Christmas Continued...

I wanted to share some of Brennan's art work from Christmas because each piece held a special place in our Christmas decor this year:) Some of it we painted at home and some he made at school. I think these are going to be some that I keep forever to use as decor every year because I love them so much.

Reese and Scotlyn got a special present from Santa in their stockings, too. Two purple butterflies to decorate their grave in the spring. I really hate to see their stockings empty on Christmas morning so I think this is something I will do each year. It's hard to feel so helpless at being a parent when your child isn't here so I feel like this is one thing I can do and it makes me feel good.

I might be posting about Christmas until February because I have so many pictures and events. It would be right on track with the amount of time we had our Christmas decorations up considering we just took them down today-mostly because we were out of town and I have been sick.

The Nutcracker

My mom and I took Brennan to see The Nutcracker just a few days before Christmas. What a truly spectacular show. I have never been to one and posted here on our preparations for the story by checking out books and movies so we knew what to expect. Brennan really enjoyed it and he was sat and watched the whole show!

Waiting patiently for the show to begin. This picture is taken from our seats.

Here he is with my mom.

These photos are courtesy of The St. Louis Ballet...

We definitely will not hesitate to go again next year!

The Nutcracker

My mom and I are taking Brennan to see The Nutcracker ballet next week. I got him some books and movies so he knows the story when we go since they don't do much talking:) To be honest, I really didn't know the whole story before reading these books with him. I think he will really be intrigued by the live performance.





I also got this Nutcracker at the craft store for him to paint while watching the movie. I think my mom ended up painting most of it:)

Christmas Happenings

I can't believe with everything "Christmas" we have been doing, I haven't posted anything. Maybe it has something to do with how busy we've been:)

One new {possibly yearly} tradition we did this year was a night time lighted Christmas parade in a town near by. It really is a great idea!

All of the floats were very pretty and festive decorated with lights. Santa is on a sleigh at the very end. These pictures aren't greatest, they're from my phone, but you can still tell how pretty it was.

We were invited by friends of the family and this is their float, Charlie's Carstar. So fun!

We have been building gingerbread houses and I'm sure there are more to come:)

Oh, and we have some trouble in our house too. This is "Ten" our elf-he is finding all kinds of things to get into and places to hang out.

Brennan really enjoys seeing what this little guy is up to each day!

cookie baking and memories

Today Brennan and I went to my grandparents house for a visit. My aunt lives in Arizona and she is in town with her family. We were due 6 weeks apart with Brennan and her daughter, Alex. Well, we all know Brennan came early so they are actually 4 months apart. This pregnancy we were due about 2 weeks apart. I got to meet her little guy, Jack, for the first time today. I must say he is quite the sweetie and I got a lot of snuggle time with him, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I was a little nervous about my emotions with this visit, but I felt really well which was a relief. Brennan and Alex baked cookies for Santa, drank hot chocolate, watched Christmas shows, and played alot! They had a great time! When we left Brennan said "I had fun, mom." and then fell asleep in the car about 2 seconds later. I texted my aunt when we got home to tell her and she said Alex was already asleep too:) I'd say they definitely had a lot of fun and made some great memories, ones I hope they are getting old enough to remember.

We are looking forward to going back tomorrow to celebrate Christmas and make more memories of this holiday season:)

Welcome!!

Hey ya'll! I started off with that because we just got back from Mississippi today :) It was a really good trip. We debated about going because we weren't sure how Brennan would do with the long drive, but he did WONDERFUL! He is such a laid back baby, but he just started really walking and he is cutting some major teeth! It is a 7 hour drive one way, plus we had to drive another 3 hours the day after we got there. I just wasn't sure how he would tolerate it. He did really good though and it was great to see everyone. We played a very fun game with the whole family the night we got there, dirty santa/rob your neighbor. I managed to get a new book for Brennan, one of mom's favs from when she was little. Edith and Mr. Bear...great story! The reason we took the trip down is because my aunt is turning 40 Wednesday so we went down for her surprise birthday party, and she was surprised!! The weather was so nice, high 70's...wish it was like that here in December! We did get to drive along the coast for a bit and there are still some very obvious devastating effects from Hurricane Katrina. It is so sad that after this long, houses and businesses still have so much damage to their properties. As well as just crumbles of houses and buldings that still lay :( Heartbreaking!

On a lighter note, we had a fabulous Christmas. We got to visit with everyone, of course there's never enough time. We are thankful we have so much family to share our time with though. Everyone enjoyed themselves and everyone was feeling well and we are also very thankful for that! Brennan had a lot of fun opening presents this year. He got a lot of really neat stuff. Now where to put it?! We decided to switch rooms with Brennan. He is now upstairs. I really like it. He is using the loft area for his toyroom and still has plenty of room in his bedroom for toys too.

He is now 18 months, time goes by so fast. The last year and half has been the most amazing time in my (and I'm pretty sure I can speak for Casey) so OUR lives!! We have one happy, strong, healthy, beautiful little boy!! We are so thankful! We cannot imagine life without him and we are so lucky to have him! He has one amazing personality, too! He has just started talking, repeating so many things we say as well as talking on his own. He says 'thank you' and at the appropriate times :) We just cannot wait to see what is in store for us as he continues to learn and grow!

I figured this first one would be a long one, but check back for more updates. I will get some more pictures on here soon. Feel free to comment as well :)