Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Chris and I are so excited to celebrate this year with our two boys. We have been so blessed this year and are very thankful for everything. We can't wait to see Tommy's face on Christmas morning...will he get the pirate ship he has been asking for since Halloween? We are excited to see AJ grab for his new toys and smile at us on Christmas morning. This holiday season has gone by so fast, I have enjoyed every minute of it! Here are a few pictures from all the festivities over the past month. We wish everyone a very merry Christmas!

Cool Runnings?

The empty lot next to our house flooded and then froze over. Now its covered with a solid two inches of ice. Some of the neighborhood kids have been using it as hockey rink. Tommy and I tried to make a bobsled track. This was way more awesome in my mind. Oh well, I guess Vancouver is out. We'll set our sights on Sochi, 2014.





We had fun playing in the snow for the first time this season. There will be plenty more to come.

AJ Update

As you can tell by these more recent pictures of AJ, he is growing quite nicely! At his one month check up he was already up to 9lb 5 oz. We have weighed him since then and he is now almost 11 pounds! He certainly likes to eat! He also grew one and half inches since birth! Here are some new pictures of AJ. I think he is looking a lot like Chris.

Cooking with Nonni

While Chris' parents were out visiting, Tommy and Nonni spent some time together making cookies. As you can see, Tommy enjoyed the process thoroughly!

MOMS Club Christmas Party

We attended the MOMS Club Christmas party where Santa made a special appearance. Can you tell who the Santa is? It's none other than Chris' younger brother, Brian. I was a bit nervous because I didn't want Tommy to figure out who was behind that beard. Luckily he had no clue. A good time was had by all and Tommy once again told Santa he needed a pirate ship!

Cookie Making

Tommy and I got together with a few friends and baked Christmas cookies! We had a great time and the cookies turned out delicious. We ended our little get together with a gift exchange that all the children loved! Here are a few pictures from the day.






As you can see, it got quite messy! But we all had a great time! Luckily there were lots of moms to help clean up too!!

Library Santa Claus

The other day, we went to our library to listen to stories of Santa and to meet Santa! Tommy was very excited to meet the big guy. However, when Santa came into the room, Tommy told me he was scared and didn't want to sit on his lap. Luckily, Tommy's favorite librarian, Ms. Lila, was there. He chose to sit on her lap and talk to Santa. He told Santa he wants a pirate ship. He made sure to tell me later on in the day that Santa is now working on his pirate ship! Here are a few pictures from the meeting.

Santa Clause is Coming to Town

Tommy likes to sing to AJ. Sometimes it helps calm AJ down when he's fussy. Here is a special Christmas edition of "Tommy Cullen Live"

My Life with Three Boys

We are starting to settle into somewhat of a routine in the Cullen household. AJ continues to be an easy baby. He loves to eat, and is still sleeping pretty well. Though AJ is only three weeks old, I've had a glimpse as to what my life will be like being the only girl in the house. The other day, Tommy woke up while I was still feeding AJ in bed. Chris went to go get him and he wanted to come in Mommy's bed too, so all four of us were sitting in our bed. Chris decided it was a good idea to pass gas while all of us were in the bedroom, Tommy found this hilarious. A few short minutes later, Tommy decided to join in and also passed gas. A few seconds later, AJ also passed gas. Chris said he felt very proud at that moment. I left the room.

The other day after feeding AJ, I was burping him and he let out a huge belch, followed by a fart, and then a grunt. After all this he passed out for a few hours. I can only imagine what lies ahead for me!

St. Joe Snowmen!

On Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend we took the boys to downtown St. Joe. The weather was beautiful!! We walked around and did some window shopping and Tommy also got to see all the snowmen around the downtown. We also saw Santa's house! He wasn't there yet, but Tommy delivered his letter and AJ's letter. We ended the afternoon by going to the South Bend Chocolate Company for cookies and coffee for Mom and Dad! What a great day!

Happy Thanksgiving

From our madhouse to yours...

Chef Tommy's Thanksgiving Dinner

Kara was making corn casserole as one of our Thanksgiving side dishes. As usual Tommy wanted to help. After he made a mess, he started cleaning up by licking the counter. Tommy you make me proud! Hopefully the health inspector never drops in on the Cullen Family kitchen. We'd get shut down

More AJ pictures

Here are some pictures from this past weekend. It's hard to believe he is almost 2 weeks old already! AJ is still doing great, let's hope it lasts!

Brothers

Here is a video we took when we brought AJ home.

AJ at home!

Here are few pictures from the past week. We are all adjusting great to life at home. AJ is pretty laid back and Tommy is being a great big brother. AJ is a great eater and a pretty good sleeper, let's hope that all sticks!

Introducing AJ Cullen

Andrew Joseph Cullen was born 11/12/09 at 11:37 and weighed in at 7 pounds, 6 ounces. He is the spitting image of his older brother

AJ opened his eyes up a little bit to we tried to catch some video. A lot more to come when we get home with a decent internet connection.

Last Post for a Few Days

This will be the last post for a few days. We will hopefully be going to the hospital tomorrow to get this baby delivered! I've had some complications due to high blood pressure starting about two months ago and the doctor's believe it best to take the baby now rather than wait. It has taken a toll on me, I've noticed it within the past couple of weeks, so I'm ready for this. We can't wait to begin our lives now with our two boys. We are both so excited to meet the newest member of our family and can't wait to see Tommy as a big brother! Tommy is very excited to meet his little brother too. I told him yesterday that his brother will be here in a few days and he responded "ALRIGHT!" So keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next couple of days and we'll keep everyone updated.

Leaf Day Fun!

The other day we went over to a friend's house to play in leaves. Tommy had a blast. He dove right into the leaf piles. This was such a great idea because living in a new sub-division we don't have leaves. Now, I don't mind this because I'm always the one doing the raking, so I don't miss that chore at all! All the kids ran around for well over 2 hours. Needless to say, all the kids took great naps that day!

Tommy burying himself in the leaves.

Tommy loved throwing the leaves up in the air

Brady, Casey, and Tommy (my best attempt at getting a picture of the
three of them together!)

Sliding into the leaves

Again, my best attempt at a group shot of the kids!

Halloween

Okay, I know these are a few days late, but here are some pictures from Halloween. Tommy's friend, Siena, came trick or treating with us. They had a great time despite the cold temperatures. Siena was always so surprised that every house gave her candy!! Tommy just asked me the other day, "Mommy, when will it be Halloween again?"

At our Halloween Party

Brady and Tommy

Melissa passing out candy to Siena and Tommy

Siena and Tommy