Eight Months Old

Oh boy...our baby is growing up...way too fast already!!

For the past four days we have been enjoying Alysia, DJ, April, Zach, and Maya's company! Everyone arrived in Buffalo a-okay and just in time before the 'storm' we received up here - the part of winter that I love. Take away the cold rain and brown snow and I would take snowstorms the entire winter!!

We've been keeping our visitors' days filled with visits with Poppy and Moppy (my dad and Heather), meatballs (a Sunday morning tradition that dates back to my mom's grandmother), and even stringing popcorn and cranberries while watching a Christmas movie - this year it was Elf with Will Farrell. Ella, Maya, and Zachary have been enjoying each other's company...learning to share toys and not pull hair! Zachary is inchworming circles are the girls, but the girls have become professional sitters and players-on-their-own-ers.

The holiday shopping is done and the gifts are wrapped as we prepare (mentally) for the next few days of craziness. I love it as that's what I'm used to growing up, but Todd is still learning to 'go with the flow' of chaos!

We'll start Christmas Eve at Brian, Barb, & Braiden's house (my step-brother) where we'll have four babies under the age of 9 months together! We will then make our way to my mom's house for the Montante Christmas Eve. Which will work out well because we will be able to put the babies to sleep for the night. We will then spend the night at my mom's so we can all wake up on Christmas morning like the good ol' days. That way we will all be together for Christmas brunch since next year DJ, April, and the twins will be in St. Louis (April's hometown) for Christmas morning. We'll then move back into our house to host Christmas dinner for the Rassmans. Usually we celebrate Christmas with my dad here at our house on the 26th but this year, because Heather is working Friday and Saturday, it will have to wait until the 28th. And then, sadly, DJ, April, and the babies leave on Monday the 29th. But the positive part is that Todd will be on vacation from Christmas Day to January 4th.

Okie dokie - it's morning nap time and someone is definitely letting me know it! I think that's all I have to report on. Merry Christmas to all!! Thank you for being a part of our lives!