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I've been working diligently this week on trying to catch up our blog. I'd like to get 2013 printed and published before 2014 is over and gone... As I've been looking through pictures I came across this random picture taken back in September:

I love this picture for many reasons. It shows my kids playing together. It shows our crazy, messy living room. It shows that fun is being had. We aren't watching TV or attached to some other electronic device. And even though the mess drives me crazy sometimes, I'm trying better to embrace it. As long as there's a pathway to stumble around in the middle of the night, if needed, we're good. Because one day I'll have a perfectly kept house and I'm going to miss these kids like crazy. You know how sometimes something someone says just sticks with you? Many years ago a seasoned mom said something to the fact that her kids (now grown) always remarked about how she was so anal about having a clean house while they were growing up. And she really wishes they'd have other memories they'd remember, like the crazy mess they made or some fun activity they had. I've tried to take that advice to heart. I definitely like a clean house, but I'm not going to ruin other more promising, memorable moments to achieve that "clean house".

Tricky, tricky...

Someone's figured out how to undress himself...

Who's in charge?

High Chair

Ian's so done with the high chair. So, on the weekends when Daddy is home for dinner, you'll see a scene like this: 

The table in our kitchen only sits 4 and we're usually too lazy to use the dining room. So, Audrey or Rachel gladly sit in the high chair. It makes me laugh!

Ian turns 2!

Here's the birthday boy when we all went in to sing to him when he woke up:

Ian's birthday was on a Sunday this year. We decided to make it a 2-day celebration. Ian loves to play outside, so we decided to go to a park on Saturday afternoon and pick up some pizza (another one of Ian's favorites). The Mackay family joined us. For some reason Ian was a bit off that day. He didn't really play much at the park and he didn't eat much either. But once we got home he was excited to open some presents. Although in this picture he does look a bit concerned about the wrapping paper...

Ian got some soft blocks to play with:

Here he is already willing to share:

This was a classic picture. He got some dinosaurs and as he pulled them out of the bag he roared:

Ian was definitely spoiled by his grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. After opening presents we had some cake and ice cream. This is the best picture we could get of him and his cake:

The birthday boy cleaning up after himself:

Sunday was Ian's actual birthday. We went to church that morning. After church I wanted to get a picture of him all dressed up. He wasn't such a fan of the idea...here he is on the rug in our entry way:

But once we got him outside, he gave some good smiles. This one is my favorite:

My handsome boys:

Sunday evening we decided to pull the cake out again and sing to Ian one more. He was thrilled! He loves blowing out candles.

 

We had a fun weekend celebrating this boy. He brings so much joy to our lives. He's such a smiley, happy boy (most of the time) and he's a lot of fun. We're grateful to have him and that he's growing and doing so well. It's crazy how fast the past 2 years have gone. Sometimes I wish I could just freeze time. My baby's not my baby anymore. He's a toddler full of personality. Happy Birthday, Ian!

Our Two Year Old

We got to celebrate Ian this past weekend. His birthday was yesterday and it's hard to believe he's 2 years old. Our smiley boy is so much fun to have around. During the day he's my little shadow. Whatever I'm doing, he'll do. He has to put Oil of Olay on his face every day and he enjoys doing routine chores and errands with me. He's my bud. Although, he absolutely adores his daddy. If Daddy is an option, Mommy takes the back seat on most occasions. He's been waking up late recently and Andy is usually gone for the day. When I go in his room the first thing he says is "Dada". And he's rather disappointed when I tell him he's at work. 

Ian is definitely a boy. It's been interesting after two girls to see those interests they just seem to be born with. My girls never ran to the front of the house when the garbage truck was here, but Ian does. And it's not like it's been encouraged. He LOVES tools. Mostly his daddy's "real" tools. He has lots of play tools as well that he enjoys. He's seen me replace batteries on toys and now he quite frequently brings me a toy and screwdriver and is ready to asisst. Usually the toy is just fine, but he likes taking things apart. Ian enjoys being outside. He would spend all day, every day outside if possible. This little guy has quite an interest in electrical outlets as well. Not the best thing... He can take the protectors out on his own and plug in whatever he wants. One day I was doing laundry and discovered him in the living room with my blow dryer plugged in. He's quite resourceful!

I don't know if you just forget the bad stuff, but Ian to me seems to be my strongest willed child. I don't remember the girls throwing fits this young and Ian's been throwing fits for months. When he wants something a certain way and doesn't get it, the world is coming to an end for him. He's not always easily distracted either... Ian is not much of a talker. It's almost like he doesn't care. You'll try to get him to repeat words back to you and he just grunts back the syallables to you. His main words we know of that he says regularly are: hi, bye-bye, mama or maaaaaa, dada, bro (broke), mine, no, doi (dog), papa, rama (grandma), bubble (loves bubble baths), apple, and nana (banana).  He has certain tones of grunts to say please and thank you. It's hard to describe, but we know what he's saying. :) When he wants something to eat or drink, he just sticks his finger in his mouth. I'm sure his language will take off this coming year. We know he comprehends, because he does things you want him to when asked (well, as long as he wants to do what you're asking).  

Ian's not a super cuddly boy, but he will snuggle on occasion and I take advantage of those moments. If you ask him for a kiss, he gives you his cheek, so you can kiss him. The other night I was rocking him before laying him down to bed and I couldn't figure out what he was trying to do in the dark. Well, he was trying to give me a kiss. It surprised me and it had also been a rough few days, so it was appreciated. Ian has outdone his sisters on sick visits to the doctor. Audrey's only gone to the doctor once for being sick and Rachel's gone maybe three times. Unfortunately with Ian we have discovered that when a simple cold lingers he needs breathing treatments. And Ian HATES breathing treatments, unless Daddy's administering them and Daddy isn't around much. So, Mommy gets to battle him. Poor boy! We are hoping as he gets older he'll grow out of the need for breathing treatments.    

Food is a constant battle with Ian. He doesn't eat much and doesn't get much variety. It's not for a lack of trying. We offer him a variety and he just refuses. Some days it seems like all he survives on is milk and granola bars. Some other staples he usually eats are yogurt and granola, fruit ropes, bananas, cereal, oranges, rice, hot dogs, pretzels, and mac 'n cheese. I just have hope that it will get better. Audrey's somewhere in the middle and Rachel's a good eater. So, eventually he'll eat better, it may just take 5 years. Ian is 25 pounds even and 35 inches tall.  

Our boy is definitely loved. His sisters will bend over backwards to make him happy. They are very sweet to him and protective of him. He's also quite spoiled at the child care at the gym and nursery at church. He flashes his smile with those dimples, and gets what he wants. We are probably creating a monster, but hopefully a sweet one when it's all said and done. He's on the receiving end of a lot of sweetness most days. We are so grateful for Ian and all the joy he brings our family. We are looking forward to the next year of adventures with him!

Christmas Continued...

On Christmas Day we drove up to Papa and Grandma Michaelson's so we could meet up with Jeff and Amy. We were so excited to see them. My siblings and I live all over the country. So, when we get to see someone, it's a treat. We hadn't seen Jeff and Amy since August 2012. To sweeten the deal, Paul and Cristy came in from Dallas the next day. So, we had quite the crowd at my parents' house. There were 8 adults and 7 kids. Never a dull moment, that's for sure...

Here's a random picture of Ian sucking his big toe as we were driving up:

 

It was chilly while we were there, but it wasn't that bad. If we put on coats, there was lots of fun to be had outdoors. Ian especially loves being outside. He enjoyed sitting in Papa's boat at the dock with Daddy:

 Ian also enjoyed cleaning up the leaves with Jacob:

 And then helping Papa take the leaves to the burn pile:

 The best part was watching the fire:

The big kids played outside as well, but they must have always been too busy for me to take pictures. They also enjoyed playing inside. There were lots of electronics to go around. We also brought up our Wii and it was fun watching Amy and Jeff dancing off to Just Dance Disney. We also had fun playing games in the evenings after the kiddos were all asleep. Definitely a fun Michaelson tradition.

Here are the big kids one night getting their last bit of electronic usage in before they headed to bed:

 

When we got together in August 2012, Aunt Cristy was nice enough to braid the girls' hair. Well, they remember this and pretty much every time they see her, they want her to do it for them. Here are the 3 cuties the next day with their hair all cute:

  

Ian also enjoyed playing inside:

 

One morning we all went for an adventure walk. I was a little behind on hearing the plans and was grateful I had to rush to catch up to them, because I caught this scene:

We ventured through the woods and on to one of the neighbor's properties. He's not their very often and had another neighbor feeding the catfish that live in his lake for him. So, we got to watch all the catfish come up for their food. The kids thought it was great! Andy eventually caught up with us as well. Ian sure was happy!

Everyone enjoyed snuggling with baby Joshua (only 4 weeks old). Rachel especially loved having the opportunity to hold him:

 

A visit to Papa and Grandma Michaelson's isn't complete without a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. The kids all enjoyed their pizza and playing the games. Ian wasn't interested in having me cut his pizza up. Yay!!! Definitely easier for me!

Our time with Jeff and Amy went by too quickly! The cousins all had fun spending time with one another. The adults enjoyed being able to see one another as well. We stayed busy, but also had plenty of time to just relax. It's always relaxing up in Northeast Texas. On our drive back home Ian made sure he had all the important stuff, his tools he got for Christmas and his blanket:

We got lucky this year getting to see and spend so much time with so many different family members around Christmas. It was very nice! We also really enjoyed having Andy around more often. He took off about 2 weeks. Everyone's happier when Daddy is around... It's a bittersweet time as we try to soak in as much time with Daddy since we know we won't see much of him the next 5 months. We hope everyone got to enjoy Christmas with those they loved!