All Things Haley: Year In The Life # 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30... Breathe It All In

Just because I haven't posted for nealy a week doesn't mean that I don't have a blog for every day that I've missed! I set out to blog all year long and it turned into blogging about every single day, I'm not about to lose steam at the end!

December 25th - Merry Christmas!

Our babies' second Christmas, I can't believe it! We had an amazing morning after a very long night- Ben ended up out in the family room and the babies were up for several hours. It was my night to sleep in but I couldn't let him take all of the brunt by himself. I went out and took over at about 5:30. Caleb ended up out on the couch with me where he passed out finally and then slept until 7:30! Grace woke up around 7am and we just hung out. Caleb was so cute all curled up in the corner of the couch, I had trouble waking him up. But I knew that if I let him sleep too late, he wouldn't nap and then Christmas would be ruined! (We like to exaggerate around here).

We gave the littles their stockings in the family room and realized as they opened them that Grace only had one toy in hers. I was on a mission to find her a figurine the night before but never found one...so she just had that one little toy...we completely forgot! Caleb only had the flower and his traditional baseball cards. Eh, it's not like they know any better.

Then we headed into the family room because Grace started peaking around the corner and noticed the toys that were sitting out! I couldn't hold her back any longer. She ran right up to the little orange cat and started playing with it. Then she snuck into the ball pit! We had to show her the vacuum, which she hasn't really been all that interested in yet. I thought for sure that one would be a hit...but I neglected the fact that the vacuums around our house look very different from traditional vacuums (we have hand helds and a roomba!).

Caleb was also very intrigued by the ball pit and sat in it with Grace for a while! Ben and I decided to take advantage of the distraction time and we gave each other a few gifts. Then it was back to the littles! They aren't too into wrapping paper but they love tissue paper, so we wrapped everything in bags. Grace would pull all of the tissue out but Caleb just flicked at it for a while- we had to help him. He loved it, but wasn't all about pulling it out. It was pretty cute.

We put most of the toys together right then and there and let them go back and forth between their new toys. Ben was awesomely frustrated by all of the absurd packaging and I was trying desperately to get some good photos of them with their presents. I did manage to get a good video before we left for the day, so that's looking like a fun tradition that we'll do every year (last year's was pretty cute).

After presents, we ate breakfast and then started the mad dash to get everything packed and loaded into the car. Ben was awesome about packing and I managed the baby stuff. We put them down for naps around 10:30 and Grace woke up about 40 minutes later. Caleb, though, slept all the way until almost 12:00, so we were late to head down to my parents house. But we needed all of that time to get everything ready to go anyway.

We dressed the babies up in their santa outfits again and they were so cute when we got to Nana and Papa's house! Grace just adores Kate and we had a really good time hanging with the family. I fed the babies lunch while we all started our present giving tradition- we moved the high chairs out to the living room so we could all hang together. I loved watching Kate and Everett open their presents and it was cute to help Grace and Caleb try to open theirs as well.

I will say, it got mildly stressful when Grace was all about roaming everywhere when we just wanted to hang out. We put them both down for naps around 4:30 I believe, super late...but there was so much going on it was impossible to get them to wind down before that. Dinner was absolutely delicious and the babies enjoyed some good steak and potatoes for their Christmas meal! They even got to try their first artichokes, yum!

Putting them down for bed was a bit of a disaster- it took a while for Grace to fall asleep. She finally did, but not before I had a mini meltdown. She's been so hard to get to sleep lately and she's not just crying like usual- she will sob uncontrollably and it absolutely kills me. I know she just wants us nearby, but it's not really feasible all the time. Poor baby!

All in all, Christmas this year was wonderful. It's a different feel from years past, that's for sure! I'm excited for when the magic of Christmas starts- when they get it and feel the excitement themselves. For now, I'll relish my little ones' innocence and curiosity- they're such good kids. We're very, very blessed!

Stockings!

Yeah, just a flower in there boo bear

Just a flower?!?!??!

It's ok Mom, I love my flower!

Yeah, if she's cool with it, I'm cool with it.

Ball pit!

Love the static

Um, that's not the way out baby...

Trapped!

Opening presents.

Yeah, playing with their new toys!

The world's greatest set of keys! Bliss!

Hahaha, this was cracking us up. He just lounged on the presents under the tree at my parents house...with his bacon and eggs shirt on. So happy!

Eating the sleigh bells...

And now some great shots from my brother!

December 26th - Say Bye Bye!

Oh, so so hard to say good bye to my little ones. Our flight for Vegas was at noon, so we had a shuttle come pick us up at 9:30. The babies were playing with their toys in my parents' family room as we ran out the door. That shuttle trip was so bitter sweet!

It was another long night with not a lot of sleep, so I was feeling pretty ready for some rest and relaxation in Vegas. I think the littles were up at 3 and 4 and then somewhere around 5 and 6. They weren't up for long periods which was good, just about 15 minutes at a time. I didn't want them to wake up Grammy and my parents. The day started pretty early, but my mom was there to help! I fed them breakfast and snuggled with both of them for a long time before I went to get ready for our flight. I made sure to snag a good Caleb hug and get some fishy face kisses from Grace before we left.

About 15 minutes before the shuttle arrived, we started finalizing the letter for medical treatment in case of emergency and trying to print off boarding passes...we're procrastinators like that. Ha! But by the time we walked out the door, everything was good to go and it was time to relax!

Our flight was great and our first day in Vegas was exactly what we needed. We had a blast! After we checked in at our AMAZING hotel and scoped out the nearly 360 degrees of views from our room, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe and made a few song requests. Then we went to Ross Vegas and spent way too much money on clothes and shoes for the babies, a few pieces for Ben and I, and some silly stuff like lotion. Then it was off to gamble. One of the first slots we sat at, I hit a Wheel Of Fortune spin and turned $20 into $260, haha! Kids, don't get any ideas. The next two days brought VERY different luck at the slot machines! ;)

We went back to our room to relax with a bottle of wine and face time with the babies! It was SO good to see their faces- they were getting ready for bed time and were acting so cute. They were clawing at the screen trying to get us. Grace even turned the iPad over to see if we were there. :) I got Grace to do a fishy kiss and we got plenty of Caleb smiles! My parents said that things were going really well- they did fine for their naps and were eating well. I was so nervous that Grace's separation anxiety would make this really tough, but she was perfectly fine! My parents took them out for a walk and they went on the boat, too!

After our call back home, we went back out and did some more gambling and had an absolute blast! What a wonderful vacation...but we were missing the babies pretty bad. It's funny how many babies and little kids are in Vegas at the holidays! We were slightly alarmed by some of the things we saw- little ones out at midnight on the strip...not a good idea! But it made it even harder to be away from ours, although I'm pretty sure we won't be taking the kids to Vegas with us anytime soon.

Nana and Papa taking over lunch time :)

Look at all those toys!

She loves her Dozer dog!

Caleb the boat Captain

About to board the plane for our first vacation away from the littles.

Hard Rock Cafe- we requested "Dirty Diana" by Michael Jackson and The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony". Good stuff. :)

All shopped out

Mommy goes crazy in Ross Vegas!

That was $20 before the big win! ;)

Late at night in Vegas requires some weird snacks. Deviled eggs and chicken noodle soup of course. And catfish nuggets for Ben. Ha!

December 27th - Rejuvenate!

Oh my gosh I got to take a nice, calm, relaxing bath!!! It was unreal! We slept in and just hung out for a bit before heading out to get lunch at the Mirage's buffet (we found a really good deal online). We spent a lot of our time talking about the babies, but made sure to talk about us, our New Years resolutions, what our plans for the next thirty minutes were, and of course, play some silly games (like the celebrity name game!). It's hard to detach from parent land so that we could really focus on connecting, but we really started to recharge by the second day of our vacation!

Of course, I couldn't sleep. Luckily, we had no plans so I slept in- but I was up at 4, then 5, then 6...you get the picture. Ha! But after I finally got out of bed, I got in the tub and just spent time in silence, reading a magazine. It was pretty amazing. Oh the little things!

We got some pretty cute pictures from Nana and Papa and apparently the babies are completely biased and only choose to wake up countless times at night when they're with US! They slept super well, only one binky replacement! Nana had a fun morning playing with the littles and my Dad came home around lunch time to join in on the fun. I wish that he didn't have to work- that was the original plan. Instead, his work schedule got crazy busy and he was juggling a lot more than he bargained for. I don't know how he does it sometimes.

Ben and I did some gambling after our buffet, then wandered around shopping for a bit, and then went to eat at Cabo Wabo at Planet Hollywood. We played BlackJack at Paris the night before and had a really good time (and came out ahead) so we decided to go to Monte Carlo for a little Blackjack before bed. We didn't come out ahead this time, but we got to sit and relax and play together for a long time which was great. Oh, and I got a really funny video of Ben giving some advice to the kids that we'll be sure to show them when they're 21... :)

The Aria Casino

You have to get the triple sevens photo in Vegas!

Cashing in!

Cosmopolitan Resort Casino

Buffet at The Mirage for lunch

We sent this fishy face picture to my parents and they sent us back this next one...

Fish Face Grace!

Dinner at Cabo Wabo with THE pitcher of beer.

Bath time with Nana and Papa

December 28th - Home Again!

By our third day in Vegas, we were truly relaxed. We spent the entire morning just lying around in our room, soaking in the views, watching TV, drinking wine (yes, before noon), and I got another bath!!! It took us until 2pm to get up for the day and start going, it was GLORIOUS! It was honestly just what we needed- a couple of days of playing and acting like 21 year old idiots and then a day of just relaxing. We bought a late check out and went down to the Aria buffet for lunch which was completely delicious. I'm sure I gained 10lbs in the three days we were there.

I tried to face time with the babies again this morning but they were napping when I called. So I chatted with my mom and heard all about how great they've been doing. They had bath time the night before and that went well- the only hiccup was that Grace became obsessed with cheese puffs and wouldn't eat any of her other food without whining for more puffs! Ha! They were sleeping well and playing and having a great time with Nana and Papa.

Our flight was delayed about an hour so we planned to take a cab home because we wouldn't be getting in until after 10pm. Of course, my parents are unbelievable and my mom came to pick us up anyway. They put the littles to bed and then my Dad stayed back with them so my mom could drive to the airport. The flight was good, we got the exit row to ourselves, and Ben crashed on the plane for a bit. He was exhausted- I think the relaxation made him even more tired...like his body finally gave in! :)

As soon as we got home, I snuck in to see my babies asleep in their pack n plays. They were so peaceful- they're definitely comfortable at Nana and Papa's house. It was good to see them, to breathe them in. We took the monitor back to the guest room and said thank you again and again to my mom for this amazing gift. My dad was asleep, but hopefully he knew how grateful we were!!!

Playing with Papa!

Twin Hug (sorry for the blurry iPhone shots)

You're not the right size for that baby bed...

Saying good bye to our views...

My view from the tub! Lovely.

December 29th - GOOD MORNING!

Oh I could hardly sleep I was so excited to see the babies in the morning. We were super lucky and they didn't wake up (of course, they thought it was Nana and Papa who were on baby duty) in the middle of the night. Grace woke up around 7, but I was already awake. They had made a couple of fussy noises at 6 and I went out to get them, but they didn't actually wake up. So I just sat in the family room waiting for an hour! When Grace woke up, I ran in and swooped her up. She was confused I think but gave me a smile after a couple of seconds and then gave me an awesome Gracie hug. She cuddled with me on the couch for a while, too. It was perfect. Nana woke up before they woke up, too. She wanted to see their faces when they saw me :)

Caleb woke up around 7:30 and it was the same thing. A little confused, but then happy. We all played together for about an hour before Daddy woke up and surprised them. They got so excited to see him, especially Caleb. He's going through an intense Daddy phase and is completely obsessed with him. Caleb will just stare at Ben waiting for him to do something, anything, and then he'll get a huge smile and start laughing. It's probably the cutest thing I've ever seen.

We hung out at my parents' house most of the day, just relaxing some more. When the babies took their first nap, we joined in which was lovely. My dad came home around noon after taking Dozer to the dog park and we started packing everything up to go home. After lunch, we finally got everything all loaded and headed home. I seriously can't thank my parents enough for taking such good care of our babies and letting us have this time to recharge. It was absolutely perfect.

It was fun to get home and play with all of our toys! The babies got a red radio flyer wagon from Uncle Brian and Aunt Nicole so I took them out for their first walk in their wagon, which was pretty cute. They didn't take a second nap because they both fell asleep in the car for a bit on the way home, but we just played together and then started dinner and bath time a little early.

Unfortunately, bath time was a bit traumatic. Caleb fell off of our bed when I turned my back for about 10 seconds (to get Grace out of the tub- we do this every night...not anymore!)...he screamed at the top of his lungs for about a minute and then was good to go. I was traumatized though. I checked for broken bones and concussions and the like...paranoid mommy! I felt so bad for him.

Grace wasn't happy about going to bed last night, of course- she was back with Mommy and Daddy and needed to make us work for it. She finally went down after about 45 minutes of us standing in the nursery with her. But I didn't mind too much, I missed my little ones. :)

Mom! I haven't seen you forever. Stop taking pictures and pick me up!

Feeding Grace while she plays peek-a-boo is not easy.

Toys everywhere! We have some lucky kids! ;)

December 30th - Back Into The Groove

Well, as much of a groove as you can have when you're moving in five days! Yikes- yes, five days! Ben has been on a packing rampage for the last couple of weeks and has done awesome work getting most of the stuff ready to go that wasn't necessary. But we have so much left to do- pack up the clothes, the nursery, the toys, the kitchen stuff...should be interesting.

It was good to be back in our house, though. I slept in WAY too late this morning- I had the hardest time falling asleep last night and then woke up early for some reason. I forced myself back to sleep and then crashed until 9:45, woops! The babies woke up a few times last night before midnight but then slept until just before 6am...but that meant a really early morning for Ben.

So after I woke up, he went back and laid down for a bit. The babies took two very short naps today...again, if they were at Nana and Papa's they would have slept twice as long apparently. ;) They just miss Nana and Papa! I took them to the grocery store this afternoon after their second nap. It was rainy out so I got to put them in their new hats and get them all bundled up- I love that. They were pretty cute at the store- Grace picked up a can of tomatoes and chucked it out of the cart- first time she's done that (and won't be the last I'm sure). It was pretty funny.

This age is really fun. It's a lot of work- Grace loves anything that's dangerous (particularly climbing and standing on unstable objects) so the word "No" comes out of my mouth far more than I would like...and Caleb is starting to actually move- he crawled over to the entertainment center, pulled himself up to the tv, and started swatting at it...not good! I remember when Grace started doing that. It took us months to get her to stay away from it. :) Double trouble now! (But oh it's SO good...it makes my heart swell to see him going after something like that and maneuvering so well- it's going to be hard to reprimand him or distract him from doing stuff like that because I want him to keep doing it. Quite the conundrum). They both have such personalities, it's amazing. Grace loves to make us laugh and she gets SO excited. Caleb just wants to laugh all the time and waits for funny things to happen. He stares at Grace to see what she'll do next- it's adorable. And they're not fighting much right now, so it's a sweet time too. I know that won't last long, so I'm cherishing it. The only hiccup is the binky debacle, but I just take them away completely and we're usually good.

I'm having so much fun with my littles. That vacation was very needed, and I feel refreshed and so in love. It's a wonderful life.