It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

 

I think Jed may have Grayson beat for the best Santa picture!  His screams even made Santa cry!

With Santa at the Polar Express

Park day!

Striking a pose & cooking play dough with Mama in our new Christmas aprons from Grammy!

Taking our annual trip to the fire department to deliver our angels’ Christmas gifts.  Notice Colbie’s flip flops.  I’ve come to the conclusion that she LIKES to wear them backwards!

A Sunday visit at Great GranDeeDee’s last weekend.  This is a bitter-sweet photo, as just two days later, Dale & my parents had to move DeeDee into a home.  This was an extremely heartbreaking, but necessary decision for the family.   The last several months have been especially difficult for my parents and and aunt & uncles, juggling around-the-clock care for DeeDee.  They have done an amazing job in caring for her and still holding it all together.  Although her mind isn’t all there anymore, I still felt her presence today during our visit, holding her hand and getting a warm DeeDee smile when I got there.  I love my Grandmother to pieces and just pray that her last days here, however many that may be, can be as comfortable and joyful as possible and that she will find peace within.  

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth!   GG lost his first tooth!  He pulled it out all by himself on Thursday!  And yes, the Tooth Fairy came!  She sure is a lot more generous than I remember too!!  I must be extra emotional this time of year with everything going on because this totally made me cry…. just another major milestone and sign that our babies are growing up too quickly!

Jed seems super close to walking.  He took several sort-of-dancing steps tonight, cracking himself up the entire time.

Colbie had her first school Christmas program last week!   I seriously started to worry that the poor thing was having a full blown panic attack during her program…. she had a major case of the fidgets… itching her stocking and brushing the hairs out of her face constantly.  Once again, I was just waiting for her to pull a Mary Catherine Gallagher move on us!!

We met up with the McIntiers and some other friends for pizza and to watch the light parade last weekend!  What a great parade & so much fun for all the kids!

GG also had a Christmas program yesterday morning.  Both the kids are now off for two weeks!

Looking dapper with his clip on and getting a picture with his awesome teacher, Mrs. Newbold!

Trying to cram in so much before I print another annual book/family album….

Here are the kids school pictures this year!

Found some random pictures on Blaine’s phone that I also wanted to include.  Some of these are from a while back, but at least they made it in.

Love this one!

This was a fun run that the kids did last October on the day that I was still in the hospital :(  I was bummed that I wasn’t able to make it, but happy that Blaine could take them.  They both completed the one mile race and had lots of fun doing it!

This is the elk the boys brought home.

Oh that silly Tall…. having so much fun in our house!!  He actually was no where to be seen today because Colbie likes to test her luck and “broke the rules” by touching him for the 2nd or 3rd time this year!  Hopefully his magic will return and he will come back to play tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Colbie!

Cannot believe this little firecracker is FOUR already!  Where has the time gone?!  Colbie is still such a girlie girl and loves to dance & sing, play dress up, bake with Mama and play with her baby dolls.  She looks up to her big bro more than anyone in this world and also wants to do exactly what he is playing with at the moment.  Thankfully, Grayson is usually pretty patient with her.  She loves to read and play with play dough and still gives the world’s best knock-you-over-death-grip hugs!  Her feisty, stubborn and rowdy temperament challenges me daily, but her sweet, loving, little mama spirit melts my heart.  I love you with all my heart Colbie Elaine!

Her birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, so we had a small birthday dinner with just grandparents & Great Grandma. 

Tall made his way safely back from the North Pole and arrived at our house a couple nights after Thanksgiving.  He is a goofy and entertaining little elf and seems to have quite the sweet tooth!

POLAR EXPRESS 2014! 

We joined the McIntiers’ in Williams last weekend to take the kids on the Polar Express.  Last time we went, Colbie was just 1 and Grayson 3, so this was a really fun age for them.  Unfortunately, Blaine’s elk hunt was the same weekend, so as my Dad painfully put it, we were out celebrating with Rudolph while Blaine was out shooting one! :(  Awful right?!  Of course the kids didn’t hear that part and had an absolute blast on this magical experience.  I was a little worried about Grayson and him catching onto the magic of Christmas sooner than I wanted, but fortunately this trip proved me wrong.  His eyes were ginormous with wonder the entire train ride and he was completely start struck by Santa and his bell! 

Being that I was on my own with the kids, I was not brave enough to take Jed along on the long car trip too so my parents kept him here at our house for the night.  Although I don’t think he missed out much & seemed to really enjoy the QUIET house & lots of one on one with Grammy & Papa, I look forward to being able to take all 3 in a couple of years.

Made it to Williams!

All aboard!!

“This is a REAL bell from Santa’s reindeer! Do you hear it Mommy, do you hear it?!”

Grayson playing hard to get with Molly and loving it!

The kiddos checking out the North Pole through their train window!

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As if they hadn’t already had enough sweets and junk that day, Jonny’s mom was kind enough to make them hot chocolate when we got home that night.

Meanwhile, back at home, this little elf was caught red handed!  One of Jed’s new favorite hang outs is the fridge!

Other randoms… enjoying this beautiful weather and why not have lunch in a box?

Here’s our little Pilgrim at school during Thanksgiving week and Grayson, the chicken whisperer, taming his chicks!

Colbie and Jed at their 1 year & 4 year doctor check ups.  Jed weighed almost 22 lbs and Colbie was 39 and something and still super tall for her age.  Poor babies both got a round of vaccines.  Little toughies!

I found this the other day and had to take a picture and note it before I loose it or forget to tell the story.  I had these announcement M & M’s made when I was only 5 weeks along with Jed and hadn’t even told Blaine the news.  I also hadn’t been to the doctor, but according to my own predictions, I picked a due date of 11-2-13.  The funny thing is, at the time, I never made the connection that that would make all three children fall on the 2nd.  Once I had finally seen the doctor and got a confirmation, they gave me my official due date of 11-4-13.  Of course everyone predicted I’d be 2-3 weeks early like the other two & had me move to Phoenix a month early, but now, it so crazy to think that Jed was in fact born on 11-2 exactly, making all 3 kids’ birthdays fall on the 2nd of each month.