Welcome to Our New Room!

I blogged earlier about Macee getting transitioned into a toddler bed, but I failed to mentioned the funniest thing about the whole situation!

Macee and Ry will now share a room, we're putting them both into Rylee's room and making Macee's room into a toy room. Once we got the bed put together and we got the pics. of Macee trying out her new bed, we heard Ry and Macee go into THEIR room and Ry says to Macee, "Welcome to our new room!" It was too funny! For some reason I flashed back to my Full House days, it sounded like something Michelle would say!

I think they will enjoy sharing a room, at least for the time being! It will be interesting to see if they are ready for their own rooms once we get into a bigger house or if they will continue to be roomies!

Macee's Big Girl Bed!

We decided it was time to transition Macee into a toddler bed! We're going to put the girls in the same room and turn Macee's room into a toy room! So, yesterday I went to Furniture Row and ordered Ry a new twin size bed and then went and got Macee her new toddler bed! After Marty got it all put together and Macee figured out what it was, she was so excited! As I write this she is actually taking a nap, without any troubles, in her new big girl bed! She slept in her bed last night as well, although she came walking into our room at about 3 this morning...hopefully that won't be a continuing occurance!

Laying in her new big girl bed once Daddy put it together!
Pretending to be sleeping...in her new big girl bed!

Actually sleeping, at night, in her new bed! Can we believe she is sleeping in a big girl bed already???!!!

Hotel Holiday

We learned that it doesn't matter where you celebrate Christmas this year. Not only did we have Christmas with my Dad's side of the family at a hotel, but we had our family Christmas there also! Mom and Dad, Adam, Haylee, and Hally, and Marty, the girls and I all got together in Mom and Dad's room and opened presents together! There's nothing like opening presents while sitting on a hotel bed or dresser! A Christmas memory made and one that will not easily be forgotten!

Macee opening presents...Daddy thought she needed a hair bow!
Hally eating the wrapping paper! I could have just gotten her a roll of paper for Christmas and it would have been the best present EVER! A Word Whammer for Ry!

We got Mom and Dad non-prepaid cell phones for Christmas, but I couldn't resist picking this bottle of windshield stuff for Dad. It was only like $4 something at WalMart, but he's too cheap to buy it for himself. He sprays it on his windshield before he leaves in his big truck at night and when he gets back the next morning and is ready to go home, he won't have to scrape the ice off his car!

Talk about a kid on Christmas! Adam was overly excited about these beer mugs we got him for Christmas! I like knowing I got him something he will use!

Lil' Swimmers

It rocked that our hotel for the weekend had an indoor swimming pool! The kids loved it and had a blast swimming! Rylee is back to asking when she is going back to swim lessons...guess I'll budget that in for next session!

Nina with Macee in the pool...Macee wasn't a big fan though.
Cooper, with Thad and Rylee in the background.

The 4 year olds...Ry's birthday is Aug. 31, Caden's is Oct.1, and Thad's is Oct. 6.

Caden and Thad are showing off their muscles!

Ry in her skimpy suit...our little swim bug!

Merry Missouri!

Christmas with my Dad's family was a bit different this year! My Mamaw had a biopsy on a spot they found on her larnyx and wasn't up to traveling from Mississippi to Indiana, completely understandable. We all still wanted to be able to celebrate Christmas together though. So, Jamie threw together a great little Christmas reunion in Missouri, which is just about half way for everyone.

Adam, Haylee, Hally, Dad, Mom, Me, Macee, Marty, and Rylee with Mamaw and Papaw!

Luckily the hotel still had their tree up, Phyllis brought one, but I'm not sure too many actually saw it...it sort of just blended in with the greenery at the hotel!

Mamaw and Me, hanging out by the pool while the kids swam!

Papaw and I

Rylee with Memaw and Papaw...she made this picture for them for them!

*for more pictures, see my Facebook page...or be patient, they will eventually make it onto Marty's website, www.laritzfamily.com*

Happy Birthday Jesus!

I'm trying to instill new traditions with our little family, aside from the ones that I've carried on. This is a new tradtion for Christmas day, really celebrating the birth of Christ. With little ones I think it's hard to explain the real, true meaning of Christmas. The idea that it's Jesus' birthday is so much easier understood with cupcakes (or cake) with candles and singing the "Happy Birthday" song!

Jesus' cupcakes!

Rylee volunteered to blow out the candles, of course!

Santa Came!

Christmas morning was fun this year! Ry knew what was going on and had the antipation of Santa and the prizes he might leave! At about 8 Christmas morning I heard Rylee up, I hit Marty on the arm so he was awake to hear her reaction. She headed to the living room and then came RUNNING to our room! She ran to Marty's side of the bed and says "DADDY! SANTA CAME!! He came and he ate his milk and cookies!" She was more excited about the fact that Santa had eaten the milk and cookies she left out for him than she was the presents! With that, we all got up (actually had to wake Macee up - might have had something to do with the fact that she refused to go to bed until at least midnight Christmas Eve...). The girls ripped into the gifts that Santa left, super excited about each one!

Macee really enjoyed the M&M's Santa put in her stocking! Honestly, she was more worried with eating those than she was with opening her presents!
Rylee (and Macee too) got a new blow up mattress - she has one of her expressions of excitment on her face!

Santa brought Macee a new baby doll! She loves her new baby!

This is a picture of a very happy girl!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

Christmas Eve Jammies

Growing up we had a tradition of always getting new jammies on Christmas Eve. I've carried that tradition on with my little family. We all got to open and wear new jammies on Christmas Eve!

Rylee's new Christmas jammies.
Macee, super excited about her new Christmas jammies.
Ry looking all snuggly and warm in her fleece jammies.

Our sweet girls in their matching jammies.

We eventually had to cut the feet off of Macee's jammies, she wasn't digging the footed jammies!

Laritz Christmas

Gloria, Gary, Nick, and Molly came down last weekend and we celebrated Christmas together here in Jeffersonville! Their visit was short and to the point, but as always, fun and enjoyable! They gave the girls their first gifts of Christmas, which they were super excited about! We all had a good time and are thankful to have such wonderful family!

My poor tree looked quite small once all those gifts were around it...maybe I need a bigger tree?
The girl's infront of the tree, before they opened their first gifts of Christmas.

Ry's first gift of Christmas, Gator Golf!

Macee and her first gift of Christmas, an alphabet learning train!

FINALLY!

Marty's diploma from Rose Hulman came in the mail a few weeks ago. I kept it from him, framed it, and gave it to him for Christmas! We're all so proud of the boy!

I Want a Castle...

Santa was at our Wal Mart this year, I tried to get both girls to sit on his lap then. Of course, neither wanted anything to do with him. Rylee wouldn't even get out of the cart and Macee cried anytime we got near him. We also saw him a couple times in the mall, checked him out from a distance, but never tried sitting on his lap. Then last week, the girls and I were running some Christmas errands and were at Bass Pro. Santa was there! I wasn't even going to attempt to take them over to see him thinking it would be a waste of time. As we were getting ready to leave Ry asked if she could go see him. I figured we were just going to go look at him, from a distance...I was WRONG! She sat on Santa's lap for the first time since she was an infant! As for Macee, well, she still chose to keep her distance, squirming anytime I got close to him with her! We got a pic. of all 3 of us girl's with Santa, but you can tell Macee wasn't too excited about it!

Rylee and Santa

Daddy's Breakfast

Mall Christmas hours are in full swing, I closed Friday night and had to be at work early Saturday morning. I left breakfast up to Marty since I was busy getting ready for work. Usually this is not a bad idea, he's pretty good about making them breakfast...sometimes more than popping waffles into the toaster. This, however, was not one of those mornings! I came into the living room to see Ry and Macee having a breakfast of graciously iced cupcakes in the colors of red and green!

What a yummy treat...and a messy one!

You can't help but laugh at them as their faces and hands become covered in icing. Then you have to clean it up and it's not so fun anymore!
This is what Ry would look like if she were putting on her clown make-up!

Christmas Tea

We attended Ry's class Christmas Tea on Thursday. The kids sang songs, Christmas AND some they sing every day. Ms. Barb's husband put together a great video of pictures of the kids in class that we got to watch and see all the fun things they have done so far this year. We also had some great snacks and yummy tea. Ry got to give her teachers their gifts and she was so proud!

"What's the weather..." Ry doing the motions to a song they sing every morning about the weather outside! We like singing this catchy tune at home too!
Rylee and some of her friends singing a song about baby Jesus. The class wanted to show their parents the "shark prayer" that they sing before snack.

Rylee with her friend Chase!

Someone's Sleeping in My Bed!

Most of you know that I've gone back to work at The Children's Place for the holiday season. I've been working quite a bit lately and it's been a lot of evenings. Marty has been letting her fall asleep in our bed of an evening, which is fine...when I'm not home. The other night I was home at bed time...the first time in 4 nights...and I thought that Macee was going to get put in her bed. I was wrong. Marty put her on our bed, she got on my side, pulled the covers up over herself and just looked at me like "What?" Needless to say, I've had to put her back in her place!

Christmas Cookies

I've not been the Christmas cookie baking diva this year, or any other year come to think of it. The best that I have done is the pre-cut sugar cookies with the designs on them. The first batch we made were Christmas Trees and tonight we made ones with reindeer on them. They are quite tasty and definately not as messy. The girls love them...isn't that what matters? Maybe next year I'll be a bit more domesticated and make some real Christmas cookies. I sense a New Year's resolution?

Rylee wanted a picture of her and her Christmas tree cookie infront of the Christmas tree...then Macee thought she needed to be in the picture also.
Macee trying to pose for the camera while eating her cookie and watching TV...she's multi-talented. :)

PS: If you pay any attention to what my tree looks like in the background, notice everything is up towards the top of the tree. Yeah, that is what you have to do when your 18 month old thinks her sole purpose in life right now is to pull the decor. off the tree. This this solution has worked? No, it hasn't, she still finds a way. I've given into the fact that my tree has "toddlerized."

Happy Birthday Nina!

We headed up to Greenwood, Indiana to meet the rest of my family to have lunch for Mom's birthday last Sunday. We had a nice lunch at The Cheescake Factory and then did a little shopping at the mall. Happy Birthday Momma! Next year we'll really celebrate...since you'll be 50 and all! Love you!

The birthday girl with the girls, Rylee, Macee, and Hally!

Hally and Macee rode in our new double stroller, all bundled up from being out in the brrr cold! Ry was alright to give up her stroller seat to Hally, of course!

Strep Throat

I noticed my throat feeling a bit sore Wednesday evening and self-diagnosed myself with strep throat Thursday when I realized there was nothing else that could be causing my sore throat. Friday morning I woke up and couldn't talk and the pain when swallowing was excruitiating (sp?). So, I asked Marty to stay home from work and take me to the doctor. I was correct, I have strep throat. I was put on an antibiotic and will become non contagious tomorrow. I am hoping that I'm the only one who gets it and that it doesn't get shared with Marty or the girls. It's rough being sick, but when you're "Mommy", it's even rougher.

Mr. and Mrs. Nick Laritz - The Wedding

We not only went to Michigan for Thanksgiving, but for the big event...Nick and Molly's wedding! Their wedding was absolutely beautiful! The church was fabulously stunning and we all looked hot, especially Molly!

The front of the church.
Nick with his momma, Gary and Macee walking down the isle.

Nick waiting for his bride!

Molly and her parents.

Saying vows, exchanging rings, making it official!

Mr. and Mrs. Nick Laritz!!!