Reid is going so well at sitting for long periods of time. His core is really strong! Our Christmas prep continued this week including shopping, lots of wrapping, and packing! But before we got to any of that Griffin decorated a super cute (and sweet) Gingerbread house. He and Sam decorated both houses and then drew a number to see which house they each got to keep. He had tons of fun and was so proud to show me when I got home from work. On Wednesday we attended Griffin’s last Christmas program at NPCA! It was really cute and there are so many kids! Griffin sang all of the songs and did the hand motions, though you can definitely tell he is shy in front of a crowd. After the performance we had a quick bit of cake and then headed to First Watch for a tasty lunch with Amy, Graham, Rowan, Greta, Debbie, Sam, and Grandma Beilstein. Thanks, Grandma, for the treat!
Griffin and Sam (and Reid) exchanged gifts before the weekend. They were so excited it was literally 7:35 in the morning and Sam and Debbie were barely in the door. Griffin loved his Christmas lego set and Reid’s workbench and tools have been a big hit.
This guy here wanted to be a part of everything that had to do with wrapping. We put together a good system where I wrapped and Griffin picked out the name tag. He wrote most tags out as well. I barely had one piece of tape on a package before he was ready to put the sticker on! So much excitement and joy over the little things. Oh how I wish from time to time that I could be a kid again!
It took us a LONG time to wrap and organize this year! In the end we had our piles separated and Kevin loaded up the van to head to Enon for the Armstrong Christmas gathering and a couple of nights at his parents. It took much skill to get all of our belongings into the van. You would have thought that we were going somewhere for two months! But with a baby, a preschooler, two dogs, all the baby gear, suitcases, gifts and such we were loaded to the max. We got a later start than we anticipated but we were off and officially on Christmas break!
Each morning Griffin was so excited to read the scripture verse and put the next piece on our advent calendar. We didn’t want to miss the last two days by being away from home – so we took it with us! First thing in the morning when he woke up at Grandma and Grandpa Armstrongs was to do the calendar.
Saturday morning we woke up and after lounging around a bit we got to work prepping for the Armstrong family Christmas gathering, which this year was hosted by Jim and Pat. Griffin helped me make some brownies and a few other things too. 
After we filled our bellies with all kinds of foods and hung out with the family we sat down and opened Christmas presents. Griffin was super excited to hand them out :). 
Baby Jesus!
We had planned to get the dogs a new bed to replace the one off to the side in our kitchen. While Kevin was at Aldi (to get diapers, of course!) he found a great one there that just so happened to be grey and go great in our space. Amazingly the dogs shared the bed in the car from Enon to Mansfield
We drove from Enon to our house for a quick 37 minute pit stop to drop off presents, swap out clothes, and pick up presents to take to Mansfield. After I fed Reid we continued on our way to Mansfield where I metup with Dad and Amy for our traditional Christmas Eve shopping adventure. We were quite successful! And as always it was much fun. We headed home and had to quickly wrap gifts, eat a quick dinner, and get ready to head to the Christmas Eve Service at Mom and Dad’s church. It was a long and tiring day for all of us, but, especially for Griffin! Part way in to the service he fell asleep while sitting on Kevin’s lap. He was totally out. I think he fell asleep last year too – but this year he was literally snoring for a minute or two. We woke him up in time for the candle lit portion at the end of the service. Needless to say he had a hard time going to bed – partly from excitement for the morning and partly from his mini-cat nap!
One of my favorite parts of Christmas eve is our tradition of taking a picture after church. I love looking back at these and seeing the change from year to year. I think back to Christmas of 2010, the year Graham was born, and how in such a short time our family has changed and grown so much – adding four more kiddos. Such a blessing. And I love the kids being goofy with Grandma and Grandpa each year for their photo. Also, this year Grandpa had a special request for them to create the O-H-I-O and snap a pic. It’s a cute one. Somehow I don’t have the pic of the Bethune family!?
Graham is always really interested in what Reid is doing or what he may be thinking. He loves to come up and talk to him and hold him too. Here they are having some snugs. 
Grandma and Grandpa recently added bunk beds to the kids room so that all four big kids can stay together. On Christmas Eve Griffin was lucky enough to get the top bunk! After story time he tucked in tight. But it didn’t take too long before he came downstairs (while we were readying the room for Christmas morning!). He wasn’t able to sleep (thanks, nap!) and as excited as he was for the top bunk he just seems to have trouble sleeping in a room with his cousins! After a couple of times of putting him in our room with Reid, I finally left Brutus in there with him too to get him to stay! It worked, thankfully! 
Finally, everyone was asleep and the adults enjoyed some conversation and eggnog (for some!) for a bit while we got the presents arranged for the morning. 
Griffin had a fun week at home and school making a lot of art projects. He’s enjoying feeding Reid and being a big brother, in general. I love to see how he loves on his brother and wants to teach him things. This week he was teaching him about music. 
Each year on a really cold and snowy day Debbie brings snow inside and Griffin and Sam play on the blue rug. I love seeing the traditions continue. 
Griffin is really loving hot cocoa this year. And since it is really difficult to get him to drink much milk, I’ve resorted to treating him to hot cocoa both to get some milk in him and also just because it’s a fun thing we do together. Here he is after a mug 🙂 Oh, and of course it’s almost as much about the marshmallows as it is the hot cocoa. 
On Thursday we went to a Columbus Blue Jackets game with Mom, Dad, Amy, Andy, Graham, Rowan, and Greta. Graham’s hockey team got to play out on the ice between the first and second period – and Graham scored his first ever goal. They announced his name with the goal – what a treat! Reid was a trooper and slept through most of it other than a short stint of being awake (and fortunately we snapped a few picks) and then at the end of the game he got kind of cranky!
On Friday I was at work and Debbie called me about 3:30 to say that Reid was throwing up and he just didn’t seem himself. I freaked out and quickly called the doctor and got an appointment within 30 minutes. During that time I talked to Debbie at least once more and Reid continued to get sick. I had her pack Reid, Griffin and Sam into the van and meet me at the doctors office. I flew out of work so fast! I was really nervous moreso by him not acting like himself. Just before Debbie called me Reid woke up from a nap and was screaming/crying and seemed upset so she went right in and discovered that he’d vomited in his bed and was all over his sheet. She picked him up and took him into the bathroom and called me and while we were talking he puked all over the floor. I felt so helpless! When I met them at the doctors office she had him out of his carseat and was holding him, so she handed him to me and shortly after he started heaving and puking more. He had puked on the way their more also. Poor guy he just looked terrible with a pale face and pink skin around his eyes. The puke at this point was just slobber/saliva as he had nothing left. The doctor checked him out: took all of his vitals (he was down 5 ounces from his well check but had a normal temp), looked at his ears and eyes, in his mouth, felt his belly and so on. He didn’t vomit the entire time she was in checking him out. We talked about all kinds of things and she thinks it is most likely a virus. Debbie asked about the breastmilk (it left an uncommon film on the bottle and had a grainy-ness to it) and we also mentioned that he had oatmeal cereal for the first time at lunch that day. She didn’t think that it would be from the oatmeal. We talked about giving him some pedialyte and keeping an eye on his wet diapers to know that he is staying hydrated. Really, there isn’t much else to do. After she left the room I was getting ready to put him in to his car seat and he puked again all over the floor. That, however, was the last time he threw up. When we got home Jim and Pat were waiting as Kevin and I had long planned to go on a date night to the Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith Christmas concert at Nationwide Arena. Reid seemed ok and had a good appetite as he nursed well. I put him to bed and Kevin got the video monitor setup on our tablet. We decided to head out to the concert even though the circumstances weren’t great and we would barely make it on time. I’m glad we went as I really enjoyed hearing so many of my favorite songs that to me just represent Christmas. I’ve posted some videos at the end – be sure you check them out, especially Jordan Smith. His voice is a true gift! 
The weird part about Reid’s vomiting is the last time he puked was before we left the doctor office. He slept well that night and woke up like this the next morning! A happy guy and just like nothing had even happened! I, however, had slept on the floor of his room that night just to be able to easily check on him. Though the floor wasn’t super comfy I felt better being able to hear him during the night!
Our sweet Lily girl isn’t allowed up on our new couch so she frequently lays here on the floor. I feel kinda bad, but at least there is now a carpet on the floor and a comfy dog bed nearby. 
I love that I can watch Griffin from upstairs in our bathroom. He just really likes to explore and play outside independently. Sometimes with Brutus and sometimes without as Brutus sometimes ends up taking his toys and running away with them. Or he picks them up and won’t let them go! This moment though was so cute when I found them walking alongside each other from the deep backyard to the back door. 
Griffin and I occasionally stop for a sweet treat together at Starbucks. He was pretty happy with his choice on this day. 
Those cheeks. This view always takes me back to the ultrasound pictures of Reid. I would always see his profile and think “who’s baby is this?!”. So blessed that he is ours. 
In other fun news, Griffin and Reid received letters from Santa this week! What fun it was to read through them and learn about the happenings at the north pole. 
On Sunday we took Griffin on a date to see the Nutcracker. We began with a scrumptious dinner at Cap City, followed by a ginormous piece of chocolate cake and a milkshake. Yummers! We met up with the Bethune’s at the Nutcracker but I failed to take a single group photo! The picture of Griffin on the steps makes him look so grown up!
This big guy had his 6 month checkup on December 5th. We’re a bit behind as his first checkups were delayed at the start since we were on vacation. In any case, an excellent report from the doctor. He weighed in at 17 pounds 2.6 ounces (35th percentile), 27″ long (53rd percentile), and head circumference of 45 cm (86th percentile). We’re going to start experimenting with some more foods and they also encouraged giving him a sippy cup with water so he can begin learning how to drink from a cup. I was kind of surprised as I don’t remember that so early with Griffin but we will give it a go! I hadn’t even though of it yet!
The boys had a fun-filled week at home with several fun activities including making gingerbread cookies, making themselves as elves, writing letters to Santa and dropping them off at the box, and various Christmas painting projects. This year Griffin wrote out his entire letter to Santa himself! Reid was also quite happy with himself one day when he was able to open the beverage fridge. He is quite a strong little man. 
Despite Brutus being the size of small pony, when he naps he loves to curl up into the tiniest of balls. I especially love that his tucks his nose under his leg. 
This guy has caught a little cold and isn’t feeling the greatest. This picture captures what I think he feels like. Poor man. He’s been wanting extra snuggles and from all of his congestion and such hasn’t been sleeping the greatest. Kevin has been going in during the nighttime when Reid wakes. We’ve found if I go in then he sometimes will settle but other times isn’t happy unless he gets fed! So I snapped this pic of Kevin and Reid taking in some night time snuggles. 
Griffin loves to be my baker helper. We made some brownies for the church musical and he’s a high energy mixer. The Bethune’s went on a 10-year anniversary trip so Mom and Dad came down and stayed at their house and watched the kiddos for the weekend. Griffin, Reid, and I met up with them for hockey and skating lessons on Saturday morning. It’s chilly in the rink so we were bundled up. I think Reid enjoyed his first observation experience. 
After hockey and lunch at McDonald’s with the crew the kids and I headed to Enon for Jim’s 75th birthday! Kevin had left earlier in the day. The weather turned wintery and driving, though not terrible road conditions, was horrific! It took us nearly 3 hours to get to Enon. And I even got off 270 and went a back way, which was slow also. Thankfully I’d fed Reid before we left and they both took great naps!
Once we arrived in Enon we had a great time. Lots of play time on the carpet and decorating the Christmas tree, which Finn loved. In the below football pic he’s using a cucumber as his mouth guard. He’s requested a mouth guard and shin guards from Santa – but in the meantime, he’s pretty creative in making his own. 
On Sunday morning the boys and I left Enon early and headed back to Dublin to meet my parents and the kids for church. Kevin wasn’t feeling well as we’ve all been fighting the yuckies. After church Grandma and Grandpa treated all of us to lunch at First Watch. Yum!
At school Griffin works a lot of letters and writing and they frequently fill out sheets like this and then at the top they draw what was written. So here is Griffin’s ornament, his favorite part of our Christmas tree!