Where have we been?

Remember the the Schwangstons? I hope that you haven't given up on us in the nearly 3 weeks since we've been on a blog-vacation. We've thought about writing, but unfortunately that is as far as we've gotten.

Here's a few things that have gone down during the hiatus:

-We took some updated family pics (above). Both of the boys were pretty cooperative, but lil' brother Owen definitely stole the show. His default disposition is still super happy, and it worked well in the photos. Carter was a little more interested in the trains, rocks, dirt, sticks, and anything but standing still for more than one or two pictures at a time, but managed to focus for a few good pics. I'm hoping one of these pics will make it on a Schwangston Christmas card, but that is another work in progress.

It is beginning to feel a lot like Christmas: So the holidays are in full gear. We've definitely stepped up a notch with a 3-year-old learning about all the Christmas excitement.

Tree: Last year we hit about 6 different tree retailers before finding a decent tree. This year we managed to "trim" that down to two. Hopefully next year we can make it a one stop shop, but at least we're trending in the right direction. Carter offered much more "help" this year. His enthusiasm for the tree, lights, ornaments was pretty awesome. I started the betting line at 2 broken ornaments of which we're still under (only 1! Can you believe that?) - truly an upset.

Parade: Everyone loves a parade, right? Well Carter does, and despite some chilly Texas weather Owen tolerated it okay as well. The Arlington parade has definitely sold out, b/c every float was some advertisement for something, a few managed to incorporate Christmas, some not so much. The favorites again were the mini-motorcycling Elvis impersonators. I'm not sure how a dozen guys decide to ride mini-bikes and dress up like the king or how we have 12 of them here in Arlington. I guess that is what makes America great. We survived some cold wind, and the parade was definitely a success.

Christmas Program: We're not sure where this came from, but it seems C is becoming quite the performer. We attended his preschool Christmas program last week, during which C definitely made his mark. His strength right now are his dance moves which I have to get on video soon. The key moment was at the end of the show when the kids were going on stage to get in line for Santa. Carter skipped Santa ran to center stage and went straight for the mic. Thankfully it was off, and he didn't shame the family so we don't have to change schools. He sings like his mother so I'm not sure how far his love of the spotlight will take him, but the enthusiasm is sure there. 

Santa: We haven't taken C to see Santa yet, but there is still time. I did spot him in the Philly airport last week and tried to put a good word in for the boys.
-Owen updates: 

Owen is ticking off a few firsts and knocking on the door of some others. He is eating solid foods and is a pretty good eater, liking most of what is offered (discovered his dislike of bananas this morning). So far his favorite is definitely peaches, and least interested in the rice cereal. We're anxiously awaiting some teeth, but it seems O isn't in quite as big of a hurry as his big brother was so we're trying to be patient. 

He is nearly crawling, and it looks like that will happen in days. So far he can raise up on all fours, and even raise one leg straight out which has got to be some crazy yoga maneuver, but it isn't crawling. This frustrates him like nothing else- so hopefully we'll be blogging about that soon. He can sit up like a pro, and is now joining his big brother for bath time which seems to be tons of fun for both boys.

The kid isn't sleeping through the night yet and this is probably the biggest reason we haven't been blogging. We've been stumbling through the past few weeks as sleep deprivation has taken over. His best efforts are waking up once between the hours of 9pm-5am, but can still break you down with a 2 or 3x per night. I'm hoping that some teeth, and crawling will settle this kid down, but if you have any ideas please don't be shy. Carter was settling down at this point, and that is making us even more anxious to get this sorted out.

Sorry for the delay, and thanks for reading...