Andie is One Month Old

Our little Andie is one month old.

She is such a joy and is such a sweet newborn.

On her second night home she slept 7 straight hours!! I woke up in a panic, but she was snoozing away. She established a good sleep routine right away.

She catnaps in the day time and sleeps longer stretches in the evening.

At five days old, she met her newest cousin, who was only one day old.

Big brother loves to cuddle with her.

She tried on her first party dress.

And took her first bath. She sat back and enjoyed it.

She also attended her first Sylvester Christmas party. She was held and loved by so many aunts, uncles, and cousins.

It got cold, so she had to bundle up in her bear suit.

She also was a bit fashionable and tried out her first pair of shoes.

She went to Sam's with big brother and cousin.

I got a selfie with her.

Poppy held her while celebrating Christmas at Grandma Mikula's.

Great-Grandma Mikula holding her. We gave her the middle name Rose after my grandmother, Rosie.

She attended her first Christmas Eve Mass.

She is very alert.

She went to her first New Year's Eve party.

And is blessing us every day.

St. Nicholas 2015

We had two St. Nicholas visits this year. The first one was the actual feast day of St. Nicholas, December 6, which was also the day we came home from the hospital with Andie.

When we came home Eli was eager to see what St. Nicholas brought him

He loved his Melissa and Doug Christmas puzzle.

Andie joined in on the festivities too.

And Mr. Bates and Doris snatched up their treats before I could get a good picture.

Doris wanted that bone.

The next weekend, my parish celebrated the feast of St. Nicholas with Breakfast with St. Nick. It's a great Christmas activity as they provide a delicious breakfast and the kids get their picture with the big man. 

As you can see Eli was not too excited with taking a picture with St. Nicholas. We tried to get a picture of all of the Mikula grandchildren, but not all of the grandchildren were present this year.

The only way we could get Eli to take a "normal" picture was for us to get in it too. I actually like this picture, even though Eli isn't smiling. 

You can see our St. Nicholas pictures from last year here

Wandering Wise Men 2015

Our Wandering Wise Men came to our house once again. This is such a fun tradition that I'm glad we started last year. This year was a bit more difficult with a new baby in the house, but I had a special two year old helper who found new places for the wise men to visit.

Here is where I wise men ventured:

Day 1: They were a little delayed, but our Wandering Wise Men have arrived! We are excited to see their adventure to find the King! #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 2: The Wandering Wise Men encounter their first sign that they're on the right track. God told them that this woman is special as she is able to carry the Son of Man without original sin within her. #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 3: Baltazar got a chocolate craving so the wise men agreed to stop for a sweet treat #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 4: The Wandering Wise Men stopped to say hello to St. Nicholas #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 5: The Wandering Wise Men encounter another traveler on his way #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 6: The Wandering Wise Men made a stop to make snow angels #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 7: The Wandering Wise Men stopped for a healthy breakfast before continuing their long journey #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 8: The Wandering Wise Men have encountered many dangers and beasts on their journey. But they know that God is by their side and they must continue on. #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 9: St. Nicholas gave the Wandering Wise Men a lift while he was delivering presents last night #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

Day 10: The Wandering Wise Men think they've gone too far north on their trip. #elichristopher #andierose #wanderingwisemen

Day 11: We knew it wouldn't be long until we lost someone along the way, this year it was Gaspar. Melchior and Balthasar have asked Santa for help and hoping he didn't find a new job at the North Pole #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose #wealwayslosesomeone

Day 12: Gaspar has been found! And just in time, because the packages are all wrapped as they sense that they are almost to the King #wanderingwisemen #twoyearoldsareterrorists #checkyourfireplace

Day 13: They made it to the King!! Hallelujah!! The Wandering Wise Men have traversed afar and brought their gifts to Christ the King! May we always keep the joy of Christmas in our hearts throughout the year. Thanks for following the journey of our Wandering Wise Men #wanderingwisemen #elichristopher #andierose

This is always my favorite part. I love the last day when the wise men have completed their journey and everyone is there to celebrate the birth of the King. Eli was fascinated for ten seconds and then did what every two year old does, he threw them across the room (sorry, baby Jesus).

You can view last year's adventures here

Andie's Newborn Pictures

We had Andie's newborns taken when she was five days old. She was a perfect angel and the pictures show.

One of my favorites

She's wrapped up in Chris' baby blanket. We did the same for Eli's newborn pictures.

We also got a few family pictures in there too

They came out wonderful

 

I love seeing my little family grow