Tuesday, December 22, 2009

December is full of fun!











December is a fun month for so many reasons - of course - COUNTDOWN to Christmas! We've had so much fun! Jacob and Jonathan got this cool countdown thing - it has little windows for each day and a piece of chocolate is underneath. The very first thing Jacob asks for everyday is "what number do I get to do today???" Thanks Mamaw for this special treat! Jonathan likes the chocolate, but doesn't really get the whole countdown thing... Then we got to go to a Christmas party at my aunt and uncle's in Louisville last weekend. So much fun. Neither of my boys were crazy about Santa, but we managed to get a "sort of" picture. Then to top it off, we traveled to Cave City to celebrate Pa's birthday. Jacob and Tay even helped make homeade biscuits - pa's favorites! I love seeing my dad be a grandfather - such a neat experience. My boys are the apples of his eye and he just loves hanging out with them! We are so blessed! Sometimes its so easy to take for granted all the wonderful things in our lives! May we truly take some time this Christmas season to thank God for all our wonderful blessings and of course - the biggest blessing of all - the birth and death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday, December 12, 2009

take one...take two...take twenty
















Family pictures are a treasure! But on my goodness, when you have a squirmy and hungry 1 year old and a jumpy, silly-smilin' 3 year old, it's tough! Even with the best photographer (Angela Wisley is one of the best!!!!), it is tough to capture everyone looking right at the camera. Tough to have no eyes closed. Next to impossible to get everyone smiling. Here's the evidence! All things considered, we were VERY pleased with our Christmas pics this year. And we had fun with Angela and Cheri Ann.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

A few observations







In lieu of the traditional "letter to my boys" this month, I thought I'd do something different. Here's a few observations about my sweet boys:



Jacob



* Your hair looks like a chia pet. :-) Love it, but seriously, it gets bigger and bigger and bigger.



* You have your daddy wrapped around your little finger..."but daddy..."



* You LOVE Frosty the Snowman - you've seen in 50 times in the last week. You should thank Aunt Carol and Uncle Chris for introducing to your new hero.



* Treats are of utmost importance to you. Your favorite treat is ice cream - a man after my own heart! :-) You're pretty good about not wanting treats before meals, but not so good about not wanting them right.before.bed. ahem!



* You are Mr. Independent - you take your clothes off all by yourself, pick out your clothes, put them on sometimes - you always like to zip your pants, but the button is sometimes tricky for you. You are very opinionated about what you wear and definitely make a distinction between "home clothes, play clothes and church clothes." CUTE!



* You love learning the letters at Ms. Maureen's and always ask her first thing,"what letter are we doing today?"



* You really "get" emotions and are impacted when someone seems sad. You always say,"are you happy?" and then you come give the biggest hugs.



* You think it's hilarious to pass gas or toot as you call it...must be a boy thing.



* You are one strong-willed little guy - especially coming out around your LACK of potty participation.



* You do not like to get your picture taken (unless Angela Wisely is taking your pic!)



* You are a happy little guy. I love your sweet spirit and your inquisitive nature. You are loved beyond imagination. Jesus loves you sweetie and has a wonderful plan for your life! I hope you learn to listen to Him.






Jonathan:



* You are a squirmy little guy and hate getting your clothes or diaper changed.



* You are working so hard to communicate with us and I really appreciate your efforts. Your signs are getting really good and you even said "open" this week and "i want that." Good boy!!!!



* You climbed out of your crib once this month and nearly gave me a heart attack - don't even think about doing that again. Mommy is not ready for the big boy bed trauma to commence again.



* You love your nite nite bear. I love watching you drag him around by his little arm. Sweet!



* You would watch Mickey 24 hours a day if we'd let you! Trust me honey, playing toys is so much more fun! Mickey's okay sometimes, but give mom a break and stop doing that ridiculously cute sign for Mickey.



* You're starting to mimic counting - really cute! You play hide and go seek with your brother and have so much fun! You actually are better at finding us than Jacob is...



* Sometimes, you get so frustrated when you want something and can't get it. I hate to see you frustrated and have to remember that when Jacob was 18 months old, he didn't have to compete with anyone. Be patient little one...we're always here to help you!



* You love ketchup - seriously - if you have ketchup on your plate, you'll eat just about anything. You're a great eater anyway, but the ketchup even helps more. You love to eat hot dogs, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, yogurt, eggs, lima beans, peas...really most anything. Except spaghetti - hello, you are a Stover aren't you???



* You love all the Christmas lights and are doing a great job leaving the ornaments alone. Way to go little man!



* You are so loved and bring so much joy to our family. You are a funny guy and have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. You are the joy of my life and I'm so thankful to be your mommy! Jesus loves you so much and wants your life to be filled with his blessings.

Saturday, December 05, 2009

Perfect Spot







Whew - I've been on a bit of a bloggy hiatus - no real reason, just busy busy busy decking the halls and fa-la-la'ing all over the house! We do have everything decorated and I just love Christmas time! I love looking at all our beautiful ornaments and the special memories they bring. I love the little place mat custom made with my boys feet and hand prints into cute little Rudolphs. I love my Precious Moments tree. I love the Mickey tree I created for the boys room. I love it all. I love what Christmas is all about and I'm glad we go "all out" for Jesus' Birthday. But, I have to be honest, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning seeing it through the eyes of my sweet children. This year seems especially exciting - the boys are enjoying the holidays already. The are fascinated with all the decorations and the full little music making stuffed animals we have. Jacob was really into decorating the tree this year - he took special care to put each ornament in the perfect spot. (the picture here shows the "special spot" for several ornaments - the exact same branch.) Wouldn't change it for anything. And today, he was putting on a white church ornament and said "mommy, is this where Obama lives?" hmmm...white church/white house - I can see how he got confused. Jonathan even got into it a little. May each of you take a few minutes to be grateful for all this season means and enjoy the "little moments."