Owen and the Family Secret

 My dad's side of the family has a long standing tradition of getting together for a potluck dinner in December. Every year, Santa makes a special trip down from the North Pole to visit our party and bring each child an early Christmas present.

There is something special about my dad's family... some of the men work for Santa.  Sometimes Santa gets very busy in December and asks a cousin or uncle to help him deliver presents to our party. He also asks them to dress up as him so that the children won't be disappointed.  He even loans them his special red suit - it's authentic.

 This year when Owen's name was called to sit on Santa's lap and get his present, Owen was a little bit scared. He refused to sit on Santa's lap and was on the verge of tears.  But then something happened... As Santa was talking to Owen, he looked up at Santa with wide eyes and just stared.

Then Owen got a big grin on his face. He was visibly calmer when he took his gift from Santa and then went and sat down so the next kid could have his turn.

 Before he started opening his gift, he turned to me and said, "Mom, is that MICHAEL?" He was not upset or sad - he was just curious and I think he thought it was funny.

I replied, "Of course not! That's Santa!" Inside I was DYING!!What the heck?? He's only 3!!

He did not seem satisfied with that answer.

He smilingly asked me again, "Mom, is that Michael?"

At this point, I was really scrambling. What if I say the wrong thing and ruin his belief in Santa forever??  At 3 years old, would he understand about the family secret? He's a smart boy, so I decided to try him.

I explained to him that yes, that was Uncle Michael but that Michael is Santa's helper. Michael works for Santa and is one of his elves. Santa asked Michael to deliver the presents that night at the party.

He replied, "Oh!" and laughed.  Then he opened his gift - a Batman helicopter, which was the one consistent thing he'd asked for from Santa.  It did not disappoint.

 Later that night when he saw Uncle Michael, he said, "Hey Michael, you were Santa, huh? haha That's so silly!"

Pictured: Lynnlee, Papa Blue Eyes, Owen, Sherri, Santa, Jonathan, Rick, Lexie, Julie & Rachael

Whew!! I dodged a bullet there...............

Christmas Cousins

Elena Johnson(5 weeks), Lynnlee Stephens (6 months), Lexie Araiza (7 weeks)

Could they be any cuter??

Lexie's Blessing

 We decided to bless Lexie at my parent's house the day after Christmas. It was the one day that all of my family and Rick's family was in town and it wasn't a holiday. Rick gave her a beautiful blessing and it was a very special day.  We also blessed my niece Elena at the same time.

Daddy and Lexie

All of Lexie's living great-grandmothers and grandmothers were present.

 Loretta Araiza, Rita Farish, Vicki Stephens, Frances Harvey, Sherri Araiza, Mary Araiza

Looking at these photos makes me wish that I'd been able to find time to straighten my hair.... oh well.

 Tammi and Owen

 Grandma Grape (Mary) and Grandma Mary

Michelle and Elena

Michelle, Elena, Lexie, Sherri

Christmas Morning

The real Santa did not disappoint.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

The Spunky Little Monkey

My friend Kelly from The Spunky Little Monkey makes SUPER cute hair accessories and is having a GIVEAWAY!!

Check it out by clicking here.

One Month Old

Time is flying by so quickly!! Lexie is growing like a weed. She is now in size 1 diapers and wears size 0-3 clothes.  I can't believe I have to put away the newborn sized clothes already!! It seems like she was just born, like, yesterday and then I blinked and now a month has passed by! We sure are loving our little Lexie Girl.

The other day I caught Owen talking to Lexie by himself. He was petting her head and rubbing their noses together. Then he said, "You are a cute baby, huh? Yes you are! You are a cute little girl!" My heart just melted...........

Later he said to me, "I just like my sister Lexie. Mom, do you like my sister Lexie?? I like her."

Owen is such a good brother. He has really matured a lot in the past month. He will now willingly go with either Grandma places by himself without crying and he is not as clingy to me as he used to be.
Last Sunday he went to nursery all by himself for the first time. The teachers said he cried a lot, but he made it through. He's supposed to start Primary in January so I'm crossing my fingers that he'll be ready.

Earlier this week I had a horrible stomach flu.  Let me just tell you - stomach flu and taking care of a newborn are not exactly compatible. However, both Owen and Lexie were perfect little angels for me and let me rest in bed all day. Luckily the worst was over within 24 hours.

Now we're gearing up for Christmas and couldn't be more excited!!

3 Weeks

Lexie turned 3 weeks old on Monday. She is a very sweet baby and still sleeps a lot.  She's been waking up for a few hours each day now and just looks around with wide eyes. She also gets the hiccups a lot. Her umbilical cord is still hanging on by a thread; I'm sure it will fall off soon. Owen continues to be a good brother and just dotes on her all of the time.  Rick and I are adjusting to having two kids instead of one. With this new 2:2 ratio, now we both have our hands full all of the time.  But I think it's safe to say that we are enjoying our new little family and are so grateful that everyone is healthy.

My babies' hands. 

I didn't realize how much Owen has grown until I saw their hands together.

Love.

Yesterday our little family of four was lounging around together watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Out of the blue, Owen looks at me and says, "Mommy, I just love you!"

I sure do have a lot to be grateful for this year.

2 Weeks

I can't believe how fast the time has gone by! On Monday she will be 3 weeks old!!  We are doing well and trying to get enough sleep.  Owen is  wonderful big brother and asks to hold his sister multiple times a day. He can often be found stroking her cheeks and saying, "She's so pretty."


Her current weight is 8 1/2 lbs. Her eyes are blue and her hair is light brown. She is a very good baby and only cries when she needs something.  At night she's been eating about every 3 hours. She loves to be held and if I lay her down next to me in bed, she will turn on her side towards me. She is definitely a cuddler.

Lexie Kailyn Araiza

 November 7, 2011

8:03 a.m.

7 lbs. 12 oz.

20 inches

 

We are in love.