Christmas

We spent Christmas Eve at our house in Minneapolis. We started the celebration by going to mass...by a Christmas miracle, the back pew of the front section was open, and it was next to the exit! Did I mention we got to church at 4:55 when church started at 5? Cael had other ideas than to sit nicely through church, however people looked at us and smiled, especially when they saw Kiera!


On Christmas day, we traveled to Waukon to celebrate Christmas with our families. We had a great time, and pictures only tell half the story.

Pretty sure Auntie Molly got a better work out than Cael! The snow was too deep for Cael to walk in it, so she had to carry him up the hill!

Cael had the opening presents things figured out this year!

Had fun playing with cousin Hannah!

Grandma Linda didn't mind that Hannah and Cael were cleaning the floor!

Kiera

Kiera is growing! Thought I would post a few pictures of her recently!


Cael doesn't like it much when she cries. He thinks his kisses will make her feel better! Such a sweet big brother...and quite protective!

It's true!

Views of the skyline we normally can't see from the interstate! It's true...the dome has deflated.

You can imagine Jonathan wanted me to take a couple pictures of it! Glad I didn't have sit out in the football game at the Gopher stadium! Brrrr!!!

Child labor

Are there laws against this?

Cael is certainly a good helper around the house (most of the time)!

Santaland

Sunday we spent the afternoon/evening downtown Minneapolis enjoying the sights and sounds of Christmas. We ventured on the train with the double stroller (wasn't sure how it would fit on an extremely crowded train...turned out to be ok), and went the 8th floor of Macy's to see "A Day in the Life of an Elf". Cael was fascinated with it this year...naming off everything that he saw! At the end of the tour, of course, there is a chance to see Santa. We weren't sure how Cael would do. He was talking up a big game all day, but when we actually got closer, he became unsure of the big jolly guy. He waved at Santa, and did sit on his lap (without tears)!

We then scoped out a spot to watch the Hollidazzle parade. Of course we had to get the spot 2 hours before the parade. Kiera and I held down the fort while Jonathan chased Cael. Cael loved to watch the lights of the parade, especially all the trains! He repeatedly said "wwwowww"! Kiera enjoyed it as well, I think!

We are getting about 4-6 additional inches of snow today (anybody in the south want any?), for a total this year of 31-33 inches. And winter officially begins tomorrow? Last year, apparently we got a total of 36 inches all year...looks like we are going to beat that amount this week (with another storm coming on Thursday). It certainly is going to be a White Christmas here!!

Weekend of records

So we thought we had a winter wonderland last weekend! We now know what an ol' fashioned winter in Minnesota was like!! Yesterday (Saturday) it snowed all day, deeming it an indoor day at the Rixen household (too cold to take Cael out to play in it)! Jonathan took a few pictures to give you an idea of how much snow we got. Apparently it is the 5th most snowfall in one storm recorded and the worst one since 1991. I mean, the Metrodome collapsed for goodness sake!! Jonathan has been spending the better part of today shoveling so we could get out if we needed to! That makes it another indoor day for Cael, Kiera, and I. The -22 degree wind chill is keeping us indoors!

We officially got 17.1 inches at the airport!

Lots of drifting snow!

The stairs are there somewhere!!

Since the kids and I are "stuck" inside, I decided it was a good day to make Christmas cookies and decorate them (thanks Grandma!)! Cael soon got "fired" from cookie making...he didn't understand you can't put your finger in the frosting of each cookie, or eat the sprinkles off the top! We had fun making the cookies/"nummies"!

Another record to add to the weekend...yesterday Cael went down for a nap, of course he talked/played for about 1.5 hours before Jonathan went in there because he sounded like he was up to something. Well, Cael didn't get a nap (which is not the record). At 5:30 while we were eating dinner, Cael started to fall asleep, Cael said "nigh-night". We put him down at 5:30 pm and Cael didn't wake up until 7:30 am today! Whoa! 14 hours of sleep for that boy! He must have needed it!

Have a great week, and stay warm!!

Winter wonderland!

What do Minnesotans do when we get 8 inches of snow? Of course we don't stay inside...we PLAY IN IT!!!

Jonathan and Cael went outside at the house to play in the snow, which Cael LOVED! It was kind of funny watching him walk in the snow, since the snow covered the majority of his legs, but he laughed and had fun anyway! He really liked it when Jonathan pushed him on the sled!


We went to a nearby hill to try Cael out on sledding. I stayed in the car with Kiera while Jonathan got a good workout carrying Cael to the top of the hill (he wasn't able to walk up the hill with all the snow in his gear). Jonathan said that Cael actually preferred to push Jonathan down the hill instead of going with him...Jonathan did convince him to go down several times, which Cael seemed to enjoy!

Adjusting to life as a family of 4

We are home from Thanksgiving, preparing for the Christmas season and adjusting to life with 2 small kiddos. Cael seems to adore his sister (most of the time). He can't seem to kiss or hug her enough and wants to hold her every chance he gets! We are taking him to daycare 3 days a week while I am on maternity leave, and every time we see him, it is like the first time has ever seen his sister. If you ask Cael his sister's name, it may sound like "Dora"...and he thinks he is right!! (We will keep working on that)

He likes to help with her bath time (even though she HATES it!). She is getting better but does not like to have her diaper changed or take a bath!Kiera likes to sit in the boppy.
My how my "baby" boy has grown! He likes to sit in the boppy too, apparently.
A co-worker made this backpack for Cael...he likes to fill it with whatever he can!
Coloring during the day.
And the occasional tantrum!

We are adjusting well, and trying to get back into a routine for Cael's sake. We made it to the Y a couple times this week...it was fun to be back! Looking forward to a weekend at home...good thing since we are expecting snow today and tomorrow.

Oh yeah. Kiera had her 2 week appt and went above and beyond her birth weight of 8 lb 2 oz...she was 8 lb 14 oz! Now lets hope we can stay out of the doctor's office with ear infections this winter.

Thankful!

I know we are late in this entry, but we have a lot to be thankful this Thanksgiving season. Pictures will tell it better than words!