December 2013

John, Larkin, and Reagan had a busy month. They enjoyed spending a weekend with New York friends and they were excited to have Santa come to their house for Christmas.

Andrew and Terese drove down from New York to spend a weekend with the adorables. The Consentinos were very close friends with Jamie and Terese was virtually on the same pregnancy schedule as Jamie for both of their pregnancies (both deliveries less than one month apart). All five kids got along famously! After the initial hour of shyness wore off, John, Larkin, and Lia were racing around the house, cul-de-sac, or downtown Franklin Street. Reagan and Ali had a food eating contest or two and Ali won the prize for the calmest 16 month-old to stay up late. It was very bittersweet watching all of the kids play together (a goal/dream of all of ours ever since Jamie and Terese were pregnant the first time together). The adorables can’t wait to see Lia and Ali again, and Paul truly enjoyed the quality time he had with Andrew and Terese. Thank you for driving all the way to NC!

John and Larkin really enjoyed Christmas this year. They enjoyed reading many books about Santa Claus and asked many questions about how Santa gets into the house and wanted to know all of his reindeer’s names. Paul hosted the usual Christmas Eve Party and enjoyed spending time with many family and friends. Pete grilled oysters (biggest oysters ever, seriously the size of a hockey puck!), Sase made her amazing sausage dip, Hap provided gravlax and Norwegian shrimp, Nan brought homemade English toffee, Maureen made delicious beef stew, Kathryn delivered some exceptional corn chowder, and Paul supplied many tasty beverages. Yum, yum, yum! It was a cold night, so Paul and some of his close friends finished the evening off with good conversations around the outdoor fire pit and watching some beer bottles melt away. John, Larkin, and Reagan enjoyed opening their presents this year. John wanted Santa to get him a baseball bat and Larkin wanted a doll with a purple outfit. They must have been good children this year because Santa delivered on both fronts. Thanks Santa! Paul spent the morning building a tool bench for John, constructing scooters, and changing outfits for Larkin’s doll.

The entire Kindem family got together the day after Christmas to have round two of Christmas and all eight grandchildren enjoyed opening more gifts, going for walks, and eating lots of Wisconsin cheese. One of the coolest toys is a medium sized electronic orchestra device that has different pegs for twelve or so instruments. The kids would hit the play button, then place different instruments on the “stage” and as each instrument was added it would add that sound to the song that was being played. Reagan has taken a liking to it and will place some instruments on it and then stand back and dance to it. Pretty hilarious and awesome!

Paul, grandparents, and Kathryn took the kids up to the mountain house for New Years. The weather was nice and cold and Hap, Maureen, and Kathryn went skiing at a local resort. Paul, Nan, and Dan took the kids sledding and then to the resort to enjoy some snow. All three loved it, but John would have spent all day playing in it if we had let him. He loved watching all skiers, rolling around in the snow, and tackling his sisters. Larkin liked the snow, but she probably enjoyed eating a little bit of everyone’s lunch more. The last night of the trip brought some wintry weather and we all woke up with a couple inches of snow. The night before the adults enjoyed getting in the hot tub with snow falling from the sky, which is probably the best way to experience a hot tub. The kids were greeted with 2 inches of snow in the morning and took full advantage of it by sledding down the driveway for an hour or two.

John and Larkin made it to their first UNC Basketball Game, which was a big deal for Paul! They both did great and watched most of the game and even stayed for an overtime victory. John would clap his hands after each made basket (yes, for both teams), and Larkin loved looking at all the people and loved being fed snack after snack from her Bapa.

Larkin is still her sweet little self and continues to be very nurturing, but her age is starting to show more and more. She is less shy than in the past and shows massive amounts of energy at times. She’s starting to go through her own stage of not wanting to listen to people. Most of this is a good thing because it means she is growing up and gaining her confidence, but it certainly brings some new challenges to the surface.

John seems to have gotten past his initial “not listening” phase, which is very welcome. He’s a very sweet boy, loves to play with most everything, and gets very focused when watching shows or live events. His soccer skills are progressing quite nicely in the backyard and he’s gotten more interested in shooting hoops with his kid’s basketball goal. He throws the baseball well and frequently plays indoor catch with Paul.

Reagan has started drinking more regularly from small cups (instead of a sippy cup), eats off the table instead of her booster tray, and has some great first signs of being a soccer star. She has great balance on her feet for a 17 month old and actually kicks the soccer ball across the backyard on her own by alternating her kicking foot. She is still very much into books and loves to say the word, “Wow.”