THE CALHOUN FAMILY: January 2010

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Katelyn loving on her brother

She really takes her role as big sister seriously.

Katelyn's basketball cheer girl debut was moved to Thursday with the threat of snow on Friday. She had a blast, cheering on the basketball court with the other elementary girls as well as the "Big" girls. She was in heaven. Even after their cheer girl job was over, Katelyn hung out down on the sideline with the real cheerleaders and kept cheering. She loved it.

Snow fell all day Friday, so the kids were home with their mommy and Aunt Sherry for an official snow day. We got about 4 inches of snow--the most the kids have really ever seen. After about 40 minutes of dressing, we were ready to head outside. The snow was not wet enough so our attempts at making a snow man were in vain, but the girls enjoyed making snow angels, throwing snow balls and sledding down one of our neighbor's driveways. Ellie lasted about 20 minutes before she was too cold. (That is less time than it took her to get dressed.) Katelyn, on the other hand, had to be drug in she was having so much fun. Her poor toes had to be unthawed, but she survived with a warm bath and some hot cocoa.

Owen didn't venture out into the cold. I didn't want to freeze his little cheeks off, but he got to pose for the camera just anyway.

The kids ventured out today for Day 2 of the snow with their daddy. The hill out front of our house turned out to be an excellent hill for sledding. All the neighborhood kids took a turn. It is 9:30 pm and I can still hear people outside squealing as they play and sled in the snow. We are hoping to get out of the house tomorrow. I am beginning to feel a little closed in. Hoping that the roads clear up a bit first.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

My chunky monkey

Owen had his two month appointment yesterday. He is a healthy little boy weighing in at 14 pounds (95th percentile) and 23 inches long (75th percentile). The doctor said his color looked good and he looked healthy. He is a beautiful little boy (I know I am biased), but he has so far managed to avoid the cradle cap crud and the baby acne. I have less than a month of maternity leave left, so I am taking all the time I can to love on this little guy. He is such a sweetie. I can't believe how fast the time is going.

Owen turns 2 months during 1st trip to DC

Owen took his first plane trip over the weekend when we went to visit the Calhoun grandparents in Washington, DC.

While in DC (actually Bethesda, Maryland), Owen turned 2 months old. Wow how time flies. I can't believe we have had this little cherub for two months already.

The girls had a great time. We spent one day at the mall, going to the museums. The girls especially loved the Museum of Natural History where they got to spend some time in the butterfly garden. Katelyn could have spent hours in there. There was a moth as big as her face.

We saw the Washington monument (from afar) and the girls got to ride the carousel.

And on Sunday when it rained, the whole family came together as engineers to build a marble contraption. Surprisingly, it occupied the kids for a good hour.

Overall, it was a great visit. We were so glad that Owen got to meet his Granddad Tom, Thelma and Uncle Geoff. Geoff was a great sport and played the punching bag for the girls who thought he was just a big kid. Thanks Uncle Geoff.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

Snow!!!! What Snow????

We went to bed excited about the snow we were suppose to have today. Unfortunately, when we woke up, there was nada, none, zilch on the ground and the girls were slated to be home all day for a SNOW DAY. Luckily, by lunch time a few flakes had landed so we got about .5 inches if that--not enough to cover the grass, but enough for a little sledding. We don't have a big hill near us and even if we did, there wasn't enough snow to cover the grass, so we improvised. Fortunately, there is a driveway across the street from us that has a pretty hefty slant to it, so the girls, along with the neighborhood boys, were able to do some short sledding down the driveway. They actually had a blast. Hopefully we will be in Pennsylvania or Boston one Christmas for a real snow, but for now, this will do. And. . . we just found out school is closed tomorrow. Apparently, it is due to black ice on the roads because it is certainly not due to snow.

Family exercise

In an effort to get this baby fat off, I have been trying to exercise most days. Surprisingly, my kids are also enjoying it, especially Ellie. Wednesday night the whole family was working out. Ellie likes to repeat what the instructor says and is very cute saying up, down, up, down and then stops for a million water breaks. We ended up having to take the weight away from Katelyn out of fear she was going to throw it straight through the TV.

Notice the kids with weights in hand--probably not recommended.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Delayed holiday singing

We had a girls night at my mom's house during Christmas break. Katelyn, Ellie and their cousin Katie decided to perform Christmas songs for us along with a couple of Hanukkah songs. Turn the music off down on the right in my playlist before playing the videos.

Ellie's rendition of "We Wish You and Merry Christmas"

Katelyn's "Jingle Bells"

Sunday, January 03, 2010

Late Christmas pics

The not so glamorous photos pics are below along with a brief recap of our holidays. I know I am way late, but am hoping the newborn excuse still works. We had a wonderful week in Louisville visiting lots of family. We attended Grandma Karen's annual Christmas party. The girls had an exciting sleepover with Aunt Joyce and Allison, took a trip to the Puzzle Fundom, visited with lots of cousins, spent time with the grandparents and the GREAT grandparents and were simply spoiled rotten. We love you guys!