Christmas Card 2013

For posterity’s sake, or in case you didn’t get a copy of this year’s highly coveted Christmas card.  I somehow convinced myself I wasn’t going to do Christmas cards this year with all the craziness we’ve had going on, but changed my mind at the last minute, and got it all pulled together in less than a week’s worth of time.  but never again will I wait to mid-December do decide to do cards!

Oh what a year 2013 has been! And how very blessed we are. We have been healthy and strong, we are surrounded by family and friends, and we have the light and peace the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings. This year brought many changes for us and our family, BIG changes. Like the newest addition to our family – Rylee! We’re now officially outnumbered as parents, and feel the effects daily. Thankfully many friends and family helped us along the way to which I owe my deepest gratitude – and my sanity!

Rylee has been my little sunburst. She’s beautiful and bright – and brings sunshine to my room every morning. Even if it’s 5am. But seriously, her smiles can melt away all my worries. Just one look in her direction brings the biggest smile across her face. Her smiles are what get me through each day. She is gentle and mild, despite the epic amounts of spit-up she produces. She’s very tolerant and patient with her older siblings who offer their “love” in many forms. Brooke the Giver – hugs, kisses, pats, paci, and yes, even fingers and pokes; hence the need for Tanner the Protector.

Brooke can be a little ray of sunshine, but she hit a mid-toddler crisis when she turned 18 months. It unleashed a whole set of drama as wide as the plains of Kansas. We’re learning to embrace her passionate and energetic spirit as she climbs to the highest point of any playground (not being limited to the pantry shelves), her never-ending love for drawing coupled with her uncanny ability to find a marker in any room, and her notorious “stink face” when not pleased. But enter baby Rylee, Brooke’s mood will quickly transfer into giggles and laughs. To a mother, there is no greater sound!

Brooke says a plethora of words and speaks in simple sentences, counts to three, and knows the sound each animal makes. Yet, she chooses her words wisely, and when asked a question, the response will always be the same…NO! Brooke loves to dress up…but for pretend purposes only. Hats, jewelry, purses, the more the merrier, but try to stick one tiny little bow in her hair, it’s gone. Her high-pitch, soft signing voice is simply adorable. She loves music and loves to dance, although her moves are more reminiscent of sumo wrestling than a graceful ballerina. Hopefully that’s nothing some dance lessons in the future won’t correct. She loves food with a passion, peels her own oranges and bites thru avocadoes with the skin intact. She’s my little shadow, following me around and “helping” every step of the way. She has such a willing and able soul!

Tanner started school this year and is rocking it. I admit, I was hesitant towards sending him since he had barely turned 5, but I’m so glad we did. School is his favorite part of the day. But it’s intense. In just a few months, he’s gone from not reading to reading first grade sight words. He’s rather proud…and the harder you tell him something is, the harder he tries to do it. Go figure. Yet if you ask Tanner, he’s not as smart as some of the buddies at school. They know all sorts of things, like if you step on a crack lightening will come down and strike you. And thanks to Jaxon, our neighborhood walks just got 10 times more intense.

He’s growing tall (and skinny), but some things never change. He’s still a sweet, mild mannered little boy at heart. He’s helpful around the house, and likes things neat and organized (we have his father’s OCD tendencies to thank for that one). Yet he’s had to learn a hefty dose of patience now that he’s Brooke’s favorite playmate, but the dividends have been sweet. He’s an awesome big brother to Brooke-let and Rylee-Bo-Bylee (as he calls them). Tanner is still super obsessed with Legos and has a crazy wild imagination. He’s always dressing up or plotting away some crazy adventure involving superheroes, pirates, Darth Vader, ninjas, and spies – typically all bad guys. Perhaps I should be concerned. Now that he’s in school, he tries to get us to re-create the games he learns from gym class at home. He loves to explore and his creativity knows no limits. Sometimes, I have a hard time deciphering between actual school stories and the ones he conjures up in his mind. Once he starts talking, he doesn’t stop.

Then there’s Anthony. Last year, he opened a dental practice close by to our home in Olathe for My Dentist and has had a successful year. He’s working on his “man cave” in the basement and slowly getting one step closer to his theater room. He’s a great husband and awesome father.

As for myself, I’m embraced the mother lode. After nearly 10 years, I said good-bye to the part-time job at Deloitte (hopefully temporarily), got myself a fully-loaded mini-van, and a now have a handful of kids to go with it. Whatever “extra” time I have not spent working is now more than made up with church and community service. I simply wish there was more time in every day to accomplish all my BIG plans for our home, family, and work pursuits, but most days, I’m doing good if I get a few minutes to myself, or heck, even use the restroom all by myself. Being a mom is the hardest job I’ve had, but I wouldn’t trade the moments with these kiddos for anything!

The most at peace I’ve felt all year was holding this fresh little newborn in my arms, where nothing else mattered except for the abundance of love for this new bundle of joy. Perhaps reminiscence yet minuscule to the pure love God much feel for each of His children – and for you! Feeling that love God has so freely given to each of us if we seek it after and follow Him. I hope this Christmas you pause to reflect on the light and love of our Saviors love! May His love fill your home and hearts this Christmas season, and always!

Happy Haunting

Yep, it’s true.  It’s December.  And I’m writing a blog post about Halloween.  That’s how behind I am.  But we’ve been busy...

As if having a baby wasn’t enough, in the month of November, we had 15 family members come into town and visit with us for Rylee’s baby blessing, Jeremy’s wedding, and Thanksgiving Holiday.  We’ve felt very loved and enjoyed every minute!!! It’s been crazy fun busy making memories.  Ones I hope to never forgot.  And that’s why I blog!

For Halloween, Tanner knew instantly who he wanted to be.  Darth Vader.  For some reason , he always wants to be bad guys.  Should I be concerned?

Here’s some of his moves:

And Brooke, naturally, made a very beautiful Princess Leia.  I had envisioned her as a Yoda, but she wouldn’t wear the costume…but the Princess Leia infant sized costume fit her perfect.  And she rocked it!!

Trick-or-Treating

The best part of trick or treating was watching Brooke.  This was her first year actually going trick-or-treating to the doorsteps…and you never know how they'll respond.  When Tanner was her age, he’d run right into the house as soon as they opened the door.   He was hilarious!

 

Brooke was a hoot!!  No more being shy when there was candy on the line.  She’d waited for the other kids to disperse, and then would selectively make her candy selection.  She’d take one piece, look up at the hostess, and grab a second piece (one for each hand, of course!!!) and then take off running like a bandit. Every single time.  She wouldn’t leave until she had two pieces of candy in her hand.  But no one could say no to her…

And there was no sharing of her candy involved.  No one could pry it from her hands.  She had to be the one to drop it in her candy stash (i.e. hidden compartment of her car).

Between houses, she’d jump back into her “car” and get ready to do it all over again. She didn’t waste any time!! And despite the cold weather and late night, there was not one complaint.

Even when it was time to enjoy a piece of candy, she hardly let us pry it from her hands, even if it was to help her open it.  She lived in fear it was going to be taken away or that she may have to ‘share’ with the momma.  She takes candy very seriously!

Tanner was also just as cute.  There were a few houses that went all out with the decorations, scary music, and one house in particular, huge video display over the entire garage door.  He insisted on wanting to go to the scary house, even though we tried to skip over it.  Well, we got close but had to turn around cause he was terrified.  Yet even afterwards,  he wouldn’t stop staring at it.    At first it the video was a huge eyeball staring you down, but then it turned into zombies stuck in prison trying to break out…and it was super freaky!

And yet again, we were offered a plethora of adult beverages and Jell-o shots.  Not sure if this is the new norm or a Kansas thing?  But then, one house had fresh popped popcorn and bottled water for the parents.  And we finally were able to cash in!

Grammy stayed home and watched Rylee for us.  She was too little and it was too cold outside for her to join us.  But she still looked cute in her zebra costume!

Everyone’s favorite part – the removable tail!!!

Even Rylee agreed!

Rylee Bo Bylee–2 months

This week…Rylee is two months old.  Let’s be honest -- she’s so freaking adorable. She’s come alive!!  She loves to smile and coo at me…and this folks, makes all the long sleepless nights, countless diaper changes, and spit-up infested clothing of mine, completely worth it.  One smile…melts my hearts.  This is why I LOVE LOVE babies.  She’s still sweet and cuddly, but so dang cute and responsive.  Just say her name and she’ll give you the biggest smile.

She also have a million and one faces:

Are you for real!

 

Or…let’s Freak ouT!  Something about the flash in my camera…brings this side out

Here’s what Brooke and Tanner think of Rylee:
Brooke still LOVES to give her all sorts of love and attention, in the way of stroking her face, poking her eyes and nose, and giving her paci.  And lately, she decided her paci wasn’t good enough and would substitute her finger.  Put anything near Rylee’s mouth – and she goes CRAZY routing for it and instantly snatches it in her mouth – so Brooke thought it was pretty spectacular.  Well, had to put an end to that once I heard Rylee half choking on Brooke’s little finger.  Now…we stick to the paci.
Brooke reaching in trying to give her, umm, finger.  Busted!

Brooke loves to help in many, many ways.  Usually it’s in the form of extra hugs and kisses. Brooke gets a little excitable!

And sometimes that LOVE is shown in the form of extra “baby dolls.”  This is how I found Rylee  nestled in her swing.

Brooke also LOVES to ‘help"’ with bath time, especially putting water on her.

Rylee’s like, “Wait, isn’t that MY bottle!!!
Generally Rylee LOVES her bath times too, no matter how many times she gets water poured on her face.  She tolerates it well.  Except when the water stops and she gets cold.  Guess which picture is that?

Brooke also insists on “helping” carry the car seat.  And if such “help” is refused, Brooke gets very offended.

We also had an unfortunate incident where Brooke, umm, tried to pick her up off the couch while she was fast asleep.  didn’t end well.  both were screaming their heads off and both completely terrified.  Thankfully, no harm done and in a few minutes, both happy again. 

Tanner calls her Rylee Bo Bylee. He’s also loves to help give her a paci, fetch a blanket or burp cloth, but Brooke usually beats him too it.  She’s all over it, when she wants to be.  But he still gets lots of cuddles and hugs in too.  And he’s still amazed all all of her power punches.

Here’s what Rylee is learning to do over the past month:

Rylee has also been known to roll over, but saves that for special occasions, like Thanksgiving Day. Mere coincidence, probably! But in the meantime, she’s as active as can me, kicking those little legs all the time…and cracking herself up in the process. She loves to be in her bouncer, or lay flat on her back, and just kick those legs and jiggle her arms away. Until people stop paying attention to her. Then she cries. Umm, spoiled, yes!!!

She also holds her head up enough to be dangerous. Just when you think she completely has it on her own, she’ll whack her head into you while you’re holding her…which gets her really mad. Every day, a little stronger, so she’s almost there.

She also spits up a ton…I mean projectile over my shirt and onto the floor kinda power. Repeated times after each meal. Enough to make me think she must have something. Like acid reflux or something. She doesn’t seem bothered by it, and is still gaining weight, so I’m less worried. But every time it happens, I’m never prepared. Hence, mounds of spit up on my clothes. Or if I’m lucky, under my clothes if she aims just right. Oh yeah…

She generally is the happiest, sweetest baby, but at nighttime, she’s super fussy. It makes putting our other kids to bed lots of fun. Totally outnumbered. She’s also starting to recognize when someone other than the momma is holding her…and she’s not afraid to voice her frustration. Loudly! Thank goodness for swings…it seems to be her favorite way to fall asleep…but still a far second to being held by the momma.

Rylee also likes to party like a rock star. At 5am in her crib. she’s always wide awake. and after feeding her 1-2 times already, I’m exhausted. And lately, each morning, I wake up next to her snuggled up next to me in the crevice of my arm, with no clue or recollection of how she got there. I’ve learned how to sleep through anything, including nursing. that’s when you know the sleep deprivation has kicked in. I never ever slept with any of my other kids, and have plans to kick this habit soon too, once I remember…

These pics are pretty cute, but she's even cuter in person.  And thankfully, in the morning, this girl is all smiles. Like a little drop of sunshine.

Nana’s Cinnamon Rolls

The words Nana and Cinnamon Rolls are inseparable.  You can’t have one without the other. 

If there’s one memory of Nana that ALL her grandchildren share, it’s her coming to visit and baking homemade cinnamon rolls.  Every single visit, she’d make the yummiest batch of cinnamon rolls, and oftentimes, a new batch for each day she was there.

As a child, these are some of my fondest memories, and literally a small taste of heaven.  A memory I wanted to capture forever and past down to my children, and their children.

Here’s Nana holding Rylee when she’s just a few weeks old.  Love!

The only hard part…is she never ever used a recipe…she’s that good!!!  And now that her memory is beginning to fade on the onset of Alzheimer's, she can’t tell you the exact measurements.  But thankfully, she’s been making them for so long, that she still knows how to do it, but relies on looks rather than measurements.

So this summer, I had her re-create the masterpieces with me…this time…measuring each ingredient along the way.  And I might add that it’s a “healthy” version as she typically made them with whole wheat flour too. 

Folks, here you have a family family!

Ingredients: 

• 2 C warm water
• 1/3 C sugar
• 2 T yeast
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 T oil
• 4 to 4 1/2 C flour (half whole wheat, half white flour)

Filling:

• 1 stick of butter, melted
• 1/2 to 3/4 C brown sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Frosting:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 C powdered sugar
• dash of salt
• a bit of milk until the right consistency – about 1T

Instructions:

1.  Mix water, sugar, and yeast together in small bowl.  Let sit for 5-10 minutes until yeast starts to rise and mixture is frothy.

2.  Gradually add up to 4 1/2 C of flour.  You’ll want to add enough flour so that you can knead the dough without it being too sticky, but be careful not to add too much. 

When we made the recipe, we used about 4 1/4 C of flour, but Nana said it can vary from 4-5 cups depending on the type of flour we use.  Typically, Nana used 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour.  However, you don’t want to add too much flour – or else the cinnamon rolls will be heavy and dense, not light and fluffy like she makes them. So the less flour you add, the better.

3.  Knead the dough for about 5 minutes.  Put the dough back in mixing bowl with a dab of oil/salt smeared on top of the dough.  Cover and let rise in warm place (sunny window sill, next to heater/stove, or heated water bed ) until doubled in size.  The time it takes will vary, but it’s usually between 1-2 hours.

4.  Punch down and roll dough into a rectangle.  Spread melted butter over dough, and then sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.  Roll dough and cut with into 1 inch slices.  Place into 9x13 pan.

5.  Cover and let rise in warm place until double in size.  The cinnamon rolls will rise quicker the second time, usually about 30mins to 1 hour.

6.  Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

7.  Frost with your favorite frosting!  The frosting was really hard to get her to measure correctly…so it may not be exactly the same as you remember.  Feel free to use your own instead.

Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Knickerbocker Wedding

So finally, the day had arrived, the day we had been hoping for ever since we first met Corinne nearly three years ago.  Jeremy had graciously offered to host Christmas for the ENTIRE family at his house in Chicago…but let’s be honest…Corinne did most the work.  She was amazing. She didn’t even know our family…but she went all out with the food, decorations, presents, everything was magical and magnificent. 

The day where I got to see Jeremy marry his best friend, and now, his better half :)

Just look at her, isn’t she beautiful?

We were ALL so excited to welcome her to the family!

Here’s a recap of some of my favorite moments from the weekend:

1.  Ceremony:  My Dad was able to marry Jeremy and Corinne.  Having never done it before, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  And I’m sure Jeremy didn’t either as he heard the reemergence of Phing Phang Phong, a beloved character from Jeremy’s tales he would share on long, long car trips in an effort to keep all the little kids sane.  Well, Phing Phang Phong was brought back to life, equating it to the new chapter and stories that will be written and shared some advice for a “happier ever after” ending.  I’ll have to get a copy of my Dad’s speech.  It was pretty spectacular with many words of wisdom shared with a touch of comic relief here and there.  I wasn’t expecting to get emotional, but was swept away with the beauty and excitement for these two!

2.  Ring bearer: Tanner got to walk down the aisle, ringing a bell, and was supposed to bring the ring bearer.  Except he kept dropping them.  So Uncle Keith, standing behind him as Jeremy’s Best Man, held onto them.  When it was time to exchange rings, Keith handed them to Tanner, only to have them slip down the sleeve of his Tux shirt.  Personally, it was my favorite part of the wedding.  Who doesn’t love a little humor in the form of “wardrobe malfunctions” as Keith put it?

But being the ring bearer had a few perks… like riding around in style with the entire wedding party.

Capturing a few pics at Powell Gardens.  Love these cuties!!!

And a little man-to-man chat right before the deal was sealed :)

Jeremy and Corinne thought of every little detail making it fun for these kids.  At the rehearsal dinner the night before, they had gifts all lined up for them to make them feel big and important – and to made them take an “oath” and promise to be on their best behavior…it was hilarious!!!

3.  Dancing - I’m pretty sure I could devote an entire blogpost to all the dancing that was going on.  Everyone was partying it up all night long.  It didn’t matter if you were 1 or 80 --- there was dancing to be had!!!

First up, gotta love these pics of Jeremy and Corinne on the dance floor. 

Second, was my Mom and Jeremy dancing to “Memory” from the Cats musical – a favorite of my moms for sure.  But by the end of the song…my mom was practically on top of Jeremy…and there was not an inch between them.  Luckily, Corinne’s not the jealous type. :)

Then, there’s the kiddos. 

Seriously, Avery and Brittany were the life of the party.  And they were so cute and adorable…and just kept going ALL.NIGHT.LONG.  They were in heaven…and surely…it’ll be a night they never forget.  They danced more than anyone I know.

I always felt that Tanner had inherited my dancing skills, the poor guy.  Until we saw him on the dance floor – there may be more hope!  He was tearing it up too!  After hanging out with the Britt, Avery, and Mason, they taught him and he started pulling out some fancy moves .  I WISH WISH WISH I could have gotten this on video.  He was impersonating Michael Jackson with some of his turns and moves.  Love it!!!

And Scarlett, she was going strong too!  Katelynn was holding her…and she’d be fist-pumping to the music.  It was hard to get Scarlett to leave the dance floor.  Nothing cuter than mother daughter rocking out together!!!

Then the was the Anniversary Dance.  All couples lined up to dance to see who had been married the longest.  It was awesome to see both Corinne’s and my parents in the final 4. 

But guess who kept dancing and eventually won??  Nana and Papa.  60 years and counting, so they claimed.  The DJ yelled out that it was so UNBELIEVABLE!  All of us cousins turned and looked at each other—and Lisa said, “Yes, it actually is!!!”  But nonetheless, they’re an amazing example of love and forgiveness…so why not let them bask in the excitement!

And speaking of Nana, she was tearing it up on the dance floor too and not to be shown up by her grandchildren.  Hope that when I’m her age, I’m just as cool as she is!!!

And LOVE these pics of her and Brendan dancing the night away!

Seriously…the real question was…who wasn’t on the dance floor (besides by Dad’s side of the family – and myself ). 

They even played WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY!!!  If you haven’t heard it, you’re seriously missing out.  It’s hilarious, and I can’t help but rolling over laughing every time I hear it. 

Here’s my Uncle Steven and Aunt Lynda rocking it!

And a sight I don’t see very often – my parents on the dance floor!

And best of all, Anthony and I got to dance together.  Just having a newborn and house full of kiddos, there’s not much alone time to be had.  I cherished every second!!!

Food:

Jeremy and Corinne thought of every little detail.  The kids had a separate buffet line just for them…and it made some of the adults jealous.  The only way to get a chicken finger…thanks to the Nazi lady guarding over the line…was to show proof of your kid :)

There were also these amazing “Chocolate shots” that were these teeny tiny chocolate mouse cups topped with raspberries.  There was a debate going around whether there was alcohol in them.  But Lisa and I didn’t let it stop us.  I figured these were so tiny it would have been equivalent to eating anything made with vanilla extract.  But luckily, my instinct was right, there was NO alcohol, so my conscience could rest easily.

Family:

And sadly, I did a horrible job of capturing pics of all the family that came into down for the wedding!

We got to meet Collins’ girlfriend, Kirsten, for the first time.  She’s so sweet and so nice…we were all wondering…what is she doing dating Collin??  j/k!  We LOVE Collin too, but love the two of them together even more!!!

Over the weekend, we had a full house full of guests.  My cousin Lisa, Scott & Dayana, and my aunt Lynda stayed with us. 

On Saturday morning, we had a family brunch for all the extended family at house so we could mingle and spend more time together.  It was awesome to see my Dad’s side of the family and all my wonderful cousins (Amanda, Hiram, Elizabeth, Matt, along with part of their families, t00). Last time I saw them was a few years ago when my Grandpa Knick passed away. But this was a much more joyous occasion!

They shared some family pictures of us nearly 20+ years ago at my Grandpop Knick’s wedding to Barbara.  Crazy how much we’ve all changed…and how certain things haven’t (i.e.my mom’s hair).  But she’s looks practically the same, and if I could say the same of myself in 20 years, I’d be ecstatic!!!

Here’s my cousin Amanda handsome little boy…Rhys.  It was great to be able to spend more time with them and their two adorable kids.  It still seems like yesterday when I was in DC for their wedding.  Time needs to stop…

Kids

Let’s just make this simple.  3 kids, 2 parents. Welcome to being outnumbered. Not fun!

What are the odds that a newborn who hadn’t pooped in a week would choose to do so a few minutes before the wedding. Total blow-out! The dress was salvageable and we got done cleaning her just before the the ceremony started…it was a close call.

But of course, Miss Rylee didn’t want to miss any of the party either.  She HAD to be held the entire time.  Graciously, my mom offered to help so I could enjoy some dinner.  Love these two ladies!!!

All night long…we had to put up with Brooke’s whining for her bottle. We had left it at home…which resulted in her permanent ‘stink face.’  Not even food was cheering her up…

 

All the young girls were in matching dresses, but despite our best attempts at some cute pictures, this is as good as it gets.

Brooke was miserable…up until the moment we decided to take her home.  Then magically, she decided she wanted to stay.  Finally, she was smiling and having fun!!!  After all, who wouldn’t be smiling after a hug from Quincy!  That little Q is full of energy and life…and along with all the other kids…there was no stopping her on the dance floor!

Tanner was exhausted from the day-long adventures from limo ride, pictures, and ceremony, not to mention late night beforehand at the rehearsal dinner. I’m still not sure what exactly happened (something about touching a cupcake before he was supposed to) launched a major meltdown with him crying and hiding behind a table, inconsolable. Thankfully, it was short-lived, nothing food and friends couldn’t fix!

So…I don’t think I could really relax and begin having fun until the our kids headed home. While almost all the cousins and kids were having the time of their life, our kids were a tired cranky mess. They’re just shy, reserved, and not the partying type. So Anthony ran them home and Grammy took over from there. Thankfully!

There’s nothing like a wedding to remind me of your own love of your life. Marrying Anthony is hands down the best decision I’ve ever made! I’m so grateful for his love, devotion, and help he shows every.single.day!!

And in case you ever doubt it, just ask any of my family members. They’ll tell you how good I have it!!! My cousins were shocked when they stayed with us and learned Anthony gets up with the kids first thing in the morning and in the middle of the night – Brooke had a nervous melt down when she realized she had a visitor in her room :). And to top it off, he makes breakfast every Saturday. I know…I have it GOOD!!!