A great Christmas Gift!

Look what I got for Christmas from my parents!!

My dad drew these pictures of the kids! He's a great artist and my Mom helps him get it all just right. They aren't finished yet but when they are, they will be matted and framed for us to hang in our house. I can't wait!

Birthday Love!

Look at all the love the kids got on their birthday!!

Happy Birthday to Noelle and Ross!

Four years old?! Is it possible? My babies are four years old today!

Happy Birthday, my sweet Noelle! You were born four years ago today! You were a tiny little thing but we could tell you had spunk from the very beginning! You are imaginative and dramatic and I love you for it! I love seeing you dressed as a princess (every day) and the expressions you make are priceless! You are full of joy and even the smallest things elicit a huge response from you! I love every bit of you!!!

Happy Birthday, my sweet Ross! You are four years old! When you were first born you were easy going and sweet--just like you are now! You have a calmness and patience that I don't think anyone else in our family has! You are creative and smart and I love watching you invent things! You are kind to others and a joy to have as my son! I love everything about you!!!

Here's how we spent your birthday today:


We started the day with donuts that Daddy went out in the snow to get for us!

Then, lunch at Cracker Barrel with Grandma, Grandpa, Mimi, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Natalie, and the four of us. The kids love eating there because they love pancakes! Ross especially likes to look at the toys while we wait for our table!

Then, to Grandma's house with the cupcakes the kids made themselves (with a little help from Mommy!) Four candles each!

Opening gifts at Grandma's house!

Christmas Pictures

Nathan's friend John has taken pictures of the kids several times but since he moved we didn't think he'd be able to take any this season. But, surprise! He came into town for a short time and offered to come take some pics of the kids! What fun!

Christmas Afternoon

Here are some pictures from our fun gift opening on Christmas afternoon! See how clean the floor was at the beginning of the process and how messy it was afterward? We had a great time!

Snow!!

These were taken on Christmas Day when we went outside to play in the snow!

Ross making a snow angel!

Snow angels!

Noelle kept eating the snow. I tried to get her to eat the fresh, untouched snow, but every time I turned around she was getting snow off the car, off the trees, etc.!

Christmas Morning!

Well, since the roads were covered with snow we weren't sure if we would be able to get together on Christmas Day or not! Luckily, Mimi was here on Christmas Eve day and got snowed in with us so that was fun! She read Christmas stories to the kids and we enjoyed the fireplace and looking at the blizzard outside! On Christmas morning, we woke up to the kids chatting and singing at 7:30 in the morning so I went in their room and stayed with them a bit longer before letting them come into the living room.

Once they came in the living room, they saw some of their gifts laid out--a tent, a scooter for each of them, a Hello Kitty chair for Noelle, and a Diego play set for Ross. They were thrilled with these and played with them for a bit before opening stockings. We had fun opening stockings and playing with the goodies inside!

We waited to open any other gifts until later in hopes that others would be able to make it over. We had our own breakfast and played and then got dressed to play in the snow! It was so fun to play in the deep snow and the kids made snow angels and threw snow balls! After a while, Aunt Natalie and Uncle Jeff called and said they'd brave the snow, pick up my parents, and head on over! Hooray!

We all had lunch together and finally got to open gifts! The kids were so patient and never complained that we weren't opening gifts until so late! What a great day!!!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care!

Opening her stocking

Ross' stocking!

Breakfast! Mimi took this picture for us.