Christmas Part III

This is the last of it, but I had a couple cute photos of my boys first thing on Christmas morning that I had to share:

*And no, they did not sleep in our bed! :)

And boy am I glad Jon's brother, Adam, married Kayla this year, because she brought these to Christmas dinner!:

Man, she's making us other daughter-in-laws look bad! How does she have the time for that? Oh wait, she doesn't have any life-sucking, energy-zapping, curse-inducing, house-destroying little terrors children!! Kayla--so glad you don't want kids so you can keep bringing cupcakes to everything! :)

We interrupt this Christmas series to bring you...

SPRING! At least that's what Bennett thought when he looked out the window today. It was 59 degrees in Des Moines today and all the snow from Christmas weekend had melted. It was just so heart-breaking to have to tell him that no, winter is not over. We in fact have 3 more months of it. But if we could get a little reprieve like this every few weeks, I just might make it through!

Christmas Part II

(I guess Dawson didn't get the memo that IT'S CHRISTMAS!)

The four little monkeys:

Sorry for the delay. I was waiting on my little sis to email me some photos she took on her camera. Since probably most of you read my sister's blog, I won't go into much detail. But we started Christmas morning with Bennett opening his stocking at home and Jon giving me some Christmas presents (which I was totally surprised to get, making it even better!). Then we went over to my parents where we always eat a big Christmas breakfast (my favorite part of the day, of course). Bennett asked the day before if he could have a Christmas picnic. Why not? :)

After everyone Skyped with Seth, my dad read the Christmas story and we trie to stretch present opening out as long as possible with two 3 1/2 year olds involved.

Bethany and I were so excited for the grand finale--this sign we made from scratch (hammering and nailing done by my hubby) for my mom which we copied from here. It turned out better than we anticipated and we were quite proud of ourselves. *Now taking custom orders. Wink. ;)

I'll take a better picture of our handiwork when she gets it hung since this one just doesn't do it justice. ;) Kidding, kidding.

Then we rushed off for Chrismas, Part III with the Colyers again.

Christmas Part I

I'm laying in bed writing this, thankful to my hubby for letting me take it easy today. Last night around 11:30 (after sleeping for 2 hours already) the flu hit me and I spent the rest of the night throwing up. Not surprising considering I'm the 5th member of my family (both sides) to get it over the course of a week or so. I'm just so glad it held off until all the Christmas festivities were over and I still got to stuff my face with all the yummy food over the last couple of days. I'm really really crossing my fingers that my kiddos don't get it.

We started Christmas on the 24th with Jon's side and opened presents that afternoon with a couple of Jon's brothers who wouldn't be there on Christmas day.

Wearing their matching monster slippers from Uncle A&Aunt K. Smiles and open eyes?? That's way too much to ask for:

We went to the Christmas Eve service at my in-law's church that evening with my parents and Aaron and Bria. It was nice to be at church with a lot of our family.

Love this one of them singing. Especially since I know Bennett didn't know the song :)

We ended the night with delicious hors d'oeuvres at our house and a late night for the kiddos. More Christmas coming soon...

Please Pray

for this sweet family:

This may very well be the hardest weekend of Seth's whole deployment. I'm praying that that's not so. I'm praying that God will fill Bethany to overflowing with joy and peace. I pray that this weekend is more sweet than sad. I pray that this Christmas can be a day to count our blessings and focus on all the good in our lives. I pray specifically that they'll get to Skype with Seth on Christmas day.


Philippians 4:6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Get me outta here

My boys are as wild as they come. Climbing, jumping, tackling, destroying boys. I pretty much try not to ever spend any extended time in the house with them. I mean, would you keep chimpanzee's in your house?? Since they've been tiny babies, they've been so much happier out of the house. I just laugh every time we're at Jon's parents house and his grandma says, "Dawson is just the sweetest boy! I never hear him cry!" Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde would be an appropriate description of his mood at home, vs. when we're out. The constant screaming (he's never been much of a crier, always a yeller and screamer) is enough to make me cuss in my head. And yesterday it was so bad it was enough to make me cuss out loud. This has been a really tough few months with him. I blame it partially on teething but I know its just his makeup. He's been more intense than Bennett from the womb.

Two nights ago Jon had to work from 5 - 9 so I knew we needed somewhere to go. I called up Nana and Poppy and asked if we could come hang out and go look at Christmas lights after dinner. It was a lovely, relaxing, fun evening.

Dinner at Panera:

Poppy reading Bennett his favorite book, The Blue Bottom Monkey (I'm certain its his favorite because it says the words bottom and poop in it):

Yesterday we should have just dumped them both off at Nana and Poppy's again. I worked until 1 and came home to two completely grumpy boys. Jon went off hunting (I don't blame him) and Dawson pretty much screamed all afternoon. I decided we would go play in the basement where Dawson would be more entertained. Bennett was wining because I told him no more computer games. I told him to go up to his room or come in the basement. He was up by himself for about 5 minutes and then joined us downstairs. Little did I know in those 5 minutes he got revenge on me for not letting him play computer games. I guess if he couldn't use it, he didn't want me using it either. I came up to find this:

Here you can see his weapon of choice:

Thankfully the Lord's mercies are new every morning. I was determined that today would be a good day and prayed for an extra dose of patience today! So far so good...but I'll keep praying ;)

decorations schmecorations

Can I say I've decorated for Christmas in my house if I pulled out the Little People Nativity Set for the boys?? I feel a bit like a scrooge or a grinch when it comes to Christmas decorations. I didn't used to be that way. All of our pre-kid years, we had a gorgeous tree...all coordinating silver and white ornaments that I'd picked out one by one during after Christmas sales. I loved it. But it usually hung around until close to Valentine's Day. Its such a pain to put all that stuff away. (Very similar to the way my suitcases sit on my bedroom floor two months after we've returned from vacation)

Then we had boys. The Christmas Bennett was 18 months old, I thought, there's no way I want him ruining my gorgeous ornaments. I don't want to spend the month of December (and January...and February...) trying to keep him away from it. So I put up other decorations, like my nativity set that I love.

Well, that year Joseph tragically lost a hand and a sheep lost an ear. Last year when Bennett was 2 1/2, I remember telling him he was never to touch the nativity set. I'd come downstairs and all the animals would be lined up in a row watching the wise men playing ring around the rosy with the Holy family. "Bennett, were you playing with the nativity set again?" "No!" Hmmm...he hadn't quite figured out how to cover his tracks. It did make me feel guilty when we went to a storytime at the library around Christmas and the librarian asked all the kids if they had a Christmas tree up yet. Ummm, nope. I was nursing a 3 month old 6 times a day. Not gonna happen.

This year we're keeping it simple (or scroogey??). I thought Bennett was a tornado as a toddler. Dawson is like every natural disaster rolled into one. I don't think there would be enough super glue and patience to save the nativity set after he was through with it. The problem is there's just no keeping him from something he has his mind set to. You haven't seen him climb. (And yes, I totally believe in disciplining my 1 year old. I'm pretty sure a spank on the hand just adds fuel to his fire.)

So another year with no tree and I really don't feel too bad about it. We spend so much time at our parents houses (who have tons of gorgeous decorations for me to try to keep my human wrecking ball away from) so Bennett's not completely deprived. Hopefully he doesn't experience ridicule at preschool for being the only kid without a tree.

Plus, you'll all be jealous of me in January (or February if you're like me...) when you have to put all that stuff away!

boring baby update ; )

Since I know you're all dying to know, thought I'd let you know that Dawson finally took his first steps yesterday! He took two steps to me while I was getting adjusted at our chiropractor. He was standing in one spot for so long just staring at me and Dr. Hassel. He looked hilarious. I said, "He's stuck there. he won't go anywhere". And then he shocked me by walking right towards me! Then he took about 3 steps when we were in the waiting room later. Exciting moment for a parent. Boring blog for my readers. :)

Photo Update

Just a few recent photos of my growing boys. Dawson's 14 1/2 mos. old now. Still not walking but he can climb up onto the dining room table among other things. He's one intense little boy. He's usually growling or yelling when we're at home. He can say several words now: uh-oh, more, ball, pappy (paci), bye-bye and says, "woof woof!" whenever he sees a dog.

He and Quinn reading books to each other:

Bennett's as wild as ever but still sweet and sensitive. We spend a few hours at the library every week (one of my favorite places to take him) and he's still loving preschool. He's really into making up words for everything right now and is really good at pestering playing with his brother. His current favorite game is to lock himself and brother in the front hall closet. Today when I opened the door, Bennett had climbed up to the top of the vaccuum (don't ask me).

I found Bennett and Piper laying at the bottom of the basement stairs the other day yelling out shapes they were seeing in the "clouds". It was so cute.

Nana, Bennett, Caleb and Kietlyn working on their turkey craft on Turkey Day:

The finished project with all the thankful feathers (Bennett's first item of thanks was for Piper :)

We had a great Thanksgiving. An amazing brunch that morning at my mom and dad's (breakfast meals are always my favorite since bacon is usually involved. There was plenty. I was in hog heaven--pun intended.) And then we all had dinner together at the Colyer's. The dynamic duo (my two moms) cooked a drool-worthy meal and we've been eating leftovers since. We also got to go to Kansas City on Friday and Saturday to hang out with some extended Colyer fam. It was fun (my highlight was eating all of their leftovers) and all the women got some shopping in sans kids (thanks to my hubby's sacrifice). Bennett got to swim at our hotel and sleep in a bed with Poppy! It was a nice little getaway.

Not sure if the video uploader is working, but here's a funny one of the boys dancing. Dawson loves dancing to music. Wish there was more of him on here:

Grateful

The Top 10 Reasons I Love my Husband:

1. He's my best friend. I never get sick of being around him. Is there anyone else I could live with for 8 years without wanting to pull my hair out every once in a while?? I think not. (Really...he never makes me want to pull my hair out :)


2. He's funny. We laugh together constantly. He practices silly faces in the mirror--I used to think it was a little goofy but those face contortions are quite a handy tool to use on a grumpy 3 year old. (Although, they work just as well on his mom. Okay, okay, they work on me too.)


3. He cleans! (Ladies...you may not want to read this one, or you may end up in a jealous rage.) He does all of our laundry, most of the dishes and picks up around the house way more than I do. We'd live in a dump if it weren't for him.


4. The family that came with him. I love my in-laws as much as my own parents. Its so wonderful living close by because they're a huge help with the kiddos. I can't imagine raising kids without Nana and Poppy! It's so awesome to feel completely comfortable over there even when Jon's not with me.


5. He's such a great daddy. I love seeing him and Bennett wrestle together and now Dawson's getting in on the action. Its just hilarious. On Bennett's little Thanksgiving artwork at preschool he had to fill in the blank: "I'm thankful for..." and he said, "my Daddy".


6. We're a great team. I'm pretty sure the wife is supposed to be the "helpmate" but I feel like he's my "helpmate". I love how we tag-team putting the boys to bed at night. And whenever Dawson's screaming when I change his diaper (yes, he's 14 months and still fights with all his might when I change him), Jon runs in to help me hold him down so the poop doesn't go flying.


7. His character. I don't know any other man with so many talents (and good looks ;) but still is so humble. He's a servant through and through. He'll do anything for anybody. I love when we pass a stalled car, and he jumps out to help the stranger and how my sister can rely on him for anything while her husband's deployed.


8. He pushes me to be a better person. He loves me for who I am, tons of faults and all. He thinks I'm the most beautiful girl in the world and he helps me to love myself more. I'm braver, bolder and more confident by his side. I would crumble to pieces without him.


9. He's so wise with money. He works so hard for our family to earn his potential but he's not money hungry. He's quick to save and quick to give. He's taught me to be more frugal and content with what we have and I feel so confident with our future in his hands.


10. He's so stinkin handy! That man can do anything he puts his mind to and he never ceases to amaze me. Not to mention, when he sets his mind to something, he gets it done so quickly. There's no stopping him. He's built so many things for our house (uh, hello, our entire basement, including a two level fort for the kids I dreamed up in my head!) and he's saved us thousands of dollars on car repairs by just researching and figuring out how to do it himself. He is the ultimate DIY-er and should probably have his own HGTV show.


11. He's hot! Woops....that's 11. I won't get carried away...although I certainly could.

I love you, baby. Thank you for loving me and giving me so much to be thankful for. I look forward to the rest of our lives together...especially when we're 50 and can move to Aruba :)

Needs work....

So Bennett's very first school photos didn't quite showcase his adorable-ness. I had to take a picture of his proofs to post because they were just hilarious. (I know, I know, this is probably illegal but I've never been much of a rule follower)

Take 1, not too bad:

Take 2, funnier:

Take 3, constipated??:

Vacation Part II

Sorry for the lag in posts...

Most of you have probably seen these on facebook already, but just in case:

Thanks to my uncle, an employee of Disney, we got to do two days of Disney free and he also gave us 1/2 price tickets to Sea World. That was a huge blessing. to say the least!

Disney, Day 1: Magic Kingdom. Bennett was so tired that day, every picture we have of him, he's half asleep.

Exhibit A (you might need to click on these pictures to see the close-up to get the full effect):

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

Until finally in the afternoon he took a long nap on the People Mover in Tomorrowland:

Sword in the Stone:

Day 2, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

On the Safari:

Bennett was tall enough to ride the Tower of Terror. I'm sure some moms are ready to call Child Protective Services on me for that one but I know how brave my son is and I knew he could handle it! He loved it, by the way, but when we asked him if he wanted to ride it again, he said, "No way!"

My cute little Paleontologists:

Sea World:

And our last day of vacation--back to Cocoa Beach. It was way too much fun to just go one day. The boys were even braver the second time around.

I highly recommend a Florida trip in October. The weather was perfect and I think the longest line we waited in at Disney was about 20 minutes. Most of them we just walked right on. It was a great introduction for Bennett! Hopefully my unce works there for a looong time :)

hello.....anybody there??

I'm sure that's what some of you are asking my blog these days.

My blog may be suffering but my marriage is not. Sometimes life comes to a halt and the priorities in life re-emerge as priorities.

I'll be back soon....

The Beach Boys

Is there anything better than an afternoon at the beach? Not in my book. We went to Cocoa Beach today- about an hour drive from our hotel. Well worth it. After we got there and had lunch at Denny's (I know- blech. But we had a VERY unhappy baby again and were desperate! Actually wasn't too bad.) we spent about two hours playing in the sand and surf. It was perfect weather and there were big waves today so it was really fun. Bennett loved it. I couldn't get over how brave he was, walking right into waves that were literally knocking him over under the water and he'd come up laughing and keep going! This really shouldn't surprise me...it was just amazing to watch him out there, trying to keep up with his daddy. Dawson was happy too crawling around in the sand, although he couldn't resist grabbing handfuls of the wet sand and sticking it into his mouth. We thought after about the tenth time getting a mouthful of grit, he'd get the idea, but nope. I guess it looked like chocolate pudding or something to him and he couldn't resist it.

These two pictures crack me up. I love how in the first one, Jon just told him to point at the camera and they took the same stance and facial expression. So cute :)

Tomorrow: DISNEY!!! :)