Nativites

Yesterday we got the Christmas decorations out (while listening to the BYU game -terribly festive :P ).  It doesn't seem like I have that many decorations now that it's spread through my house instead of a small apartment.  I'm thinking a few more strands of lights will help.  I'm of the opinion that you can't have too many white lights. 

I love nativity scenes and they are a large part of my decorations.  I set up a few of them yesterday and still had a couple without a spot.  This morning I came down the stairs to see that Elijah had been playing with one of my sets and created his own little scene.



Stable made out of wood blocks



The big picture: stable, stars, angel, wise men a far off, and the shepherd over on the couch

 For school Elijah was asked to draw a picture about a holiday tradition.  He chose acting out the nativity story on Christmas Eve.   He used the nativity pictured up above as a model for his picture and labeled every piece.  I sure hope I get the original back.  It is such a sweet picture and explaination.

Sam wanted in on the action (because we don't use colored pencils very often. They are saved for special projects).  He too used the nativity as a model and this is his picture.  I love the manger with baby Jesus and all the hay.

It's all in a Nickname

I had one of my young women over a few weeks ago and when we were taking her home she was sitting in the back of the car with Elijah.  He asked her what her nickname was and then went on to tell her that his nickname was "Handsome."  Josh and I just cracked up in the front seat.  Yes, I call the kid handsome (I call all my boys handsome including especially Josh) but it makes me smile that Elijah's telling people handsome is his nickname.

Elijah and Sam also explained that Matilda's short name is Tilly but her nicknames are anything starting with "Sweetie" such as Sweetie Pie, Sweetie Cake, Sweetie Cookie... you get the idea.  The funny thing is that those are her declared nicknames but they don't actually call her any of those names unless they are talking about nicknames.

For the Grandparents

and the aunts and uncles...

I can only guess how many times it will be played by my mother alone ;)  Enjoy!

Taken on Thanksgiving, Nov 25.  Benjamin 2 months one week.

At his 2 month checkup Ben weighed in at 14 lbs on the dot putting him in the 90/95 percentile.  He was also in the 90th percentile for height.  An all around big healthy boy.

My Littlest Handsome Man

I took these pictures today of Benjamin in his Sunday duds complete with a happy smile.  Everyday he is smiling and "talking" more.  It is so much fun!

Christmas is around the corner...

I don't know how it snuck up on me, but it 'Tis the Season!  For those friends old and new here is the link to the Christmas blog my Mom and I started (and now my sister is in on the action too.)  I hope you all enjoy this season and take time to focus on the reason for the season, our Savior Jesus Christ. 


If you come across any ideas to add to the blog I would love to post them.  I am amazed by the amount of hits we get from across the country and around the world.  There truly is a desire and a need for Christ Centerd Traditions and I'm humbled by the interest in our little blog.

Happy TURKEY Day!

I'm betting we win the award for the cutest turkey.  I could just eat him up, he's so cute.    Take a look at his cute gut.  He looks like I'm going to feel in an hour or so =STUFFED.  I love this little man and I am so grateful he is a part of our family.

 I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

Ben Smiling

Not the best of videos, but Ben was cooperating somewhat.  He is really starting to engage, smile and talk.  His eyes just sparkle.  It is so much fun!  The sweet joys of being a mommy.

Matilda likes to party

I think Matilda had as much fun on Sam's birthday as he did.  Sam got a remote control car and Tilly went nuts over it.  The most hilarious thing!  She's scared of it but wants to chase it at the same time.  Sam also got some Hot Wheels cars that change colors in hot or cold water.  Tilly likes to chace them across the floor and then pick them up in her mouth.  I call her "Dogzilla".  She run back to you with the car hanging out of her mouth and drop it in your hand, ready for another go.  She's always good for a laugh.

Buddies

Sam begged for me to take his picture with his buddy Matilda.

Cutest Man in the HOOD

It just goes without saying...

Elijah is SIX

Elijah also had a birthday this week.   He tuned Six years old.  It's crazy!  When did I become old enough to be the mother of a six year old?  He's sporting the cool crown he got at school.  When he saw what I did for Sam's cake, Elijah knew exactly what he wanted for his.  Ever since we went to the aquarium in September he has bee obsessed with Dolphins.  He checks out dolphin books at school, he draws pictures of dolphins, he pretends he is training dolphins, etc.  Hence he wanted a dolphin cake.  I thought I was in over my head.  Luckily it came together pretty well.  With Sam's assurance that it did indeed look like a dolphin, this is what I came up with (using two 9 in rounds and one 9X13).  When Elijah came home from school his reaction was precious.  I think he was pleased.

Sam is FOUR

Sam turned Four this past week.  He was super excited for his birthday.  He decided he wanted a horse birthday cake to look like his little stuffed animal horse named Brown Star (complete with white diamond on her nose).  I found a pattern online that was super easy and Sam loved helping me out.  For his birthday dinner he decided he wanted Chick Fil A.  He's an easy man to please. 

Probably his highlight of the day was that Elijah was off school.  They played well together the whole day, playing "Bunny and Brownie" their imaginary game with their stuffed animals and Wii.  Sam also requested that we paint on his birthday.  The man loves getting down a dirty.





Jammie Jiggle

Benjamin loves to "party" from around ten to around one or two am.  Note: this does not make for happy parents.  Josh is a saint and often takes the brunt of this shift.  Often this entails what I have come to call the "Jammie Jiggle."  Benjamin strongly prefers to be held vertically.  I think he has a bit of reflux and gas issues going on and this position helps.  He also loves to be jiggled/bounced to sleep.  At night Ben gets really worked up and to help him relax Josh holds him up to his shoulder and trots through our room, across the hall and through Ben's room and back.  More often than not this puts Ben to sleep, if only for a short time and then the ritual starts again.

Walking Home

Last week the weather was beautiful and the fall colors breathtaking.  Sam and I (and Benjamin) took the opprotunity to walk to Elijah's school to pick him up.  I grabbed the camera and got a few pictures of the boys on the way home through the "rain forest".  Part of the walk has a bridge that goes ove some water.



Elijah is showing a fish book he begged to take to school and read a page out of to his class.



The camera doesn't do it justice.  The reflection off the leaves gave everything a golden glow.  So beautiful.




Reflection of the trees in the water below the bridge



Just Chilling at Six Weeks

 Here are a few pictures I took of Benjamin today just hanging out in his feeding chair. By no means is he getting any food while sitting in this chair, those joys are yet to come, but Ben enjoys sitting in the chair and being part of all the action that goes on in our kitchen.  He'll sit there contently for good stretches of time which is Convenient when I'm trying to cook or eat something myself.  These pictures were taken before a tired -it's time for my nap- melt down.

I took a couple videos of him chilling but they wont load.  Bummer.  I'll try again later.

Sight Seeing with Family

With Benjamin's arrival came a lot of visitors (well my mom and sisters were here before he got here).  With Benjamin being such a good baby/eater and me feeling great physically, we headed out sight seeing while everyone was here.  There really is so much to see in the area.  It was hard to choose. 

(These pictures are in no paticular order)

Mount Vernon, VA

We went to Mt. Vernon, which is a little over an hour south/west of us.  It is a beautiful estate on the Potomac River.  There really is a lot to see in addition to the house.  Unfortunatly we went on a really hot and humid day and only spent a couple hours there.  The museum in very interesting and I enjoyed seeing the house and walking in the rooms that George Washington lived in.  We even got to see the key to the Bastille which Washington had hung in his foyer.  They also had black smiths working at the forage and there was an actor in a little room playing Martha Washington.  She just sat there and rambled and answered questions like she was Martha.  We took the opprotunity to sit and listen to her and cool off while I discreetly nursed Ben (I LOVE my nursing cover).  As we were leaving she noticed Ben and said he was "a well formed child."  Anyway, she played her role well.



Rachel and Elijah standing amid statues of George, Martha and their grandchildren.  Martha Washington was very short, under 5 feet tall.

 Gettysburg, PA

We went to Gettysburg twice, once with my family and once with Josh's.  The trip with my parents was really fast, we mostly drove around and saw the town and the battlegrounds.  With the Strongs we went through the museum and drove around the grounds.  The museum is worth paying for.  You really get a good idea of what happened.  The battlegrounds are very beautiful, especially during the Fall season.  It is amazing the sacrafice that took place there to preserve freedom.  It is a moving place to visit.


The gang sitting with Abe Lincoln outside the Gettysburg visitors center



Strong boys with Abe



Climbing Little Round Top



Dobbin House in Gettysburg.  Was actually a stop on the underground railroad.  They let us go in and see the nook where they stashed slaves.





Birthday cake icecream at Friendlys on the way home from Gettysburg.  That stuff was SO blue.

The MALL/Smithsonians, Washington DC

We breezed through the National Gallery of Art.  Not exactly a place for preschoolers but the boys were good.  We made a point of seeing pieces by Monet, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Da Vinci, and Vermeer among others.  Absolutely breathtaking! 

We also went in the National Air and Space Museum.  Overall not my favorite of the Smithsonian museums.  It was stuffy and stunk like rotting metal.  There were some cool things to see though.  I particularly like seeing the Spirit of St. Louis (because my grandma told me about when she went to see the plane fly into Saint Louis after its notorious flight) and the Wright Brother's plane. 

Annopolis, MD

We actually got to touch the ocean, well via the Chesapeake bay.  We went down to Annopolis to drive around.  Yet another place were there is a lot to see but isn't particularly up a preschoolers alley.  We ended up driving through some residential and found a little open space area that opend up onto the bay with a small stretch of beach.  It was a beautiful day and a nice quite place to enjoy the view of the bay and all the boats out for the annual boat show.  Sam was mesmorized with the water and the sand.  He found a stick and started spelling his name in the sand. 

Baltimore, MD

We went to the Baltimore aquarium again while Josh's parents were here too.  Elijah and Sam were excited to see the dolphin show again.  Unfortunatly Ben decided he wanted to eat more than watch the show so he and I missed it.  The aquarium has a rainforest exhibit at the top and they have a sloth in among the trees.  The day we were there he was rather active.  I actually saw him sit up and eat something.  I swear I took a picture of him but I can't find it.  Oh well.

Anyway, all this travel happened in the first few weeks of Benjamin's life.  He sure gets around for such a little guy.  Thank you family for coming out.  We really enjoyed having you here and exploring the area with you.