Cheeks' First Hanukkah Hurrah

Every year, we have our family over for a huge Hanukkah feast. I make appetizers, matzoh ball soup, brisket, noodle kugel, potato latkes, chicken, challah, desserts out the kazoo. We open presents, have a $5 grab bag, and eat all while filling the house with love and laughter. It's a lot of hard work, but I look forward to it every year.

This year was Cheeks' first Hanukkah Hurrah! He was a natural!! We had my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, aunt, and uncle...plus Doc, Cheeks, and me, 4 cats, and two dogs - it was a houseful for our tiny two bedroom townhome - but everyone fit and everyone had a great time.

Cheeks kept up wonderfully with the conversation. When people would laugh or talk loud, he'd look up from what he was doing, and give everyone a hearty "AHHHHHHHHH" then go back to what he was doing. We bamboozled him with gifts and he made out like a bandit with a Fisher Price Speedway toy from his Aunt and Uncle, a Little People Garage from his Grandma and Grandpa, and a fun 4-in-1 rocker/ride on toy from his Great Aunt and Great Uncle! He had a blast playing with everything. He even participated in the grab bag game by purchasing 5 $1 books from Target's dollar bins! His Aunt picked that gift, but Cheeks was sure to steal it right back from her!

When we ate dinner, he enjoyed chicken, noodle kugel, carrots, potato, challah and matzoh balls! He is a natural when it comes to Matzoh Balls - he couldn't get enough!

After a long day of playing and visiting, Cheeks passed out in his crib and slept allll night. All in all, I'd say he had a fantastic first Hanukkah Hurrah. Can't wait to see him next year when he's walking around at it.

Today's Moments that Made Mommy Smile

Night One

When I got home from work last night, Cheeks was napping. After a quiet dinner with Doc (which was very weird because we are SO used to eating with Cheeks now) the boy woke up and we were ready to celebrate Hanukkah! I carried him downstairs and we twisted the menorah bulbs together. He enjoyed looking at the flickering. Then, I set him in front of his present (which I had basically just laid a piece of wrapping paper over). He touched the paper and then just looked at it. I showed him how to pull off the paper and crinkle it. Once the paper was off, he stared at the chair and reached out to touch it. I picked him up...and put him in it....and.....the lip went down, arms went out, and the cries came!! If he could talk, this would have been his comments:

"What is this?? I got jipped!! I thought you get toys on Hanukkah and all I got was this stinking chair???? I WANT TOYS!!!"

Well, we tried a couple of more times...more tears. We decided to let it be for a bit and Cheeks and I went to the food store. When we got back, Doc took Cheeks inside and I unloaded the car. When I came in, this is what I saw:



Doc was brilliant! She put on Baby Einstein, put Cheeks in the Chair, and voila! no more tears :) Night one turned out to be a success after all. Tonight, we light 2 candles and Cheeks gets his second gift :)

Happy Hanukkah!

Tonight is Cheeks' first night of Hanukkah! I have so many great memories of Hanukkah growing up. My sister and I would wait on the couch in the family room while my Mom and Dad would go into their closet to pick out our gift(s) for the night. We'd light the menorah, and open gifts. The gifts that stick out in my mind from childhood are (in no particular order):

1. Red Schwinn 10-speed
2. Yellow Sony Boom Box
3. NKOTB Christmas Album
4. Amy Grant Album
5. A box of stickers (I don't know why this stands out, but it does - and I remember we had dinner at BagelLand the night I got the box of stickers!)

I am excited for Cheeks to form these same memories and pass them along to his children. Tonight he will get his big boy chair. After he goes to sleep, I will clean the house in prep for the big Hanukkah Hurrah dinner on Saturday, and I will wrap the remainder of his Hanukkah gifts.

HAPPY HANUKKAH TO ALL!! :)

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

We are a lucky family - we celebrate both Hanukkah AND Christmas! I am very excited for Hanukkah and Christmas this year with Cheeks and Doc. This Saturday, we are having the family over for our annual Hanukkah Hurrah! My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, niece, aunt, and uncle will be coming to our little townhome to celebrate, eat, and open presents! I normally stress out about where people will sit - but not this year, this year my only focus is on making sure Cheeks has a fantabulous time opening his presents and eating his chicken, carrots, and matzoh balls!!

The first night of Hanukkah is actually Wednesday 12/1 this year, but we always have the Hurrah on the Saturday night during Hanukkah to allow me time to prep everything while working. Thank goodness Doc is here to help with the prep! Can't wait to post pics. But this Wednesday, Cheeks will get his first Hanukkah present - A BIG BOY CHAIR!



So we have our Hanukkah traditions. Christmas is a whole new ball game this year though! Even though Cheeks is only going to be 9.5 months, he is going to bake cookies for Santa with his Mommy! I want to put out cookies and milk every year before he goes to bed. Baking is something I love to do - and it is something that I want to build into our holiday traditions. Maybe we will take a drive and look at lights on Chrismtas Eve..hmmm...note - must discuss all of my ideas with Doc!! In the meantime, here are a couple of holiday pics of Cheeks:

Cheeks and Thanksgiving - Two Peas in a Pod!!

Thanksgiving weekend has been wonderful so far this year. We took a road trip down to my parents - Scottish neighbors in tow for their first Thanksgiving holiday! They were very excited and wound up enjoying it tremendously. Cheeks did great on the ride down as Doc had strung up the backseat with links, and toys hanging from the links...it was a baby wonderland back there!

So Cheeks hasn't been wanting to eat too much in the past couple of weeks. Baby food has become a modern day form of torture for the boy, and formula just doesn't seem as tasty to him anymore. Fast forward to Thanksgiving. We spread turkey pieces, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pieces of a dinner roll, and peas on his high chair tray. THE BOY GOBBLED IT ALL UP!!! He loves Thanksgiving as much as his Mommy and Mama do!! We had leftovers tonight, and he repeated the eagerness to eat all the bits on his tray. I decided to mix in some Beech-Nut Sweet Corn Casserole as he ate his bits and pieces of Thanksgiving leftovers. You would have thought I was trying to feed Cheeks glass shards!! He made faces, pushed away the spoon...but again, gobbled up all of the goodness on his tray that was from the normal foods. I'm so glad he enjoyed his dinner...and can't wait to start introducing Cheeks to more foods. My question now - has anyone else experienced this? Is 9 months too early to stop baby food??

I followed up Thanksgiving Day with a wake up alarm at 1:45AM to start my Black Friday shopping. Four hours later, I was back asleep and felt accomplished with my deals from K0hl's, Tar.get, T0ys - R - Us, and Best.B*y!

Thanksgiving pictures to follow once we are back home and I have a chance to download them! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Thoughts on Traditions

I am very sentimental. Doc likes poking fun at me for just how sentimental I am. But I think it's important to have traditions, and things to look back on as well as forward to. I want to make sure that we create traditions for Cheeks that he will look back on with smiles and carry on for years to come with his spouse and children.

That being said, it is that infamous time of year for family traditions. This Thursday will be Cheeks' first Thanksgiving! I am running a bit behind, but I've yet to decide what our Thanksgiving tradition will be. We ALWAYS spend it with my side of the family - and that in itself is a tradition. When I was a kid, breaking the wishbone with my sister was a tradition - and I'm excited for when B is a bit older to do that with his cousins or brother/sister (whichever he may have!) I want to make sure (while he may not be able to this year) that he reflects back on what he is thankful for - because when I hear stories of such horror in the world, I know exactly how lucky our family is. I hope to shield Cheeks from that horror - but at the same time, make sure he knows too, just how lucky he is.

Speaking of traditions, it is a family that enjoys them. Last night, we made a decision on our family. For quite some time, Doc and I went back and forth - I wanted three children, she wanted two. After a lot of thinking, and digging, and thinking, and thinking, I now agree with Doc - our next child will complete our family. I am very excited that we made our final decision. It puts our family on a path with a plan, and I like that. Now should we have twins, I wouldn't be opposed (although reading some of your blogs, that would be VERY hard I think!!)

And with that, just in case I don't get to blog - HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO BLOGLAND! :)