Kevin and I went out on a breakfast date this week, it was like the fourth time we’ve been out together since Reid was born 8 months ago! I had a work meeting downtown so after breakfast Kevin dropped me off at the convention center and then and as it turned out he worked from home since it was Martin Luther King day. It was a nice snowy morning and we had a window seat at The Guild House downtown. So fun! And believe it or not, Kevin ordered the pancakes and I had the truffled eggs.
I love this sweet boy. On many nights lately we go in to check on Griffin and find him laying on the floor just inside his door. We can’t figure out why he’s doing it – we thought maybe his nightlight (yet he wants it on in order to go to bed) but the hall light is in his face when he’s at his door. Some nights he takes over all his blankets and lovey’s and sleeps there most of the night. 
Lots of brother time this week and many different expressions on Reid’s face. I realized I don’t have many diaper-like photos of Reid as he’s almost always wearing a sleeper or other outfit. So on this day I put him down on the floor in his diaper to crawl around. The next thing I knew Griffin came in with just his undies on too so that he could be in the pics. Hahahaha. We have so many toys from Griffin that we really haven’t gotten many things for Reid. The other day Kevin went through and replaced batteries on a bunch of Griffin’s old toys which hadn’t been audible in years. This remote is their new favorite. 
Reid had an ear infection awhile back and from that time I’ve paid more attention to him touching his head and ear area. He has kicked the ear infection, but really I’ve noticed him kind of touching or brushing his right ear or hair when he’s tired or upset. Here’s the perfect example, lol!
We have a great morning routine and it is my favorite time of the day where most days we all spend time together – even if it’s short!
This boy is a tummy sleeper just like Griffin, but when he’s on his back and sleepy he’ll tuck his hands behind his head just like Griffin does!
This week Debbie did some sensory bins with the kiddos. Reid really loved playing in the water and Griffin loved the flour. 
One evening when I was putting Reid to bed I was talking to him. He often puts his hands up to my face and mouth. So I often pretend to nibble his fingers and I gently bite down on them. This night he just began giggling and it melted my heart! I video’d it to capture the sound – there is no imagery. Enjoy, baby giggles are the best!
Reid is beginning to eat more and more table food. Here he’s having bananas and seemingly making his own puree!
You’re probably wondering why I have a picture of Griffin’s lunch! It’s just for looking back on some day to see what his lunches were like. This one’s complete with strawberries and pretzels to dip in nutella – yummers!
We’ve had quite a bit of snow this week and the timing was such that we had someone come plow our driveway. Kevin and Griffin cleared our sidewalk and front steps area and enjoyed playing in the snow for awhile. 
Our front oak and maple had some major limbs removed and I’m so excited to have a better view out our front windows and door!
Griffin and those socks. Nearly every day he wants to wear “pull up socks”. He’ll pull them all the way over his knees and then run around with his football and play call as he’s running around. This kid has a passion for sports – currently football is his favorite. He loves nothing more than to watch re-runs of the Ohio State football games (he asks for them by game “Wisconson, Penn State, Cotton Bowl” and so on!). And Brutus was loving playing with an empty water jug. Good to know cheap toys can bring loads of entertainment. 
This Saturday morning Kevin woke up and was so excited for the snow he had the idea of waking Finn up just before sunrise to head to Leatherlips park in Dublin to go sledding. He wanted to be the first ones there, so he got suited up while I helped Griffin get ready quickly. They grabbed a fig bar for a snack and off they went. They arrived and were the first ones there! And as it turns out there are times it is the best to be the first and other times that it is not best to be first! There were so many drifts and strong winds that they didn’t have the best luck making down the hill very fast! But they had fun and made good memories. They finished the trip off with a stop at Tim Horton’s on the way home for doe doe’s and hot cocoa and they were back home by 8:30 am!
I was attempting to get a photo of Reid’s hair – just for memory sake. But the kid never stays still long enough for me to get a non-blurry photo. So, you get the idea. 
And here are some afters of our trees. The front oak and maple are so cleaned out and limbed up! The spruces and dead ash are gone in the back and lots of other limbing done too. They did an excellent job – when I got home you couldn’t even tell anyone had been here. Not one branch, twig, or wood chip anywhere!
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!