The Rest of the Christmas Weekend

After breakfast on Christmas morning we headed to Fisherman's parents to spend Christmas with his family.
Bebo's car ramp garage that he got from Grandpa and Grandma was the biggest hit. He has been playing with it LOTS!

One of Monk's favorite presents was marble works.

And of course both boys LOVED getting some Woody jammas.

On Sunday morning we opened our stockings.

Both boys got a new pair of shades, some flashlights, and lots of other little goodies. It was a great overnighter with Fisherman's family.

Christmas Morning

On Christmas morning before we headed north to Fisherman's parents we opened our stocking from each other and from my parents. Monk was up at 4:15 am thinking it was time to open stockings and go to Grandpa and Grandma's house even after going to bed at midnight the night before. He tried one more time at 5:30, but was told to go back to bed both times.
Both boys got a nutcracker for their collection from Papa and Nana.

We all got lots of treats, some movies, cars, and all sorts of fun stuff.

At breakfast Bebo insisted that Hamm needed to eat as well.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was spent with my family. My brother was missed, but we had a fabulous night otherwise. The older the boys get, the more fun it is. Each grandchild got a little M&M ornament in memory of their Great Grandparents. Grandma ALWAYS had M&M's at her house.
Bebo and Monk got a Woody suitcase FULL of all things Toy Story. The biggest hit for Bebo is his "Hamm."
Monk got Hungry Hippos. The most annoying game on the planet, yet every child should get to experience it.
The boy's big gift was a John Deer Gator. They were so excited about it that they had to try it out at 11:30 pm on Christmas Eve. Monk calls it a crocodile and Bebo calls it "the surprise." Christmas Eve is always a special time of year for me.

Family Christmas

Last week Saturday we celebrated Christmas with our little family of four. We are so busy over Christmas going to my parents and then driving to Fisherman's parents that doing Christmas at our house on a different day makes things a little more relaxed. We started the day off with some monkey bread and sausage for breakfast and then opened our presents.
Monk got Bebo the only present that he asked for and that was a zebra. He was so excited and slept with it for the next couple nights until the belly popped open and the stuffing came out :(. We are working on getting a new one, but it is not going nearly fast enough for Bebo.

Both the boys got a pull string Jessie from Toy Story and automoblox which they have been playing with non-stop.

This was one of the gifts that was on the top of Monk's list. Toy Story game for his leapster.

After presents the boys decorated a gingerbread house. After nap we went looking for my Christmas present of a mini van. We got some pizza...

...and then came back for some birthday dessert. The boys sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and it was oh so cute! Spending Christmas with my little family has to be one of my favorite days of the year.

Gold Slippers

For those of you that knew my Grandmother well, you knew about her gold slippers. I always found it funny growing up that she always had a gold pair of slippers just like these. They became her trade mark in a way and the people that loved her, loved these too. Every time that I have another child my parents get me a gift for the hospital. When I had Monk I got some new pajamas for the hospital and a nice warm robe. With this baby I wanted nothing more than a pair of gold slippers for myself. I have missed my Grandma dearly in my everyday life and during the holidays that have passed, but the thing that is the hardest for me is bringing what would have been her ninth great grand child into the world because you see my Grandma LOVED the babies and just loved to snuggle them. Each time I slip on these slippers I am reminded of her, her hugs, and her unconditional love. I would love nothing more than to be known as the lady with the funny gold slippers because the first woman I knew like that was one of the most amazing woman I haven ever known.

Live Nativity

This weekend we went to the Critter Barn for our advent calendar. This was the first year that Fisherman and I could actually listen to the story before the live nativity. In years past we have had babies and busy one year olds. This is always a great opportunity to talk to our boys in depth about the true meaning of Christmas.
They also LOVE holding and petting all the animals. Bebo was soooooo excited when we got there that he was shouting everything he said.

Monk enjoyed holding the baby chickens. Always a good time as a family.

Chritstmas Cookies

December is when we get our advent calendar out and do something everyday of the month. Today was making Christmas cookie day! After making frosting, licking the beaters is a must!

Bebo sprinkled all the star cookies...

...and Monk sprinkled all the tree cookies.

You can't do all that hard work and not see how good they taste. With Monk's allergies we are starting with eliminating dairy. I was so happy to find that I could make cut out cookies without having any milk in them.

Bebo was such a big fan of his own work that he asked for seconds. He of course didn't get them, but can't blame a guy for tryin'.

First Snowfall of 2010

Last week Wednesday when it snowed for the first time the boys were begging me to go outside and play in it from the moment I got up. I got out of bed and Monk was RIGHT there jumping up and down telling me that there was snow on the ground.
Finally after nap we had a little bit of time so I bundled them all up and out we went. They had so much fun. The first snowfall through the eyes of a child is so fun!

Christmas Parade

We took the boys to the Christmas parade. They were more obsessed with getting candy than they were with the actual things passing by, but it was still a good time.

Nativity

I tried to get Bebo to help with the nativity scene this year, but he was too interested in playing with the nutcracker decorations that we got out. We are in search for Joseph, but other than that I think that Monk did a good job.

Christmas Tree Oh Ten

This year we went out to cut down a tree like we always do, but after a long time of searching for the right one without any luck, we picked one off from the lot. It was Bebo's turn to put the angel on the tree this year.
Monk had such a good time putting the ornaments on the tree, putting out the stockings, and setting up the nativity scene.

Allergy Boy

Exactly this time of year two years ago we found out the the Monk man was severly allergic to tree nuts and also had a strange allergy to melons. Since so many things are labeled with tree nuts these days life did not change much for us. For the past couple of months Monk has been getting tummy aches in the mornings and after lunch. I felt like there was something off, but didn't want to be a hypochondriac. When it started happening more frequently I decided it was time for a call to the doctor. Last week Monk had another blood screen for allergies and it showed that he was allergic to wheat, milk, soy beans, peanuts, cod fish, and egg whites. My heart sank when I got the news. There are many things that he can still have, but what about the birthday cake at the birthday parties he will attend or the Christmas cookies that so many people love at Christmas time? I have to be honest and say that I have shed a lot of tears over this for a couple of different reasons. One, you want your child to have all the opportunities that life has to offer. This will limit Monk in a small way compared to many other things, but limit him non the less. Secondly, this is a huge responsibility for me as a parent because I will be monitoring all the foods that are put into his mouth and if I make the wrong decision, the little man will end up not feeling well and thirdly is the cost that is involved with some of the foods that he can have. For now this is the news that we have, next week we will be going into the allergist to see if we can't get a better hold of the whole thing and hopefully end up cutting out only a couple of the ones listed. I have been given so much help from my sister already, but if anyone has any resources for me, I will welcome any type of help.

The Token Thankful Post

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for a husband who selflessly provides for his family, who is a wonderful father that is willing to help out wherever he is needed. For his commitment to our marriage and for his willing attitude. I am thankful for the Monker and his kind heart. For his willingness to help in any situation, for his hugs, his caring eyes and his sweet smile. I am thankful for the Bebo, for his love of conversation, his snuggles, and his warm smile. I am thankful for the baby that God so lovingly knit together in my womb. Last year at this time I was loosing hope that we would ever add another child to our family. This year we are so blessed to be able to welcome another little Tripp into our family..I am thankful for a family that will love me no matter what and who brings me so much joy. I am thankful for a wonderful circle of friends that support me and lift me up. I am thankful for a house with heat and for the fact that I never have to wonder where my next meal will come. I am thankful for being born in the United States and for all the opportunities that that offers. At the top of my list is being thankful for a God that provides all these things for me to be thankful for. Each and every one of the things on my list is from him, may I never forget it.

Yule Run, I'll Walk 5K

This Friday we participated in the first ever Yule Run. It was so much fun! It was sponsored by the salvation army so they had free hot chocolate there and had a band playing around mile one. At about 1.5 miles is where the thousands of christmas lights started at the minor league baseball park. The boys LOVED seeing all the lights. I chose the walking portion of the race although I would have liked to run. There is always next year because we will be doing it again it was that good.

Rolling into the Eighth

Yesterday marked the end of the seventh month for this baby growing inside of me. My loving husband took a picture for me, but I can't get the pictures off from my card right now because I just broke the THIRD card reader that I have ever owned. Sometimes I wish that my flash cards fit right into the computer. UGH! Anyway, I only have 8 and a half more weeks to go until my due date. CRAZY how fast the time has gone. The baby LOVES to move a lot around 9-10 at night. I often find myself in awe of it and wondering if this will be the last time my stomach will ever move like this or whether this will be the last time I am so close with a sweet little baby that I am so close to meeting. Tonight Fisherman and I had a little date and we nailed down our name choices. I think this is the earliest that we have ever done so. They didn't end up being what I expected them to be, but I am in love with them. We are ready boy or girl. I can't believe that I am so close to meeting my third little blessing. This week we also took the boys to a little siblings class at the hospital. Those pictures are also on the card right now and I will have to share them later, BUT Monk has been soooooooooooooooo cute about the whole thing. He packed all his stuff so that he was ready to go to Papa and Nana's when I had the baby. He has been talking about the baby every day since. It just warms my heart. That is one thing that I have enjoyed so much this time around. Monk was so little when Bebo was born so he didn't really know what was going on, but it has been so fun having an older child that can be excited about the whole thing. He is going to be such a GREAT big brother.

The switcharoo

Last week we moved Bebo out of his crib and into a big bed. I am one to want to keep kids in a crib until they start to crawl out because in a crib, you know where they are at all times. We had a crib that I bought at a garage sale and were going to keep him in that, but in the last month or so we decided to just move him to a bed. He is so tiny in a queen size bed and often lies right in the middle without any covers on. He has done wonderfully though, I couldn't have asked for a better transition. He is still taking good naps and stays in bed for the most part. He has asked to take a nap in his crib one day, but other than that has been in love with the idea.

Pumpkin Boys

Last week I took the boys to take some pictures with LOTS of pumpkins. I try to do this every year and usually I get some good ones, but this year it was cold and a bit windy so the boys were not in the best mood. I did the best I could.

Happy Halloween 2010

The boys had a lot of fun this year. We did a little trick-or-treating at my parents and then came back to their house for some caramel apples. I told the boys that they could eat as much candy as they wanted this one night. Monk had very few pieces and still ended up with a tummy ache the next morning. Bebo pretty much ate candy non stop from 6:30 until he went to bed at 9:00. His little belly was sticking out and was so full. The difference between my two children. I think I learned my lesson that I can have Monk eat whatever he wants and I need to put some regulations on Bebo.

Fall Camping in Ludington

We had our last camping trip of the year this past weekend. We had some rain drops, but had GREAT weather overall. The picture above is what I saw when I opened my camper door every morning. It doesn't get much better than that.
We rode out bikes to the lighthouse and the boys had fun getting sand in every crevice of their body.

Bebo climbed into this fire pit which was his "boat." It was a good thing that we never made a fire in this pit.

Fisherman took Monk fishing on the river a couple of times. Monk even caught a salmon on his little cars fishing pole. He was SOOOOooo excited about it.

We had a nice long weekend with some great friends. The boys were completely worn out when the weekend came to a close.