Happy New Year! I figured I'd better post some Christmas pictures "stat" since I've been semi-harassed about my outdated blog posts. Some of our friends have even asked if we've changed our blog address. It may seem as if we've been MIA, but rest assured, The Balzuweits are alive and well!
We have really been enjoying life as a family of four, especially as Jack has been revealing his unique (and very funny) personality while Sophie is thrilled to have a partner in crime to explore life with. They seem to enjoy each other increasingly each day, while at the same time they are becoming experts at taunting each other. Every once in awhile there is a surprisingly silent moment in the house, which is a signal for Eric and I to be on alert. More than once we've caught her whispering little suggestions of a devious nature into his ears to test the waters. She clearly knows that we have somewhat different standards for him since he's younger, and she is very good at using this to her advantage.
We ventured to Wallace, North Carolina for Christmas, where Grammy and Grandpa Nick have finally settled in their new home for a much deserved retirement. We were able to see much of our extended family, including Eric's Mom, my Grandmother (Great Gram), Uncle Mike and my Mom's sister and brother and their families. Sophie and Jack were delighted to be in the midst of all the chaos and had a great time playing with their second cousins.
Much to our surprise, a cookie decorating session that was intended for Sophie and the older kids was one of the highlights of Jack's visit. Armed with a step stool and some adult supervision, he cut and decorated cookies with an intensity that's hard to descr
ibe. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the look on his face as he presses the cookie cutter into the dough. Needless to say, Sophie didn't love sharing her stool with him and luckily Grammy and Grandpa Nick had one for each of them. Soon after arriving back home to Atlanta, when Jack sees me in the kitchen he fetches his stool only to find that there is no cookie dough to be rolled or shaped.
ibe. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the look on his face as he presses the cookie cutter into the dough. Needless to say, Sophie didn't love sharing her stool with him and luckily Grammy and Grandpa Nick had one for each of them. Soon after arriving back home to Atlanta, when Jack sees me in the kitchen he fetches his stool only to find that there is no cookie dough to be rolled or shaped.
Sophie was relieved that Santa was able to track her down so far away from home. The reindeer food that her preschool teachers gave her to sprinkle on the lawn came in handy. The one thing she earnestly asked Santa for was polka dot pajamas for herself, and on behalf of Jack, she asked for train tracks. Santa delivered on both of these requests. And it won't surprise any of you with more than one child to know that she plays with his train tracks just as often as he tries to don her lavendar slippers, sparkle shoes and headbands. Jack truly admires his big sister and literally imitates everything she does these days.
We're pretty much back into the swing of things now that another new year is underway. We look forward to seeing what's in store for us this year. If Sophie has anything to say about it, the new year would bring her a baby sister (no, we are NOT expecting). This has been an ongoing daily request for at least couple of months, and she's even tried to negotiate trading Jack in for the baby sister if that would make it a more viable option for her. We are thankful that we have several friends that will be welcoming baby girls this year in case we need to borrow one for Sophie to get her fix.
