Merry Christmas!

We had a great Christmas. Pretty low key this year, which is good because I wasn't really in the mood. Maybe it was the 50 degree weather but I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't put the entire content of our decorations out (only lights and my absolute favorites), didn't break out the Christmas music (until I used it as a last resort to find some motivation to clean and cook on THE DAY of our first Christmas get-together) and only did things when they absolutely needed to get done. Aside from my blah spirit, the boys had a great time. Dane was so much fun this year and was, as usual, a breeze. He loved all the people and the attention. Will was also really good. He made out like a bandit with all of his big tractors. (Santa finally got it right this year and brought him a tractor with a wagon and hay baler - just like he "ordered" for the 2nd year in a row) One of the interesting hits this year were these night lights called SPOKA that I picked up at Ikea. I thought they were so cute and they emit this warm (and surprisingly bright) glow and change their color from blue to white to green. They can be plugged in or run on their own. The boys both love them and Dane has been carrying his around and kissing it.



Here are the cousins (Payton, Will, Landon and Dane) They have so much fun together!

Christmas

We had a great Christmas this year. Not to mention we got to celebrate it in our new house, but the boys are both at such fun ages. It was the first year that Will really got excited about it. He woke up and his first words were "Let's go see if Santa came!" Dane is a joy any time so of course when we're celebrating and reminding ourselves all that we're grateful for he's at the top of the list. This year Santa brought Will a fort! It has a climbing wall with numbers to hold on to. The front door has a peephole and it also has a trap door under the climbing wall. It's his secret place - with hooks to hang things on, battery operated lanterns and of course it's carpeted. We were so excited to show him what Santa had brought him, knowing he would love it. I had the camcorder out and was taping every second of it. He ran downstairs and didn't even see it in the corner so we pointed it out and asked him what it was... It was covered up with sheets. His face was priceless. He was so confused and was just staring at it. We told him to uncover it. He was so unsure. When he finally did he said "It's something to climb on!!!" He got excited about it for .2 seconds and then he said "Let's go open presents!!!!"

Oh Christmas Tree

Here is the only picture I have of our first Christmas tree in our new house! It was right after we set it up and before any ornaments or the tree skirt was in place. :( I can't believe I didn't take any others. After 5 years of not having a real Christmas tree because our living room was so small I told Luke that we were going all out this year - getting a Clark Griswold tree. (15 feet tall, etc) In the end it was only about 6-7 feet tall, but it was a little "Christmas Vacation" nonetheless. We rushed out to the tree farm one evening just as it was getting dark. We ran around until we found the perfect one just in time. Luke hacked it down with a saw. When we got up to have it shaken and wrapped they said that there were actually 2 trunks on our tree and when they removed the smaller one it took away some of the tree. Did we want it still? Um, sure. It's fine - we'll put that side facing the wall, no big deal. When we got home Luke brought it inside and stood it up in the stand while it was still wrapped up. It looked like a WORM. It was so crooked! We snipped the strings and it was so funny. To get it to stand up straight we had to literally put the trunk in the stand at a 45 degree angle. One touch to the backside of the tree and it was tipping over. Not a great idea with 2 smaller ones at home. We secured it for the night. I called the next day and they were so nice and told us to bring it back and pick out another one. So back we went the next evening. I forgot to mention that I found out that Luke enjoys putting up a Christmas tree about as much as he would enjoy getting toenails plucked. And this year he got to do it twice! I will agree it can be a little challenging to get the tree perfectly straight and secure in the stand. Let's just say the night included him on the front porch with a chainsaw hacking away branches.

Operation: Christmas Cookies!

The setup:

Yum yum, my favorite cookies! My whole life I've enjoyed decorating and more importantly, eating these cookies every Christmas thanks to my Nana and my mom. Will had a great time this year and did quite the job on his cookies. Here are a few of Will's masterpieces close up. Please note the mounds of sprinkles.

When we were ready to head home my mom packed up some cookies for us (well for me, really. I prefer not to share). It was dark in the car and the boys were quiet - Dane sleeping and Will watching a movie. I decided to have a little sample so I quietly opened the tupperware container so as to not alert Will. I quickly and discreetly slipped one cookie from the passenger side of the car over to my side. I sunk my teeth into the delicious cookie - only to find it quite sprinkly! I turned on the light to see what in the world - and saw that it was obviously one of Will's cookies. That will teach me to sneak cookies in the dark.

Happy Halloween!

We had a fun Halloween this year. Momma hasn't had too much time on her hands lately so the idea of making a creative and fun Halloween costume was pretty much out the door. Which worked out fine because Will is really in to the movie How to Train a Dragon and Old Navy had a great dragon costume! We visited a number of friends and family members and then walked around to a few houses. Most importantly Will had a great time.

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Happy Easter

We had a great Easter and spent most of the day at Luke's dad's house. It was such a nice day blessed with sunshine, good food and family. By the end of the day we were sunkissed and exhausted. Will got his first sunburn and I have been beating myself up about it ever since. Today you can't even tell, so it wasn't too bad, but his little ears were bright red and his cheeks and nose were pink. :(
Coloring Easter Eggs!









The finished product - Camo! (which looked much cooler on the box)
Hanging out with PaPaw...The hunt is on with cousins Ricky, Landon and Payton...Eating candy and comparing loot with Payton, Landon and PaPaw...

Picture Perfect

Luke's mom got me this painting for Christmas this year. Can we say absolutely priceless?? I was in awe when she gave it to me and I still haven't taken it out of the box yet because I have yet to find the perfect place for it. Its a raised 4"x4" painting. I knew immediately that this is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I also added it to my mental list of things that I would definitely grab in case of a fire. (please note I only became this neurotic/crazy after Will was born - and he of course would be the first thing I would grab)

Merry Christmas!

We had a really nice Christmas and it was especially fun this year with Will getting excited about Santa, presents, etc. As is tradition, my mom spent the night with us on Christmas Eve. She and I went to church which was really nice. We baked cookies and sprinkled reindeer food on our lawn so Santa and his reindeer all had snacks while they visited our home. Will woke up very excited to see if Santa had really come, but he was more excited to see if he was still at our house. Apparently he thought Santa stayed for the morning festivities. Santa did come (and leave), and he gave Will a very cool work bench.

Then we went to Luke's Dad's house for breakfast with the whole family which was also nice. Here is Will with his cousins Ricky, Landon and Payton, sitting on the couch that Luke is in the process of making for my mom.

It was a great Holiday and we have a lot to be thankful for. Our family, our health, and especially this little miracle due in April.

Cookie starts with "C"

Every year one of our Christmas traditions is that my mom and I decorate our infamous (we like to think) Christmas cookies. Last night she pointed out that every year of her life she has been involved in this tradition, as have I, and as has Will! It's really a 2-3 night process, as the dough must be refrigerated overnight before they can be baked. Then the next night they are baked, and usually the following, decorated. I supposed you could bake and decorate in one night if you were super motivated. Well last night was the night, so we covered the table in wax paper and got out all of the goodies and went to town decorating. Will has always been a great sport about the process. The first year he bounced in his bouncy chair and spun around the whole time. (for at least an hour - bounce bounce bounce. What a team player!) Last year he played with toys while we decorated. And this year for the first time - he helped decorate! He got his own tools: two bowls of icing - one white and one yellow (careful to avoid the darker reds and greens which have a higher content of food coloring- so not to stain my mom's house - not knowing how things would go...), a knife to spread, some candies and my mom even gave him a shaker (too) full of sprinkles which he proceeded to empty. He loved it and lasted longer than I thought he would - with the help of red hots and the little candies that he devoured. By the end he was happy, wired, and ready for some milk. Great job, Will!

Fun Saturday!

Yesterday Will had quite a day! We went to Breakfast with Santa with Jill and Bailey and it was so cute. It was a benefit for Bailey's babysitter's daughter who has a rare cell disorder and there was a great turn-out. They had lots of Christmas-y things to do including breakfast, crafts, a raffle/silent auction of sorts, and of course visits with Santa. Considering that Will prefers to take a wide berth around Santa when we see him in the mall, you can imagine my surprise when he was so brave and hopped right up on Santa's lap! He was given "reindeer food" to sprinkle on our lawn on Christmas Eve to help Santa and the reindeer find our house. (a fun mix of oats and glitter) Will passed on the nice breakfast and opted to devour his big candy cane instead.

After a great morning of getting into the Christmas spirit and visiting with Jill and Bailey, we came back home to run some errands. At the post office stop I noticed loud music and some activity coming from the square. I looked closer and saw some animals - so Luke and I took Will over to see what was going on. There was a camel, a couple of rams, sheep, and a few others that Luke and I both failed to identify ("look Will! it's a ... furry... bull... type thing") Just as Will was happily giving the animals some hay and as I was feeling sorry for them, we heard the jingle bells of a carriage/sleigh ride! We looked over to see carriage and pony rides! I asked Will if he wanted to take a pony ride and he said YES! Again, I was sure he would chicken out when the time came but he hopped right up on that horse and took off with that stranger leading them down the road and never looked back. I was so proud of his day of accomplishments I felt like running along beside them and cheering him on, but I didn't want to embarrass my son, my husband, or myself, so I just beamed at him, took pictures and tried to control myself. Now, you may be thinking that I have no faith in my child. I really do, he just surprised me a couple of times in the same day. I guess I should never underestimate him again!

I'm not sure why, but this Christmas season I've had no motivation whatsoever to decorate for Christmas. If it weren't for my sweet little boy who loves the lights, I'm embarrassed to say I probably wouldn't do much of anything. Alas, I decided today was the day. So I turned on some Christmas tunes, ate some chocolate motivation, and did it. By "it" I don't mean the whole schebang, just the necessities. I put up our three miniature artificial trees - the most we can squeeze into our small living room, I put lighted garland in our transims, put out my Santa collection, a mini tree in Will's room, a new Christmas centerpiece on the kitchen table, a wreath on the front door and a few other little nicknacks. I'm so glad it's done, and seeing the look on Will's face when the lights come on made it all worth overcoming my lack of motivation.

I think the reason I've had no motivation to decorate is because I can't WAIT for next Christmas!!! I'm already planning all the things I'm going to do. First on my list is picking out a live 8-ft. tree, Clark Griswald style. I've already warned Luke about my plans. And speaking of plans, I picked up our first round of house plans on Tuesday. We are SO excited to get this process started! Luke is taking the plans to a roofing business on Friday to get an estimate for trusses. After that, we finalize the plans and then start getting bids from builders! For those of you who don't already know, we are esentially "buying" Luke's dad's house. He wants our house and his is much bigger and it will give us the opportunity to turn it into a house we will be able to live in for a long long time. It needs a lot of work, so we will be replacing the roof, doors, windows, and all flooring. We will also be bumping out the kitchen 8 feet, completely re-doing that room and adding a bath and a half. We are also turning the existing garage into a living room and adding on another garage. And finally, reconfiguring a master suite. So we have a lot of work ahead of us and with a baby due in April, next year is going to be quite busy. We are so excited though, and can't wait to get the process started!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving and we spent the Holiday in Michigan with my mom and my step-dad's parents, Barbara and Gerry. There are so many things that I'm thankful for these days that I hardly know where to start. I'm so thankful for my family and our health. I'm beyond thankful that I have a loving, sweet, hard-working and devoted husband. I look at our son and I don't even know what to say my heart overflows with love for that sweet and perfect little boy. I'm incredibly grateful that God has blessed us with another pregnancy and I am loving feeling these first few kicks. I am so grateful for my mom and the wonderful relationship we have. Luke and I are both blessed with caring and loving families and are so fortunate that we have close relationships them. We are also blessed with some pretty fantastic friends. I could go on and on.

We are so excited to spend this long weekend here in Michigan at my mom's beautiful and peaceful cottage. Barbara and Gerry are leaving tomorrow for their house in Gulf Shores, Alabama and my mom is leaving on Sunday to head back home to Bloomington. Luke, Will and I are staying for the whole next week. We are so excited to spend some quality time together. With Luke working in Ohio, these weeks that we get to spend together are sure a blessing.

Halloween 2009

I was cautiously optimistic about Halloween this year. Will is so opinionated lately especially about putting on clothes and us getting him to do anything that's not his idea. (case in point: Luke ordered a shirt for him from a motorcycle builder that he likes. It arrived in the mail, was obviously a little too big, but Luke wanted to try it on Will just to see. Um, no, that wasn't going to happen. Every time Luke even went near the shirt Will ran for the hills doing his best fake cry all the way)

Needless to say, I was unsure how he would react to us attempting to dress him up in this costume and get him to "perform" (aka: go trick or treating) Fortunately for us, we had a wonderful bribery tool on our side: CANDY!

For a couple of weeks we had been talking about going trick-or-treating and I had told him many times that when you say trick-or-treat you get candy! We even practiced in plainclothes: "Will, say trick-or-treat!" (with all the enthusiasm I could muster) Will: NO. "Will, if you say trick-or-treat you get candy!" Will: staring at me not sure if he should believe me. Eventually I got him to say it and handed over a starburst. He seemed interested! ...which is why I included the optimistic in my caustiously optimistic attitude about the day.

So Halloween comes along and it's time to dress him. Luke and I both unassumingly venture into his bedroom for the event. I inconspicuously get his costume out of the closet and open it up. He notices something is awry and begins to watch me from across the room. I say (with my MOST excited flare) Will! It's Halloween and once you put on your costume you get CANDY!! mmm, nope, it wasn't going to work. First of all, I had to put tights on him because his costume was shorts and it was chilly outside. Talk about an added challenge. So I put him on my lap facing out and am literally wrestling him and holding down his arms while trying to force his legs into said tights. He is screaming, and doing his best (which was quite impressive) to undo any progress I was making with the tights. I put his foot in, and he pulls it out. I force his foot in, he pushes the tights off with his other foot, and so on. Eventually Luke swooped in with candy in hand and told Will that if he put on his tights he got candy! So Will let me put on his tights and got a piece of candy. That's how the whole event went, piece of costume on, candy for Will. By the time he had it on he had consumed more candy than he does in a typical 2 week period. Oh well, it's Halloween, right?

Fortunately the evening went uphill from there. We went to my mom's house and trick-or-treated in her neighborhood. He did such a great job! As we were walking up to houses he would shout Trick-or-Treat! Once we got to the door and they actually opened it up he was a little more shy and any would say it much more softly. Then he would say Thank You. I was very proud of him. And when we got back to my mom's house he didn't even want to take off his costume!

When we were on our way to my mom's house this past Tuesday, he said "We have Halloween at nana's tonight?" I had to explain it only comes around once a year and we'll have to wait until next Halloween to do it again. I guess it was a success!

Payton Pumpkin Carve-Off

One thing that Luke's and my marriage does not lack is a little competitive spirit. We both love to win and figured that the upcoming Halloween Holiday called for a little friendly competition. A pumpkin carve-off! I figured we would do it the old-school way and use markers to draw our designs and knives to carve, but Luke informed me he planned to use a dremmel tool. For those of you who don't know what a dremmel is, it's a power tool that has different heads on it and it rotates the heads very quickly. More or less, a Power Carver. Of course he was; I should have seen it coming. Of course I wasn't going to let him have the edge, so off we both went to our respective corners to get to work with our pumpkins and dremmels.

Will loves tractors right now. Specifically John Deere tractors. Therefore, Luke carved him a mini pumpkin with the "John Deere" on it:

Luke's Pumpkin:

Sarah's Pumpkin:

According to the votes already cast the winner is........... ME! Luke is just one vote behind though, so it was a close race. (his witch in the moon was a big hit)

UPDATE: now that all the votes are in we have a new winner. #2, Luke's pumpkin has pulled out into the lead. His witch in the moon was apparently his secret weapon. Good job Luke. (I'll win next year)

Pumpkin Patch

There is the cutest pumpkin patch in Martinsville. They took a big field and filled it with pumpkins. Their signs said they were open, but when I pulled in there was a huge roadblock that said CLOSED. What... I was going to have one disappointed little boy on my hands after all the Pumpkin Patch talk. So I pulled up and asked the woman if they were opened. Nope. I said well your signs say you are. She said if we just wanted to pick out a pumpkin and had exact change that it was fine if we wanted to go on. YAY! Will had such a great time running through the pumpkins and playing (on) them. It turned out to be great and even better that we were the only ones there! The people who run it were really nice. They said this weekend they will be having bounce houses, hay rides, apple cider, Sponge Bob will be making an appearance and possibly pony rides. Looks like we may be going back.