Christmas

Christmas was nice this year. It started off the Sunday before at Grandma Attermann's house with dinner and our annual dropping off donations on needy families doorsteps, knocking and running. The kids absolutely love this probably even more than opening presents. The only bad thing was that Julian was upset that he couldn't hand the presents to the people, but we explained that we don't want them to know who we were and he seemed to understand.

We decided to change the tradition a little and stay home Christmas Eve instead of going to Grandma and Grandpa Petty's house. We decided it would be nice to have them over for brunch on Christmas Day instead.

Chase woke up around 5:30 and we had to send him back to bed. He got up with Julian again at 7 and we started our day. It was pretty much a typical Christmas morning. Lots of excitement, unwrapping, garbage bags, twisting toy ties, playing...it was really a great Christmas.

That was so nice. Then G & G came over and brought presents with them. Grandma actually made a DELICIOUS french toast (she isn't much of a cooker) so we were very impressed. We had a great morning.

Later that evening we went to Grandma Sharon's house for dinner. That was nice too. Lots of yummy food, and it was so nice to see all the family. The weather was terrible, so everyone left a little earlier than usual. We had to skip the traditional Nativity dress-up, and singing Christmas songs, but it was a great day. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Ethan's surgery...

Brave little Ethan had to have a minor surgery two days before Christmas to get the tubes replaced in his ears, and have a nasal endoscopy to check if there was blockage that is causing his sleep apnea. We are always scared about anesthesia after his last surgery. He gave us a really good scare last time. So we are always biting our nails in the waiting room. Anyway, he did great this time and only had to stay in recovery for an hour. He was fascinated with the IV in his hand and stared at it most of the time. He had such a nice nurse and it really did go as well as it could have. Ethan is the toughest little guy you'll ever meet. That's why we gave him that name - it means "strong" in Hebrew.

He's doing great now.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIAN!!!

It's so hard to believe that it's been 4 years since we had Julian. The time seems like it flew by. I guess it doesn't seem like that long because he still seems to be in his terrible two's. The weird thing though, is that he is also the most affectionate child you'll ever meet. So terrible...yet so, so wonderfully sweet.

Julian is SO active. Like, monkey active. He is constantly climbing, swinging, running, jumping, bouncing, etc. The kid honestly does not stop until he's fast asleep. And let's not talk about the potty mouth he seems to have picked up. He would make sailors blush. Seriously. We think that many families would have diagnosed and medicated him by now. We don't go that route, so we endure until he grows out of it. He will. And aside from his craziness, he is the most amazing little boy.

He is smart. I mean, really smart. His comprehension, vocabulary and speech is so sharp. We are always surprised at how much he understands and says things that other kids his age don't seem to even grasp yet. And without being biased as his mother, look at that face. He's absolutely adorable. And he's funny. He loves dressing up in women's clothing -another thing his daddy hopes will outgrow very soon. He says he wants to play hockey and football like Chase. He absolutely adores Chase - and bugs him terribly. BUT I have to say that in the past month or so, Chase has been SO MUCH better with him. It's been nice to see them playing and interacting so nicely together.

Julian is the kid who takes our faces in his hands and tells us how much he loves us so much. He kisses us with his big puckered up lips and says he's so happy.

Happy Birthday Jule. You are the sweetest boy and I hope you liked your birthday cupcakes and pirate ship. We love you so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHASE!!!

Thirteen years ago, Chad and I were given the best early Christmas present we could have ever imagined. Chase was born on this day in 1995.

So today also means we have a teenager in the house. Wow. We've been talking about this day for - well...13 years. I can't believe how fast it came.

Chase was the cutest baby I've ever seen. Not because I'm his mom. He really was beautiful. And I mean, right from birth.

He constantly amazes us with his compassion, his humor, his charm, his intelligence, his wonderful creativity, his stunning good looks, his maturity when it comes to babysitting his brothers, his loyalty to his friends, his work on being nice to little brother : ), his athletisism, his ability to teach himself the drums in one day, his drive in being three belts away from a black belt, his dedication to hockey, and now football, and for a time, both at the same time. His good nature, his comedy, his talent for snowboarding, skiing, wakeboarding, his love of camping, adventure, travelling, trying new foods, his admiration for his dad, his desire to be a doctor, an artist, AND a professional hockey player.

Also, this year he was given Honorable Mention for his grades (he ALMOST made the honor roll - which was a HUGE accomplishment from last year).

Happy Birthday Chase.
You are a great kid and we are so proud of you. You brought our family together and we are so lucky to have you. We love you son.