Christmas, Chirstmas time is...

over. So sad. I love Christmas. It is such a great time of year. This year, I think I was more anxious than the kids. Christmas Eve I was up at 6am. I could not go back to sleep. I was excited to spend time with family and give the kids their gifts. We had a wonderful holiday!

Christmas Eve we went to my Dad's house. This has been the tradition for years. We always have a great dinner, exchange gifts and go to church. It proved to be a long day this year, but was worth it! Pictured below you will see the gang at my Dad's . (Notice Carys sporting her new Snow White dress. She cried when we left because I made her take it off and would not let her wear it to church. My Grandma thought I was a horrible mom at that point.)

After a wonderful time of worship with our church family we headed back home. One of my favorite things to give the kids is there pajamas on Christmas Eve and their annual ornament. Rob's parents started a tradition when Rob was born that each year they would get an ornament to represent the year. We still have Rob's first ornament his dad gave him when he was only a few weeks old. A car. It hangs high on our tree and each year Rob tells us that his Daddy bought it for him so many years ago. We have passed this tradition down to our kids. This year we gave Broderick an airplane, since it was his first time flying. Carys got ballet shoes, since she started ballet this year. It is a wonderful way to look back over the years while decorating the tree.

I absolutely love the picture below. Rob's face says it all. The picture really wants to make me cry. Broderick did a Santa shop at his school this year. He picked out a gift for each one of us on his own, without us knowing what it was. This picture is right after Carys opened hers, a necklace, bracelet and earrings. He said, "I knew you would love it!" And then gave her a big hug. It truly was great! He got me an ornament that I can put his picture in and Rob a Frisbee. It was so special!

Sometimes the simplest gifts are the favorites. Broderick had been talking about this Bop Buddy for weeks. He was so excited that he got it. I loved it!

And Carys' favorite was the pink cowgirl boots and hat. I swear she has not taken them off. She walks around with them on all day. They really are super cute! My mom and step dad bought them for her in Texas. I have a feeling these will be a staple item in her wardrobe. Too cute!

Uncle Justin has been trying to win this girls heart for 3 1/2 years. Ever since she was a baby she would cry when he held her. She won't give him a hug, and looks at him funny when he talks to her. He finally found a way to her heart. Pretty, Pretty Princess is the answer. He played with her on Christmas day, and won might I add. She is his best bud now! Go Uncle Justin!!!

Remember me mentioning the simplest gifts before? Christmas is about one of the gifts that was not so simple at all. When I think about a young man and woman traveling many miles to a stable to deliver a baby, and an evil King killing hundreds of baby boys, the word simple is the last thing that comes to mind. Unbearable, uncomfortable, unpleasant, miserable, heart-breaking. Those are words that come to mind. Then I think about all that Jesus has done for me and I think... amazing, loving, compassionate, forgiving, sacrificial, gracious. Again things that aren't simple. God is an amazing God that loved us so much he came to Earth as a human; humble and homeless. Mary and Joseph were 2 people that loved God so much they would do whatever he asked. Travel many miles away from their families, leave with a one day old baby to go to Egypt, and watch their son die on a cross. More than anything this Christmas I found myself asking myself, "What do I give him?" After all, it is His birthday.
The time with family was great. The presents were wonderful. The food was awesome. But there is one far better than any of these. His name is JESUS!
Happy Birthday Jesus!

Birthday extravaganza and a little bit of flying

It all started with a great party at a local pizza place. We get pizza here just about every Sunday night and when I found out they did parties, my mind was made up. The kids got to go into the kitchen and make there own pizzas. Which were huge by the way! The workers were great and so nice to the kids. We of course had cake and did presents at the pizza place as well.

Tuesday, Broderick's actual birthday he took donuts to school for the 3rd year in a row. The Calcrew brought the kids happy meals for lunch and he had an afternoon of fun. That night we were planning on going to house church. However, that got canceled because the place we have it, their daughter was sick. I instantly went into panic. I had no dinner and no cake. Great mom, right!? So I asked Broderick what he wanted for dinner, pizza of course. That was the easy part. Cake on the other hand, not so easy. He wanted a Spider-man cake. Where can you get a spider-man cake on demand. Thank goodness for Sam's Club! They actually had the above cake already made. Not such a bad mom after all.

The extravaganza ended today with a surprise of flying. That is right, Rob and Broderick went flying! Rob works with a pilot and he picked them up at the airport and took them flying. I hate, let me say that again, HATE flying so you can only imagine my nervousness about sending this precious cargo up in a 4 seater plane. I had been praying all week for the safety of them. God answers prayers. The pilot said, "the weather couldn't have been better. It is smooth as glass up there." I thought Broderick would be scared too, but he was not at all. I was so proud of him. After Broderick and the pilot looked the plane over to make sure everything was okay, they took off. Carys and I stood on the runway and watched them go.

You can't tell by the above picture, but Broderick flew the plane a little too! He sat in the co-pilot seat the whole time and got to help. They even flew over our house. Broderick had a blast! (Rob did too by the way!)

And there is our house. The brick and white one! Pretty cool! I would say Broderick had a pretty fun birthday!

6 years old!!!!

This handsome boy you see before you is 6 today. That is right 6! It seems weird to say. To see what this little guy is growing into is something truly amazing. There are so many things I love about him. Here are just a few:
- You are VERY smart!
(To see how much you are learning and maturing in Kindergarten is great!
-You care about your sister and do really love her.
(Even though you tease her and pick on her!)
- Your laugh is infectious.
(I always say, no one gets you laughing like Daddy and Kyler!)
- Every morning when you get up,
you come find me in the living room and curl up in a little ball on my lap.
(These are the things I will miss most as you continue to grow.)
- You make sure someone prays with you each night before bed.
(I love that you have a desire to talk to and know the Lord. Praying that it becomes a life long commitment in your life.)
- You have more energy then any one child I have ever met!
(While I love this about you, it can make me a little crazy too!)
- You eat ketchup on EVERYTHING!
(Okay, so I may not love that about you, but I do think it is funny and cute!)
- YOU ARE MY SON!
(Like Daddy always says, "In a room full of boys, I would pick you every time!)

I pray that this year will be a wonderful year for you little buddy!

Okay, so now that I am about to cry, let's lighten the mood!

(We had a wonderful party for Broderick last night, but due to some computer issues, I can't post any of those pictures. I will do so as soon as I can.)

A Fun Festive Day

Days like today, are the days I LOVE being a stay at home mom. It was crazy, but fun and I was so glad I could participate in all the fun things the kids did at their school. It started off like a normal day, take Broderick to school then Carys. After I dropped off Carys I went back to Broderick's school for a little Thanksgiving fun. His class and another Kindergarten class got to make applesauce yesterday and pop popcorn today. I have never seen 40 kids get so excited about watching popcorn pop. It was so funny! (Above: kids watching the popcorn. Below: Broderick and his teacher in the background.)

I was only at Broderick's school for about 30 minutes and then I went back to Carys' school for her Thanksgiving Feast. Nothing like eating a whole bunch of food at 10am. They sang songs, did a craft, and ate of course. After being at her school for about 1 hour I went back to Broderick's school to pick him up.

When I picked Broderick up he was very upset. You see, usually on Tuesday and Thursdays I bring him Timbits, but today I didn't since he had a big snack at school. I told him there was a surprise at Carys' school for him. His teacher from last year was there. He got so excited. When he saw her he gave her a big hug and just kept smiling. It was soooo sweet!
Like I said, a crazy day...but so much fun!

Trick or Treat Fun!

My little ninja, Storm Shadow, and lady bug had a blast trick or treating. Broderick had been running a fever Friday afternoon and Saturday, but being a good mom...I let him do anyway. Terrible I know, but when you are almost 6 you can't miss trick or treating. And Carys, she would have been devastated if her big brother didn't come along. We tried to not push him and let him go at his own pace. Needless to say, they took about a 30 minute break and then were back at it. We usually have friends over and do a fire in the driveway, but so many kids were sick it was just us. It really ended up being a very fun night.

Thursday was Carys' Halloween party. It was so fun! Little 3 year olds are so sweet! We decorated pumpkins, had a parade of costumes, ate snacks and played games. It was so fun to see her with her friends.

Friday was Broderick's Halloween party. It was also fun to see him at school. I always wonder what he is like at school. He was so well behaved and kind to his friends. He had a great time and it was nice to meet some other moms and see him interact with the other kids. They really do grow up way to fast. Above: every Friday Broderick's neighborhood (2 first grade classes and 2 kindergarten classes) Do a sing a long. Since I was there early to help decorate for the party, I got to peek in on them. Broderick loves to sing, but is very shy about it when he knows I am watching. He is actually very good. Below: He was Superman at school because he couldn't wear his mask and didn't think people would know who he was in his other costume. (He did change his mind trick or treat night about minutes before it was time to go. He was originally going to be Snake Eyes and then decided to go as Storm Shadow. He is a funny kid.)

Fun Day with my Hubby

My mom and step dad watched the kids all day Saturday and Saturday night so Rob and I could go to the amusement park and ride the "big kid" rides. It had probably been 9 years since Rob and I had done this by ourselves. We had a GREAT day! It was cold, but perfect because we didn't have to wait in long lines. There were like 4 rides that I hadn't rode yet. Including the one pictured below. It was CRAZY!!! Rob and I both screamed like little girls!

In fact, Rob was so scared this is what he looked like when we got off!!! It didn't take long for him to recover and hop on the next roller coaster.

This one, below, was also a new one for me. Rob had rode it before. He kept telling, "me you will really like it!" You sit down, strap in, then the ride lays you back. You go up the hill and then it flips you over so you are hanging from the track. Super scary! Needless to say, I was about in tears! I hated it! Never again...never again!

Then after our fun day we headed home to change for a night out. We went to a great Thai place we had never been too, did some shopping and saw a movie. Thanks to my mom and step dad we had a wonderful day!

Girls Weekend

If it looks like we got arrested, we didn't!! My sister, mom and I plan a once a year shopping trip. We typically go to a great outdoor mall not to far from home. This year we decided to change it up a bit and go farther from home. Indianapolis was the destination. We left Friday around 1. When we into town we headed straight for a mall. After all, that was the whole intention of the trip, shop! We were in the mall for a little while and came out while it was still light outside. When we went to put our bags in the back of my sisters SUV my mom said, "Kelly, where is your luggage?" Then after a pause, "Amy, where is your luggage?" My sister walked to the side of her car to discover her window had been busted out and her car broken into. Yeah, it was a great start to the weekend. After dealing with the 90 year old security guard, (Mall Cop!) and the police officer that we inconvietely woke up out of his beauty sleep. We arrived at our hotel with a garbage bag over the busted window, one bag of clothing - moms, and one bag of make-up - mine. No flat iron, no snack - yeah, they even took our snacks! (Pipe down mom, I know you were upset about this, but it is okay...Kelly don't forget to the insurance about the wine! Hehe!) We tried to clean up and go out to a decent dinner. At dinner our waiter was nice, but weird. My sister kept saying she felt like we were in the Twilight Zone. That is what it was like. After dinner we went back to the hotel all feeling kind of down, but determined not to let the thieves ruin our girls weekend. We tried to sleep that night but really had little luck. The next morning was interesting...trying to get ready with one bag of clothes and my makeup. Thankfully my mom is fashionable and my sister is a hair dresser. We managed...barely. Kelly talked to the conceierge at the hotel and he was great! He had his engineer fix her window with plexiglass, and kept our bags while we shopped. He also called Nordstrom and had them give Kelly a make over since her makeup was gone and mine was making her face burn. Nordstrom also bought us lunch and were super nice. All in all we still had a great time! It is funny to me now, I was laughing while I was writing this just thinking about the weekend.

We don't look to shabby for what we had to work with right?

A little fun after my sister replaced her stolen luggage...I am a supermodel don't you think?

Bows, Glorious Bow, Wonderful Bows

The girl I work with, and have become friends with, makes hair bows for her daughter. I did not know this until about 4 months ago. Well, let me tell you. It is the greatest thing EVER! I took over some of Carys' fall/winter clothes and bought some ribbon and Kristen went to town! These are a few of the bows. She has made me several others in the past. They are just too stinkin cute! I can't wait for it to get a little cooler so Carys can start wearing her new outfits and matching bows. Is she not going to be the cutest thing at school? I think so...

A little bit of this and that...actually, a little bit of EVERYTHING!!

Well, I thought once school started things would slow down a bit. Boy was I wrong!! So far the kids have been doing great in school and they both have adjusted greatly to the new schedule. I knew that when the kids were at school I would be busy, but I didn't realize how that would carry over into the evenings. It has been fun activities, I am just not used to it. As you can tell by the pictures Carys has started ballet and LOVES it! Last week was her first day and she did great! Broderick was such a sweet older brother. He was watching her the whole time and encouraging her. A few days after her first class he was helping her remember the things she had learned. It was so cute!

Broderick is also playing soccer again this year. He has also enjoyed it! He really like to play goalie and is very good at it. This past weekend his team played his buddy, Rowan, team. They were so fun to watch.

There he is numero uno!

This may not seem like a busy schedule, but let me just give you a little glimpse into this week. Monday: school, clean, naps, Broderick bday party, PTO meeting
Tuesday: school and house church
Weds: school (I will be working while Broderick is at school.) and soccer
Thursday: school (I will again be working,) hang out with friends and dance
Friday: school (work again) and thank goodness it is the weekend. Oh yeah, we have a game on Saturday. I have really enjoyed all of this, I am just not used to meeting my husband at a birthday party to pass the kids off so I can go to a meeting. It will seem normal soon I am sure, right?

School has begun

Today was Carys' first day of preschool. For those of you that don't know her, she can be very shy. I was a little nervous that she might cry or be upset when we dropped her off. You will see from the pictures below that she was not at all. AT her school, the teachers get the kids out of the car and walk them to their room. When Broderick went to preschool I always walked him in the first week. Rob and I both thought she would do better if we started out having the teachers get her out. It proved to be a great choice. I am proud to say I did not shed a tear or even feel like I was going to. I can't really explain why, I just felt a great peace from the Lord. After we dropped her off, it was very weird to have no children. (Broderick was at Kindergarten which you will read about later.) I could have come home and cleaned or gone to church and worked, but I choose to enjoy my first day of no children for a whole 2 hours! (Yes that is all it ends up being.) I met my sister and nephew, Jamison, for coffee and then we went shopping. It was great! I did miss the kiddos, but it was refreshing to spend time with my sis!

Above: Carys and I waiting in the car for drop off.
Below:Carys walking in with a HUGE smile on her face.

She just kept waving, smiling and walking.

After school we came home for a special lunch in muffin tins and cupcakes!

Broderick started Kindergarten last Wednesday. He looked like such a big kid and was also very excited. I was not nervous about him being upset at all. I did cry when we dropped him off Wednesday and Friday. Again, I can't explain why. It's not that I didn't have peace about him, I just tend to worry about him more.

Above: Waiting to leave.
Below: Waiting for Carys to finish breakfast.

Me and my boy!

Walking in to school his first day!

After school we met Rob for lunch and then I took him to the store to pick out a special dessert. He picked Chocolate Frosted Brownie! That is my kid!
He has had a great time and already seems to be learning somethings. (Which is always good since that is what he is going for.) I am very pleased with both of their teachers and I am looking forward to the year!

Vacation is a beautiful thing!

First of all, I can not believe it has been a month since I have posted. I apologize to those of you that do read my blog. Second, blogger keeps reversing the order of my photos, so this is all backwards. I don't have the energy or patience to try again to upload them. I also don't want to bore you with a bunch of vacation details, because what was probably the best week of summer for me could be very boring to you. So I will just tell you a few fun things we did. Of course we ate at some of our favorite "old" places and found some new ones. We also did some of our favorite "old" things. (This is the 3rd year we have gone to Myrtle Beach.) We went to Alligator Adventure, but this year we got to see Utan, the largest croc in captivity, being fed. It was so cool! We did the House of Blues Gospel Brunch, which continues to be my favorite! A new thing we did was take the kids on a boat ride to see dolphins. It was so much fun. Broderick thought it was great to see dolphins in the ocean and to go super fast in the boat. We also took the kids to a show. It was very similar to Cirque Du Soliel. It was not the same production team, but it was pretty much all the same tricks. It was very cool and the kids also enjoyed that. Of course we went to the beach and pool everyday. The kids really enjoyed the beach more this year than previous years. They have never not liked it, they both are just more comfortable with swimming. Carys however still spent most of the time sitting in her chair eating. She is so much like her mother! It was such a great time, and I get so much joy by watching my kids have a blast! Which they did, so Rob and I of course did as well!

Boat ride.

Broderick enjoying the waves.

Carys outside of the House of Blues. I love this picture. I am bias, but isn't she beautiful!?

Also, Broderick's first day of school was today. I will be posting about that in the next couple of days. I promise it won't be in 1 month.

Boys will be boys...

and girls will be girls. I know this phrase if probably over used, but it is so true. Today Jenny and her kids were over and I was telling her about a book Rob is reading. (Fathered by God, by John Eldredge, I recommend every man and mother of sons should read this.) I was telling her about how the book talks about how boys need adventure. About 1 hour later this is what my house looked like. The boys were have sword fights. It was hysterical! The house was very loud and crazy for awhile, but they were having so much fun! There was no way I was going to tell them to stop, especially since Jenny and I had just been talking about it.

Beckett came a little more prepared for the battle! Even at the age of 3 boys feel this need for adventure and "exotic" play as the book calls it!

Where were the girls you ask? Playing ballerina quietly in the playroom!
Funny, don't you think!