures while the one year old attempts such feats?

We spent the next 45 minutes trying to speed-light the tree while also intercepting Boo Boo from climbing the table, eating the lights, or swinging the fireplace poker (seriously, why the poker?  Couldn't he have chosen the broom or the little shovel?).  Night two I stayed on Lukie defense while Matt and GG decorated the tree.  And they did a truly superb job.

dangit lukas!

 

someone fancies herself the star of the show

yes!  we can either wreck these or electrocute ourselves.  either way, awesome!

twinkly baby

if there is a lap available, lukie will plant himself in it these days

trying on the stockings is becoming a tradition

fa ra ra ra ra, why didn't i wear make uuuuuuuuuuup?

The next weekend we had a mini getaway with the Bansemars to the Kalahari in the Dells.  Mel found a great deal so we did a Sun/Mon stay and let the kids run themselves ragged.  On our drive there, winter decided to show up.  It was sleeting, icing, and I was glad to let Matt drive while I sat wide-eyed and tight-lipped trying not to audibly gasp.  Of course we made it just fine and it was nice to spend time in the water and imagine that the sun coming through came with 80 degree weather instead of 30.  Genevieve grows increasingly more confident in her activities as time goes on, which for this momma is a total relief.  Luke spent a few minutes in some of the little baby swings but had the most fun playing the turtle xylophones.  A lifeguard told us there were two slides which we could take him down, so we did.  A good time was not had by all.

ding dong

well, two happy sliders out of three ain't bad

We had adjoining rooms so the girls camped out watching a movie while I tried to get Luke down that night.  God help me if that boy doesn't despise sleeping anywhere but his own bed.  OY.  He finally went down but I knew it would be short-lived.  Sure enough in the wee hours I ended up dragging him in to bed with me and kicking Matt out to go sleep with GG.  Naturally I was the first one up in the morning while everyone else remained dead to the world.

rosy cheekers

these two had zero reaction to the flash which went off to take this pic.  ps - notice the gg to daddy bed radio

Back to the slides we went after breakfast and tried to squeeze every last ounce of energy out of those kiddies.  The benefit to traveling in a pack is, of course, having multiple parents on hand.  So even Matt and I got to do a couple slides ourselves.  We enjoyed a VERY quiet ride home and were happy to be back in our own beds that night.

lazy river

slidin' fools!

i told her to pose and this is what i got

ahh, much happier without the life jacket

waiting for the big finish

The next weekend was probably the busiest of G's little four-year-old life.  We had ballet at 9, followed by a local Brunch with Santa from 10-12.  The Brunch was really fun.  All the kids got their turn with the big guy, everyone stuffed themselves with French toast, bacon, eggs, and sausage, and a magician did a show for about 45 minutes as well.  Luke spent most of his time wandering the back staircase but there was the most priceless moment seating him on Santa's lap.

two peas in a sweater pod

reviewing the list

charmer!

YES, the time honored screaming baby picture.  classique.

After the brunch GG had a birthday party, and after THAT she went with Grandma and Grandpa to a pool party at Karl's cousin's apartment complex.  Once they brought her home and both kids were out, Matt and I headed out to do our own little Claus-ing.  Nothing says holidays more than the sheer madness of Toys R Us at 10:30 on a Saturday night.  Seriously, I freaking hate that store (and its cousin, BabiesRUs, for that matter).  The aisles are way too small, there is too much crap strewn everywhere, it attracts more white trash than state fair, and the whole scene makes me feel all claustrophobic and panic-y.  I get hives just driving toward it.  But it had to be done, and there was much success, so I suppose all's well that ends well.

The last weekend before Christmas was finally upon us.  On Thursday of that week Wisconsin got slammed by our first big snow storm of the season.  But EG and other areas closer to the lake were spared - our driveway was barely covered.  No biggie, right?  But on Friday morning I got a call at 7:15 from daycare that they had no power and would not be open.  Say whaaaaaaa?  We were almost literally walking out the door to head to school.  What to do?  I had no choice but to take my brood to work.  What a gong show.  I stopped at the gas station on the way there to load myself up on coffee and get the kids muffins and juice.  A lady sporting a neon work jacket and big work boots was ahead of us in line.  When I went to pay for our stuff, the cashier told me that she had paid for my stuff.  I decided that was my cue to shut the hell up about having to take my kids to work and be grateful that I work in the kind of place where I even had that as an option.  I truly hope she had a very Merry Christmas. 

On Saturday we had plans with Matt's friends from high school to get together for a little brunch on Saturday.  The Bansemars were there, as well as the guy's old friend Bilal and his wife and kids.  The affair was hosted by their buddy Ben who lives in NM but was home for the holidays, at his mom's place.  I could not figure out why on earth his mom would want five little kids trashing her lovely condo, but she had this huge spread ready for everyone, presents for the kids, and went around snapping pics the whole time.  What a doll!  We had a great time catching up with everyone - the last time we've seen Ben or Bilal & Co was three years ago.  Hopefully we don't go another 3 years before doing this again.

the kittens, minus ben's son moses who was still in NM with his mom

santa sattell

fifteen years and six kids later

and their lovely wives

same to you, pal

I spent the Sunday before Christmas at the place all good mom's go during the holidays: Urgent Care.  Helllllllllllllooooooooo, Holiday Sinusitis.  I had been fighting it since Thanksgiving and even my Sarah Maio speedballs of two Sudafed and four Ibuprofen weren't cutting it anymore.  Navigate Target to get to the pharmacy on December 23rd?  Good times.  But I had to pull it together in time for the annual Maio Christmas Eve Chinese eat-a-thon.  We headed to church on the 24th with K&K and despite not actually getting a seat, the kids were really good.  We got home and chowed down, and then Genevieve got the snacks ready for Santa (and the reindeer too).  I showed her where Santa was on the NoradSanta site, which is when she uttered the sweetest words any parent has ever heard: "Mommy!  I have to go to bed RIGHT NOW!".  She was terrified that if she didn't haul tushie into bed, he would skip right over our house.  It was, in fact, a Christmas Miracle.

carefully delivering the plate of snacks

karl sporting his annual red sweater

deeeeeeeeeeelish

tracking santa.  gotta get to bed!

Christmas morning it was just the four of us.  We got everyone up and downstairs, and wouldn't you know it, Santa had come!  These kittens got everything on their list - and then some.  Books, games, toys, a big digger for L and a jewelry box and earrings for G.  Plus earrings and new shades for mom and a new trailer hitch on the Pilot for dad.  I sent Matt on a little scavenger hunt to discover it which, let me tell you, nearly stumped the engineer.  Fortunately he had a four year old helper.  We took our time playing with gifts and eating a big breakfast.  We headed to K&K's after nap for yet more presents and a big dinner.  By 7:30 we had two exhausted crank-o's who went right to bed once we got home.

a little christmas morning nosh to get our blood sugar up

santa was here!

luke shows off his train by the same name

matching sleep masks for the ladies

could have just given the kid string and paper and he would have been thrilled.  naturally.

hey is this a standing game?

the gift gg made for us in school.  she insisted we keep it under the tree until christmas morning.

monster bowling!

a jewelry box and ladybug earrings.  very grown up

sis gave bro crayons.  he immediately ate the tip off of one.

searching for his first clue

and second

third

fourth (on the blog)

fifth and final

success!

carnage

this dino racer is on office chair-style wheels.  it goes freaking fast.

more earrings from grandma and grandpa k

a new ornament from uncle stevie and auntie erin

big beanbag chair for a little baby

karl expounding on his matching gifts to matt and erin: the perfect paintbrush

You may think that Christmas was the end of Christmas, but you would be wrong.  We still had a visit from Grandma Heidi & Pop Pop and the annual Maio family Christmas get together to attend.  Grandma Heidi and Pop Pop rolled in around dinner time on Friday and could only stay until Sunday, but we had fun opening (even more) presents and better yet, playing in the newly fallen snow.

the winning present: a headlamp

mr. muscles plays santa.  and yes, gg got colored hair extensions

it's gigantic and has her name on it.  so far, so good

a princess collection courtesy of uncle grant!

let me borrow this hat dad

sixteen layers and ready to go

hard to toddle in all this stuff

first sledding - loved it!

gg scales the playset with...the grim reaper??

and first snow in the face

The Maio Christmas get together was its usual whirlwind of crazy.  Tons of food, tons of bevs, and tons of loud peeps.  The event had its ups and downs: the best part was getting to finally meet baby Kate, the daughter of cousin Doug and his wife Karen.  Kate was loving Genevieve and GG was thrilled to have a new baby to love on.  They were cute as buttons.  The oddest part was a gift Uncle Ken gave Matt...are you ready for this?  A JC Penny catalog from 1980, which Ken has kept all these years (and moved god knows how many times), so that Matt can compare prices of things from then to now. 

Not even making this up.    

boo and katie, showing each other how to drive the walker

Finally, after all the gifting and visiting and hosting, it was time for Matt and me to spend a little time together celebrating our 7th Anniversary and the New Year.

annual dress re-try.  g's exact words as i pulled the dress out of its bag: "oh my god, i love it!"

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2012 was very good to us and we have lots on our list of things to do for 2013.  Most of all we wish for happy and healthy kids, friends, and family.  Happy New Year!