Our little Keimig family Christmas

The holiday season is special for many reasons but what I look forward to most every year are the traditions.  Growing up, we did not have expensive gifts under the tree, receive the latest gadgets, or get everything on our wish list...but what we did have, that I carry with me today are the traditions my parents thoughtfully established, practiced, and made important; traditions that I try to continue with our family today.  While it is wonderful to carry on special traditions of childhood, it is also important for Jon and I to start our own little Keimig family traditions. 

One of these is our little family Christmas celebration.  Having moved away from family shortly after getting married, Jon and I began celebrating Christmas, just the two of us, the Friday before we ventured to Minnesota for the holidays.  We exchange gifts, eat homemade pizza and watch our favorite holiday movie (ranging from old classics like "White Christmas" and "Holiday Inn" to new classics like "Elf").  As Vinnie joined the family, the tradition continued and this past weekend, we had our little Keimig family Christmas.  New to the celebration this year...Santa!

Immediately after arriving home from school/work/daycare on Friday evening, the hunt was on.  We could tell by the eaten cookies, that Santa had made a visit...now we just needed to find those presents.  Vinnie hunted through the house before venturing downstairs to see the load Santa (and mom and dad too) had brought him, both in gifts and stocking.  He wripped through gift after gift, only pausing briefly to see what was under the wrapping before moving on to his next gift, and when his were gone he went straight for mom and dads gifts.  We will have to do a little lesson in patience and the whole "its better to give than receive" before the gifting continues on Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, and again on the day after Christmas.

Vinnie also met Santa.  One of his favorite places in the whole world (the Kernels baseball stadium, or "b-ball game")was hosting a holiday celebration, complete with Mr. Clause himself.  Figuring the atmosphere alone should win him over, we thought this was our best chance for a photo opportunity of him on the lap of the man in red.  Well...we thought wrong.  Vinnie strategically placed himself in the window farthest away from Santa and peered onto the field, pathetically repeating "b-ball game?"  While trying to coax him over in Santa's direction, we heard that Santa was handing out fruit snacks.  THAT was our in!  While Vinnie was not willing to sit on Santa's lap, he was willing to get close enough to wrap his fingers around a delicious bag of Fruit Snacks, and we got a picture or two.

This weekend was filled with wonderful moments that will be cherished as sweet memories in the days, weeks, months, and years to come.  I learn more and more each year how special time with family is, and I look forward to even more of that in the new year!  At the end of this week, we will travel North yet again, for some much needed relaxation, celebration, and family time.

Don't forget to tune in come January for more pictures and stories from our holiday celebrations in Minnesota.  Until then, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving 2013

We made it.  1 nap, 2 Vitamin Waters, a potty stop, 1 "moomie cars", and four and a half hours later...we made it.  Now is the time to adjust from time surrounded by family, to the lonely and quiet times at home.  Laundry is going, the car is unloaded, and I am drawn to the computer to reminice about a truly special family filled weekend.  Maybe if I look at the pictures enough, we will miraculously all be together again, sharing in the special memories we made together...maybe that will be my Christmas wish ;)

Our Thanksgiving weekend began with a long (and dark) drive from Cedar Rapids Thursday night.  I am not a fan of night driving and did not relax once during the entire trip.  Wednesday was spent enjoying lunch in Minneapolis with Daddy and catching up with the Foley family.  Thursday brought a quiet Thanksgiving with delicious food and WAY too much cider...I think I managed to drink 7 cups.  Friday we traveled back to Minneapolis to bid farewell to the Holidazzle parade.  It was cold, but the kids didn't mind.  They loved the lights and seeing Santa Clause.  Saturday morning it was back to Minneapolis AGAIN for the MoRun to raise money for Prostate Cancer research.  This was Jon's first 5K and I sat out...but itched to join him from the sidelines...next year.  Anyone else want to join in the fun.  We met Linda (my college roommate) and her husband Jerry for lunch before heading out to Meghan's for a delicious 60th Birthday celebration for my mom.  Whew!  What a perfect holiday.  I am already counting the days until we all are together again for Christmas.  2 full weeks of family and fun!

Sick season?!?

The cold weather has arrived...a bit earlier than I remember it in past years.  My birthday does not usually require a hat, mittens, and a winter parka!  It was bound to happen sooner or later though, so we might as well bundle up with it and deal.  Along with the winter weather, it appears sick season has made its way to our house.  I am home early today with a sick little Vinnie.  His mouth is covered in sores from "hand, foot, and mouth".  That nasty daycare...  We spent some time at the doctor this afternoon confirming our suspicion, and are taking the rest of the afternoon.  Vinnie is currently fast asleep, and I figured I'd try to tackle some projects on the computer.  Vin has been out of sorts the last few days, cranky, clingy, sad, and not sleeping through the night, that I knew something was up.  But, we have so much change and confusion going on with life right now, it is hard to pinpoint exactly where that something comes from.  Lets hope he is up and at 'em tomorrow...I'd really rather not spend my 30th Birthday home with a sick kiddo.

Speaking of my 30th Birthday, we sure did enjoy some great celebration and festivities in the land of 10,000 lakes this weekend.  Friday provided an opportunity for Jon and I to get out and have some time together.  We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Fire and Lake in downtown Minneapolis (I highly recommend), and some music at Gluek's.  Vinnie enjoyed a trip to the malt shop with Grandma and Papa.  All we happy! :)  We shared some time with family on Saturday.  Vinnie got to catch up and play with his cousins and I enjoyed a relaxing night with close family.  Altogether a fantastic trip north, making it tough to come home.  But...we will be back soon.  Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

Daylight Savings...not a sanity saver!

Greetings!  I am coming to you at 11:58am, but as we all do for the first few days of Daylight Savings...I'm realizing that it is "really" 12:58pm.  Ahhh, daylight savings time.  When I was in my younger years, I LOVED it!  It was like an unofficial holiday and my gift was one extra hour that I could decided just what I wanted to do with it.  In those days, it usually meant sleep.  Now, daylight savings is something entirely different.  Now...I have a toddler who does not know, and does not care that we have gained an hour.  AND I am completely at his mercy in doing what HE decides he wants to do with it.  My toddler did not choose the sleep option...but instead to use it as an extra hour to be whiny and crabby, and torment his mother! :)  Needless to say it has been a bit of a rocky weekend in the Keimig house.  After having several weekends in a row with visitors, roadtrips, and lots of excitement he is having a hard time with the mundane events at home.  Throw a little readjusting after Halloween in there and you have a nasty mix that includes too many timeouts to count, a trip to the grocery store that required four attempts to get out of the house, and one EXHAUSTED mother!  How do people add another child to their families at this age?!?  I can barely survive my one and often think about how hard it would be to have a toddler and a newborn.  Obviously, it was not a path I was meant to walk...and now I see why!  Whew!  Lets look back on the exciting times of the last few weeks...

Family photo by Annie Farber

Mid October brought my family for their annual MEA trip to Cedar Rapids.  It is hard to believe this has been happening for 6 years now!  Each year has it's own special moments and fond memories, and this one didn't fall short.  Friday brought a much needed girls night out for my sister and I.  We dined on sushi and mojitos before getting our nails done and doing a little shopping.  It was perfect!  I look forward to more special times escaping with my sister in years to come!  Saturday we ventured to Bloomsbury Farm, a pumpkin patch just outside of Cedar Rapids.  Despite the chilly wind, we took in all the pumpkin activities and festivities they had to offer.  What fun!  I just wish we all would have dressed a little more for the weather.  Saturday night the kiddos enjoyed pumpkin carving and a special glow bath (glowing pumpkins and glow sticks in the tub).  Then we scrubbed the kids in preparation for our special family picture photo session.  We had lined up time with our favorite photographer to get a big family photo and several small family photos as an early gift for my mom's birthday!  What a great way to wrap up a very special weekend together!

At Bloomsbury Farm

Carving Pumpkins: Vinnie LOVED it, Ella checked things out and supervised...

...and Livvie wanted no part! :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside the Field Museum of Chicago

Not soon after that special weekend, was another special weekend.  Jon, Vinnie, and I ventured to Chicago to celebrate the wedding of Pat and Chris!  While there we were able to enjoy some of the sights by taking a trip to the Field Museum for the dinosaur exhibit.  We also enjoyed celebrating with Pat and Chris on their special day with a beautiful ceremony, amazing food, and some rowdy dancing!

Family photo

Vinnie had his first adventure in Trick or Treating this past week.  Dressed as a Twins baseball player, Vinnie visited 5 houses around ours to get a little taste of trick or treating, before heading home and helping me hand out candy.  I'm not sure which he liked better...but both were quite fun!  He has been enjoying munching on his special treats ever since.

1st House, Al and Sandy's...

Getting the hang of it!

Home and ready to help mom hand out the candy.

Now that Halloween is over, it seems like everyone has made the shift to Christmas, and we haven't been too far behind.  Vin and I did a little bit of shopping this weekend to get a jump start on all of our Christmas shopping.  He is a great helper, especially when it comes to picking out gifts for his cousines Ella, Olivia, and Caleb! But...before Christmas comes, we have more fun and adventures, including birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving festivities!

Stay tuned!

Making the most of chaos

We are wrapping up a perfectly beautiful fall weekend here in Cedar Rapids.  I am hoping we get to enjoy more of this beautiful 65 degree and sunny weather, before getting too cold.  Days like these are why I absolutely LOVE fall.

Things have been busy around the Keimig house these days.  Quite chaotic actually!  But we are finding routine amidst it, and settling in.  We make the most out of these weekends, squeezing every last ounce of time together out of them before hitting the work week and reality.

After much back and forth, last week we decided to trade in our little Hundai Tuscon for a car with a little more space and a whole lot more reliability.  The Tuscon was very good to us for the time that we had it, but we had grown out of it the minute we brought Vinnie home, and it was getting old.  So, Saturday morning we were early to rise and headed out to our old stomping ground of Mt. Vernon, where we purchased a 2011 GMC Acadia.  I LOVE it!  There is a ton more space, but you don't feel like you are driving a beast, and I just feel so much more protected and in control while I am behind the wheel.  Just what I need in these days of chaos...a little more control.  Vinnie loves it as well, telling everyone about his "new car."  He doesn't even know about the DVD player in the back seat yet...once he discovers that, on an upcoming trip, I am sure he will never want to leave the car!

This weekend, Vinnie and I headed down to Hobby Lobby yesterday morning, where we purchased some supplies for a few new projects along with a few other things.  Vinnie enjoyed looking at and pointing out everything he saw, or asking me what unfamiliar items were.  We were quite the chatty pair cruising through the aisles of Hobby Lobby.  We took some time outside after his nap to enjoy the beautiful weather as well.  Its crazy to think that it was almost a year ago that Vinnie was taking his first steps...and now to watch him cruise around the yard and play.  He can enjoy crunching the leaves and throwing them in the air, chasing after them as they blow away.  We had a lot of fun outside together.

October 2013

October 2012...Its amazing the difference a year makes!

This week we will look forward to and prepare for a slew of visitors.  My family will make their annual MEA trek down to Cedar Rapids for a long weekend, full of family time and fall festivities.  The Gibas family will arrive on Thursday night, giving Vinnie a chance to spend the whole day Friday with his cousins, before the rest of the family arrives on Friday night.  We cannot wait!  We have a fun outing to a pumpkin patch, lots of yummy food, and family pictures all planned out!

Have a great week!

Playing catch up!

Whew!  Sorry it has taken so long to post!  There have been a lot of big changes in our house over the past weeks and we were focusing all our energy and attention on enjoying family time.

As I sit here to write, Vinnie is napping just above me in his room.  I may join him in a little shuteye this afternoon as he has been up and a very "busy" toddler since 6:15 this morning.  This mama is exhausted.  It is a rainy and cool fall day, and I am loving it!  I've lit spicy, fall smelling candles all over the house and have a fresh batch of apple sauce cooking in the crock pot.  We have had a lot of warm weather over the past few weeks, and when its fall, I just ache for cool days like today.  These days are perfect for a warm cup of coffee, a blanket, and some snuggles.  Lets just hope we can squeeze all of those things into today.

Vinnie has become quite a talker in the last few weeks.  He is stringing words together, and I am often caught off guard with his full sentence request or demands.  He is still very much our avid sports fan and has enjoyed sharing the college football season with his daddy.  He is learning from very early on to cheer for that team dressed in red, and the team in maroon and gold come in a close second!  His favorites are still hockey and baseball...and we cannot wait to get him to some hockey games this winter!

Vinnie has also become quite the reader and fan of books.  He has taken MANY trips to the library, thanks to our wonderful new library downtown.  It is a good thing to do because not only is it a Vinnie friendly trip, but the coffee shop makes it perfect for mom and dad too.  We spend a lot of time at night going through EVERY book in the book basket and the "yibarry" bag.

In attempt to pass on my love of fall to Vin, I have filled the house with "magical" fall things.  Vinnie's favorite is a pumpkin that is made out of horseshoes (imagine that).  It has a spot for candles in the middle, and Vinnie demands that we eat our meals by candle light..."Light pumpkin mama!"  At the end of the meal, he enjoys blowing the candle out...again, and again, and again.  I think he might actually be able to blow the candle out at his next birthday after all this practice!

We have been enjoying activities to prepare for halloween.  This has included halloween crafts, and even a glowbath one night.  This was something I think we will have to do again and again...he LOVED it!!!

A quick update...

Its 11:16pm on Saturday the 31st.  I can't tell you the last time I was up this late.  BUT...I just finished my first ever 5K and actually ran the whole thing (which is a HUGE accomplishment for this non-runner).  So...after a shower, I am still a little hyped up and thought I would get on the blog and share some recent happenings in our house.  As Vinnie gets older, he sure is entertaining!

1st:
A favorite movie of mine growing up was Sister Act II: Back in the Habit.  Recently, it was airing on TV, so wanting to share it with Vinnie recorded it.  And this is what happened when we watched my FAVORITE part with him...

2nd:
It is officially FOOTBALL Season in our house and we had the fortune of viewing the Gopher game this past Thursday night (and a fantastic touch down by the famous Maxx Williams of Waconia).  This was how Vinnie watched the game...

3rd:
Vinnie has attended a total of 9 Kernels Games this season.  He has gotten Buxton's autograph along, run the bases, and met most of the team.  We attended what will probably be our last game on Friday and received a Kernels team calendar, and who do we see on the cover...VINNIE!  What a great way to wrap up our summer that was so devoted to baseball!

 

 

 

Vinnie's on the bottom left corner, giving a high five to a Kernels player...

And finally...
My goal of the summer was to get in shape and be able to run a 5K by summer's end.  Tonight I did it, and quite honestly exceeded my expectations by running the whole thing, and doing it in under 40 minutes.  Can check that one off my bucket list...

Schools back, but summer is here!

Ah yes...this is what summer is supposed to feel like!  Now that we are back at school, the wonderful weather of July has finally arrived.  Hot and muggy days have forced us to enjoy our outside activities in the morning before the day heats up.  Where was this weather when we could enjoy trips to the pool, splash pad, or running through the sprinkler.

I have survived my first "week" back.  Unfortunately, it was not a full week...that will be tackled this coming week.  I saw something on Pinterest this week from a teacher, that said, "We sometimes forget how far we take our students every year.  The first day of school is an exhausting reminder."  My class includes three returning student and four new students.  Many of them are finding it difficult to get into the routine of not only being back at school, but being at the Transition Center, which is entirely different than the "school" they are used to.  This makes for anxious students and overwhelmed teachers.  I keep trying to think back to those friends that I have staffed out...remembering how difficult it was for them in their first few days/weeks, and how far they came by the time they were ready to move onto the adult world.  We will get there.  Until then, its evening runs, early bedtimes, long hours at school, and a glass of wine here and there to get through...

We were blessed this week with the opening of a brand new, beautiful public library in downtown Cedar Rapids.  Having moved to town just shy of a year before the flood, Jon and I never really got to enjoy many of the gems of downtown Cedar Rapids before they were washed away.  The downtown library was one of those gems, from what I hear...beautiful architecture and charm.  On Saturday morning, the doors of the brand new facility opened, and we were amongst the first visitors.  I can see us spending a great deal of time there as Vinnie grows older.  Jon and I even talked about going on Saturday morning next weekend...grabbing a cup of coffee from their cafe, a few of Vinnie's favorite books, and heading up to the rooftop deck.  Thoughts of that may help this week move a little faster.

Vinnie continues to change from baby to little boy.  Just this last week he decided he no longer wanted to use his booster seat on his chair.  So, off it came and a big boy has now joined our meals.  We do spend a great deal of time reminding him to sit down, and this morning his foot got stuck in the spindles of the back side of the chair...  I am amazed by the conviction they have at this age...to be bigger, better, and do things on their own.  Oh my what conviction...

Happy Sunday!  See you next week!