Merry Christmas and Happy 2015!
** Again, disclaimer: TONS of pics in this post!
Before I get into the wonderfulness that was Christmas, I have to blog about some of the other firsts and fun that happened since my last post.
The Dentist- dum da dum dum....
It's been about 6 months since Aiden's semi-traumatic-experience-at-the-dentist-for-Mommy-although-he-doesn't-seem-to-really-remember-it and time for him to go for a regular checkup. Mady has sprouted a mouth full of teeth so, in an effort to avoid cavity trauma for her, Mady had her first dental appointment!
The dental hygienist at the Pediatric practice we go to is so amazing. She's such a sweetheart and so good with kids. She really knew how to make both of them comfortable... well, as comfortable as they could be at the dentist.
Aiden was up first! He did a great job and was excited to get his dental goodie bag at the end of the exam. Two thumbs up for no cavities!! Woo-hoo!
Mady was a little more hesitant and needed to sit on Daddy's lap (more so because I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold her down if needed). But our hygienist knew how to distract her... with bubbles!! Luckily Mady actually enjoys brushing her teeth, so she was a champ! There were some tears at the end of her exam, but only because there were no more bubbles! No cavities here either! Phew!
Uncle Brian's Birthday
We also celebrated Uncle Brian's birthday in December. I won't mention his age as a sign of respect for the elderly. ;) We had dinner at Grandpa Gordon's, which is always a delicious time, and the kids had fun helping Uncle Brian blow out the candles on his cake! They also enjoyed eating it... well, the icing at least.
Decorating the Christmas Tree at Grandpa and Grandma's
The kids had a great time helping Grandpa, Grandpa, and their aunties decorate their Christmas tree. It's always fun watching their faces when they're doing something creative and interactive. It's amazing how they make everything look like so much fun!
While Daddy was bringing up the tree, Mady was hard at work on the iPad.
Fun times with Grandpa! Those kids ADORE him!
Time to decorate!
Aiden and Mady probably had the best time wrapping the different colored garlands around the tree... after running around and throwing them in the air, that is.
The bottom of the tree was getting a little color heavy, little people decorating, so luckily Auntie Elizabeth and Auntie Julliann were there to give them a boost.
Hanging ornaments on the tree with care!
Getting a boost from Grandpa, look at those smiles!
Visiting Santa Claus!
We took the kids back to the National Harbor this year to visit Santa. We love the old fashioned Santa that they have there, and while it was a little different than we remember, it was a fun time. I was pretty interested to see how Aiden and Mady were going to react to Jolly Old St. Nick this year. Last year Mady was only about 8ish months old and was thoroughly unimpressed, and Aiden has cried hysterically for the past 2 years when he sees Santa.
We're on our way! I'm not sure why they have their fingers in their ears. I think Aiden started it and Mady just followed along.
The Gaylord Resort and Convention Center is beautifully decked out for Christmas. The lobby is filled with gorgeous Christmas trees and everywhere you look there is some sort of festive holiday decoration. The kids had a blast looking at all the trees, pointing out the different colors and ornaments, and loved all the holiday lights and sounds.
My pretty baby girl
Sheer bliss!
Our attempt at the family selfie. The kids have more fun and brighter smiles when they're looking at each other than at the camera. I love the looks on their faces, like they're sharing a hilarious inside joke. LOVE!
Ta-da! Mady at lunch!
AND then it was time to meet the big guy!!
I think it happened just as I thought that it would. Aiden, being almost 4 now, was a little shy at first, but we had been talking for weeks about how we were going to visit Santa. We watched Santa cartoons and read Santa books, so he was pretty psyched to meet him in person. He warmed up pretty quickly.
My poor Madelyn on the other hand.... sheer terror. I'm sure that the photographer thought that I was the worst mother. As Mady was screaming and reaching for us, I kept telling him to "hurry up and take a picture" before she had a full fledged panic attack. He kept looking at me and asking "are you sure?". But at least I have a picture of Mady with Santa... looks very similar to Aiden last year..... I'm sure she'll laugh about this when she's older, right?
After we rescued Mady from the big scary, hairy man in the red suit, we let Aiden spend some time with Santa. I love how the Gaylord Santa does not rush you along and takes multiple pictures throughout your visit. He really spends time with the kids, asking them if they've been good, if they're excited for Christmas, what they want, etc etc. Aiden was with him for quite some time!
Here's Aiden giving Santa the letter he wrote him.
And gave lots of hugs!
Here's the letter Aiden wrote to Santa. He did a great job, I only had to help him with a few of the letters (mainly the ones they haven't really covered in school yet). I know his handwriting is so amazing for a 3 year old, but I'll translate anyway.
"Santa, Cars Race Track, (heart) Aiden"
The 2 red circles are "Lightening McQueen's tires" and the brown ones below it (that kind of look like a rump) are "Mater's tires". The large green triangle-ish thing is a "Christmas tree"... direct quotes from our little Picasso.
Despite the traumatic meeting with Santa, Mady recovered quite quickly and all in all it was a great day.
On our way out, Aiden and Mady started holding hands... all on their own. -heart melting-
And big brother Aiden even held her hand outside as we walked back to the car.
Gingerbread House Madness
Not really madness, so much fun!
I've been waiting for the kids to be old enough to decorate gingerbread houses. I think I could have done it with Aiden last year and I'm not quite sure why I didn't. But this surely will become a Nguyen family tradition for the holidays! The kids LOVED it!
My designers!
We're ready!! Spatulas in hand, candy set!
The kids had so much fun spreading out the icing, telling me where to put windows and doors, and placing all the yummy candy!
I was impressed that a lot of the candy made it onto the house... although a significant amount also made it into their tummies.
The final project!
Didn't they do a great job!? Mady wanted to just stare at the house for days after we finished it. I actually had to hide it for a bit because she was so fixated on it!
Winter Lights
Every year the Seneca Creek State Park has a Winter Lights exhibit where visitors can drive through and enjoy all of the fun scenery. I had asked Vic to take us since there is something similar to it where we used to live in Columbia. Absolutely no comparison... this park has the winter lights thing down! It was a 7 mile loop of beautiful light displays that took us 45+ minutes to drive through! The kids had a fun time pointing out all the different shapes, snowmen, houses, and action scenes... but about 35 minutes in, Bubble Guppies had resumed playing in the car. But Vic and I loved it and will make it an annual tradition as well.
CHRISTMAS!!!!
With December being a crazy busy month, Christmas arrived before we even realized it!! We were so thankful to be able to have 4 different Christmases with all of our extraordinary family and friends!
Family Christmas pictures!
Christmas #1- Grandpa Gordon's on Christmas Eve
We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family, Grandpa Gordon, Uncle Brian and my brother's best friend. We spent the majority of the day cooking up our holiday feast, which was AMAZING, before spending time opening gifts with wonderful company.
The chefs!
I had to take a pic of our delicious Christmas dinner. A lot of work went into it!
True to toddler form, Mady loved the box we used to haul all our goodies in almost more than her gifts... almost.
The kids made Grandpa Gordon and Uncle Brian hand painted mugs.. more specifically, mugs that I put their hand prints on. They were a hit!
I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture, but Mady was so excited when she opened her present from Uncle Brian. He got her a Palace Pet, which is an interactive (semi-irritating for Mommy and Daddy) dog that has a magic wand that is essentially a remote control for it. Mady excitedly said "WOW!!" when she tore off the paper. Good work, Uncle Brian!
While it was such a wonderful time, my mother's absence was felt, as it always is. Gordon and I were talking while we were cooking dinner and I told him that it made me happy thinking about how pleased and excited my mom must be watching us from Heaven. Almost 4 years after her passing, our family is closer than ever, 2 beautiful children bigger, and the strength of her presence is still felt in everything we do and everywhere we go.
Christmas #2- Christmas Morning at Home
It was fun being woken up Christmas morning by the sound of little feet running into our bedroom asking, "Mommy, did Santa come?". The excitement and anticipation in Aiden's voice was infectious and we were all looking forward to going downstairs to see what Santa left and if he enjoyed the snack we left for him! Aiden had a hard time waiting for his baby sister to wake up, but was a good sport and was as patient as a 3 year old on Christmas morning could be. :)
My munchkins on Christmas morning.
Can't forget about Rocky!
Mady got a stroller for Panda from Santa!
She was beyond excited!
Santa brought Aiden his Cars Race Track! Score!! He must have been a good boy this year!
The kids made out like bandits, as usual!!! We had a nice, cozy morning opening presents, eating a yummy Christmas breakfast cooked by Daddy, and watching the kids play with their new toys. What could be better or more perfect!
Christmas #3: Grandpa and Grandma's
Later on Christmas Day, we went to Vic's parent's house for Christmas dinner.
Before we could even leave the house, Mady insisted on playing with her new "Palace Pet" that Uncle Brian gave her. Smh, we ended up bringing it with us.
Cheese!
If you're wondering, that is a large, pink unicorn from Grandma and Grandpa that now lives in Mady's room. She drags it to the middle of her room every night and spends a good portion of time sitting on it and giving it hugs.
Grandpa and Grandma picked the most perfect gifts for the kids. Grandpa picked this koala bear that is very similar to Panda, so you know Mady was super excited!
Look at that face!
Kisses for Mommy!
Love them so much!
I love this picture. You can tell by looking at Grandpa and Grandma's faces how much they adore our kids. We're so thankful for them, and the love that they unconditionally and endlessly show all of us.
Love and smiles with Ba Thu!
Here are the kids with another one of Grandpa's perfect gift picks. I've had at least 50 plastic grilled hamburgers, hamburger buns, and hotdogs since that grill entered our home. Holiday weight gain!
There's something about hearing the kids run and laugh through Vic's parent's house, the look on Mady's face when she's holding onto Grandpa tight, the excitement in Aiden's voice when he's eager to tell Grandma something new, the giggles from them both when they're playing with their Aunties, that makes me feel like Christmas is complete.
Christmas #4- Christmas with the Gang
It also wouldn't be Christmas without a Christmas with the gang. It's tradition!! We had such a great time having a belated Christmas brunch with our extended family! We decided to forgo gift giving to each other this year and focus instead on all the adorable little people we created.
Handsome Kai!
Beautiful Mila!
Mady and Kai, such cuties!
All our munchkins! It's amazing how much they have grown in a year! LOVE!!
And the whole gang... it's also amazing how much more tired the adults look. :)
We feel so blessed to have such a close knit group of friends with friendships that have lasted the test of time. I love watching all our kids play with each other, just too stinking adorable!
It was another amazing Christmas and I am again reminded how blessed we are to be surrounded by so much love and kindness. We have the most extraordinary family and friends, each who hold such significance and importance, how lucky we are to be able to share the holidays with them.
Aiden
Holy smokes, my Aiden will be four in just a few weeks. How did that happen? Christmas this year reminded me of what a big boy he is now. No more tears with Santa, a bubbling personality eager to make friends, a creative mind that tells the most amazing stories, a stubborn side who thinks he can reason his way out of things, a sensitive side that finally really understands compassion, and the most sweetest heart that tells me every day (on his own) that he loves me and knows what it means.
Seriously... can I pause time for just a little bit?
Madelyn
This little face... what am I going to do with her? She has a smile that melts my heart and the absolute sweetest voice. When she says "Mommeee" I am hers... whatever she wants. That's a bad thing! Mady is so grown up, it's hard to believe she's not even two yet! She knows how to work her sweetness to her favor, is a dancing machine, gives the most amazing hugs, and is the best snuggle buddy. Every day I am amazed by the things she says and does, and can only hope that she stays my little baby for a little while longer.
Absolute LOVE!!!
Two Peas in a Pod
Those two kids... one minute they are laughing and playing with each other, the next they are fighting like cats and dogs! But despite everything, I genuinely think that they really love each other. I caught Aiden the other day saying to Mady, "Mady, come give me a hug". When I asked him why he said that he replied "because I love her". Another time Aiden was sitting in time out and I found Mady sitting next to him, trying to make him laugh. Seriously? How did I get to be the Mommy to such wonderful kids!!!
They're "exercising" here. Hehe!!
Two sick kids snuggling with each other.
My dancing machines!
They even picnic together! Cheers!
I love them so much it makes my heart hurt.
Happy New Year!
As usual, New Years was low key for us. Kids went to bed at their usual time and amazingly Vic and I were able to stay awake until midnight.... passing out shortly thereafter. We spent New Years Day with my Aunt and Uncle eating traditional Korean duk guk, all good times!
2014 was a great year filled with so many memories and firsts. I can only imagine what 2015 will bring and can't wait to find out!!!
Up next... Aiden turns 4!!??
