Pile It On
After this post…
and then this post…
and oh yeah, this post…
I have been getting a lot of “How are the Kazmanns doing?” e-mails and phone calls.
Caden got diagnosed with his first ear infection yesterday.
A double ear infection in fact.
That my friends, is how the Kazmanns are doing.
Just keep piling it on universe. Pile away, why stop now!
A Doozy
This past week has been a doozy.
Everett was in the hospital and while he is home now we are all still feeling the effects of what was a VERY long weekend and a sickness that seems to never end. Fortunately for Everett he has a very worried yet attentive brother to look after him.
Sweet boys.
(Yes, I will tell you what happened but for now I’m going to sit down…and probably cry from exhaustion.)
Crazy Christmas
As everyone has taken down their decorations and stocked their Christmas CDs until next year, I figured I better get this in now before you really don’t want to hear anything else about the holidays! (just a little behind)
Christmas, for lack of a better description, was crazy. Crazy! Coming off of a Christmas Eve where Caden was already a bit overwhelmbed and Everett had a colic tailspin we were all a bit short on sleep (who wasn’t?) with a busy day ahead.
Caden woke up and while Colter was making breakfast, started handing out presents…to himself. It appears he has that job down already. Not differing from the
night before he wanted to open a present and play with it for six hours before looking at anything else. I don’t blame him really, wouldn’t you want to play with the cool t-ball set you just opened? He was pretty good about wanting to open/help you open and thankfully since it was just the four of us we could take our time…I mean he could take his time. So much time in fact that when it was naptime he still had presents from us to open which I snuck back upstairs to save for his birthday! 
The child was clearly overloaded and hadn’t even been to Nonna & Pa Pa’s for their gifts and his Auntie & Uncle’s so we hid a secret stash for later.
We thought we might make it to Bill & Carolyn’s before Caden needed to rest and start celebrating early but that obviously didn’t happen. With six kids four and 
under all in attendance that was probably a good thing because he would have already been exhausted! We got there shortly after Colter’s brothers and walked in to see Cousin Locke happily bouncing around. So cute! Carolyn had worked since Thanksgiving decorating the house from top to bottom and was busy being the chef in the kitchen.
From last Christmas to this year, there were three new Kazmann babies there. Locke 
(March), Kaylie ( August) and Everett (November) rounding it out at eight grandkids for Nonna & Pa Pa! While you would think Caden would be excited to see his older cousins( JP – 4, Braiden – almost 3) and play, after a couple of overwhelming days he was terrified. He just ran from them crying and begging Colter to hold him most of the evening. Hooray! We survived Christmas evening. By survived I mean neither
Colter or I sat to eat at the same time with either kid once and I think I saw Colter a couple of times. I was sad to be missing out of seeing Caden do things on Christmas (turns out I didn’t miss much) to tend to Everett who was a bit overstimulated himself. Thankfully, Everett finally passed out in my arms and right before leaving I got to sit with both boys at the dining room table (Caden fresh from a bath and in his Christmas PJs) to make a few memories and see how sweet they were.
We didn’t quite get to gifts that night as all the kiddos were being put to bed at various times and meltdowns 
being managed. Fortunately everyone was sticking around for brunch the next day so we headed back over there first thing to kick off the chaos. By chaos it looks a little something like this…14 people, 6 of them under the age of 4 exchanging gifts. By exchanging gifts I mean the kids are opening any gift in sight, Caden’s afraid, Locke & Kaylie are sleeping and joining in at various times, Everett is in the Bjorn, paper is flying, no gift tags are attached any longer – madness. Caden was scoping out other gift piles once they were opened and trading gifts when no one was looking (except Mom). He figured he opened this one over here and cousin opened that one so why not swap?
JP got an awesome set of Lincoln logs and took them to an area to play. My OCD son just kept icking them up and putting them back into their canister. There you have
one child trying to nicely play and another child trying to nicely clean up. JP tried to explain that he was playing and showed Caden how. Caden tried to explain that it was too messy and needed to be picked up. Ay yi yi.
Let that play on repeat for awhile.
So as you can see memories of the age of all the kids were definitely made and everyone was more than spoiled. We were lucky to get to spend time with all of our 
family this season even though it was brief and enjoy delicious treats. Having kids during the holidays is truly fantastic although I think we all are looking forward to a time when all of the kids sit in their corners and excitedly open their gifts on their own while we sit back with an adult beverage. One day!
A Different Eve
This year’s Christmas Eve was a bit different as the absence of Dana was truly felt. Each year, she and Don always hosted a fabulous Christmas Eve at their house. In the months leading up to it I would chat with her about all of her shopping, wrapping and place settings for that year. She loved to find a new creative way to give everyone their own personal spot, a beautiful table, delicious food and gifts that would make their eyes light up. Dana was a kid at Christmas. She was always full of giggles and couldn’t contain her excitement as her gift pile grew – not ashamed of boasting when her pile was the biggest either. She had a fine balance of loving the gifts but really just loving having her family and her closest friends (who were even more her family) there to celebrate and share her love with.
As I wrapped each present this year I thought of her. Each and every present. Long ago she started artfully wrapping our gifts with decorative paper, elaborate bows from “real ribbon” complete with some specially coordinated topper. Over the years it became a sort of “thing” to see who was going to put what on top, which ribbon got recycled from last year and who got the special topper that year (inappropriate Santa ornament anyone?). Now, I can’t help but continue to do the same with all of my gifts for my nieces and nephews as they see what little trinkets adorn the tops of their packages too.
She was very much missed and will be each year especially on Christmas Eve but we will carry on with her holiday traditions as we try to start some new ones to make up for those lost.
This year, the Orr clan (brother and sister in law Drew & Jess with my niece Cathryn,
and nephew Cameron – Dad & Jill and my grandmother) gathered at our house. We decided to make it as easy on us as possible with 4 kids three and under so that it could be relaxed and about the kids. Everett made sure his first Christmas Eve was about him as he was fussy most of the evening requiring my full attention. I then inhaled a plate of food (the two minute swallow a plate of food without chewing because you have to get some 
calories so you can feed your son again meal) without paying attention to what I had been served. Thus…I threw Everett into a colic tailsping after the next feeding because of the meal. Poor Everett…poor us.
So, while I may have missed the end of dinner and all of the gift opening, I made sure that Colter took some pictures so I could see what happened!
The professional unwrapper himself.
(Turns out that once he unwrapped one that is all he wanted to play with and was annoyed by having to unwrap others.)
Here Pop and Nana Jill, let me help!
Pre-Fussiness Smiles for Pop
Celebrating Great Grandma Orr’s birthday a few weeks early.
Caden ecstatic to drink out of his Mickey Christmas cup with a straw. It’s the little things.
Just when Drew & Jess thought they had won Caden’s heart with the Little People airplane gift, he opened Great Grandma’s gift…a blinking, light up remote control car. You have never seen a kid giggle and squeal so much.
So yes it was different, but we were able to come together as a family and make it about the kids while still missing Dana and those we usually see at her house each year. We made new memories with the new and more grown kiddos this year and got to enjoy the magic they bring to the holiday. Everyone then ventured off to bed in their Christmas jammies waiting for Santa’s surprises!
From Us to You
Merry Christmas
We send the warmest wishes of happiness and health to you and your family today and always!
Snowy
Have you seen the previews for The Adventures of TinTin?
I know you have…they are everywhere.
You may not know it, but my dog is featured in the movie.
In the movie, TinTin and his dog Snowy take you on Adventures. (like the title tells you – duh)
Here is Snowy
Look familiar anyone?
How about my sweet pup Bo.
Let me show you again.
Snowy…
And a sleepy Bo who is less than thrilled about pictures.
White? Check. Point ears that flip in various directions? Check. Oversized black nose? Check. Knub tail? Check. Velvety groomed coat? Check. Beard? Check. Soulful brown eyes? Check.
They stole my dog and animated him behind my back.
Where is my royalty check?
In a Picture
Sometimes, my sweet hubs just wants me to put the camera down.
In other words, he is annoyed.
I have gotten better and do take time to solely take it in with my eyes at times.
But then, I get pictures like this and it justifies my actions.
Now, not only can I remember watching him cuddle his second son even though he just spit up on him and its still dripping on his arm…I can show Everett when he is older. Sorry hubs, the camera stays.
A Very Merry Meeting
This weekend, we paid a visit to Mr. Claus, Old Saint Nick, Kris Kringle or as you may know him Santa.
(The things you notice after the fact – his pants! Although they were pulled up like that last year which is kind of funny.)
Poor Everett will probably never forgive us for a wide eyed Santa picture with a comparable Santa belly, but I think it makes a great memory of the time and what stage he truly was at his first Christmas!
Yes it was busy and took some planning, but already it has become a family tradition for us at the holidays. I have to say, that my mom would have gone nuts over this Santa and the set up they have. It was a merry occasion for all, and the boys did so good! Santa even told Caden that he might bring him some trucks and airplanes which would make his dreams come true!
Merry Christmas Season – I hope Santa is good to you!
While This Blog Was Sleeping
You may have noticed that there was an impromptu blogging hiatus.
Not because of kiddos though.
Because of hijackers.
Not hijackers on a plane, I haven’t flown anywhere.
Hijackers making this site go crazy.
Though if the hiatus wasn’t from hijackers it probably would have been from kiddos.
Because I have a colicky newborn and a toddler who likes painting himself with peanut butter.
I have deterred.
My brother, AKA “Family IT guy” fixed the hijackers – I like to think he arrested them and sent them to Alcatraz all by their lonesome. That is if they were plane hijackers.
Regardless, while this blog was “sleeping” this is what you missed and what I will be updating you on.
**Thanksgiving – We Actually Made it to Dinner** On November 27th Caden turned 21 months ** On December 2nd Everett turned 1 Month ** Tidbits of Mothering Two
** Recipes – Oh Wait…I Haven’t Cooked Anything New in A Month – nevermind **
Until then, I will leave you with some cuteness to get you through.
Family Snuggle Time
