Christmas 2011

 So, as holidays go when you have kids, I think this one has been one of the best.  Both boys were able to write letters to Santa, sit with Santa at the mall and at Walmart, as seen in these pictures, and love everything about the season this year.  We baked cookies together, decorated the WHOLE tree and went to the post office together to mail our Christmas cards.  It was a very fun holiday.

 Both boys got everything they asked for and more.  Teagan asked for a Mater hot wheels and for his very own lap top.  While he did get the hot wheels, I think a great compromise on the 'laptop' was reached.  He got a Leap Frog Lap Top.  He loves it and brings it with him everywhere.   He says, "I need to bring my computer!" 

Ethan had to have an expensive Christmas this year.  It is the year of the electronics.  He asked Santa for a Nintendo DS and games for it.  It is exactly what he got.  We were able to get him a Nintendo 3DS and a 3DS game while everyone else got him DS games.  He loves it and plays it everyday.  He says, "I have to grab my DS mom!"

Ralph and I also got wonderful gifts, but you will just have to come see them in person!  It was a very blingy year!

Needless to say, I've been busy putting things away and getting ready for the new year while the boys play with their toys.  It's been nice to clean the house without interruption.  We've all been busy preparing for the new year and cleaning out the old to get ready for the new.  Donation of old toys, clean house top to bottom and updating addresses and phone numbers.  Make sure I have yours if you've changed it!  Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a prosperous and wonderful new year!

Portraits Galore!

Well, time sure has flown and the boys have grown!  Many things have happened since my last update.  I wish I could update more but honestly, I just forget to.  I've been really busy and just plain tired.

We finally got our family portraits done for the year and even made Christmas cards while we are at it.   The boys were very well behaved and we got some awesome pictures!

This is one of my favorites.  Don't daddy and the boys look sharp?!  I loved this background because we never get a good picture of our tree, so going to JCPennys and getting this one was great!

We even went back to the mall a few days later to let the boys talk to Santa!  They love to tell him what they want, but if you ask for a picture, sure enough, Teagan clams up!  He just hates smiling on demand!


Then finally is the best picture of all.  One that hadn't happened since our engagement.  A picture of just Ralph and I.  I really do love this picture!

School Pictures!

 Well, we are finally getting the school pictures in one by one.  Ethan will have his class picture taken at the end of the year.  They say because usually right after Christmas, they have another group of kids that either move in or out of the district and those starting Kindergarten late.  Retakes are also done at that time for those that need it.  Ethan's pictures came out fab!  He is so happy to be in Kindergarten and can't wait to get to school on most days.  I always know when he is not feeling well because he's indifferent to school on those days.  I hope to keep up his love of school.  He's learning so much there and coupled with my homeschooling, he's doing better than much of his classmates.  We are so proud!!

 Now Teagan has not gotten his class pictures yet and these are just scans of the proofs.  They are a little grainy and not so good, but at least we know what his pictures will look like! This pose with him sitting in a chair is my favorite for so many reasons.  It is cute, but his smile is so forced and his hands placed in his lap make him look like he has to pee! :>

This is a great picture because of his natural smile! I love it!  Teagan really enjoys school as well.  He actually made a friend in his class and then the girl switched from mornings to afternoons.  It was so sad.  Teagan really liked her and when she wasn't in class he said, "Momma.  Saraya no in school.  Where is she?"  I had a hard time explaining where she was because at the time, even I didn't know!  When I asked his teacher if she was ok, she told me what happened and then I was better able to explain that she's still in class, just a different time.  Teagan is still very upset but was happy to know that he could probably see her on occasion since her sister will be attending school starting Monday in the class next door.  He was happy!

Fall fun!

 Fall has set in.  Chilly days and cold nights.  Here are the boys enjoying the last warm rays of the sun.  We have started raking leaves and decorating for Halloween.  The boys love playing in the leaf piles.

 The boys also love helping me get all the leaves together.  If it ever stops raining I'm going to get the mower out to get them all up.  We put the leaves in our garden so that as they decompose, they feed the ground and our future plants.

On days when it is just to cold to play outside, we visit my parents.  My kids are bent on killing them.  Here is my father giving Teagan a horsey ride.  He went at it for about 20 minutes straight.  Teagan was very happy and pappo was very tired!

Apple Festival at Monroe's Orchard!

 The Apple Festival at Monroe's Orchard was a such a huge success last year that this year they had it on 2 Saturdays!!

We went both days because on the first Saturday, it had rained so much the days before hand that the ground was too soft to support the wagon for rides.  On this 1st day the boys enjoyed pony rides!  Teagan is finally able to enjoy a pony ride by himself.  He's growing so fast and is such a big boy now!

 Ethan has always loved the pony rides, but he still isn't a horse lover like his mommy.  Here, he was able to get onto the taller of all the ponies and sit up higher.  He had a blast!

 We also enjoyed watching the how they make apple cider and enjoyed free sample of cider and free whole apples!  My favorite part was buying a jug of freshly made cider and getting their fresh apple fritters!  We purchased A LOT of apples so that I could make all our favorite apple dishes.  I have already made a batch of apple butter and apple sauce.  Next is apple butter BBQ sauce and apple pies.  I am going to try to fit in some apple cobbler, baked apples and slice some up for our freezer so later on we can still enjoy the goodness of apples.


On the 2nd Saturday, October 8th, we enjoyed our long awaited hay/wagon ride.  It was shorter than last year but the boys enjoyed it anyways.  Here is a picture of Teagan and I at the end of the wagon.  He's such a big boy that after getting used to the rocking of the wagon, he wanted to sit by himself for a spell.  Both days were very beautiful.  Light cool breeze and tons of sun!  It was great!

"I Love You" Rituals

Back when I was taking undergrad classes at KSU, I took a class called, "Parent-Child Relationships."  It was awesome.  One thing I took from that class and integrated into my own life was a section called, "I Love You" rituals.  It was developed by Becky A. Bailey, Ph.D. and can be found at her website, www.beckybailey.com.

Here are 3 of the rituals I received from class and have used on my own children.  They love the interaction and I love the new rhymes.

A Wonderful Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
 A wonderful woman lived in a shoe.
She had so many children, she knew exactly what to do!
She held them, she rocked the, and tucked them in bed.
"I love you. I love you," is what she said!


Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Twinkle, twinkle, little star!
What a wonderful child you are!
With bright eyes and nice round cheeks,
Talented person from head to feet.
Twinkle, Twinkle, little star,
What a wonderful child you are!


This last one has some instruction.  Holding your child's hand, say the rhyme while you touch and massage the designated finger and make the appropriate noises.  At the last line, give your child a kiss and tuck him/her into bed!

This Little Finger Goes Night-Night
This little finger on the end, goes cluck, cluck like a baby hen.
The next little finger on the hand goes (make noise) like a big brass band!
This tall finger goes tick tock, just like mommy's alarm clock!
This little finger points to you and says, "I love you, yes I do."
The last little thumb goes night-night.
And says, "Kiss me so I will sleep tight!"

Last of Summer!

 The last of summer have come and gone and now we are enjoying the fresh, cool air of October.  Here are a few pictures of the boys enjoying the last warm days of summer in September.

Teagan has begun to be more independent and has shown it by trying to swing all by himself.  He loves to sit on the "big boy swing" and tells me to "push slow momma."  He has really begun to enjoy more of the swing set than just the sandbox.

 Ethan, as adventurous as ever, has started teaching Teagan bad things.  His latest is how to climb up the slide.  I tell him all the time that he will fall, and despite all the falls he continues to do it anyways.  Here is one of those falls, even if he was able to catch himself this time! :>

 The boys really enjoy playing and jumping on the trampoline.  Here, they actually asked me to join them and we jumped together.  Here they are taking a break so I decided to snap a picture while they were getting along. 

T really enjoys playing with his big brother.  It leads to fights sometimes, but they protect each other when it counts.

Ethan started soccer back in August and we are almost done with the season.  Teagan enjoys watching soccer and playing with Ethan in the backyard.  I think that he will also be playing when he is old enough!  But as the last warm days have disappeared, we have started our indoor activities.  My we have been busy, so give us a call or email if you want to know more on our adventures!