What a FULL first Christmas Jaden and Cody had this year! We spent nearly 2 whole weeks away from home-- traveling by plane & car and staying overnight at a total of 3 different homes and 3 hotels. Whew! Though we were tired of relocating and living out of suitcases by the end of our trip, all the wonderful experiences with family and friends made it all worthwhile.
First, we flew to Holland, MI, to visit Grandpa and Grandma. Jaden and Cody were excited to have their undivided attention for a few days, as no other family members had arrived. Grandma read them lots of fun stories...
...and helped them practice their walking, too. Cody loved listening to Grandma sing, "Walking around the Christmas tree."
We even took a special trip to one of the schools where Grandma substitute teaches. She was practically a celebrity there, so by relation, we were quite famous, too! We enjoyed seeing how loved Grandma is at this school.
Grandpa took some time off in the midst of his busy Christmas church preparations to play with the boys, too. Cody loved when Grandpa held him...
...and when Grandpa showed him how all the new, fun toys worked.
Of course, Jaden enjoyed his Grandpa-bonding time, too!
Soon after arriving in Holland, we left briefly to spend some time in Saginaw, our old stomping grounds. We were excited to introduce Cody and Jaden to our friends there. John and Lisa were gracious to host all 4 of us overnight and to organize an open-house gathering at their home as well. We loved seeing and catching up with many Bethlehem friends, though the time went by way too quickly!
Here we are with our dear friends, the Duclos family. It was fun getting to know their boys, Hayden and Will-- both bubbly and full of life!
Hayden was very loving and gentle with our boys.
 |
| Hayden & Cody |
He knew just how to make Cody laugh! Every time Hayden made a karate chop motion and made the sound, "CHA!," Cody would just giggle and giggle!
Jaden enjoyed watching Hayden as well. We can tell Hayden makes a great older brother! Thanks for your kindness and care, Ducloses! We loved being with you!
 |
| Mommy & Jaden, Daddy & Cody |
We were also excited to spend time with our other close friends, the Sowatsky family. These experienced parents of 4 passed along many wonderful gifts and great words of advice. During our visit, Ginny helped us bottle feed Cody...
...while her daughter Allie fed Jaden. Allie has 3 younger brothers, so she is well experienced in caring for little boys! What a sweet girl she is! Thanks for your love, Sowatskys!
Not long after returning to Grandpa and Grandma's, the rest of the family started to arrive. It was a treat to meet Jonathan and Chelsea's new dog, Ace. Neither of our boys have spent much time around animals, so it was a fun new experience for them. Cody reached out to pet Ace right away.
Jaden didn't seem fazed at all by Ace either. It certainly helped that Ace had a very calm, gentle demeanor. What a well-behaved dog!
With the arrival of all the aunts and uncles came lots of opportunities for twin-spoiling. Our boys loved having all these loving hands to hold them and fun personalities to play with.
Goofy Uncle Jonathan was willing to be silly with the boys.
 |
| Uncle Jon & Jaden (we think! :) ) |
 |
| Uncle Jon & Cody |
Uncle Matt lovingly held the boys, and even mastered the tandem twin hold (not quite as easy now that they're each approx. 16 lbs!).
 |
| Uncle Matt & Jaden |
 |
| Jaden, Uncle Matt, Cody |
Aunt Beth got down on the floor to play with both boys and did lots of "walking" laps with them, too.
 |
| Aunt Beth & Jaden |
 |
| Aunt Beth, Jaden, Ian |
Uncle Andy showed the boys how to use the fun pop-up organ he and Aunt Beth gave them for Christmas. Uncle Andy also gave them more walking practice.
 |
| Uncle Andy & Jaden |
 |
| Uncle Andy & Cody |
Aunt Chelsea was always there to hold the boys and seemed to know just how to make them smile!
 |
| Aunt Chelsea & Jaden |
 |
| Aunt Chelsea & Jaden |
 |
| Aunt Kim & Cody |
 |
| Aunt Kim & Jaden |
Of course, family gatherings always mean fun cousin times, too. Jaden and Ryan hit it off right away-- smiling, babbling (Jaden) and flapping arms (Ryan).
Ian was a patient teacher when it came to learning how to play with new toys. Here, Jaden closely observes his older cousin.
The twins loved it when Ian tickled them. They even tried to tickle right back!
The three littlest Schleichers enjoyed a lot of floor playtime together. All 3 were gifted these matching snowman pajamas by Grandma. Aren't they cute! Thanks for the gift, Grandma!
As you can tell by all the smiles in the pictures, our Christmas trip was starting out well. More fun to come...
No comments:
Post a Comment