Brooklynn expected nothing less than cake and ice cream to celebrate Jesus' birthday



A sign of a good Christmas morning...

We had an awesome Christmas, and here’s the proof (after some picking up was done and before the Grandparents' gifts were piled in):

Hope your living room was trashed and full of excitement as well. Merry Christmas!

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

We have a large stack of Christmas books that we are reading every night and now we have a couple of Christmas DVD to watch too, we have baked Christmas goodies and ate all kinds of them...they are almost all gone already.

This will be our first year of being home on Christmas eve AND Christmas morning. Todd and I are really looking forward to our new family Christmas traditions. Also, it will be our first year of getting to go to the Christmas eve service at our church. We have never been but I have heard from a couple of people in TC that even though they don't go to our church its a Christmas tradition for there families to go to Bay Pointe for the Christmas eve service because it rocks!  God is REAL, God is HOLY, God is GOOD, and GOD IS WITH US.

My Mom's Life Group is going Christmas Caroling tomorrow but believe it or not my voice is even worse with my cold. Plus I don't like to share my germs with my friends,only strangers at the dollar store :)

Christmas Tree

Brooklynn enjoyed decorating the Christmas tree this year. She does not exactly understanding spacing the ornments as one branch had about 5 ornments on it before it bent. She did get a little tired out with the whole thing so we did it over two nights. Here are a few pictures of the fun.

Craft Project on the spot

Last night while finger painting Brooklynn asked me to help her do a "craft project". She asks to color and finger paint all the time but has never asked to do a "craft project" so I had to figure something out and QUICK.... I found an old 24 month onesie that was all white that I had cut the bottom off and used stitch witchery on to hem the bottom months ago but never put on her because it was really to short but kept it. We used finger paint to make a Christmas tree on the shirt with her hand prints. I think if I would of had a longer shirt - like a 3T it would have turned out a little better... I had to overlap the hand prints to make it fit onto the shirt. The t-shirt basically fits so I let her wear it to a cookie decorating and exchange party today. Because it was just a t-shirt I used some leg warms I made her as arm warmers/sleeves. She loved it and that's what matters. Here she is watching Sid The Science Kid just before we left.

Cute right?!?!?!

The cookie decorating party was fun although there was 10x more eating going on then decorating :)

Our Big Helper

Brooklynn is learning to clean up after herself a little more. She has been setting the table and clearing her plate for some time now but now she has been working on putting away all her toys at night and putting away her own laundry (expect the clothes that hang in her closet). This afternoon, she came running out yelling "Mommy I clean me bedroom".  I was pretty excited that she cleaned her room without being asked...

We do need to work on putting things where they belong...ie books on bookshelf, not in toy chest.

Brooklynn's superb cleaning skills.

Snow Drift

Here are two pictures of Todd outside this MORNING standing by a snowdrift in our front yard. It's a LOT bigger now. Over his head for sure. Maybe he will go back out for another photo!

Mommy Brookie Time

Happy 32nd Birthday Todd

...the party

  

  

 story time

potty break

the cake Brooklynn made and decorated

and what's a party without some dancing

Here are 32 things I love about Todd:

#1. He involves me in his life, but shields me when it’s too much.
#2. He's sooooo handsome.
#3. He's a man.
#4. He's the man.
#5. He's my man.
#6. He cooks for me all the time.(and he is a great cook).
#7. He hates being late... we always are anyway, but he hates it.
#8. He has no desire to grow facial hair.
#9. He keeps the kids very entertained.
#10. He loves college football but does not have to watch it all day on Saturday.
#11. He puts the kids to bed most nights for me.
#12. He adores my family.
#13. He adores me.
#14. He's the best dad.
#15. He opens jars when the lids are on too tight. (He's also the one who screws them on too tight in the first place).
#16. He gives me down time.
#17. I love his commitment to our kids.
#18. He does all the snow removal because I don’t like the cold.
#19. He loves to help others.
#20. He's a hard worker.
#21. He'll eat anything... and compliment me on it too (or at least express how happy he is I actually cooked a meal). .
#22. He likes Dora the Explorer and Little Einstines.
#23. He knows how to swaddle both Emmett and Brooklynn’s babies.
#24. His faith.

#25. He supports my dreams.
#26. He's a loyal friend.
#27. He's my best friend.
#28. He helps me raise our children…he’s truly a partner.

#29.  He is my gas fairy… I was surprised to know a tank of gas was not lasting me a month.

#30. I love how distinguished he looks with his graying hair (plus so happy he has gray hair before me).

#31. He’s handy with things around the house.

#32. He doesn’t need the latest and greatest of everything to stay happy–is committed to trying to keep things as simple as possible so we can just enjoy family.

There is more Todd, but you're only 32. I'll save the next list until you're 50. You'll be so impressed then. Love you!

Playing in first snow for this season

It really was a hard summer for our family with a new baby and Todd's being sick...

We did not get out much to play then

so she is making up for it now that our family is out of survival mode :)

I don't have candy in my mouth...

First Bath Together

First bath together

Ahh he loves his big sister

and we're done...

two crying kids.

Brooklynn wanted bubbles (we never give her bubble baths) and Emmett just wanted out

More Monkey See, Monkey Do Photo's

Carrying her baby in the Moby

Walking in Mommy's boots

Crossing her legs and that look too

December says hello...

Oh the joy of waking up on the fist day of December to snow.... and its sticking.


"It's snowing Mommy!!"