Big Boy Bed

We recently moved Joshua from his crib to a big boy bed in preparation for the new sleeping arrangements once the baby comes.  He's done such a great job with the adjustment, and I think is very proud of himself.

I know it probably won't always be this way, but for now, he seems to be staying in bed, is still taking good naps and sleeping through the night, and calls us in the morning to come get him rather than getting out himself...overall, the transition has been much smoother than I'd dared to hope!

Out of the blue he requested Spider Man sheets and has LOVED them!

 

This is him posing in his usual sleeping position

 

He has adopted a "lovey" since moving out of the crib...right now it is a pink teddy bear...we may have to encourage a switch-a-roo to something a little less...pink...before he gets too attached!

Brielle Belle turns 2!

It's hard to believe Brielle is already two, but at the same time, she's talking so well and doing so much, that she seems like a big kid already too!  We celebrated Brielle's 2nd birthday on Christmas Day evening, after all of the regular Christmas festivities had calmed down. 

Getting a little help with her candles

 We have really enjoyed this second year with Brielle Joy.  She learned to talk like a champ, sing, run (she's fast too), and dance.  It's been fun to see Josh and Brielle interacting more and more.  They now have conversations together and play pretend (and of course, lots of disagreements and fights too). Brielle is definitely learning to hold her own though, and we are seeing that we have to be careful to not assume big brother Josh is at fault - because sometimes she's the instigator.  (The other day I found her alone in front of the mirror, shaking her finger and repeating, "No, it's mine!  No, it's mine!"...I guess she was just practicing or something!)

Some of Brielle's favorite things to do are to swing, play outside, push her shopping cart around the house, make us "coffee" and other assorted foods, read books, wear her squeaky shoes, and sing the ABC's.  She has the sweetest little voice and can say anything she wants to.  She is friendly and laid-back, but has always had a little spunk of her own.  We are now seeing her "two-ness" come out and are having to spend more time training and correcting, but overall she has been such a blessing to our family and brings us many, many, many smiles and laughs every day.  We look forward to what Year 3 will hold!
 

White Christmas

This year we were more than dreaming of a white Christmas, we were livin' the dream! (To the extreme...)

We spent Christmas in the Midwest for the first time since the kids have been born.  Until I moved to Florida, I didn't realize how much Christmas is associated with snow, sleighs, cold weather, etc.  So many of the songs and images of Christmastime are those types of scenes, but it had never struck me because that was what it actually looked like outside during this season.  I remember seeing a Christmas cup with a snow scene during my first winter in Florida and realizing that it looked so out of place because that's not at all what Christmas looks like here.  I still have a hard time getting into the holiday mood each year because it doesn't "feel" like Thanksgiving or Christmas. but I definitely have acclimated to the Florida climate.  I can't handle the cold anymore!

I was a little nervous when we told Joshua that he would get to play in snow this year at Christmas because while they usually have snow, you can't always count on a white Christmas.  No problems in the snow department though.  There was record snowfall for the month of December and great weather for playing outside.  We spent a few days in Minnesota first, doing Christmas with my family and playing in the snow, then headed to Iowa for Christmas with the extended Nettleton clan and more snowy fun!

Sledding in Papa's yard

 

Eating some tasty snow

Joshua had high expectations for the fun he would have in the snow and wasn't disappointed!  We played outside at least an hour every day we were there.  Brielle wasn't as into it.  She'd start saying, "Go inside" not long after we went out, but never insisted on it.  She went sledding and ate snow and all the other stuff, but seemed pretty indifferent.  I guess she's a true Beach Girl!

We also toured a model train museum and did a special Christmas light tour in Phalen Park.  Then we headed to Iowa for the rest of the festivities.  We woke up on Christmas Eve morning to a fresh snowfall of about 8".  Our cars were stuck and we almost couldn't get out of the driveway for the evening festivities.

We spent Christmas Eve at Joe and Lori's house eating our traditional chili and oyster stew (plus the delicious additon of lobster bisque).  Christmas Day was spent at Grandma's house preparing the turkey and fixin's and opening gifts...we ended up the evening with a lively game of Shanghai rummy and the next morning we were off to the airport to head back South!  We had a really great trip!  The kids traveled and slept really well and fun times were had by all!

Think Pink!

We found out on December 2nd, that Kuder Baby #3 is a GIRL!   We are were surprised, but are excited for Joshua and Brielle to have a new sister.  Now, we just have to get to work picking a name, resisting buying all the adorable clothes, and figuring out the best bedroom situation.

The pregnancy is going great at this point.  I can feel her moving a lot, am not too big yet, and have overcome the first trimester food aversions and exhaustion.  Whew!

21 weeks