Christmas Time 2009

We had a lovely holiday that went by in a blur, what with a newborn who cries way more than his fair share, and two very excited little boys anticipating the arrival of Santa. It was a no-muss, no-fuss kind of Christmas around here and we all enjoyed it immensely. (Except maybe Grant, who just is having a bad day all the time--poor guy.) Below are some photos from Christmas day for the Nagy family. Calem was very serious about leaving cookies and milk for Santa, and took great consideration in which cookies to choose and exactly how many. Santa really liked them, and ate them all.

A Christmas tradition that stems from my childhood, Santa left Christmas Crunch cereal on the fireplace hearth. A treat for the boys, for sure--but not as much of a treat as it was for me as a kid living in a home where sugared cereals were forbidden!

Isaac is excited about checking out all the fun packages in his stocking.

After the morning spent in the quiet (except for Grant's wailing) of our own home, sharing our own family holiday, we made the trek to Gramma and Grampa Nagy's house. And, yes, I take responsibility for forcing the boys to wear the silly Christmas vests. But don't they look cute?? It's only so few years I can force them to dress like this, and I do it so seldom. Hopefully they won't hold it against me later in life.

This was the "year of the Tonka truck" for the Nagy boys, and nothing could have made them happier. They recieved two large cranes and one giant dump truck! In the interest of my walls, cupboards and wood floors, I have decided they will be outdoor trucks.

But the best Christmas present of all was that we got to share the holiday (albeit briefly) with my mom and dad, and that they got to meet Grant for the first time. (Have I mentioned he cried pretty much the entire day!?) We were all very glad that my parents were able to come for a short visit and share Christmas day with us. Despite a terribly fussy newborn, we couldn't have asked for a happier Christmas altogether.

Christmas Cookies

Newborn or not, the season must go on, and that means Christmas cookies must get made. And since Grant cries about 23 hours a day, I have learned to do many things with one hand. Let's just add baking cut-out cookies to that list. Hey, look on the bright side--the little guy has very early partcipation in this tradition under his belt already! And it kept him from screaming for hours on end. But have you ever tried to roll cookie dough with one hand???

However, I did have a couple of eager helpers at the ready. Check out Calem's very cool apron that Gramma Martin made for him, complete with Thomas pockets and buttons. Isaac also has a matching one, his in red. They love the aprons and feel very important, indeed. Calem has always enjoyed helping me in the kitchen and is passionate about stirring, cutting, measuring and pouring. His job this day was to unwrap the sticks of butter, cut them into squares and scrape the sides of the mixer. He did an excellent job!

Then came the fun part. The rolling, cutting and decorating. Both boys had their own rolling pins and did a surprisingly good job rolling gently and evenly. I guess all that play-doh has paid off!
Would you trust a 4 year old and an almost-3 year old with open bowls of colored sugar? Everything in me didn't want to, but I took a deep breath and had my vacuum at the ready.

Long after Isaac's attention was diverted from cookies to choo-choos, Calem remained and meticulously decorated tray after tray of snowmen with scarves, christmas trees with garland, multicolored stars and striped candy-canes.

I could not have done it without Calem. And the pride he took as each tray went into the oven and came out again was evident. What a difference a year makes in attitude and capability. We had a lot of fun making Christmas cookies this year, and despite Grant and his surly disposition, we can at least drown our weariness in milk and heavily-sugared cookies for weeks to come. YUM!

Welcome to Our Family!

On November 23 at 10:13pm my long and cumbersome pregnancy finally came to a blissful end, and we joyfully welcomed our third baby boy into our family!!!! At 7lb. 9oz. he cried heartily and sported a full head of dark hair. Big and pink and healthy, we couldn't be happier, but he needed a name! Once again, we had been unable to commit to a boy's name prior to the birth.

But by the next afternoon, we had decided on Grant Martin Justice Nagy. It seems to fit him, and will be a good strong name as he grows into a man.

It's still surreal to believe that I am a mother to three boys. I am outnumbered in this family, for sure, but I will certainly take three boys over three girls any day!!! What mom wouldn't want three strapping young men to take care of her in her old age?

Welcome, baby Grant! You are a blessing and we love you so, so much already. We can't wait to watch you grow and learn and develop your special and unique personality. My only word of advice for you is to learn to be tough quick, because your big brothers aren't likely to go easy on you!

Pumpkins and Trees and Racecar Drivers, Oh My!

Happy Halloween!In case you can't tell, Calem is a tree and Isaac is a racecar driver. Both boys picked their own costumes, completely unprompted. The fact that my 4 year old boy chose to be a tree (and not just any tree, "a fall tree, mommy. with fall leaves and crunchy leaves") instead of a fireman or power ranger or dinosaur is just one more example of how special Calem is. The kid truly thinks outside the box and marches to the beat of his own drum. But I love him for his creativity and I must say he got many, many compliments on his tree costume. And it really didn't come as a surpise that our 2 1/2 year old who eats, drinks, sleeps and lives for all things trucks and cars wanted to dress up as a racecar driver. He LOVED his costume and I think he believed he really was a racecar driver.
However happy they were about their costumes, nothing compares to the sheer joy of a bag filled with candy, and an opportunity to eat piece after piece after piece until it just doesn't taste good anymore!

And no Halloween is complete without the carving of the Jack-O-Lanterns. Being the smart and savvy mom that I am, I have stealthily succeeded in making this a Grampa and Daddy tradition, always completed at Grampa's house--and the mess stays far, far away from my happy home!

The boys watch, with disappointed faces because they are not allowed to use the "big knife" to cut the lids of the Jack-O-Lanterns. Isaac's face really says all there is to say on that matter.

Isaac had a blast scooping "guts," but was cautious about using
the spoon because he did NOT like the slimy stuff on his hands.

And in the end, we had a very friendly Jack-O-Lantern indeed
and a very proud little boy with a grin to match!

Pick Another Peck (or 2 or 3) of Apples

Apple picking has fast become our most loved, most anticipated family tradition. Calem was nearly 2 the first time we took him apple picking, and it has been something he looks forward to ever since. Once again, we returned to Miller's Apple Hill in Amherst for an apple-picking bonanza. This year we picked 2 1/2 pecks of apples. That's about 35 lbs. of apples!

Scott and the boys on the hay ride out to the orchard. Both boys were so excited to have their very own 1/4 peck bags to fill with their very own apples. We encouraged them to look for the little tiny apples just right for their hands. They really enjoyed hunting for them, and turned out to be perfect for snacks because they went through a phase of not wanting their apples sliced, but wanting whole apples for a snack.

Taking a ride on the hay wagon out to the orchard was less than comfortable for me and my ginormous, 8-month pregnant belly--but well worth the family fun and bounty of delicious apples we brought home.

I'm pretty sure more apples landed in their tummies than in their apple bags!

Calem managed to fill his bag!

Notice Isaac's is still empty, but his mouth is still full!

As much as the boys love picking and eating the apples out in the orchard, the trip would not be complete without a refreshing drink of fresh apple cider. They look forward to it so much, and the apple picking may very well be a means to an end! They like to take their little bottles of cider and relax in the pumpkin corral when we return from the orchard, and before they use their second wind to tackle the hay mazes in "Pumpkin Land." It's always a full and tiring day, but something we all really look forward each fall. I'm pretty sure it will be something we still put on the calendar and drag the kids to even when they're 17 and complaining they have better things to do. This family tradition shall live on.

Now, what to do with 35 lbs. of apples...

Anybody's Guess

Meet Baby Nagy #3. Images taken about 2 weeks ago show a perfectly formed miracle at 20 weeks. Still so miniature and teeny tiny--estimated only to weigh in at 10 oz., yet so perfectly human in every way. It was amazing to watch our new little one moving around, waving arms and stretching legs. What peace of mind it gives parents to hear a doctor say that everything looks perfectly normal and healthy. We are lucky to have such cool technology that gives us a glimpse at our next baby so soon before birth. Check out the bones, the shapes, the

silhouette of our beautiful baby!! I find the photo of the spine especially incredible. Yes we can learn so much from these ultrasound photos, but I'm mostly glad that we didn't learn anything scary or

uncertain. We are thankful for a healthy baby who appears to be pretty darn cute so far. We could have learned whether to expect more blue in our future or throw some pink into the repetoire, but it will remain a surprise until November. It was tempting, and the doctor seemed disappointed that he couldn't give us the news, but it's really fun to drag out the suspense and make people squirm. Especially Scott and those of you friends out there who are just dying to know! (You know who you are.)

The Little Leagues

I've never seen anything funnier than Calem's first T-Ball game. It was beyond cute to see a couple dozen 3-year-olds swinging with all their might and repeatedly missing the stationary ball sitting atop a baseball Tee. And to watch those same 3-year-olds run either after the ball they'd just hit, or to 3rd base instead of 1st. And then even better to watch the chaos of the outfield. Yes, many smiles and laughs were heard throughout the hour. It is just precious to watch, and Calem really enjoys it. The kids were allowed to pick their own team name, and Calem's team has been dubbed the "Firetrucks." You have no idea how fun it is to watch them all huddle with their "Coach Ray" and yell "Go Firetrucks!!!!" all together at the top of their lungs. Their excitement level is so great, you'd think they were playing in the world series. Four weeks into playing two T-ball games a week, I am amazed at how much better these little 3-year-olds have gotten! Most of them his the ball on the first swing, now. They all know to run straight to 1st base after they hit, and the outfield has started to actually pay attention to home plate and they run for the ball and throw it to first. Chaos has turned into organization and the kids know their places and prepare for their turns. Of course, there is always the occasional kid stooping to play in the dirt around the bases, oblivious of the game going on around them. And they often run with the bat to 1st base, forgetting to drop it after hitting the ball. But the high school students who coach are very patient and the kids love them. They are learning to be part of a team, follow instructions and enjoy a sport. It's nice to see them learn a few skills in the process, and great to see Calem asking to practice at home. I'm just glad he is having f un. We have 5 games left this summer, and I'm pretty sure the Firetrucks will end with a 13-0 record.