Christmas morning 2010

We began our morning with a quick family picture (above)... so we could capture the moment before there was wrapping paper and candy wrappers everywhere. And then the kids in front of the tree:



Then we launched into the stockings, starting with the youngest. It was pretty hard for the boys to wait while Anndra discovered all her new little treasures... as you can see, Lincoln was eager to help:



Then it was Lincoln's turn - this time it was Parker who was eager to help:





Finally Parker got to open his stocking:





We didn't have stockings for the grown-ups so we used season-themed reusable grocery bags:



In true 1-year-old style, Anndra decided she'd rather play with the tiny boxes our little flashlights came in:



There were so many exciting things to do, look at, and play with that Lincoln just couldn't concentrate on anything else. For example, not being able to tear his eyes away from his new paint set long enough to look at the camera...



...and turning to open one of his presents just as he and Parker were about to high-5:



Anndra got several new dolls, and the cute thing is that she insists on being held while she holds her doll. She walks over to you, sets her doll down next to her so she can reach up to you with both hands, then when you've picked her up or pulled her onto your lap, she reaches down for the doll. I think of it like she wants to be in the middle of a parent-Anndra-doll sandwich:



The last gift was a fun surprise. Even though it was in plain view from all our back windows, the boys never noticed it. Anndra, however, who had been with us when we set it up, kept pointing out at the backyard and crying - hoping to convince someone to take her out to play. After a couple of hours of repeatedly pulling her away from the window and distracting her with something else, we couldn't wait any longer. We told the boys they had to go play outside (it was tough to persuade them!) and the looks on their faces when they saw the trampoline was priceless.



Later, while Anndra was sleeping (which is why her room is showing on the TV), Lincoln used his new legos to build a super-tall tower:



After her nap, Anndra used her new blanket from Grandy to keep her cozy on a walk around the neighborhood.



We ended our very wonderful day with a big dinner (thanks to: the Chinese restaurant down the street for being open, my thoughtful husband for encouraging me NOT to cook, and Debbie for paying for it - I'm so spoiled!).

I think what made it a perfect Christmas was the fact that we spent all month doing things to celebrate the birth of our Savior and rejoicing in this greatest of all gifts from God. And the love we feel for Jesus Christ and the joy we experience because of his life was reflected in this one day of total family togetherness - doing nothing else but showering each other with love and basking in one another's happiness.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Boys will be boys... or not

Yesterday I found Parker doing this:



...using his nerf gun - one of LAST year's Christmas presents - to shoot little foam bullets at the ornaments on THIS year's Christmas tree. What is it with males wanting to shoot stuff? Once there's a gun in their hands, they see targets everywhere they look.


Then this morning, I found Lincoln looking like this:



...which is how I discovered that my beloved 2-year-old has grown tall enough to reach things that are sitting on top of my dresser (a place that had previously been safe from his little hands). He handed me the tube of mascara with the explanation that he wanted to look "boo-full" (beautiful) like Mommy.

December is going by way too fast

It occurred to me this morning that if I don't blog about the cute/fun things the kids have been doing the past few weeks NOW, I won't ever do it because soon it will be time to blog about Christmas. I really don't know where the time goes!

P, L, and A have begun to hang out together more as a group. This is kind of a big deal to me because I have such fond memories of playing with my siblings and I'm excited to see my kids' relationships with each other grow.













Anndra has figured out how to scoot herself around the house on Lincoln's little truck and now it is her favorite thing. She especially likes to scoot around the driveway while her brothers ride up and down the sidewalk.



Parker's class had a "gingerbread" house building activity for their holiday party. It was great spending the afternoon with him and his classmates. They are a really fun bunch of kids.

a few extra November items

It is fun to document little things. For example, we moved Anndra's crib to the other side of the room because she figured out how to get up to her window (which looks out onto our front porch) and do this:



...and she was way too distracted - looking at everything outside - to go to sleep for her naps.

Another little report for Anndra. We were able to pull her thin wisps of hair into a tiny ponytail on top of her head. She still yanks it out after 2 minutes like she does with the barrettes, but it is fun to see that she actually has enough hair to do this.






Lincoln has been learning his opposites and he loves to be quizzed. But the funny thing is that he likes to say "just" before each answer.

Mom: What's the opposite of hot?
Lincoln: Just cold.
Mom: What's the opposite of tall?
Lincoln: Just short.
Mom: What's the opposite of slow?
Lincoln: Just fast.

The other funny thing is when he can't remember the actual opposite and simply says something that makes sense to him.

Mom: What's the opposite of wet?
Lincoln: Just... {pause while he thinks} ...umbrellas!
Mom: What's the opposite of sad?
Lincoln: Just... being kind.


Of course Parker continues to amaze me EVERY DAY with his insightful comments, emotional maturity, and delightful temperament. Unfortunately, at the moment, I can't remember any of the stories I was planning to post here. Maybe they will come to me and I can go back and edit this entry. ~Sigh~


Finally, I have a few pics from a canoeing adventure Todd had with some co-workers on the Santa Fe River:







As I look over these pictures, I realize that I'm slowly beginning to appreciate the beauty of Florida. It helps that I've officially survived my 3rd summer here. I guess it only took 2 years or so for my body to get used to the heat... BUT I don't think ANY amount of time would be enough for Todd's body to get used to it!

Veteran's Day in DC

We drove up to Virginia to spend a few days with family. 2 of my brothers and 1 of my sisters (and their families) currently reside near DC. It was our last chance to see Erika before she and her husband and baby move to Texas. It was also our first opportunity to see where Dan and his family live now that they've moved out from Colorado.

Our first day in town, all 4 families went to the National Zoo together. Cousins climbing on a giant anteater statue:



Just as almost everyone got down, Lincoln had finally managed to climb up by his brother:



The biggest hits were the lions, tigers, and gorillas:





It was interesting trying to coordinate so many people as we moved about the zoo. Here is the stroller group (5 little ones):



We also had 6 bigger kids (all pictured here except Noah who is with Parker in the next one):





Once again I have to apologize that Todd isn't in any of these pictures - because, of course, he took them!

We also had a very good time just hanging out with everyone the rest of the weekend... including a sleepover with my sister, a little painting and mah jong at Dan's, and a party with s'mores and games at Ben's. Thanks for being such great hosts, you guys! We had a blast!

I'll finish off with two 'hanging out' pictures:



I walked downstairs to tell the kids it was time to go to the zoo and found Parker & Emma like this. Believe it or not, when I told them the plan Parker said, "Awww, can't we stay here and read?" and Emma said, "Yeah!" Gotta love it.



3 of the moms with 3 little girls - having bananas - too bad Erika wasn't there with Adelyn. :)

Three Cheers for Grandparents

Hip, hip, hooray!



I wish I could record every single special moment that my parents and Todd's mom had with our kids during their visits for Parker's baptism... but there are just too many to list.



I am so thankful for their influence in our lives.



Every day we get to spend with them is a treasure.

Boys' outing with Gators

Todd and Grandpa took Parker and Lincoln to search for alligators on my parents' second to last day here. It doesn't look like Lincoln's very excited, does it? ;)







I think this little adventure really made their day!