Santa breakfast

I got this idea from a friend (thans Kelly) and loved it. Santa came to visit us the weekend after we got home from Napa and brought breakfast and hot chocolate and a letter just for Brooklyn! She was AMPED to say the least.

Christmas pageant

As I write this post I have the songs from this performance running through my head. Her school made a cd of all the recital songs to listen and practice to. So every time we got in the car we would crank our toons and jam! It was so precious to hear her little voices singing "we wish you a merry Christmas".

She at one point spotted me standing on a chair way in the back video taping and yelled out from stage "mom! hi mom! you're in the way far back!!" Sooo hilarious. All the kiddos were as cute as can be, what a gift to be able to see her up there.



Ben turns ONE!

Benny Boo, Boo Boo Bear, Benny Boy, Mansua (I have no idea where this one came from or how it came to stick), Mr Mr, Benwa (this one we generally say to the tune of the scene in Tangled where the evil mother says "it comes with revenge on Flyn Rider") ie "it comes with revenge on benwa". I know, I know we are bizarre.  I love that Brooklyn, Matt, Benny and I all get it though. If I say Benwa he not only turns and looks at me but Brooklyn would totally get it too. My favorite one as of late, is Buster. If you know the show "arrested development" then you will get this. Buster is a grown man who is totally clingy to his mom and it's hysterical in the show. Ben is so totally Buster these days.

But I digress...Benny boo, you are ONE! **Insert giant head shake**

How are you one?! I swear I was just being told to go home, pack up my things and head to the hospital for an induction. So I'll ask again, how are you ONE?!

What a year this has been. You have flipped this house upside down in the best sense of the phrase. You are a mama's boy through and through. You are also all boy. You are like a wrecking ball just bombing around. You love to wrestle with your sister, you have recently found a pension for biting (particularly your mom's shoulders) and you still find it hysterical to pull my hair out from the root. All that has not dissuaded my love for you one iota. In fact, I love you even more, in spite of your abuse :)

You have rounded out this family in the most incredible way. You keep us all on our toes and you fancy yourself quite a bit too.
You are walking 90% of the time. You have just mastered the sit to stand since you turned one, so this past month has been a big one for you. The first time you walked across the entire room you turned around started clapping and smiled from ear to ear. It is a moment I will never forget. What a joy it is to watch you learn to do the things you have admired your sister doing at warp speed since you were able to hold your head up.
You can now say dada and mama, although I'm not sure you truly know the meaning of the words yet. You love to have me pat my hand on your open mouth while you hum, you love to make farting sounds with your mouth while we are driving. You continue to love your bottle (thanks for nothing for the first 7 months of your life when you would ONLY breastfeed--turkey). You love any toy with music, you like to dance, your favorite play mate is still your one and only sister! Although you guys now fight quite a bit. I get the phrase "they fight like brother and sister". You totally do! You will do sneaky things like look at her while she's still waking up with her milk while holding her blanket in the morning and you will rip her blanket out of her hands. Then you get this sly smile like "haha, whatcha gonna do about it?"

You have 4 top teeth, and three on the bottom.

You pretend everything is a phone. You put a book to your ear the other day and said "eh!"

You love animals, dogs in particular. The neighbors have two that hang out on the sidewalk most days and you light up the same way your sister did whenever you see them. I'm not a fan of you trying to open mouth kiss them or when you rip gobs of their fur out in your little hands, but I love to watch your face and the joy animals bring you.

You have quite a few special lady friends. Actually, most of your friends are your sisters friends little sisters. We need to get some boys in the mix, because you are already a master flirter :)
Your one year stats were:
2 ft 6 in 70%
21lbs 5oz 25%
So you are nice and healthy, still longer than you are chunk.

I thank God every day for you. We all do. Happy birthday to my not so baby boy.

Falalalala

I have entered a "new" new stage with the kids here at home. My routine is...well, not much of one at all. That's okay. I love this job, but I realized when I looked at my "to do" list and writing Ben's one year birthday post STILL remained unchecked, I just don't have much time to do anything anymore. I'll get around to it one of these days, and it will remain on the ever-growing "to do" list, but I have more important things to do- color, play monster, patty cake, restaurant, hide and seek, and read. So much to do, so little time I tell ya.

This morning as I made breakfast I turned around to find Benny petting the Christmas tree in the buff. I always let him have a little naked time in the morning and evenings. Often times it backfires and I have a giant mess, but this morning it was worth it for this moment.

This Christmas season I am trying my very hardest to focus on what matters, Jesus birth. I long to incorporate a feeling of warmth and love in this little home of ours. I want the material things to fade into the background and the love we have for each other as a family, serving others and fellowship to be the focal point. I am definetly counting my blessings, even when I am running late somewhere (most of the time), tripping on toys and ornaments strewn across the floor, cleaning up spilled milk and changing a poopy diaper right after I got benny bundled up and in the car seat :) It's all a gift, one I can never re-pay God for. So totally unworthy.

Matt's last class is on Thursday, yes THIS Thursday...as in tomorrow, and then he'll have a month off and then we're officially half way done!! So excited to have him all to ourselves for an entire month.

It's official, we have a toddler!

Napa in pictures

We did it!! We survived our first long road trip with the kids. People have been asking me what prompted me to want to drive to Napa for Thanksgiving, it was a decision I made right after having Ben last year, while he was just a ball of squishy, sleepy baby. Oh, how much can change in a year! The trip was a whirlwind with a preschooler and toddler. The driving itself was an endurance test, but once we were "there" wherever there was along the way, everyone adapted very well given the circumstances.

The bummer was both kiddos got super sick with chest colds. Brooklyn caught whatever Ben had, and then Ben's cold came back with a vengeance. There was lot's of coughing, occasionally so hard they would puke, but no one seemed to mind too much while we were out and about having fun.

Matt and I did have the opportunity to sneak away for a beautiful drive and wine tasting on Friday afternoon (thanks mom, dad, ashley, claudia and bill). They say it takes a village...so true while away from home :)

B & B bathing in Paris (our "Inn" in Ashland)

Benny's actual birthday, dinner out- he was in the foulest mood ever, so no pics of him :(

We got to see our friends the Thurmonds on our way out of town on Wed in Ashland, B & Finn goofing around

Sweet Megan

Lot's of roadside pit stops :)

Heading to meet all the "cousins" at the Embassy Suites hotel as soon as we got there. B had a blast swimming with the older kids!!

Caitlyn, B and Allison

Me and my wonderful Aunt C (and the gracious hostess)

Benny adores his papa (at least when he can't see his mama)

The whole fam-damily!

Our joke the whole trip was it was like rooming with rock stars. Ben would just thrash every hotel room, throwing food, slamming the phones around the room, pouring his bottle out on the floor like champagne. Matt kept giving new descriptions and had me cracking up the whole time.

Ahhhh, this part was bliss

Are you kidding me, look at this kid?!

On our way home we stopped in Davis to have brunch with some very dear friends, the Dunn's. I have known them since I was 14. This is Kylie with B, I used to babysit Kylie when she was Ben's age!!

She totally dug the chickens

Brooklyn, Kylie, me, Benny, Erik

Quote-able kiddo

Brooklyn-ism's:

Everything is "when I was a little girl" ie today she said "this was my favorite Christmas song when I was a little girl"

She looked at me the other day while Matt and I were talking across the room and said "Mom, are you lying over there?", that one got quite a few laughs.

She had something that needed fixing so walked out of her room, handed to me and goes "You've got to be kidding me! It broke again!"

Ben and Brookyn were taking a bath and she was getting frustrated with something he was doing (or not doing) and she hollers out at him "Ben! this isn't working for me!!" Matt told me I say that one quite a bit :)

We were reading a Cinderella book the other night and the page that had Cinderella and Prince Charming riding horses and she said "mom, that's a flutterer horse" Me "what's a flutterer horse?" her "those are her flutterers!!" talking about the eyelashes on the horse.

She yells to Matt "Daddy, I've got a special present for you! Come see it big guy!"

She told Matt "can we watch star wars? Remember we watched it together when you were a little boy and I was a little girl".

Here are some pictures from her Thanksgiving feast at preschool. She was an Indian Princess.

 This was my favorite part. All the kiddos were asked what they are thankful for and Brooklyn's response was "God helping me". Then apple juice got spilled all over it :)