It's beginning to look a lot like... Christmas!

I just have to start of by saying... I did it! I finally figured out how to change the picture and a few settings on the blog. Yippee. Now everyone can see that Maddix is no longer 11 months old!

Onto the real post: 

Can I just say how extremely excited I am for this Christmas Holiday? I don't know if it just helps the time go by, if it's the fact that Maddix is at an age of understanding it, or if it's just always been my favorite holiday; regardless the reason I have the cheerful spirit of the season in my soul and I finally got my front room decorated enough that you are momentarily drawn away from the overpowering Orange color, that worked so well for Halloween and Thanksgiving, but not so well for the Green/Red season.
(Thanks mom for the Christmas package full of crafts, decorations, and Christmas stickers. We've been enjoying ourselves)
~Also click on the photos if you want to see them bigger~

As you enter the front room you can see the red&green paper chains we made hanging in the windows

Maddix placed all these snowflakes himself

He was pointing to the paper chain

Our Christmas "stockings." I was going to buy some $3.00 stockings and found these hats for $.20 a piece. I simply put our names on them, and Maddix used his Christmas stickers to decorate his and we had ourselves what we needed and I won't feel bad when we don't pack them home with us.

Our tree. Maddix and I cut ornaments out of paper and then we received a few from my mom. The tree was $10.00 and the lights were $4.00, again I won't feel bad about leaving them behind (Maybe the tree:)

And all the presents are from the grandparents who are always on the ball and prepared with presents!

This was a little wooden tree Maddix colored and we placed next to our countdown calendar.

We had so much fun decorating for the Holidays. I feel like I keep finding things to add so it keeps looking more festive. When we finished, Maddix walked in his room and did a full circle then said, "wow, it's so pretty." 

After that he was hooked on falling asleep with the Christmas lights on. One night he woke up and started crying that they had been turned off. Then in the morning he asked that I plug them back in and he just laid in bed staring at them for a bit after that. 

It's also starting to look like Christmas outside as of three days ago. We received a small snow storm, and now it's cold! However we ventured out to play in it, that didn't go so well since Maddix is in this stage where I basically hate to take him out in public. 

Yesterday we wanted to go out and then realized we couldn't find the keys so instead we went and played on our balcony

We finally made a snowman!

He had raisin eyes, a carrot nose, almond buttons and mouth, a pipe cleaner scarf, and stick arms.

We officially made his first snowman ever. We had to use what snow we had to work with so it wasn't very big, but he loved it and now I can finally say that his first snowman he ever made was in Poland. Next on the list will be a snowman in England when we go visit the Mecham's at the end of January; we might even get lucky enough to meet up with Pawel, the member Travis baptized who is now working/living in England. 

I think that pretty well does it. Besides the never ending fits and Travis and I constantly losing our minds.... we're surviving. However, we're running out of ways to keep Maddix in bed at night. It's taking him anywhere from an hour to two hours to fall asleep and we constantly catch him out of his bed. We have tried everything and are at a loss... 

How does anyone survive the terrible two's? HOW? 

I think it would be easier if we had family around to deflect some of his attention, or even Nala for that matter. 

I don't think it would be fair to say that my two year old is worse than others, which leaves me to believe that it is my parenting skills that are sub-par... 

I'm losing my mind. 

"I'm losing my mind, while he reaps all the benefits!"