Kudos to you blogging moms...

Okay, I admit it.

I have failed as a frequent blogger.  Once I got back into the work force, the blog fell off my radar.  I kept on meaning to post, as so much has gone on in the past two months, but time is so limited and on the weekends so valuable that I just haven't had the chance!

I now am looking at my little person actively resisting a nap, bobbing up and down in his Momma Roo and batting at the things above his head.  I figured now is as good a time as any to try and catch y'all up on what's been going on in our lives!

First and foremost, we are six months old, y'all!

And of course I have to include his five month shot, since I'm a horrible blogging mom and missed that one.  (I couldn't find his bow-tie for this one so we did a Santa hat instead)

So where shall I begin?  I guess the last update was right when he started school and I was going back to work.  We'll start with school for Axel. 

He loves school!  And he loves his teachers.  He greats them with a big ol' Kool Aid smile when he sees them, which is always reassuring when you are running out the door.  There are eight kids in his group and 2 full time teachers along with a "floater" who comes in on and off during the day.  He's had Miss Christie and Miss Esmerelda... he especially loves Miss Esmerelda, and I believe she has the same adoration for him, based on the interactions I've seen so far. Miss Christie is actually moving to a toddler room tomorrow, so now we have Miss Amanda.  But so far we like her, too.  The school was amazing about helping him with his torticollis, they worked with him to ensure he was always looking to his left and would do what they could to help him build more neck strength.  He and I went for his follow up appointment with the doctor and I was elated to have her give me a high five based on his progress. :)

I started back to work on November 11th, with a week in Mountain View at the "Googleplex".  It was a great few days of strategy sessions and I had the chance to meet all of my global counterparts.  It was a fantastic way to re-join the company, as it gave me the chance to sit down and really get the chance to understand what things had been done over the course of the year, what the strategy was for different teams, and it gave me a voice re: what things to do in 2014.  The team was incredibly engaging and welcome and I didn't feel like the new kid for even one second.  It was very validating to me that I made the right choice in making the move.  I went back to the office on the 18th and my team seemed pretty happy to see me!  The team has grown so much. When I started there were, oh, 7 people that reported to me.  Upon my return, there are now thirty.  Luckily, I kept checking in and visiting so it wasn't too much of a shock - but still a big change from day one!    The team is young and has a variety of backgrounds... from people who have started non-profit organizations to recent college grads.    

Thanksgiving came around and we had the great fortune of having Brittany come down with her boyfriend for the holiday.  Unfortunately Axel was a little under the weather so he wasn't quite as sunshine and roses as he tends to be... but Brit and Hunter were such big helps and so good to him.  I actually told Hunter that if he ever wanted a "manny" job, it's his. ;)    I wish I had taken more pictures, but here are a few. 

We went out to Natalia, where my mom and stepdad live, for the Thanksgiving holiday and had a stellar meal, if I do say so myself.   We got there on Wednesday evening and stayed through Friday morning.  Ben bought a crossbow for the occasion.  If there was a zombie invasion, we'd be safe.  He and Hunter gleefully shot targets on Thanksgiving day while the turkey baked.  I shot the crossbow and I broke it.  (the boys did figure out a way for it to keep working)   Brit and Hunter stayed through Sunday night and I can honestly say it was one of my favorite trips.  Just fun having the whole family together and it makes me so sad that Axel doesn't get to see her more often because she really is a spectacular big sister and he's lucky to have her.   Hopefully we'll get her back here soon!  

We also had the chance to catch up with my cousin and her husband, which was fun since she hadn't seen the Axman since August and Bryan, being deployed when Axel joined this world, hadn't had the chance to meet him yet at all. 

December came, and of course was a super busy month for everyone!  My sister turned 39 for her second time and had a lovely party to celebrate the chicken coop that has been added to her backyard.    The boys especially enjoyed celebrating. (Coming Spring 2014... chickens!)  

Ben and I had a nice night out at the Google Christmas party, thanks to Ben's mom who came over to watch him for the night. :) 

The next day we FINALLY went and got a Christmas tree.  The first live tree we've had in a few years, and I must say Axel did a fabulous job at picking a good one! 

The next week was packed full of on-line shopping (who has time for retail stores anymore??) and tying up loose ends as we were going to El Paso for the weekend to surprise my cousin for her Nursing School graduation. :)   Axel was SO GOOD on the plane.  He didn't utter a peep on either flight and someone actually stopped me and told me he was the best behaved baby he'd ever seen.  SCORE. 

We stayed with Leslee, my oldest friend in the entire world, and her family and had a great time learning about Elf on the Shelf and ways that Santa can communicate via email.   

We showed up at Laura's house and everyone there knew we were coming but Laura.  We placed Axel on the doorstep and rang the doorbell... evidently when she opened the door, she said "It's a baby!?!?!" and then quickly realized what baby she was looking at.  

It was awesome. 

We also got to see my friends Jessica and Mike - they fixed us an amazing breakfast in their beautiful home and we had some good laughs.  

Following week... last week at work for 2013!    Then, it came... Christmas and a sick baby.  Awesome.  Axel was diagnosed with RSV, a lower respiratory infection, which unfortunately sticks around for a while and isn't fun to deal with.  Nebulizer (the doctor said once he figures out how much better he feels with it, he won't mind it.  The doctor lied), oh, two ear infections so antibiotics (which made him throw up his bottle every time... I did so much laundry) and tylenol.   Needless to say he was NOT a happy baby.   That being said, he seemed to enjoy Christmas morning - my aunt/uncle/cousin sent him a few things that he just loved on the entire morning.  Now, once he started feeling better, he was a completely different child and we had such a wonderful rest of the break.  We went to the Aquarium that just opened in Austin - not the best Aquarium, but Axel really enjoyed it, which is all that counts. 

We had a fun New Year's Eve, again Ben's mom was kind enough to come and babysit so that we could have a night out.  Our friends, Nate and Sally had a "White Party" that we enjoyed. 

Overall, I can't imagine how 2014 can beat 2013.  It was a year of new and amazing adventures, full of family and friends and the best little Santa anyone could ever ask for.  

I guess one of my resolutions will be to try and be better about keeping up on this blog so that it's not a small novel each and every time I update it!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!