Well, due to James's illness, Christmas was a little more subdued this year. But we did manage to get him to smile, and he's been in pretty good spirits, considering. Maria has used the extra solo time to hog grandma and grandpa for herself. And test out any and all new toys.

More toys that make noise

was just what Maria wanted.

You had to see this coming.

James actually did his own Christmas shopping

at the Kiddie Bazaar. Grandma KK got a mug.

Maria delivered presents to others. Sometimes

she stuck around to help open them.

Ever since we went to that park by Jaelle's house,

James has been wanting to go back so that

he could excavate more. To ensure he didn't run away,

we got an excavator he could use in Secor.

This smile holds until she realizes that the

stroller is only for the doll, not her.

Maria loved James's toy at

least as much as he did.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Sickness

Dear All,

There are no pics of babies in Christmas finery because our dear James is ill. Fever and stomach issues, you get the picture.

Good thing we know there are 12 Full Days of Christmas and we'll get a party out of him yet.

And the cute Christmas outfits will be just as cute next week.

Merry Christmas!
Love, the Adles

Eatings

Rosie chose to go with homemade pizza for her lunch choice. Made with the new pans. Turned out pretty well.



Not a cake, but some butterscotch pudding. Due to holiday cookies, treats, et al, Rosie opts to take her cake at a later date.

December 19th

Happy Birthday, dearest wife. The kids and I are giving much thanks for being able to spend another birthday with you. We love you.

Advent Open House 2011

Guests in attendance - 34
Cups of Cranberry Yumness served - 48
Times James had to be told, "no more cookies" - 15+

Happy times had with our St. John's friends- more than can be numbered :)

Oh, and here's where it gets really impressive:
Number of party prep related kitchen disasters - ZERO (Not trying to be boastful here. It's just that normally I have to throw out a lot of food that's been utterly ruined due to kitchen incompetence, so this was kind of a big deal.)


Before everyone started to arrive, Scott took this picture of me with the beautiful spread. I tried to pose like one of those ladies in the Pampered Chef catalogs. See how I put both hands on the table all fancy-style? Yep.

Starring Maria

We have a ton of videos of James as a baby & toddler but not many of Maria. We understand that this is the lot of the second child. She will grow to accept it as all second-borns must. But we wanted to put forth a little effort to minimize the resentment that will grip her around age 12 when she notices the abundant attention that was lavished on her brother before she was born. So here she is.


See, Future Maria - we tried!
Love, Mom and Dad

December 8

Hey folks, it's that time of year again.
You may remember December 8, 2010.

This year I won't say quite as much but I will say this...
My husband continues to be the best around. True fact.
Happy birthday, dear Husband! Happy birthday to you!

I'm really happy you were born. I love you.

Little Talker

Maria has been getting quite chatty recently.
She can now say the following words:

green
blue
yellow

cracker
hot dog
mi mi (milk)
cat cook(ie)
thank you

(Winnie the) Pooh
clock
flower

Amen
****************

So we're pretty proud of her for all that.
Oh, and she has 11 teeth!

:(

We went to a fundraising event today.

We bought a dozen homemade Christmas cookies.
They were a sight to behold. A variety of our choosing. Each one so carefully and lovingly selected.

I set the box on top of the van as I strapped Maria into her car seat.

And...yes... you guessed it.

:( Bye bye, Cookies. We really wanted to eat you.