Santa

Patiently waiting their turn...West was SO excited to tell him what he wanted!

A little Ho Ho Ho-ing, a few shy guys and there you go.

*Christmas* Sunday Best

Visitors

Shawn & Abby stopped by to wish us a Merry Christmas on their way out to Arizona.
We sure love having them nearby. The boys don't look happy in the picture, but that's just because we made them stop playing for a minute! We all love Shawn & Abby so much!!! (isn't their dog, Gambit, adorable?!)

When Daddy Comes Home Part II

I just can't get over how much I love this man.

Seeing him walk in the door is always one of my favorite parts of the day!

When Daddy Comes Home Part I

a photo essay by Weston

Baby, it's cold outside!

It doesn't matter how cold it is outside, every so often we MUST get out of the house.
The boys had a blast braving the snow and ice.
Weston tried making snow angels, but the snow is pretty frozen now and Tave loved to crunch in it.
If you know me at all, you know that I am NOT a cold-weather person.
But even I had fun...how could I not with these adorable boys?
Being a mother sure gets you out of your comfort zone!

Switcheroo

My good friend, Des, makes these most adorable ties!! I am so in love with them. She asked if I'd want to do a switch and I was in!!

I decided I wanted matching Christmas ties for the boys and I found this awesome Michael Miller fabric.

Des whipped up two of these darling ties:

and here's her handsome Jack in his newsboy beanie from me:
If you're interested in quality, unique, handmade ties-
check out Desi's shop here.

PS- My favorite is the popular paisley tie -- to.die.for. LOVE it.
It's the boys Easter ties!
Thanks, Desi!!!

Christmas Tree Part II: Decorating!

We were a little late getting out all of the Christmas goods...
but the boys didn't mind.
They loved hanging the bells on the tree and Weston HAD to put on the star.
Truly the very best part of Christmas is seeing how excited the kiddos are.
Tave loved his stocking from Grandma D. and both boys had tons of fun playing with Jesus and the nativity.
I love how the simple things become so magical because they are done at Christmas.

Christmas Tree Part I

The boys loved putting up the tree this year!

They both thought it was so great and had a blast helping Dad.

All finished! (photo taken by Weston)

Beans Beans...

We've been stuck inside for awhile so I decided to make a sensory bin.
(pulling out ideas from preschool days!)
1 bag of beans
teaspoons, spoons, plastic cups
little bugs to search for
And voila!
A fun (but messy) afternoon.
They LOVED it and we have played with the beans many many times since!!
(Just be warned: you WILL find beans everywhere. everywhere. But it is worth it!)

ThanksGiving

We had a deliciously cozy, fun-filled, jam packed, busily wonderful day!

13 adults + 6 kiddos = some sort of magic to all fit at the table!

But we did it!! And it was great!!
These pictures look *almost* the same, between the two we have our entire Thanksgiving crew pictured. :)

We had fun talking, chasing kiddos, eating, eating, and of course more eating.


At the end of the day, our cousin Alex stopped by with his sweet wife and adorable 5 kids!! It was so fun to see them again and meet the 2 youngest we had never seen before!


Thanks, everyone, for making our first time hosting Thanskgiving dinner so wonderful and memorable!

Snuggled

After a long day, the boys love to snuggle with their blankets in the love sack and watch a show. (usually while I get dinner going)

They are so sweet and turning into the best of buds.

My heart is full.

A Mess

This is proof that my house is sometimes a disaster.
The boys had tons of fun while I organized their toys.
They thought it was great to climb on and in every bin and dump out anything that wasn't already on the bed/floor/dresser/any bit of space you can find.
It was a crazy day, but oh so fun!

Dear Weston,
This picture makes me smile every time I see it. It reminds me of all of the reasons I love you. First and foremost because you bring so much happiness and light into our home. You are always making us laugh and love being funny. You aren't afraid to get dirty and love to make a mess. You teach me that it's okay to play, to get messy, and to enjoy every minute.
I need you in my life and I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for giving you to us.

Today, you gave me a gift. You showed me that I am doing some things right as your mom.
Namely: that when I decided not to *push* you into potty-training, I made the right choice for you and me.
I decided to let you take the lead in this whole potty-training thing. Something that was really scary for you. (and for me!) You didn't really want to try and didn't like the toilet.
So we waited. And we talked about how cool it would be when you didn't wear diapers anymore and how you could use the big boy toilet when you were ready. And when I worried that I wasn't doing the right thing and that I should just start making you wear underwear and 'go', I made myself take a step back and just let you take your time.
And now you are ready.
You were SO excited to wear big-boy underwear today-
and you kept them dry ALL DAY long. You went to the bathroom all by yourself & were so excited that you didn't need help.
This was a really really big deal for you. And for us.
I love watching your newfound independence.
I love watching you discover who you are- your likes, dislikes, triumphs and joys.
I think I will need to remember in the future that we work pretty well as a team,
that sometimes the best way I can love and encourage you is to take a step back so you can take your own step forward.

It's a hard thing- learning to be a mom.
I am so glad I get to learn with you.

I love you, bud.
Love, Mom