Random

Belting out a song on top of a piano already. 

Loving his time in the exersaucer. 

Again singing and playing her Uke from Christmas. She was singing Book of Mormon Stories. 

Children's museum

Admiring himself in the mirror at the Children's Museum while his big sister ran around playing with Daddy. 

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve we went as a family to one of AJ's co-workers Christmas Eve party, it was a lot of fun, and Pumpkin enjoyed dancing to the music (with Mom and Dad, not with the other kids) and tolerated listening to Santa read 'Twas the night before Christmas' long enough for her to get a candy cane.

After the party, we went back home to see Paul and grandpa Jim who came down to spend Christmas with us. Lily was so excited when she heard Grandpa's voice, "OH! I hear Grandpa!!" Of course she tends to not acknowledge him when she's actually near her. Such a silly bug.

'Smiling' for Grandpa.

Showing Grandpa her baby doll. She's obsessed.

What his sister lacks in cheesy grins, this boy makes up tenfold!

We enjoyed spending Christmas here this year and had a great Christmas morning. Bug still doesn't quite grasp Christmas, but she does love opening presents, so she was not opposed. I had hoped to have a little Christmas with few gifts, but they were both spoiled by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and Daddy. Oh well, they're only little once.

Christmas morning with her baby doll.

The tree

*Almost* rolling around.

 

Even the Bub got into opening / eating the boxes.

She was such a good helper and passed out all of the gifts.

Her cousin Payton got her this drawing tablet, she was SO HAPPY when she saw it, and said, "OH! Payton!" She had tried unsuccessfully to take Payton's over Thanksgiving :)

 

And of course, the 3 Ericksen men enjoying their near beer. 

More Santa Photos

We actually had these ones taken before the others (which explains her fear and understanding when standing in line the following week). At the time, we did not wait to actually purchase the photos due to the 2+ hr wait. Seems like a poor system when it is paying that it the bottleneck. Whatever.

The only way to get her to stop screaming was to have us get in the picture also. Just seems awkward to me.

Christmas Outfits

Merry Christmas :)

Forever the ham. Such a happy little man. 

This is the same Christmas dress as last year. It just finally fits!! It's crazy how much she has grown over the past year :) how we love our little bug. 

Christmas kickoff!

So over the last few days we've kicked off Christmas down here in Texas. We started with the kiddos new Christmas Jammie's. I was super excited about them and decided that instead of waiting until Christmas Eve, I'll give the kiddos new Jammie's early December so I get to enjoy them longer hahaha. We also finished the tree and the stockings are out as well, tho I haven't figured a way to hang them on the window ledge. Oh well. 

Nearly impossible to get a good picture of both of them. 

Her new 'smiling' face. 

Kicking with joy. 

Baby elf. 

Cute little profile. 

Giving her brother a hug. One day I'll capture the sweetness. 

Pumpkin wanted to wear the Bubs hat. Since then she has insisted that her baby doll needs to wear the hat since it's cold outside. Such a silly girl. Love her. 

Tonight we also started a new tradition in decorating a gingerbread house. She was much more interested in eating the candy, but was very helpful all things considered. She tried to smile, but this is what you get when you have a mouth full of Rolos. 

Merry Christmas!

Santa Trauma

Once again, the Bug showed her distrust of the big bearded man this year and the pictures do not disappoint. My favorite part is how happy and smiley the Bub is while his sister is literally wailing at the top of her lungs. After she say on his lap, nearly every other little kid in line was also hysterically crying. Sorry for that. 

Already crying while we wait in line. Not a good sign. 

I also enjoy Santas face. He's earning his keep for sure :)

I attempted to redeem myself and she had a great time playing in the mall play area. It's been to cold to go to the park so this may become a staple in the rotation. 

Dressed and ready to go on a daddy daughter date. The irony of her shirt kills me. 

The Bug got lucky since we were late to the Ward Christmas party and Santa had already left. She did still get a bell necklace though, which she very much enjoyed talking on and putting back on. Over and over. The crazy face is now her go to expression when I tell her to smile for the camera. Oh well, better than a stinky face I suppose. 

Happy Half Birthday Little Man

Happy half birthday! Sometimes I can't believe we've all survived 6 months, and other times it seems like we were just barely bringing him home from the hospital. He had his 6 mo check on Thursday and his latest stats are:

Height: 27.5", 85%

Weight: 18 lb 12 oz 71%

Head Circ: 63%

Latest triumphs/likes:

He has gotten good at eating solids. So far he's eaten avocado, squash, banana and the occasional roll or tortilla. He seems to have less texture issues than his sister which I hope stays that way!

Sitting. If he is propped up, he can sit unassisted and play with toys for fairly long stretches. He is still easily tipped tho, and I anticipate pillow forts in his future.

Babbling. This boy loves to talk. He will sit and talk to you and babble all about his day. Its so fun and I love it.

Current dislikes:

He is still teething, and is not a fan. No new teeth yet, but he soaks nearly every shirt he wears he is drooling so much. He still refuses to be left alone and is a social butterfly.

Winter Jammies

Bug and the Bub got some new jams, and I love them. There is something so funny about woodland creatures. Also, the Bub is getting so much better at sitting, maybe their is hope for him to crawl / roll / move in general after all.

Look mom I can almost sit up!

 How she really feels about all these pictures.

I love this one, she is so happy because Amy was talking to her. A moment later she started freaking out since her brother was touching her.

He is getting pretty good at sitting. Any loud noises still send him tumbling, but he's getting really strong!

Happy birthday little bug!!

Little bug is 2 today!! So crazy, it seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. She is such a joy to have in our lives and is in such a fun stage of life. She has so much personality and is so loving and helpful. We have her 2 it well check on Tuesday, until then here is a stats placeholder:

Height: 35.5", 89%

Weight: 31 lb, 91%
Head Circumfrance: 72%

Current favorites/milestones:

Bug continues to love music/singing and dancing. She often breaks into song and wiggles around happily. Her favorite song is the A, B, Cs followed closely by Twinkle Twinkle and the Potty Song from Daniel Tiger. 

Speaking of Daniel Tiger, she loves him. She sings all the songs and waves and blows kisses to all the characters during the opening credits. 

In the last few months, she has gone from only a few words to speaking in sentences. It is so nice to be able to understand a little more what is going on in her head and be better able to address her needs. 

She is so sweet to her brother, tho still prefers to watch from afar and not be touched by him. lol. 

She loves to draw, paint and build 'real talk towers' with her Legos. 

She loves to ride the Bubs rocking horse. 

She loves the water: swimming, splash park and the bath. 

Current dislikes:

She is still not a fan of crowds / new people (and by new, pretty much anyone other than close family). People at the grocery store still make her cry / hyperventilate if they talk to her, so no real progress there. 

While she loves to eat, she is very picky about what she eats. She refuses to eat veggies unless they are in purée form or unless they are smeared with hummus. (sadly she has been reacting to hummus and I think she might be allergic ): )

All in all she is darling and so smart! We love our little pumpkin and can't imagine life without her :).