Favorite things

One of our most favorite things to do is to go and see our neighbors chickens.

Brennan likes apples, but he is always asking to eat an apple, the plan in mind is to eat half of it and take the other half to the chickens.

It is pretty funny watching them all run to each piece of apple he throws in:)

I got a new lens so I was testing out some close ups.

This is going to be a long Christmas season. I want to crawl in a hole, but I have a 5 year old who is "so excited about Christmas I can't stand it" (his words) so the show must go on. I don't remember feeling this way last year, the first year-yes. At first I thought it was because it was still November and maybe I just wasn't "ready" because I really do like to wait to start celebrating until at least after Thanksgiving and usually wait until December. Tonight we decorated the tree and I was so sad. I went on because Brennan is not too little to not understand anymore. There is no more sliding by with the bare minimum. I want him to have everything and to have a truly magical Christmas and he is more excited this year than ever, which maybe will help me. I think he sensed my feelings, for one I'm sure it was obvious since I was crying tonight putting Reese and Scotlyn's ornaments on the tree, but he went to our curio cabinet where I keep all of their Christmas ornaments and statues and started picking things out he wanted to put up.  And later he was singing a song and he said it was about Reese and Scotlyn. He couldn't remember the words when I asked him to repeat it. He is so sweet and so sensitive and really picks up on my emotions regarding them.

My sweet bear holding their ornament from last year. 

I had been feeling rather well for the last month or so. Anxiety had been surprisingly low and for a longer period of time, which was fantastic. I feel it creeping up again. I hate it. I have felt more in control recently when my anxious feelings would return, but I am starting to get to the point where I can't control it or at least it's coming more frequently. Everything does look really pretty and of course Brennan made me laugh all evening. I love his little personality-he is really becoming quite the prankster. Tonight he had some bubble wrap from the ornaments and he came in the room and said "Look mom, I can snap now." I was really surprised because he has seemed pretty far from it in the past, he moved his fingers like he was snapping and had the bubble wrap behind his back and at just the right moment he popped one of the bubbles. I thought it was so clever:)

Being his silly self.

One of his favorite Christmas buddies:)

Decorating his tree in his bedroom:)

Admiring his train.

Too good to be true

Once again, I haven't been on in forever. Last week was crazy because I worked a lot in a little amount of time, including Thanksgiving. I didn't really have a Thanksgiving, which was a bit of a bummer but I'm thinking of the trade off which is that I am off all of Christmas this year and for being a nurse that's pretty rare. Actually, right after Thanksgiving I saw this on facebook...so true!

We did get to go visit Casey's family this weekend, which was really nice because we haven't seen them in quite a while. While we were there, Casey and I were talking to his brother about Brennan. They were saying how good he is and that he listens so well (his brother was surprised because Casey and his brother were not  good boys!) We were telling stories about Brennan like how he turned down ice cream at the babysitter's because he didn't think I would approve of that for a snack! My mom says he is brainwashed:) I think it's good, although I would not have minded one bit if he would have had some ice cream! 

After talking a while, Casey's brother said "He is too good to be true" and it's funny because I think that all the time. And not because I think he never makes mistakes or is always perfect in how he acts, but because he is the most amazing piece of my life. I love listening to him chatting us up, I love his curiosity, his interest in every detail about everything, his sweetness, his intelligence, his developing personality. I feel overwhelmed with fortune that I get to be his teacher this year and get to spend so much time with him. I often look at him and think that he is too good to be true. He picks flowers for me every time we are outside and sometimes even if we are hanging out indoors, he goes outside just to pick one.

I come home from work to flowers like these after he has made a trip to the store with Casey. He tells me I am pretty every day and then comes back to correct himself and says "No wait, you are beautiful" He sings "Oh mommy girl, oh mommy girl, you are so o pretty." (To the tune of Oh Christmas Tree)

 A couple of weeks ago, he asked if we could take roses to Reese and Scotlyn's grave. 

I love his love for all animals and his interest in every single one. I also love listening to him talk to his stuffed animals like they are real, with real feelings. He even feeds them sometimes before we leave and they are a big part of our daily routine:) He asked for this picture with Bear.

He is so sweet and loving and caring and I am not bragging that he is the perfect child, but to me he is my perfect child and I am thankful for that.

Mud Tacos!

I think this was one of my favorite activities ever!

Gathering our hamburger (mud)

Cheese (grass) and other various toppings (flower petals)

Making a taco for mommy.

Getting ready to eat my taco:)

The next three pictures are his reaction to me putting the "taco" in my mouth. It never touched my mouth, but I did put it inside to look like I was eating it to freak him out-it worked:)

Hey! You can't really eat that!

Mommy served Brennan his mud taco.

So he had to pretend to eat it too!

Then we had to have real tacos for dinner!

Visiting Chickens

We started hearing some roosters a couple of months ago so we finally went over to see where all of the commotion was coming from.

This was actually our second time visiting the chickens and roosters, but Brennan really enjoys it.

I see more visits in our future so I decided we needed to visit our neighbors, just to make sure they don't mind us conversing with their birds.

As soon as we went over they brought us into the chicken house!

We got to see the chickens laying eggs!

They were still warm when we put them in the carton:)

Then we washed them.

And voila--a dozen eggs, just like that! (And a dandelion picked for momma on the way:)

Our neighbors are so super sweet! The gave Brennan a gummy alligator too:)

They also have bees and sell the honey they make-awesome!