Ringing in the New Year! 2013 is off to a GREAT start!

Kicking off 2013 my wonderful hubby surprised me with a night out as a part of my Christmas gift! Auntie Janae was in town and so she watched the kiddos and off we went. We bopped around downtown Rochester and ended at the Royal Park Hotel (where we stayed on our honeymoon night) for our 5 course (yummy!) meal. There were 3 different dinning rooms with different atmosphere feels. Our room had a guy who sounded like Frank Sinatra who sang 40's and 50's music...we loved it! We danced on the dance floor and by the end of the night people would just stand up next to their booth to dance. We felt like a million bucks enjoying the evening together. :)

In our booth, facing the fireplace, all dressed up for the countdown.

New Year's Day we all enjoyed yet another yummy meal at Bravo!

Lukey just loves Ellie. My favorite phrase right now is when Luke will hug and snuggle Ellie and say, "This is MY sister," and he puts the emphasis on the MY...just like a proud older bro would. He also loves to push her in the swing and when I ask him to slow it down  he'll say, " Don't worry Ellie, I catch you."

Ellie is finally rolling over! Our peanut may be the most laid back, whatever, go with the flow babe around. Stick her pretty much anywhere and she'll make it work. SO rolling over took a little while because she was just fine laying wherever. BUT she's done it, still not a big fan...she can take it or leave it...but at least she can.

We had a GREAT time at Frankenmuth with Grandpa and Grandma Uitti!!! We spent the day eating chicken dinner, watching Luke's large eyes in the candy shop, walking around town, and seeing the lights at Bronner's. It was a perfect day with our loving family!

Grandma always has such special surprises for the kids!

I think Ben is actually a real Gnomie.

The moment captured below was one of my favorites of the day. During dinner we had to make a few bathroom runs. This entailed walking downstairs and passing the bright, cheery candy shop each time. Everytime Luke's eyes would get so big and he would start jumping up and down with excitement. We explained that after dinner we could go to the shop. So needless to say, right after dinner Luke was bouncing off the walls to get downstairs. He was so careful to look at all of his options knowing that he could pick out one treat of his choice. However, once he saw the large lollipops sticking out of the treee in the corner, it was a done deal. Luke asked his Dad if he could have it. Ben showed Luke the smaller version of a lollipop but Luke said, " Dad that's for you! (in such a a sweet voice) and this is Lukey's (holding up the biggest one they had)." That was it. He was so excited that he attracted a semi circle of spectators watch him take his first bite... they're next to the camera so you can't see it. One lady took a picture with her phone which is a little weird and creepy, but seriously the amount of joy and excitement going through this kid's body was just to precious and endearing.  

Such a cute pic of the Grandparents with their Grandkids!

* Note: There was no point in trying to get the lollipop out of Luke's mouth...

Move over Bob the Builder and Thomas the Train because Mickey is the new hottest thing in the Morin household right now! Luke exclaims, " Mick is my best friend." Yes, Mickey even has a nickname in our house. Luke LOVES the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and knows all the moves in the Hot Dog dance. When we feed Ellie her cereal, Luke feeds Mickey his cereal. When I get Ellie up from nap, Lukey gets Mickey up from his nap...you get the idea. Mickey is a best bud however, Luke has had to put him in a few timeouts and if he gets up to early then Luke reminds him that the timeout has to start all over.
Just 2 pals reading together. :)

Ellie and her piggies are cracking us up! She is chomping at everything in sight and that includes her pudgy, little toes and feet. If there is nothing else to slobber and chew on then she's perfectly happy sticking her foot in.

She has also mastered the art of grabbing onto things with of course, the purpose of yanking it to her mouth. In the last few days she has really surprised me! I was burping her on my lap and she just reached over and grabbed the tissue right off the side table! And yesterday at her 6 month check-up she kept tearing off the table butcher paper and trying to escape my reach so she could put it in her mouth!

What does a family of 4 do when they wake up with NO heat or electricity on a blistery January morning...
We wore layers, winter hats, and cuddled in front of the fire...

We also built a fort in front of the fire to keep cozy and warm...

We went out to breakfast, went grocery shopping, and church. When we got home it was still out! We took naps in front of the fire and then out to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen and then walked around Somerset Mall. Our kids were such troopers and still so happy the entire day...even when our thermostat read 52 degrees! When we got home from the mall at 8:30 pm, our heat and electricity was on! Luke went all through the house and checked each light to see if it would turn on. He would raise his fist in the air and say, " Good job power guys!" His excitement grew with each light switch. So sweet and I have to tell you I was just excited as him if not more... " Good job power guys!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Showing off our shades...don't let the sunshine outside fool you, it was freezing!

Brian, Molly, and baby Ben came over for a weekend visit! We had so much fun cuddling and playing with Ben...he is just so darn cute! It was pretty cool to have our 2 families together. We went from the 4 of us friends to 7 people. :)

Ellie and Ben chumming it up.

Ellie is a half-year old...what?!?! I can't believe our princess is 6 months. She is the sweetest little person in the whole world. She gives everyone the warmest smile so beware: she will melt your heart.

The pictures below just ooze the joy coming from these two angels.

A little long...but well worth it! Enjoy!

We kicked off the Holiday season with a trip to the Rochester Hills Village Mall. The mall had a countdown to the lighting of the Christmas lights and a Christmas parade with Mr. and Mrs. Claus riding a fire truck..Luke loved that! All of the stores had children activities and of course our favorite booth was Aunt Meg's NEW Aveda Salon! This is HUGE for her and our family because now she works just 10 minutes down the road. We LOVE having her right down the street, we love taking the kiddos to go see her at her salon, and she is able to stop by often to hang out at the house. We are so happy for her and all of her accomplishments!

Here Auntie Meg is in front of her Aveda booth!

Luke downtown with Dad checking everything out now that the construction is all done. I think Luke will be the only guy who misses the construction because there are no more cool trucks to see.

On to Thanksgiving! Ellie was a hit at her first Thanksgiving at Grandpa and Grnadma Cooley's house! We ate lots of yummy food and caught up with some of the people we cherrish the most. Afterwards, we were able to swing by the Budd/Uitti T-day for dessert!

Our sweet, little bean is growing up just way too fast! I wish I could put into these pictures to show everyone her sweetness. Ellie smiles at everyone she sees, wants to be apart of the conversation, and will just snuggle in the nest of your shoulder/neck. We all just love her so much...

Ellie's 4 month check up: 

Here are her stats:

Height: 25 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 13 lbs. 11 in. (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 16 1/8 in. ( 50th-75th percentile)

Ellie's strength is her loving personailty and verbal skills! She is way more talkative at this stage than Luke was however, we are still waiting for her to roll over. She is just so darn close that at any minute you may hear any of the three of us chanting, " Come Ellie Bells...you can do it! Roll over!" Luke really gets into it. :)

We love Home Depot! The frist Saturday of every month Home Deopt sponsors a kid project. We have been to 2 of them so far and Luke loves it. My favorite part is the orange smock that the kids can wear...seriously, so cute! Here Lukey is with his best buds...Dylan, Ava, and Ayrton! I am a little sad that Luke can now pronouonce Ava and the days of Wuv Wuv are no longer. 

Exciting news: Ayrton is a new BIG brother! Meghan had a girl, sweet Zaydee, yesterday morning. Life now seems even sweeter with our 3 older boys and 3 younger sisters. :)

A little out of order, sorry! But here is sweet Ellie's 4 month pic.

This was the BEST Holiday season! Probably the busiest but so worth it. There were so many fun activities for our family to participate in this year we are reminded of how lucky we are to live in such a caring community. Below our library sponsored a Polar Express night! This event was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Last year the event sold out of tickets within the first day so this year I was at my computer right when the registration opened to get all of us in. Yes, Ellie has her own library card so she can be registered too. :)

The library was closed off to the general public and inside each room had a different activity. Luke participated in decorating a Christmas cookie, seeing Santa, writing a wish list to Santa (this included a fire truck, Bob the Builder book, and a Bob show), listening to the story of the Polar Express, becoming a certified Elf by completing games, making reindeer food (that we put out on Christmas Eve), sipping on hot chocolate, and riding "the Polar Express train" (really a trolly) through downtown Rochester to see the Big Light Show.

Here Lukey is telling us what he wants on his wish list from Santa. Throughout the month it was always the same 3 things...the kid doesn't wavier on his decisions. :)  

Listening to the Polar Express!

Some fun news in the Morin household: Ben won an iPad at work! Luke has his own app folder and loves to spend time on it...which we have to limit. My friend once said, " A parent's job is to find out what your child really likes...then take it away...and use it for reinforcement when needed." If this is true then the iPad is perfect for that. :)
And notice how BIG Luke is looking...and like his Dad.

Ellie is starting to really grab for her hanging toys! She has also mastered the skill of bringing them to her mouth to chomp on. :)

Putting the lights on our Christmas tree!

Our 2012 Christmas card photo!

Adorable and priceless...yes! Truth be told...this is 1 of like 520 shots that we took. Ben is laying on his stomach trying to get the perfect shot and I'm jumping out from behind the Christmas tree trying to get both kids to look and smile at the camera. The joys :)

Lukey's first Christmas gift of the season from Grandpa and Grandma Cooley!

Visiting Auntie Meg at her new salon in Rochester! Luke and his Dad both got haircuts.

Ellie loving on her Auntie!

Grandpa and Grandma Cooley are officially done watching the kids everyday for us. We are so thankful for all of their help and support these last few months! On Monday Jacque will be starting full time! We are so thankful to have such a loving person come be with our kiddos each day and she'll be coming to the house which is an extra bonus...especially on those early mornings with bad roads. Below is a pic of how Ben found Lukey and Grandpa when he got home from work...best buds. :) 

Luke and Ellie love on each other all the time! One of my favorites is when Ellie wakes up from her nap Luke will peek through her crib slats and say, " Good morning sunshine!".

My 2 favorite elves decorating the tree!

Doesn't everyone hang ornaments in their undies?

Luke was so gentle and sweet putting the ornaments on...he wanted to find the perfect spot for each one.

Ellie taking her first bite of rice cereal! She loved eating it down. :) However, over the Holidays we have been so busy that we have let this go and instead have just been nursing her. Once school starts up again she will go back to eating rice cereal once a day. 

Dad's Grand Plan: Dad wanted to take some family pictures for a special surprise/gift for mom. (They will be celebrating their 40th anniversay on January 13!!!) Below dad is rounding up the troops for our pics after the Christmas Eve service at their church.

The winning shot is below...

A lot more of the shots looked like the ones below...

Our Christmas family pic...

After Christmas Eve service and all of the photo taking we went back to Grandpa and Grandma's to open up gifts. Lukey spent most of his time at the treat tray that Grandma put out. :)

(Aren't those santa jammies adorable?!)

Auntie Nae got Lukey the Polar Express book, DVD, and real train (it even blows smoke!). Below we are reading the Polar Express together.

Coolest gift: Mom made Janae a calendar full of family pictures!

SO happy!

Stud muffin. (with gel in his hair)

I was in love with this red party dress for Ellie! She looked so beautiful! In the back it had a big, red bow. :) I loved it so much that she wore it Christmas Eve and then I washed it Christmas morning so she could wear it again on Christmas day!

Love this pic of us.

Luke loves taking pictures on our camera and lately he can actually get the people in the shots well, somewhat. Below are a few pics that he took after our Christmas service at Kenzington.

We had both of our families over for church service, coney dogs for dinner, and then a movie night with popcorn and mini-cheesecakes!

Grandpa and Grandma Uitti are good sports!

Christmas morning! We loved watching Luke open all of his gifts and the excitement he had for each one. There is just something magical about celebrating the Holidays with children.  

Santa brought Lukey his fire truck!

This year we were so fortunate to have my family spend Christmas day with Ben's family! We all had a great day at Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy's house!! We ate a GREAT dinner, talked with family, opened gifts and just enjoyed being together.

Here is Ellie with cousin Christine.

I love this picture of Mom with her 2 beautiful kids! LOVE!

Gift time!

Aunt Cathy surprised everyone with a special family cookbook! It was a collection of family recipes, family photos, and memories...so special! Included in the gift was all of the ingredients and dishes needed to make Grandma Budd's special meatloaf. xo

Mom and Dad enjoying it with us!

The perfect hosts, Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy!!!

Ben had the best idea this year to teach Luke about the spirit of giving over the Holidays. He took Luke to the dollar store to buy a gift for each member of our family!! Luke was able to pick one thing out all by himself that he thought each person would like.

For Ellie: A Tinkerbell puzzle

Auntie Meg: A toothbrush. This came in a pack of 2. When she opened it he told her that she gets the blue one and he get the red one. :)

Grandpa & Grandma Uitti: An orange sports drink

Auntie Nae: A blue coffee mug

Grandpa & Grandma Cooley: Coffee

Mom: A cupcake candle and purple hairbrush. He told his Dad that I needed a new brush because my other one broke...and it did! The handle snapped off and Luke remembered that...so thoughtful. 

Auntie Meg opening her gift! It is a collage of pictures of her salon to hang in her director office. :)

After Uncle Tom and Aunt Cathy's we had Grandpa and Grandma C. and Auntie Nae back over to open their gifts.
Here mom and dad are opening a special Cooley/Sumner picture. Ben and I went up to Sumner (where Dad is from) and took pictures of objects in places around the village that resembled each letter in

C-O-O-L-E-Y and matted/framed it for them.

Auntie Nae made our Christmas EXTRA special by staying with us! Every morning Luke would run downstairs and wake Aunt Nae up! This was great for Ben and I too ;)

Luke watching the Polar Express for the first time! He loved it and we all pretended the main character boy was Luke. Luke watched the entire thing however, we did skip a large chunk in the middle. Every night he asks to watch the Polar Express now. :)

They enjoyed some " Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot chocolate," together during that part of the movie. Cheers!

BANCHIE NIGHT!

One of the BEST parts of the break was our Banchie party night. Did we go out somewhere? Nope. Did we get dressed up? Nope...we wore footed pjs. Did we order in food? Nope...ate Ben's mac and cheese. Did we have the BEST time together just hanging out and being with one another? YUP!

I LOVE these girls and can't believe I am so blessed to have them in my life. They are my friends that time may slip away from seeing each other... yet time has no impact on our friendships.

Watching the banchie hubbies bond and have just as much fun as us...priceless. Now, we just need them all to move over here.

Sweet Ellie is 5 months old! Look at that beautiful face, I'm in love.

The perfect loves of our lives.

Adorably chunky, slobbery, and cute!

This break we have had lots of fun in the snow! Ben and Luke took a walk through our park where the white snow is pristine and untouched except for the few deer tracks here and there. I know some people think I am crazy but the snow is just beautiful!

We even had fun sledding in Grandpa and Grandma Cooley's snow!