My Boys 2014

If you scroll through my iPhoto albums, you will see that most of them are dedicated to our kiddos.  Each child has 5 guaranteed albums - Hospital pictures, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months.  Each album is jam packed with digital images, most which I've never gotten around to printing, that document the growth of 3 perfect little beings.  Charlotte's albums stop 2 weeks into 12-18 months.  Harrison's are now divided by years, and Max...well...he fell victim to the 3rd child phenomenon and has about 1/2 the photos as his big siblings.

Despite having albums for 3 kiddos, it wasn't until sweet Maxo came along that I had to come up with a way to organize images that contained 2 children.  Individual albums for individual kiddos wasn't going to cut it any more since many of our day-to-day photos contained both of our little guys.   Shortly after Max was born I created My Boys 2014 (clever title, huh?), an album that is filled to the brim with memories of our boys together.  There are sweet moments (big brother loving on little brother), feisty moments (big brother shoving his feet in little brother's face), and quiet moments capturing to boys playing contently side by side.  My Boys 2014 represents a new chapter in our lives...a chapter that displays a full house, full arms, and most importantly, full hearts.

This week I sat down to clear out the remaining pictures from my camera and sorted the last images of 2014 into their appropriate albums.  My Boys 2014 saw its last additions and My Boys 2015 waits patiently for its first memories.  

Thank you 2014 for so many amazing memories.  You brought with you new life, new priorities and new respect for all of those mamas and daddies out there with multiple kiddos!  It wasn't always easy, but I wouldn't trade our 2014 for anything.  

 

 Wishing you all a very happy New Year!

Snickerdoodle Love

Some of my favorite Christmas traditions are the ones that involve cookies.  I grew up in a home where frosted sugar cookies were a holiday staple.  Mom took care of all of the baking, and the rest of us sprung into action when it was time to decorate.  Last year we carried on this cookie tradition in our own home, but I'll admit, with another little (and very active/curious) boy in the house, it seemed quite daunting in 2014.  Lucky me...the boys have a dad who has some cookie memories of his own!  I've heard Matt mention on many occasions that he remembers making snickerdoodles with his dad around Christmas.  One afternoon me decided to do the same with Harrison and the two set to work!  

Harrison has recently discovered a love for helping in the kitchen.  Combine that with the fact that he got to work right along side his daddy and the boy was in heaven! 

 The whole process was quite amusing to watch.  Matt would portion out the cookie dough and roll it into the ball.  Then it was Harrison's job to roll the dough in a cinnamon sugar mixture and put them onto the pan.  

In the end the balls were covered with divots left behind by little fingers and were even more misshapen from the "SPLAT" they took onto the cookie sheet.

Maxo approved.

Yummy cookies made by adorable babies and a handsome daddy?  

Now that's a tradition I could get used to!

A Gingerbread House

The week before Christmas we decided to up our game a little and get serious with establishing some holiday traditions.  Early on Thursday morning while little brother napped, Harrison "patiently" sat by and watched with amazement as the little house pictured below took shape.  He was mesmerized...mostly by the frosting.  

"Mama, I need dat frosting."

"Mama, squeeze that frosting on my tongue."

"Mama, let's go find dat frosting."

"Mama, that MY frosting."

All day long.

 Later that evening once the kitchen had been cleaned up from dinner, we finally sat down to put a little "bling" on our little cookie house.  

 If you look closely at my face you can see me doing my best to reign in my OCD.  

Easier said than done.

 This little guy cheered us on from the sidelines.

 He also sampled the frosting for us just to make sure that it was safe to eat.

 "Mama, take a picture of the frosting in my mouth!"  Goofball.

 Once he figured out that the frosting eating ban had been lifted, his focus shifted away from decorating.  He may have licked the roof at one point. 

 And there you have it, our first ever Ritchie family gingerbread house in all of its perfectly imperfect glory.  

Welcomed with Open Arms

In the true spirit of my "Old Year's Resolution," I'm calling this one a better late than never post.  

This summer, Matt and I finally had the boys baptized into the Catholic church.  St. Patrick's in Gretna was super accommodating and allowed us to have the baptism on a Wednesday night...which in turn allowed for the boys Great Grandma Delene to attend.  It was such a special evening.

  Godparents Dan and Jenni Metzler & Angie Goeser

We were so happy that GG Delene was back from California and could celebrate with us! 

 Best.Grandparents.Ever.

 Oh my goodness...look how little our baby boy was!

 Charlotte was baptized by a hospital chaplain on the morning of her first open heart surgery.  I look back on that day and the peace that it brought to us knowing that she was able to receive the sacrament before her procedure.  During her baptism the chaplain poured water over her head using this shell.  I know that she was with us as her brothers received the same blessings...but it made it all the more special that we could incorporate her shell into the ceremony.

 "AGGIE!"

 After the baptism, everyone came back to our home to continue the celebration.  Cake, conversation, little friends running around the back yard, and a quick golf lesson with uncle Brad made for a perfect end to a perfect evening.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper and not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.  ~Jeremiah 29:11

Maxwell Thane {11 months}

December has been a month full of activity.  Santa visits.  Christmas programs.  Gingerbread house making.  Present wrapping (and un-wrapping!).  Holiday celebrations.  And last but not least, today we're celebrating 11 way-too-fast months with our little Maxo! Yes, you read that right.  Mr. Max is ELEVEN months old.  Each month passes a little more quickly...each bringing more big boy moments and milestones.  And as much as I miss that snuggly little baby of ours, I'm quickly remembering how much I love this age.  So as we make our final approach to the one year mark (sob!) here's a little recap of what our sweet 11 month old has been up to.

{Busy Boy} We somehow forgot how insane this age can be!  It is SO much fun, yet exhausting at the same time.  You, sweet Max, are one busy little boy and are always on the go.  You walk along furniture and walls, love chasing your brother, and want to have your little hands in everything!  You discovered the stairs this month and love to "sneak" over to them as often as possible.  You know that you're not supposed to climb on them, and that makes them all the more desirable.  You let out the loudest giggles and take off at top speed when you see us coming to steal you away from them!

There is such a thing as being TOO curious.

{Ears}  Unfortunately, you spent most of the last month dealing with a yucky ear infection.  You started on antibiotics shortly after Thanksgiving and have been on them ever since.  We tried 2 different oral antibiotics before finally giving you a shot of Rocephin in the doctor's office just after Christmas.  Apparently you've got a resistant little bug!  Through it all, though, you've remained a pretty happy guy.  So tough.

{Chompers}  Adding to the "yuck" mentioned above, you also decided to FINALLY start cutting some teeth this month.  You've for 1 big one through on top, 1 on the bottom, and 2 more trying to push their way thru.  Needless to say you've been a slobbery mess lately!

{Soooo Big}  You are tipping the scales at a whoppin' 23 pounds.  That's only 3 pounds less than where your brother was at 18 months!

{Jibber Jabber}  We've noticed that you talk a whole lot more when your ears are healthy.  Having said that, its pretty obvious that your last round of antibiotics is finally kicking in.  You have a new-found love for screeching back and forth with your brother and are constantly babbling.  You can say "uh oh," "ho-ho-ho," "ba" (ball) and do your best to "moo" whenever you see a cow.  Little baby voices are the best.

{Odds and Ends}  You love bath time, despite the constant splashing from your brother.  Now if only I could get you to stay sitting during the whole process.  You don't quite understand the whole concept of "slippery when wet" and it makes me super nervous!  You have THE fluffiest hair I've ever seen, especially the day after a bath.  You are a pro at giving high fives, but are adamantly against giving your mama kisses.  Your favorite food is our remote control.  You've started to realize when you are being silly - giggling, making goofy faces, covering your eyes like you're being bashful - I have a feeling that we're going to have another little ham on our hands.

Maxwell Thane {11 months}

Happy monthaversary baby boy!  

You melt my heart every single day and I'm so thankful 

that God chose me to be your mama.