Happy new Year

First Cut-- January 6th, 2015
Happy New Year! I cant believe it s 2015.... and I am optimistically looking forward to what is in store for us this year. I know it will be wonderful. 2014 was great but definitely not without it's ups and downs and major bumps in the road. Changes and challenges both with my family and at work, but all is well that ends well. And we brought in the new year on the Freedom of the Seas somewhere in the carribean together. With all the family on matt's side and it was FANTASTIC! I couldnt have asked for a better way to end the year than non-stop time with the boys, too... because it's my favorite thing in the whole world.

The holidays will end this saturday when we celebrate one last time. But overall it was wonderful. The kids did great on the trips to Cleveland, cars, trains, plans, ships.... they were spectacular. I am so lucky I have such well behaved kids.  They got a lot of cool toys-- TONS of stuff to get us through the cold winter days indoors between christmas and birthday presents.  It is particularly cold these last couple days, on the way into work this morning the car said it was -1 out there. I know it's going to be a long few months until we get more warm weather, but I also know how important it is to not wish time away.

Being off work and with the famuly always leaves me with a new sense of who they are, i feel like i learn more about thier personalities and we always get closer.  Nick seems like he grew up in the last week. All of a sudden he is doing all kinds of things by himself without help. And Chris just is the biggest little ham you ever saw with a mind of his own. Just does what he wants on his own time. AND LOVES TO WAVE AND GET AS MUCH ATTENTION AS POSSIBLE WHILE DOING IT. Like he knows he's pretty darn cool.  He cracks me up.    He is incredibly smart too because it has amazed me countless times with what he understands.  Same with Nick-- he just has his own mind, and thoughts and feelings now and it's incredible. Not to mention I think he is physically grown the in the last couple of weeks. All of a sudden I can see in ankles and his tiny little wrist in clothes that fit him just fine before the holidays.

The winter is only in its infancy as we prepare for long, dark winter nights but there is a lot to be optimistic about too. Maybe visit some pre-schools, trips to the museum center, playdates with neighbors and friends, the circus, some wedding, showers, etc. It's important to stay busy because this is often a hard time of year without much daylight.

Edits Jan 26th, 2015
I cant believe how long this month has been. It's been SO busy as work and even crazier on the home front. Lots of things to write about, but one of the biggies was discovering Chris's insane food allergies. We wondered for a few weeks now why he would all of a suddent throw up his entire stomach for no reason and with no apparent warning. After seeing it happen seemingly more frequently I put in a call to the pediatrician regarding food allergy concerns. Without much ado we were scheduled for some blood work and the results were shocking. He was only tested for a handful of allergies and ALL of them came back positive with a very SEVERE allergy to egg. It wasnt much of a shock, but it was after going to the allergist to discover all the OTHER things he is also allergic too that i have been feeding him over the course of the last few months. I have literally been poisoning my child!!

The next few weeks/months is definitely going to be a learning period with meal times feeling like a test laboratory. But so far so good. He hasnt gotten sick or broken out to ANYTHING I have given him. I also think it in a strange way he has a sense for what he can and cannot eat. He tends to push a lot of food away, he has ALWAYS had an aversion to eggs when i wanted to make it for him for breakfast, and I have a strong suspicion that all the foods he doesnt eat that I once attributed to picky eating is now he sense for intolerance.  I think nature knows what to do, and I see it working in my kids almost every day. The wonders of God's creations.

Without much senblance to this post, that's all for now.... Lots more to share, i hope to write