Overnight

In the 3 years of Claire's life, I've left her overnight twice: our two-night hospital stay when Kyle was born. I had never left Kyle overnight. Until now.

Lucian turned 40 last week, a milestone I thought deserved something big. I booked a hotel downtown Chicago and got a reservation at one of our favorite fancy restaurants. I was really looking forward to it, as I have dreamed many times of sleeping in or even sleeping through the night over the past year.

My parents stayed at our house so we could get away. We are grateful to have such willing family members to watch our little ones.

Reading Claire's bedtime stories together on Fri. night

We had Vietnamese food in Uptown on our way to the city and wandered the Art Institute looking at amazing pieces of art in the afternoon.

Admiring a Monet

Dinner was fabulous and I even had a few cocktails, another little pleasure that has been scarce over the past year (or three).

Tiny (delicious) tacos

 Blood orange margarita

The kids behaved well, slept through the night, and were all in one piece when we returned. Overall this was a huge success, even though I still woke up at 4:30am. We will be doing this again:)

The view from our room

Claire catching snowflakes

Kyle's Stats

At the beginning of the month Kyle had his one-year checkup. He is happy, healthy and doing great. Here are his stats:

Height: 31" (85%)
Weight: 22lb 11oz (75%)
Head circumference: 48.5cm (95%)

Kyle dabbles with walking. Thus far we have counted 15 consecutive steps as his record. He is into everything and recently began to climb up onto chairs, stand on them and then jump precariously. We are in trouble.

Here's a quick video of the little guy.

Recovering

I came down with something last Thursday, maybe the flu, not sure. It really opened my eyes to the fact that two young ones allow you no sick time. I stayed home from work and managed a long nap and a few bad movies while the kids were at daycare, but mornings and evenings were tough. I started feeling more like myself again Sun., and good thing. Claire and Kyle were not slowing down.

Some cute shots while waiting in line at the car wash.

Sunday we met Claire's friend Sydney at an indoor bounce place. It was great to run around and be physical for a while.

In the afternoon Claire helped me bake a birthday cake for Lucian. That would be impossible during the week, so we are enjoying it a few days early.

Lucian and Claire had a date planned on Monday; lunch and Yo Gabba Gabba Live. They called me in the morning to see if I would like to meet for lunch. Claire was super excited and I really enjoyed the unexpected treat.

A little hard to see, but Claire enjoyed the show and got a t-shirt. I took her to gymnastics after that. It was a very busy Monday.

Nothing Too Exciting

Our weekend was pretty low key. Lucian's back was really bothering him, so unfortunately, he was laid up most of the time. I got my hair cut, ran errands and hung out with the babes. A stark contrast from our holiday schedule.

Kyle is now drinking whole milk, yea!  He has taken a few steps on his own and looks quite strong on his feet.

The kids love to jump in the crib together. So far it's help up.

Nana Barb and Papa Joe stopped over to visit while up to help out Aunt Mimi. Claire was happy to conduct play time. She had them napping and who knows what else. Apparently grandchildren can be quite persuasive.

Sleepover!

Kyle is fighting a little cold and getting 2 new teeth. The trooper that he is, he just wants to cuddle more, especially overnight.

I took Claire sledding for the first time. The bigger hill we went to was rather slanted, so I found myself needing to brake/steer with my boot on the way down. This sprayed snow in Claire's face, pretty much ruining the activity. We tried once again, with a scarf over her face, but she was ready to go home. Half way though the park, I pulled the car over and said we were trying again on a tiny hill. We went down little hills several times with success. Hopefully she will give it a go again.

Claire had her first sleepover on Saturday. Her cousin Lydia, who is 4, stayed overnight. Within minutes of arrival the girls were dressed like princesses, and stayed that way most of the time.

They watched a movie and went to sleep in their sleeping bags.

They made PlayDoh cupcakes and cooked at the play kitchen.

Claire was so tired the next day, she fell asleep while grocery shopping with me. I guess she had a good time. She has said every day since "I want to have lots of sleepovers."

Kyle is a buy bee, rearranging and emptying cupboards, opening the trash and sneaking into bathrooms. He recently started standing up on his own (without pulling up on furniture) and will walk while holding your hands or push chairs/walkers around a room.

Kyle found a crown the girls had left out. He makes a handsome prince:)

Kyle's 1st Birthday!

Kyle turned one-year old on December 29th. We celebrated with a Hungry Caterpillar party with family. It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since he debuted into our lives. Kyle is an amazingly sweet and curious little guy. He loves his big sister and she is rather fond of him too.

He got some very cool gifts, however showed no interest in opening them. Luckily Claire and her cousin Lydia were there to take on the job.

We were thankful to have most of our family there to celebrate.

 Kyle enjoyed his birthday cupcake...

 and Claire did too.

Happy birthday Ky Ky. We love you!