Missing Christmas

Chris and I have a really amazing friend who is always up to something interesting. This year for Christmas she is celebrating in India . She wrote a great article about her experience . Please check it out.

Missing Christmas

We are going to miss having Ruth sit with us at the Christmas eve service at church this year.

Random camera photos

Chris is really good about taking pictures of the boys and sending them to me when I am not home.  Here is a random assortment of pictures I found on his phone I thought I would share.

Gates recently figured out his pockets.  He is so cute with his hands in his pockets.  He likes to put chap stick in his pocket and randomly pull it out and apply and then stick it back in his pocket.  In the back ground is Gates' Christmas tree that he likes to decorate and move around the house.

Gates building lego towers.

Gates really likes to hang out in his choo choo.  He is eating his lunch in his train.

Gates dressed up in his dinosaur costume and drinking out of the dog bowl like a dog, or maybe that is how a dino would drink water.

Gates loves tractors and so does Chris.  Them hanging out in the boom of an excavator.  Gates is also wearing his excavator shirt.

Gates driving a Bobcat.

Gates loving his brother.

More Bobcat playing.

Gates feeding his brother his morning bottle.

Gates wearing his life preserver bathing suit, cowboy boots, and bib as a cape while petting Grand's cat.

Jingle Bells!

 

Gates’ favorite Christmas song is “Jingle Bells”.  A random Christmas tid bit for ya!

Teddy Bear

Guess who…

All aboard!

Breakfast with Santa

We had breakfast with Santa. Gates’ favorite part was Santa arriving in a fire engine. He was more interested in the fire engine then Santa.

All the kids got firemen hats.

Gates slowly walked up to Santa and then quickly turned back around to his dad and wouldn’t sit on Santa’s lap. No crying though.

Teddy on the other hand loved Santa.

Teddy even verified that this Santa was the real deal.

Santa let Gates sit in his chair. Gates really liked that.

A little twinkle

 

Teddy, Jack and Gates

Jack

Teddy

Touches of Christmas

Every one in our house has been sick for the past week and it has made it really hard to get motivated to decorate for Christmas.  I was so excited a year ago when we moved in to decorate for Christmas in our new house but that excitement is gone.  I have done a couple things around the house but nothing like I had envisioned, we haven’t even put a wreath on the door.  Here are the couple touches of Christmas around our house.

Gate and Grandma made scented gingerbread ornaments.  They smell really yummy.  I made peppermint garland. Both are hanging on a tree in the playroom.

I started making this stocking for Gates when he was born.  I knew it would be time consuming but I was on maternity leave and figured I could handle it.  Well two years later I had only completed half of the stocking and had lost all motivation to complete it.  Luckily my mom was motivated by the fact that she looked as all the hard parts were done so she could easily finish it.  She did finish it but wants nothing to do with any project like this ever again.  Pour twins!

We put up our biggest tree ever, which was really exciting until it fell over after we had finished decorating it.  This is a picture of the tree after being decorated the second time missing a couple ornaments and no bows unlike the first go round.  It doesn’t look as pretty as it did at first but like I said earlier I am suffering from lack of motivation.

I started collecting the Wallace sleigh bells.  My mom has been getting them for me every year.  I actually have more but they are lost some where in our basement of disaster along with half of my Christmas china. Very Frustrating!

Some of the Christmas books we have.  We have a bunch more in Gates’ room for bed time reading.

My choo choo train.  I got this train when I was little from my grandparents.  It runs around the bottom of the Christmas tree and Gates is obsessed.

Hopefully I will get some more Christmas cheer going at my house soon.

 

Recipe for Ginger Bread Ornaments

1/2 cup of apple sauce

1/2 cup of cinnamon

2 Tb of glue ( I used Modge Podge, but be careful because it will glue cinnamon to the bowl and spoon that you use if you don’t clean it off right away)

Mix all together.  Roll out to 1/4 inch think.  Cut with cookie cutter.  Put holes in the top with a straw. Put on cookie sheet lined with wax paper and let sit for a couple days until dry.  Flip them over once a day.

8 months old today

 

Teddy (L ) Jack (R)

Teddy and Jack have been busy this past month.  They both are sitting up on their own, holding their bottles, babbling, and seriously teething.  Jack has his first tooth on the bottom.  They both love playing patty cake and Peekaboo.  They love the Itsy Bitsy Spider, it can get them to stop crying. They are wearing mostly size 12 months.

Truly Thankful To Be So Blessed

 

The other day I was talking with Chris about all my concerns and fears of our future and Chris reminded me that I should not be worried and that I just need to remember how much God has blessed our lives.  He is so right and so good at calming me.  I am so thankful to how wonderful God works in my life and for how much he has blessed me.  I never want to let the hustle and bustle of life let me forget it but some times I do get caught up in everything and forget that God is in control.  Thanksgiving and the whole holiday season especially, I want to remember to be thankful for it all.

I am thankful for my amazing family. My happy and healthy babies . My amazing husband, who stays so calm through all the craziness of our life and helps keep me grounded.  My mom, who is so loving and kind.

I have so much to be thankful for!