Merry Christmas (Part 4)

When we got back home to Blue Springs on Wednesday morning, our holidays were far from over. Robert and Sharon have been so wonderful about not making us feel guilty for going up to Michigan for the Christmas holiday. Our promise to them has always been to celebrate Christmas with them when we got back. And celebrate we did. We went over to their house on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave there till Saturday morning. We treated Wednesday night like Christmas Eve. We watched Christmas Vacation (a long-standing Marble tradition), played dominoes, made sugar cookies, and of course, peeked at a few football bowl games. :)
Siena got to experience first hand what cookie making is all about!

Grandpa was giving Siena tips on how to use the cookie cutter...

Thursday morning (New Year's Eve) was our Christmas morning. Another Marble tradition is to get videotaped walking down the stair to the presents. When I first was invited to a Marble Christmas, I showered and got ready before I went down to see the gifts. This year, I crawled out of bed, fed Siena, and headed downstairs...a BIG difference. How about we say it's because I'm so comfortable with them...and I'm not trying to impress Matt enough to marry me! :) We put the Christmas tree star on the tree (the tree went through all of December without a star...only Matt - and his girls - are allowed to put the star up!) and sat by our stockings. Siena got her very own stocking too. She had lots of goodies in there! She loved them all so much, she shoved them right into her mouth! We opened our wonderful gifts and gave a few good gifts too. It was a perfect morning. Who would have known that it was New Year's Eve and not Christmas Day?!
It takes an entire Marble family to put the star up!! :)

Looks like Siena is taking after her daddy on the choice of candy...(I'll convert her to Skittles later)

Watch out, world! Siena's got her very own airplane!

Siena loves to help anyone open presents, especially Grandma!

We caught you sitting up like a big girl!!

The rest of the time spent with Robert and Sharon was relaxing, comfortable, and just great. We played lots of dominoes, watched a bunch of bowl games, ate GREAT food (shrimp and ribs - can't complain there!), did a little shopping, and hung out as a family. Great Grandpa Marble and Great Grandma Kreissler stopped by to see Siena on her first Christmas too. All in all, it was really special to be able to spend "Christmas" together. We are really blessed...

The Joy of Christmas(es)...

Christmas is always a very special time of year - some of my most favorite memories are from the Christmas season. This year was no exception...Siena made Christmas even more special for us. She makes everything more special...
This year, I was super anxious for Christmastime. It was going to be our first trip back to Michigan since Siena was born. I was so looking forward to it. Ever since Siena was born, I wanted so badly for my family to meet her - and this was our chance! We decided to drive through the night because that's when Siena sleeps (and doesn't eat). It's a 10 hour drive to begin with, so adding more stops for feeding, changing diapers, and fussiness...let's just say we were willing to give up our sleep to make that drive as quick as possible. The longest she'd been in the car was St. Louis for the state championship...she was in for a long ride! That being said, I doubt she even realized it. Siena fell asleep before we got out of the neighborhood and didn't wake up till we got in my dad's driveway. She traveled and slept like an absolute champ! I guess I was maybe more concerned about how WE were going to do - and actually, that went very well too! We traded off driving so the other one could sleep and we made it to Grand Rapids with no problems - no weather, no traffic, and no sleep issues! That was a blessing in and of itself. We were able to stay in Michigan for 9 days and it was such a wonderful trip. I'll share with you some of our highlights...
One of our "must do" stops when we are in Michigan is Yesterdog. Now unless you have personally experienced a good ol' Yesterdog...you just don't understand. The best hotdog you will ever have - period. Although Siena couldn't officially taste a dog, she certainly needed to be exposed to the experience. We went there twice during our trip...and yep, it was as good as we hoped it would be. :)
You can't help but get excited when you're going to Yesterdog...

If this isn't teasing the poor girl...Your time will come, Siena - I promise!!

Christmas Eve we spent with my dad, Joyce, Em, and James. We had such a great day! We went for brunch at a little local joint that had delicious food! We walked out of there stuffed! Next on the agenda...bowling! However, bowling with a baby is a different kind of process. Most bowling alleys are smoke-filled holes - not an option for a little one. So, our mission was to find an alley that didn't have air you could cut with a knife! We tried a couple places before we found the perfect place! It was a tiny alley upstairs! It had about 10 lanes, old fashioned pins and ball returners, 1 guy working the place...it was perfect! Siena slept though most of the noise and chaos we brought to the lanes - we had a ball! We got our fix!!

Since Siena couldn't bowl, I guess she figured she had to prove herself in a different category - feeding herself!! :)

After bowling, we went home to enjoy the rest of the day together as a family. Pappa made a delicious meal - so good. We needed to get our energy for the marathon that is our Christmas Eve. It happens every year. We start dinner earlier and earlier every year to try and get done at a decent time, and it just doesn't happen. This year was no exception. I think we started opening presents about 9pm...we were still opening them at 2:30am! It's not that we have a ridiculous amount of presents to open...it just takes forever for us to get through them!! Siena opened the first present of the night - and that was all she wrote. She was out shortly thereafter. We continued with a cozy fire, snack breaks, domino breaks, and wonderful gifts. It sure was a great night - one of my favorites...

Siena's stocking was as big as she was!! :)

That's my girl - she knows exactly how to get to the good stuff...she can open presents already (and eat the paper to get it out of the way)!!

Speaking of favorites, Christmas Day was super special too. We went down to my mom's sister's house and spent 2 days with my cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents. I had been looking forward to that for a long time. It was so great! We had good food, good drinks (thanks, Ken!), lots of laughs, a full-out Eucker tournament (with 3 tables and 12 players), presents, puzzles, a Pictionary Man, lots of snow, and best of all...time with family. I couldn't have asked for anything more. Everyone got to love on Siena, we stayed in our PJs for 2 days straight, and we were all together. A perfect way to spend Christmas.
Grandma and Grandpa with Siena...

This in no way depicts our parenting abilities...she just has good taste! Can't blame her for that! :)

A random winter walk at 9:00pm...that's normal, right?
PS. I totally get my fashion sense from my family...can you tell?

Santa...and Santa Jr.

Why we chose to take this "monumental picture" in PJs and no shower is beyond me...but the 4 generations are all together!

Our final Christmas celebration was the Sunday after Christmas. We celebrated with my mom, Peter, Em, James, and my step-brother and sisters...and all their little ones. Lots of energy and lots of little ones running all over the place - it was great! That is a very special group, as you can see from the following picture...

This must be a baby's way of introducing themself...Kai is just a few days older than Siena.

Mom and Em - love them!

All in all, it was just the most wonderful trip - couldn't have asked for anything more. We drove back home to Missouri on Tuesday night. Again, no bad weather, a content baby, and enough energy on our part to make the drive through the night. We are blessed beyond measure and Siena's first Christmas will be one I never forget. Here are just a few more random pictures from the trip...
A proud Opa and his granddaughter...

This little snowman greeted us when we got into Michigan...Siena gets all the perks! I never got a snowman to greet me when I came home alone!! :)

Siena finally got to meet her other aunts - my dear friends from high school...

Meeting Santa...

Siena met Santa last night.
Grandma Sharon checked out the entire Kansas City area for the "good Santa"...and we found him at Bass Pro Shop. Apparently word travels fast when Santa is in town, so LOTS of people were waiting in line for a chance to sit on Santa's lap. But, because Siena has the best grandparents (all 3 sets of them!) in the world, we were 2nd in line! Grandma Sharon stood in line for an hour and "kept our spot" until Santa arrived. When Santa came around the corner, sure enough, it was the "good Santa"! What is a "good Santa" you ask...the one with the real white beard, of course! (No worries, I had to ask the same question...I didn't have a clue...) So, Siena got her first chance to sit on Santa's lap. No screams either! She was dressed just like him, with her red and white feathery Christmas outfit, and I think she must have felt comfortable knowing she wasn't the only one dressed up like that. :) She did great! And for her "good behavior", she got a candy cane. It, of course, went right to the mouth...as does everything these days. We had to snatch that from her and we'll hold on to it for a few years and then give it back.
Ha! :)
We stayed at Bass Pro and had dinner with Grandma and Grandpa at the great restaurant inside. Matt and Siena spent lots of time looking at the giant fish tank. Siena was following all the fish around and looking at the lights. A nice little bonding time with her favorite person...daddy. :)
A great first experience for her...and us!




And since we're in the spirit of Santa, this picture is too cute not to share... :)

Happy Anniversary!

I had the most wonderful day on Friday...and I just have to share. I know this blog is centered around Siena - and she is certainly much more interesting than we are - but without us, there would be no blog about Siena...so I guess it all works out in the end. :)
Friday, December 11, Matt and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary! Yep, 5 years have come and gone! And I must say this, as "mushy and cheezy and disgusting" as it sounds...it's hard to remember life without Matt. He is the most wonderful husband. I love him dearly and am blessed to have him by my side as we start our family with a precious baby girl. He is patient, understanding, loving, supportive, hilarious, thoughtful, giving, and surprising. He makes me better and I am blessed to be able to spend the rest of my life with him.
Okay, enough of that...on to the day.
We woke up Friday morning and the three of us went to First Watch (a delicious restaurant that has great food) for breakfast. You can't go wrong when you start out your day with a good omelet! Then, we went to Matt's parent's house and dropped Siena off at the "babysitter" for the day. Then, we went and had massages at a great little place in Lee's Summit. Both Matt and I don't spoil ourselves very often with a treat like this, so it was fun to do together. After we were nice and relaxed, we went back home to get ready for the rest of our day. Then, it was off to the Plaza. It was a beautiful, sunny, cold December day...perfect for walking downtown together. We did some window shopping, some actual shopping, and just enjoyed walking around the Plaza. We had early dinner reservations at 5:00 at Fogo de Chao, a fabulous Brazilian restaurant that is just the most delicious food you could imagine. We enjoyed a 2 1/2 hour dinner together...good conversation and lots of laughs. It was good to look back over the past few years and remember the great moments that have shaped our marriage. We have been very blessed. We have experienced really high highs and really low lows...all of them together...all of them making up who we are right now.
I look forward to spending the next 55+ years with Matt...

PS. Yes, it was as good as it looks...if not better. :)

Snow Day!!

When I was teaching, a phone call at the crack of dawn only meant one thing...a snow day!! I got SO excited for the potential of snow days..."some" would say a little TOO excited. But when your husband gets the same day off and we get to hibernate inside with beautiful snow on the ground...hello!...what's not to be excited about?! That being said, even though I'm not working right now, the same excitement and anticipation for an early morning phone call was in play. And it came! Matt got to stay home with Siena and I on Wednesday due to snow and ice that came during the night. We had such a great day! We played with Siena, gave her a bath, played with Siena some more, had a nice lunch, played with Siena, played Scrabble (I'm not going to go into details about the Scrabble games. I usually dominate on the Scrabble board...I was a little off my game...and someone decided to take advantage of his ONE opportunity!), and brought dinner to a friend and her boys...what a great, relaxing day! The best! :)
We caught a few moments and I thought I'd share...

Bath time is the best - Siena loves to kick her feet and splash around in the water!




Smiles all around! :)



Siena and her daddy playing in the jump-up bouncy seat! She's getting so big!!

Sinterklaas & Reindeer...

On Saturday, December 5, it was Sinterklaas, a Dutch holiday tradition we are passing on to Siena.
This "holiday" brings back many fond memories of when my sister and I would put our wooden shoes out by the fireplace the night before (with carrots in the shoes for Sinterklaas' horses) and then rushing down the stairs the next morning to see if we got coal or presents in our shoes from good ol' Sinterklaas. Of course we never had to worry about coal...we were always perfect little angels when we were little - ha! :)
One childhood memory in particular sticks out. Em and I got to go see the real live Sinterklaas one year! He was sitting on a white horse and he had his helper, Swarte Piet, with him. Now, Swarte Piet is not always nice like Santa's elves are. If you weren't a good little kid, he would snatch you up and put you in his pouch and carry you off on the white horse with Sinterklaas. Em and I were clinched together...if one of us was going, we were both going!! :) Fortunately, he passed us by and gave us papernoeten (delicious little dutch cookies) instead. Oh, the good ol' days...
We put Siena's little wooden shoe slippers by the fire place. Of course, we had no doubt that our precious little angel would get nothing but little presents. Coal?...never. :) I can't wait for her to get older and do this herself some day. Well, I can wait...time is flying by as it is...but you know what I mean. :) It is just the best this time of year - passing on family holiday traditions (and creating our own family traditions) is the most wonderful thing in the world. I couldn't ask for anything more. I am so blessed...





We also had to snap a few pictures of our little reindeer. The first time we put the antlers on her head, Siena didn't know what to make of them. I was laughing so hard I had tears streaming down my face. Those "little" cheeks being pushed out even further by the headband and the look on her face was just priceless. Poor Siena has to put up with it all...we're taking advantage of those moments while we still can. For some reason, I don't see her allowing us to do that too many more years! :) Pictures can't quite capture the essence of the moment, but I tried...

Rockin' and Rollin'

It's official - our baby girl is growing up! I keep telling her to slow down and to not grow quite so fast, but it doesn't seem to register with her. She just keeps right on amazing us with the new things she's learning!!
This past Saturday night, Miss Siena rolled over!! Yep, her first big milestone is "checked off the list"! And the most perfect thing about it...Matt was home to see it AND we got it on tape! This milestone has definitely been a progression. When she was real itty-bitty, she didn't mind being on her tummy at all. She couldn't raise her head off the ground, but she just laid there - and occasionally fell asleep that way. Then, as she got older, for whatever reason, she decided that she hated being on her tummy. I swear if she heard me say "tummy time" she started crying! I would sit there with her while she wailed for 4 minutes and 45 seconds of the 5 minutes she was supposed to be on her tummy. Then in the past couple of weeks, she has warmed up to the idea of tummy time. She didn't do much...but at least she didn't cry the whole time! Then, maybe a few days ago, I started to see her push up off the floor with her arms and she would do what we called the "fish out of water" move - where she would balance on her tummy and kick her legs up and her head back. She would get the rocking motion going and we knew it would be any day that she would eventually roll over. And that's why we got lucky with the video camera. Right before our eyes...there she went! And apparently, she's an "ambidextrous roller" because she rolled to one side, we put her back on her tummy, and then she rolled the other way. I think the little mirror on her jungle mat is helping. She very interested in her reflection and she has to really raise her head up to see herself in the mirror - whatever it takes! Now the catch will be to see if she keeps up her new habit!
(Until Matt and I can figure out how to upload our video footage onto our computer, pictures will have to do. That's the goal now that football is over - figure out how to really use our video camera!)