Snapshots of our day...

We had a wonderful Christmas in this house. Apparently everyone was nice and no one was on the naughty list! :) Here is a little bit of our lovely day...

Nanny and Papa slept over Christmas Eve...which meant cookies before bed!
Deciding that yes...the whoopie pies were very good!

Can not forget to put out treats for Santa and his reindeer

Coming out of their rooms on Christmas morning. We usually try to eat breakfast before opening anything...that was a little bit difficult this year!

Santa brought Pumpkin just what she wanted...a remote control airplane! What can I say...she is my crazy girl. It has made it through one trip to the park, we will see how many more times it lasts before breaking! It really is quite fun...

Critter got a trike from Santa....how cute are they on Christmas morning! This is really one of the only pictures I have of the two of them. I was having fun just watching them I was not taking a ton of pictures.

Christmas morning of the girls...

A very happy boy on his Santa present...

It was the year of puppets in this house. We have received a ton of them and are having so much fun with them all! Critter got this one from his sister and it is his favorite of the bunch. Lots of creative time to come in our house!

Pumpkin got a scooter from Nanny and Papa. Both the vehicles were ridden in the house for Christmas Day only...we are trying to save what sanity we have left! Lots of time spent outside riding them though! :)

We had to go to the park to try out the scooter, trike and airplane. Had fun on the playground as well. Can you see Critter's hair? So cute!

Realized we did not get a full family picture on Christmas Day. Got one of hubby, me and Pumpkin while Critter was sleeping. By the time Critter woke up, Hubby was at work. Bummer...at least I got one of my crazy kids with me!

My boy before church! He looked so grown up. Pumpkin was not in the mood for a nice picture...

It was a great and relaxing day at our house. We have not reorganized (I know you are shocked) and played with all the new toys. We are so thankful to all our friends and family who helped make the day so special. We have spent lots of time together as a family too, that is the best thing of all! Hope you had a day full of laughter, smiles and love!

What tomorrow is all about...

I have been struggling with this holiday season. It has been an insane 2 months. Let's see...we have had:

1 acute double ear infection

2 acute single ear infections

1 case of pneumonia

1 case of acute sinus infection...this one was Hubby!

2 cases of a nasty stomach bacteria...was just one case until today....this means I get to talk to the health dept next week!

This is all just in the last 2 months. I have been trying really hard to enjoy the holidays, but as soon as we plan something else fun....someone gets sick. Yesterday, I was hugely stressed and I hear the below....talk about making my Christmas. It helped me remember what tomorrow is really all about. We are all here together, healthy or not. We love each other and can celebrate our beautiful family.

Turn up the volume to hear what made my Christmas bright...this is all I need for Christmas...along with healthy children that is! :)

Have a very Merry Christmas. I know we will!

A fun family adventure

We took an adventure this past weekend, up north.....way up north to the P*olar Ex*press! I have wanted to take the kids for a long time and this year worked out perfectly. I was impressed with how much fun Hubby and I had on it too. It of course was raining/snowing on the way up to Flag, but stopped before we headed to the train.

The kids got a little chance to play in the snow and we got to meet friends and family for lunch in town. The train ride was so much fun. I thought Critter was going to jump out of his seat when the train started moving. As soon as he saw the big man in red...he was beyond excited! Pumpkin had a good time, but was really reserved when it came to the big things. She was very excited to bring her bell to school for show and tell though!

With all the hustle and bustle (and sickness) of the holiday season, this was the perfect time for our little family to celebrate together. I could not have asked for a more perfect day! :)

Grabbing a snack before the train ride!

Me and my girl :)

This was his face when he heard the train start moving and realized he could watch us move!

Attempting to drink hot chocolate without spilling on the pjs...

Watching the lights of the North Pole. Also, if you look closely you can see his adorable reflection in the window...so sweet!

Hubby grabbed this one of Pumpkin. I love her reflection as well. She really had a great time

Realizing he was going to get close to Santa! I love how excited even his hands look :)

Getting their bells. We have been talking about this train ride all week. It was so worth it and such a nice time. It reminded me about how much fun things like this are for both the kids and the adults! Hope your holiday season is as wonderful as ours!

Some holiday fun...

There has been so much going on in this house, I have not been able to keep up on much. We have been dealing with someone sick since the beginning of November. I am hoping we are over the hump of everything so we can focus on the fun. The kids were feelign pretty good one Sunday, so we went to our favorite toy store to see the grinch! Pumpkin was really excited. Critter was a little scared! It was cute though. We were the last ones in the store who had not seen him, so he put the costume on special for my kids. It was really sweet. It is a holiday memory that will not happen all the time. Lots more to catch up on...but this will be good for now! Hopefully this afternoon we will get some more crafty stuff done and I can post those pictures too. Happy holidays...

He did not realize the grinch was behind him until he turned around. A little scared...but facinated too!

Pumpkin liked the picture, but was a little shy. It was a fun afternoon!

2 years ago...

My baby boy was born two years ago today. I really can not believe it has been two years already since he came into this world. Our family is so much more amazing with Critter in it. His personality and smile light up my world. He is growing into his own each and every day. He is talking more and more, when Pumpkin lets him get a word in! He cares so deeply for those he loves. He tries to protect both Pumpkin and myself from harm. He will come running to one of us if he thinks we are hurt or sad. He LOVES anything to do with trains, cars, police and sports. Somehow he is a boys boy, even when Pumpkin tries to put her princess dresses on him :)

The poor kid was a little sick this weekend for his birthday party. It ended up turning into an ear infection. He enjoyed his party, but not as much as he could have if he was feeling better. At least I tried not to stress about it! It was a wonderful day in the park with friends and family. thank you all for celebrating with us! We love you...

He went from not feeling good to getting a spark of energy. He would cuddle and drool on anyone who would hold him! He really does look a little pathetic in this picture...

We had to have some games! Critter was not into them, but everyone else was. This was my moms awesome creation of stick the race car on the track! The kids loved it. Pumpkin did pretty good...when she was not trying to cheat!

I have been trying to make their cakes lately. I am getting better. This one had more frosting on it than cake though! It was fun to make. I saved a piece for Critter to have tonight after dinner. Since he is feeling better I hope he will blow out his candle by himself!

Critter's buddy brought his scooter...and Critter did not want to get off of it! He loves this thing :) Every time we go to their house he likes to find it and ride it. He has gotten pretty good at it. It kept him happy at the park and his mind off of his ears!Even though he loves sports and hitting things with a bat or golf club, he does not like to hit a pinata. I do not know what it is...but he does not like to do it. The other kids loved it though...

He finally perked up a bit at the end of the day to enjoy his lovely presents. He has been having fun with all of them since then! It was a great day celebrating and amazing boy. We love you Critter and are so proud of who you are. Happy Birthday amazing boy!

Getting away...

Last weekend we had to get out of the Valley. Hubby took Friday off and we went North for the day. It was a rainy and chilly day. It was so nice to get out of our normal environment and just relax and have fun. Of course as we were about to pull into town Critter fell asleep. So...we went for a little side drive to see a Lake we had not seen in ages and where Hubby had camped once or twice. By the time we were about to stop, Critter woke up. We of course had to get out of the car and get a cute picture of the kids. It just so happened that Pumpkin had taken her "class pet" home from school that week. She brought George to see the sights and take pictures with him.

Pumpkin of course remembered the chilly wind of winter, but poor Critter was caught by surprise. Luckily he got used to it pretty quick. It was raining on and off all day which was just a lovely sight.
I love this picture of the two of them. He took it very seriously whenever Pumpkin let him hold George. He held on really tight...so cute! :)

While there, I was trying to get his 2 year pictures done. He was just having so much fun running around in the puddles.

Can you tell Pumpkin is a little cold :)

We were able to stop by Hubby's brothers home and hang out for a little while. The kids do not get to see them as often as we wish. But...they LOVE seeing them. It was a lot of fun, even though it was only for an hour.

We had an awesome escape, even for a day! It made it feel like fall/winter. We hope to head back up North soon!

More bike riding...

Our lives have been crazy busy again around here. I guess that is expected this time of year. But, for some reason it surprises me each and every year! We have been trying to get Pumpkin out on her bike each week to practice riding without the training wheels. She is getting pretty good! It is hard to balance her and Critter, so we can only practice on days when Daddy is home. Here is some cute updated video of how good she is doing. There is some Daddy commentary to go along with it!

This second video is of actually starting to ride by herself! Like I said, she is getting pretty good. She can ride from the corner in our neighborhood back to our house. I am just trying to teach her how to stop :)

So proud...

I can not begin to describe how proud I am of this amazing girl. I had a moment today where I got to see my child through the eyes of a stranger. Now, that might sound strange, but sometimes it is hard for me to see all my kids do. I am there day in and day out and sometimes get caught up in the everydayness of life...yes I know I pretty much made up that word!

For Pumpkin's birthday she decided to be a generous kid. We have been helping out a charity, Andrea's Closet, through my moms club. They are a group which supplies toy closets for children in the hospital. When talking about what she wanted for her birthday, Pumpkin started talking about how much she already has. She then started talking about the kids in the hospital and how they needed toys. We figured out that asking friends and family for toys for Andrea's Closet for her birthday would be a good idea. Now...anyone who knows Pumpkin knows that if she does not want to do something there is no way to make her. This was really her idea. I could not have been more proud of her.

She ended up collecting over a dozen toys for this group. I was able to make the arrangements to bring them to the hospital today. Going into it Pumpkin knew she would not be able to give them to the kids, but that the nice lady from the hospital would be able to put them in the toy closet for her. We arrived at the hospital and the woman came out to meet us with a wagon. Both kids help put all the toys in the wagon and walk them into the hospital. She gave us a little tour of the new wing of the hospital while the kids looked around at all the really neat stuff they had.

Pumpkin was shy, but at least let me take a few pictures. The funny thing about her is that she really did not see what the big deal was about giving toys away. This lovely woman kept saying what an amazing 5 year old she was. Pumpkin just smiled, said thank you and kept playing.

It was a moment where I got to see Pumpkin for who she is and who she is becoming. She cares so deeply for others. It makes all the moments where I struggle as a mother completely worth it. I did not know I could be this proud of my child. She gives without a thought and it is normal to her. I hope we can continue this feeling of giving throughout her life and Critter's. She is an example to me of how to make sure to give and care for others.

This is the pile of toys she gave to the hospital. These are going to make quite a few kids so very happy and feel more comfortable in the hospital.

I just love these two kids. I could not be more proud of them and who they are. It is amazing to see them from an "outside" perspective. I just love them and more than ever know that my time at home with them is precious and right where I want and need to be. Now...I need to go cuddle my amazing girl!

Spooktackular day...

I hope you had a fun Halloween! We had a great time...except for the fact that Pumpkin asked about every 5 minutes all day when we were going to go trick-or-treating! :) It was a lot of fun and Daddy even made it home to take the kids to a few houses. We had fun going around our neighborhood and then the kids had an even better time handing out candy to all the people who came to our door. It was a really fun time and I am glad the kids were feeling good enough to enjoy it.

My princess and football player! He loves Sparky so much, he had to have something to do with him for Halloween! Yes...I am influencing the college choice this early on! :)
I just LOVE her look in this one...a true princess!

Her pumpkin without the stem...of course!

He looked so cute with the padding I put in this outfit. He did not even mind the black on his face...who knew football players could look this innocent and adorable :)

I even put some make-up on her for trick-or-treating....she was very proud of that!

Showing off some candy..

Every time they head someone at the door they both ran to it to see what they were. Critter was funny if there was a "scary" costume...he just said scary and then handed them candy. It was cute. It was a perfect night. Now I just have to try to not eat all their candy...

Pumpkin is 5!

My pumpkin turned 5 last Friday. I have been wrestling with the idea of her turning 5 for quite awhile. For some reason this feels like a big birthday. I think it is because so much more independence happens at 5. I kept joking with her that I wanted her to turn back to 3 instead of turning 5. In her sweet, independent, all-knowing way...she would reply "Don't worry I am still your little girl I am just going to be 5". Here is so much about her I am proud about...

~ She genuinely cares about those she loves

~ she loves school and learning

~ she is my princess tomboy...loves her new princess shoes and dresses while wanting to run around the house and jumping on furniture

~ She is my adventurous spirit, loving to figure out the world

~ She thrives on learning new things and questions EVERYTHING!

~ She sweet smile will heal any wound I may have

~ She is a STRONG, independent thing who will fight for her beliefs...while this drives me nuts now it will pay off big time when she is older

~ She still lets me cuddle her...just not in front of school friends

~ Her belly laugh is contagious

~ Her best friend is her brother and she will protect him against anything

~ She made me a mom and I would not change her one bit

Pumpkin has grown up to be such an amazing person. Even though she and I battle it out often...I know it is because she is a fierce spirit who needs to know why choices are made. She is so proud to tell people she is now 5...you can just see the twinkle in her eye when she says it.

It was a tough week for us here which is why I was quiet for awhile. Even though I wanted her to stay young...she sort of listened. She developed an acute double ear infection...just like when she was little. (Plus Critter got one as well! ) So..we have been chilling and spending some quiet family time together. I am enjoying it since I know it will go away sooner than I am ready for it to.

I love you my baby girl. I can not believe you are 5, it seems like yesterday you were born. I am so proud of the person you are growing into becoming. Enjoy this amazing year!

The Pumpkin Patch with my boy

I had an emotional time at the Pumpkin Patch last week with Critter. It was the first time in 5 years I have not taken Pumpkin to this Pumpkin Patch. She had school..... I actually asked her if she wanted to come with us or go to school and she choose school! I was surprised, but I could not discourage it.

So...it was just me and my boy. It was a really nice time. He was really funny picking out a pumpkin for Pumpkin. He kept picking them up and saying "no" until he found the right one. It just so happened the right one for her was without a stem...just like she likes. He then was very particular picking his out as well.

I love the fall traditions we have in our family. October is such a crazy month with activities, friends' birthdays and Pumpkins birthday...but it is all worth it in the end. Such a wonderful time with family and friends!

This is the one he decided on for Pumpkin, she loved it and thought it was the perfect Pumpkin. She has liked to re-tell the story about how he found it too! :)

Luckily Critter did not spend too much time in the hay maze. He has some fall allergies and the dust and hay did not help things. The poor guy last year was miserable...but this year was a little better. He is still cute though :)

They have a bunch of animals and Critter just loved them. He got to feed the goats and got a huge kick out of it. He would not stop laughing, except when he was studying them and trying to figure them out.

He kept grabbing Pumpkin's pumpkin and sitting on it. He could not sit on his due to the stem...it was just really cute!

Right before we left he finally decided to decorate the pumpkin. It was very serious work....

It was such a nice time with Critter. We have been spending a lot more time with just the two of us this year since Pumpkin has been in school 3 x a week. I am glad that she is independent and likes to hear about what we do and tell us about her day as well. Happy Fall! :)