Wagner Family Christmas

We had Calvin's family's Christmas December 29th, after everyone was finally better. We got together for supper and then presents. The kids were so excited again to be able to open presents. I'm pretty sure they think that Christmas lasts for at least a week with all of the family Christmases that we attend. The kids, even the littlest ones, were all happy and in great moods. They again got terribly spoiled and brought home numerous new things to play with.

The Wagner cousins

Coye and Edwin - they are about 8 months apart

One of Chloe's favorites from the night - a Barbie and a Barbie horse

Coye happily playing with the ribbon on my present

Sophia reading a book to Coye

Christmas Day

Christmas this year was different with my parents living closer to us now. For the past few years, we've had Christmas at our house, so that the girls could still attend the Christmas Eve service at church (plus I've been in charge of the service for the past two years so I've had to be here). This meant that everyone stayed here for at least three days, which was fun but chaotic. It was nice to be able to visit with everyone and see them at mom and dad's but still be able to come home and sleep in our own beds.

Christmas Eve night, the girls participated in the service at church. Mom teaches Sunday School at her church, so she and dad had to go to their own church for Christmas Eve. Danielle and Jenna came up though to see the girls. The children did a wonderful job sharing the news of Jesus' birth. I was a little worried how Coye would do since it was past his bedtime, but he was good throughout the entire service. After the service, we came home and took some pictures and then put the kids to bed. The girls, however, weren't tired and were up past 10:00 p.m. talking in bed. We decided to let them sleep a little later on Christmas Day and just stayed home in the morning. Coye, of course, was up early, so by the time we had breakfast and were ready to open presents, he was tired and went down for a nap. We opened presents without him (the girls just couldn't wait any longer). It was so much fun to watch them pass out the presents and then try to reign in their excitement to take turns opening. They loved all the things they got. After opening, they got dressed and then waited around for Coye to wake up. After he woke up, he opened his presents. He tried to rip the paper, but the girls would get impatient waiting for him to tear the paper that they would insist on helping him. He didn't care. Once all the presents were opened, we headed down to my parents' house for Christmas with my family. We spent the afternoon there opening presents and then ate supper with them before heading home. It had been a wonderful day and the kids were thoroughly spoiled by all of the new things they received. We all went to bed exhausted with plans to relax the next morning (except for Calvin who was planning to go to work). Around 1 a.m., Calvin got sick and ended up throwing up for about twelve hours. He was also achy and cold and his back hurt terribly. (The flu had been going around his family for the past week so I was expecting someone to get sick in our house.) I quarantined him to our bedroom, the living room, and the downstairs bathroom. I disinfected the bathroom and kitchen once I got up and kept the kids either upstairs or in the basement for most of the day. I was scared one of them was going to get sick. We stayed away from Calvin for two days and Lysoled everything! None of us ended up getting sick. He finally started feeling better Monday evening and went back to work Tuesday afternoon. It took him several days to start really feeling better though. He hadn't been that sick in a long time! I'm just thankful that the rest of us stayed healthy.

Christmas Eve family picture

Chloe, Coye, and Aubrey

Chloe and her pile of presents - waiting patiently to open them

Aubrey with her presents

Aubrey's favorite present - her American Girl doll

Chloe's favorite present - her Leapster

Coye and his presents

Coye's "favorite" present - some sensory balls

Opening presents in their stockings from Santa

Ch

Coye and Gabe at mom and dad's

Eight Months Old!

Coye turned eight months a couple weeks ago. He's growing so quickly and getting so big. He's such a good baby and loves being around people. The girls just adore him and fight daily over who gets to be by him and talk to him. I wonder how long that will last. They are so anxious for him to crawl, yet they don't realize that as soon as he does, he will be into all of their stuff, which I'm sure won't go over well.

Here's what he's been up to this past month:

• He has become a great eater. He now eats all sorts of food including brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, acorn squash, carrots, peas, applesauce, pears, bananas, and prunes.
• He can scoot backwards on his tummy, especially on slick floors.
• He took a bath in the real bathtub for the first time with cousin Gabe over Christmas. He was a little confused by it - I think it was the big tub and the fact that Gabe was crawling all over and splashing.
• He met his Uncle Nic, Aunt Ingrid, and cousins Maximus, Colton, and Elora when they came home for Christmas from Okinawa.
• He loves to watch people, especially when there is noise involved - i.e. the kids playing. :)
• He continues to get up in the middle of the night to eat at least once. I'm not sure if it's just a bad habit or if he really is hungry.
• He is still a really happy baby.

Surprise!

My brother and his family are here!!! They came home for Christmas and landed in Chicago Tuesday afternoon. It was supposed to be a surprise for us girls, but we kind of ruined it. Apparently mom and dad have known for a month and a half that Nic was coming home, but weren't supposed to tell us. He wanted to surprise us. So for the past few months, mom's been talking about Nic, Ingrid, and the kids coming home, but we (me and my sisters) didn't think it would really happen. So we began to get worried that they wouldn't be able to make it and then mom would be heartbroken for Christmas. Over Thanksgiving we talked and decided that we needed to ask Nic for sure what their plans were so mom could be prepared if they couldn't make it. So I e-mailed Nic. A few days later he called me and told me that they were coming home. I was so excited! I didn't tell the girls because I wanted them to be surprised. They love surprises. Tuesday night Calvin put Aubrey to bed and told her that there was going to be a surprise for her the next day. The next morning she got right up and asked me if her surprise was inside or outside. When I told her that it could be either, she was confused - she thought her surprise was snow. Then she asked me if the surprise was at school or at home. When I told her it could be either, she was really confused. I told her that she'd just have to wait until after school to see her surprise and that she'd never guess in a million years what it was. She went to school. After lunch, Chloe looked out the window and told me that someone was here. When I asked her who it was, she said it was Grandpa and Grandma Timm. She went to the door to open it and there stood Nic and Elora. She looked at me and I asked her who it was. She said Uncle Nic. The rest of the family came in and it was so fun visiting with them. The boys have gotten so big and Elora is a doll. Nic and Ingrid looked great too. :) The kids played in the basement for a while. Maximus asked about Aubrey. My plan was to take Maximus with me to pick her up and have her be surprised. So he and Nic went with me to school. We stood outside the door where she comes out (in the wind and rain) and waited for her. Nic and Maximus kind of hid their faces and she came out. When I pointed at Maximus and told her that there was her surprise, she just looked at me with this look like "I know who they are but how can they possibly be here!". We've always told her that she wouldn't see Maximus again until they were seven. She almost looked like she was going to cry and then she went and gave Maximus a hug. It was so sweet! I about cried. After we got home, the two of them were inseparable. They played games together, just the two of them. Then they played in the basement. After supper they played upstairs and made pictures together. It was so sweet to see them getting along so well. Ingrid and I discussed how they are the perfect age to play together. They are old enough, yet not too old that they don't want to play together because they are different genders. Chloe and Colton didn't do too much playing together, but they are younger and don't have the bond that Aubrey and Maximus seem to have from spending time together since they were little. I can't even begin to describe how happy and excited I am to have them here for a little while. I didn't realize how much I missed them until they walked through those doors. Christmas is going to be so great!!

Aubrey and her "surprise"

As soon as their coats were off, they went and found some games to play.

Playing a fishing game

Grandma reading to Chloe and Colton

Christmas Tree

For the past several years we have gotten our Christmas tree on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This way we have plenty of time to enjoy it before Christmas is over and it has to come down. This year the Saturday after Thanksgiving was wet and cold and Calvin was working, so we didn't get a tree that weekend. I was a little bummed, but figured that we'd get one the following weekend so it would work out. My parents moved the following Saturday and with all the busyness of that, we didn't get a tree that weekend either. I even went to Big R to get a pre-cut one, but they were all sold out. I was really bummed, and Calvin almost got me to agree to get an artificial tree, but I'm just not ready for that yet. I love going as a family to find the perfect tree and then coming home and decorating it. So, I made him promise to go the next Sunday, no matter what the weather was like. We ended up going last Sunday and found a tree that fits in the basement perfectly. The girls had fun walking through all of the trees and helping us decide which one to get. Then we came home and I put lights on it. After Aubrey got home from school the next day, we put ornaments on it. We've been enjoying it ever since. :)



Update in Pictures

We celebrated Calvin's 32nd birthday in November.

Daddy and Coye on the computer on Thanksgiving.

Gabe and Coye - almost 8 months and almost 7 months respectively

Coye can now sit up all by himself!

The girls painted and made their own earring holders.

The finished product

What great balance he has!

Seven Months!

Last week Coye turned seven months old. Again I ask, where has the time gone? He is growing so quickly and changing so much. He's learned a lot in the past month and is quickly developing his own little personality. He's such a joy and delight and is never lacking for attention, especially when his sisters are around. :)

Here's what he is up to now:

• He started solids and while he wasn't so sure about them at first, he likes most of them now. His favorite is brown rice. He eats brown rice, acorn squash, and sweet potatoes.
• He figured out how to roll from his back to his stomach and is quite quick at it now. He can also go from his stomach to his back but doesn't do it as frequently.
• He can sit up. He loves to be upright and be able to see what's going on around him. He's got great balance and only falls over occasionally.
• He sits up in the bath tub too and loves splashing water everywhere.
• He says da-da all the time. I've been trying to teach him to say ma-ma, but he hasn't yet.:)
• He is still a happy baby and loves to laugh and giggle.
• He is very ticklish and will erupt with giggles when you nibble on his belly.
• His hair is really starting to come in, although it's pretty light so it doesn't seem like he has as much.