Niko’s First Christmas

When we got home from Colorado I was in a hurry to get our Christmas decorations up since we would only get to enjoy them for a couple weeks before we went home to Billings. Niko enjoyed helping…I’ve decided it’s easier to let him get into things while I accomplish a task and then pick up after him.

On Christmas Eve we had an early dinner with Nathan’s parents. Carmella got Niko a really cute Snowman sippy cup….he didn’t eat much and swung his cup around. It was kind of cute, but really really messy.

                                      

He did drink some too After dinner Niko was very spoiled with toys, but he really wanted to grab all of their Christmas decorations.

He really likes the songs and noises this truck makes…he doesn’t quite like to sit on it yet. Benzi was on Carmella’s lap the whole time…he’s supposed to be the baby!

Then we had dinner at my gramma’s house. He loved the fruit, but he only loved playing with the blackberries
       
I was eating cereal on Christmas morning and Niko was grabbing my spoon, so daddy got him a baby spoon and he started eating my cereal like a (messy) pro!

We finally remembered to get a picture of Niko’s teeth, he had fangs like his mommy

And he was spoiled again….
       
Kaitie made cinnamon rolls and Niko thoroughly enjoyed them, he probably ate more than a whole one!
                       
He loved the candy canes in his reach!
Then we all watched Niko play with some bubble wrap…he’s great entertainment!

So Niko is spoiled and entertaining and busy! But super cute too, which is why I can blog mostly pictures.

Ho, Hum!

I'm playing catch up again! So there will be a brief overview of what has happened in the past few months!Nathan and I went back to Billings over a long weekend away from school and my wonderful mother and grandmother helped me make Halloween costumes for my family, they were fairly simply and I think we did them all basically in a day.
On Halloween Kaitie and Adam came over to go trick or treating with us (I mean with Niko). We took some pictures and just went down our little dead end street. Everyone gave Niko handfuls of candy because they thought it was silly we didn't all have a bag for candy :) We were the rubble family and they happened to be dinosaurs which went together nicely! And was completely unplanned.







Niko really knew how to use his club...it was so cute!

Niko had his first haircut at about ten and a half months old. We were planning family
pictures over Thanksgiving and his hair was
getting so long. He did really well and hardly even squirmed.

Before:

Before

During

After :)

We spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my Aunt Bobbi and Uncle Dave (they had a surprise when we got there....that they had been to the courthouse to get married!). Anyway, my cousin Ashley was able to come home from the hospital the previous week and her brother Austin was giving his talk before leaving for his mission that Sunday. So...it was an eventful time. My brother was going to come too, but couldn't get work off...so we have a family picture minus my brother :(

Grampa working his magic with the baby
(Niko had a rough time since he couldn't nap
through all the noise).

Aiden

While we were baking I asked Nathan to entertain the children by taking them in the back yard and do fun things for the camera...some of them turned out really well.

Avarie, gives this look a lot

Anika

A few big kids played too! Ashley, Anika & Ryanne

And Zander didn't want to play outside...he was playing a video game :)

And a few baking ones....

And Niko's first Thanksgiving....thanks to Uncle Adam Kuchin for his belt as a seat belt :)

sitting on a pan with a belt holding them both down!
(I stayed close by him)

 My mom bought her grandkids matching pajamas so here's a cute picture of the little elves standing on the table.

Love the facial expressions in this one!

Niko with Grampa Pellinen...so cute!

I will try to finish up with Christmas and Niko's first birthday tomorrow...but no promises! I'm tired so good night and enjoy :)

Some Mixed Up Catch Up :)

I believe these are from when Nathan and I came to Utah for him to figure out school and guard and such.

A few photos from his 8 month birthday...

love the faces he makes :)

checking out his panda

Shortly after getting to Utah I found my favorite emergency room. I ripped a toe nail almost off while I was home alone with Niko. I didn't know anyone yet and did not want to take him to the ER with me by myself. I texted Nathan and he hurried home to take me. They numbed my toe really well and then finished what I started :) I have pictures but will spare you all!

I was at Jenise's house quite a bit shortly after we moved...to "help" her move. Help is in quotations because with an 8 month old I can only do so much. I have mastered vacuuming while holding him though. I'm also bad at packing boxes...I'm better at cleaning so that is what I did. While we were doing this Niko found a toy he could fit in his mouth and seemed quite proud of himself.

And he's only in a diaper because he had already gone through the extra outfit I brought for him!

PS Click on pictures to make them bigger :)
PPS I have no idea how to rearrange the pictures anymore...I used to have a clue, now none.

So it's almost been a month...

so I've been a slacker again..whatever.  Just feel priveleged that I haven't given up yet (Kaitie)!
My older sister Jenise and I decided we would be crazy and meet my parents to go visit my dad's grandma, she will be 101 years old in about 12 days now! She hadn't been able to meet two of Jeni's or Niko yet so we thought we go.
So we took off for a six day trip with us and five kids 10 and under...oh and Jeni had pneumonia! Of this six day trip almost 4 full days were in the car. It sounds super crazy when I type it out.
Good thing my mom found some sweet hotels to stay at that had fun pools for the kids. My great grandma lives in a tiny little town in Wisconsin so there isn't much to do except visit her :)

Yay pictures :) Mom was my photographer so I could swim with Niko since he loves it.

We actually met mom and dad in Minneapolis so we HAD to go to the Mall of America! The hotel happened to be across the street from the entrance by Lego Land. The kids loved that!

Obviously Niko was more into his stroller strap:)

                                         I took this picture just for Nathan...

And another great pool area...this slide was bigger and Jeni's kids loved it. Niko and I played on the tiny slide and in the boring "regular" pool.

Okay, finally the moment you've all been waiting for..............the pictures from actually visiting great grandma!!!

 <

but if he was standing >>

silly boy!

 Yay for timers!!>>








Oh my that was a lot of pictures! It was a fun trip, but Jeni and I knew we were crazy for going by the end of it. But we felt like we needed to visit our great grandma!
The pictures are weird, but I don't know what's going on with this right now!