Christmas Morning

This has to be my favorite Christmas ever!  Jackson was excited about everything that had to do with Christmas and Brendan just kind of went with the flow.  I do think that next year will be even more fun because then Brendan will be that much older and understand all the things that we do. 

When Jackson went to bed on Christmas Eve, he told Luke to turn all his lights (even his nightlight) off because then he'll fall asleep faster and Santa will come).  How precious!  He was the first one up the next morning but I think that he forgot it was Christmas because he came into our room and wanted to watch cartoons.  However, when I asked him if he'd rather open presents, he ran to the kitchen to see if Santa ate the cookies and drank the chocolate milk and then made a mad dash to the stockings.  During this time, I went up to get Brendan and by the time I got downstairs with him and Luke had gotten up, Jackson had already opened his presents in his stocking! 

We were able to hang around the house most of the day which was great because Jackson really enjoyed playing with his new presents and both boys took great naps too.  What wonderful memories we had and it was great to start implementing traditions with the boys. 

Christmas Eve

We did our traditional Christmas Eve party at my parents again this year.  It was a bit different because my mom just had back surgery 2 weeks ago so she still is feeling a bit sore and isn't up to the usual entertaining that she typically does for Christmas Eve.  We ended up getting pizza (which actually worked best because it was quick and the kids could unwrap their gifts sooner) and appetizers. 

Jackson got his scooter that he has been asking Santa for so he was pretty excited.  Cohen got one too so the boys were doing laps around the kitchen with them. 

Highlight of the evening was when Eric opened his present from Luke.  We exchange names and Luke had Eric's name.  Eric had black shoes on his list of what he would want and so Luke decided to go to Goodwill and find an ugly pair of black shoes and then tell Eric that they were really expensive originally but that he got a great deal on a used pair.  Well, he did find an awful pair ... pointed toes and tassels.  When Eric opened them he kept saying they were just great and he was believing Luke's story.  Becky on the other hand was not impressed with shoes and couldn't believe that Luke would buy such ugly shoes.  I couldn't stop laughing because Eric was saying he couldn't wait to wear the shoes.  Finally, we gave him his real gift but it was quite the gift and we all had a good laugh about it.  

It was a great evening and the best part was that the kids play together incredibly well so the adults can just sit around and talk. 

Hansen Christmas Party

We had an unexpected gift at our Christmas party with the Hansens .... another tooth for Brendan.  Our morning was quite busy as Jackson had Christmas program practice and then Luke and I stayed in town checking out mini vans (yes we are seriously looking at one!) so Brendan didn't get much of a morning nap.  As we went through the day, he hardly napped, was super fussy and didn't want to eat (shocking for him!).  This morning, we discovered that new tooth had appeared.  Should've known! 

Despite the crabby kid, we had a great time with the family.   The kids had a blast playing together and Jackson was super tired by about 5pm and was crying (and wheezing a bit) so we packed up and headed home.  Before we even left their driveway Jackson was sound asleep and he slept until 6:30am this morning!  Brendan enjoyed getting home and playing with the new toys and Mom and Dad.  What a difference a year makes  - it sure if fun with two little guys who love to play!

Lots and Lots of Boxes

It has felt like Christmas here at our house for weeks now as we keep getting packages delivered.  I have discovered that even though I absolutely love shopping the day after Thanksgiving with my dear from Lori, I sure do love online shopping.  And that also means there are lots and lots of boxes for the boys to play with.  Luke stayed home on Friday with them and they had some extra fun play time!

Santa!

Yesterday we went to see Santa.  Jackson is completely into everything about Santa this year and was thrilled to get to see him.  He was practicing what he wanted to say to him on our way there.  When we got there he went right up to him (which is VERY unlike our shy little Jackson!).  Brendan wasn't so sure of Santa but we managed to get 1 picture before he started screaming.  I am absolutely loving Christmas this year!!!!

Christmas Pictures

Taking the picture for Christmas cards always seems to be difficult for us!  Looking back, the first year we took a picture we had included our new dog, Rudi, in the picture.  It took us forever to get a picture where Luke, Rudi and I were all looking at the camera.  The next year I was pregnant and honestly didn't care too much because I was ecstatic with the expectation of a new baby.  From then on, we had kids to deal with.  First it was Jackson and now Brendan and Jackson.  Kids don't have the patience that Luke did with pictures and they certainly are hard to get to smile at just the right moment.  However, we did manage to get a picture and despite the one posted, we did get them to look like they truly do love each other and enjoy having pictures taken.  Now we have another year before we have to attempt it again!

The Christmas Tree

We had our annual tree cutting on the day after Thanksgiving (after Black Friday shopping of course!). This year we found a new place near our house where we could take a wagon ride out to the field and then cut our own tree (Clark Griswald Style). Lee and Betsy and the kids came with us and I am pretty sure that it'll be more fun next year when the two youngest are then 2. Jackson and Lauryn loved it but Evan and Brendan weren't such big fans. It was so cute how Lauryn wanted to be in our family picture (love that girl!). When they were shaking the tree and then wrapping it, Lauryn and Jackson were completely amazed. Afterwards when we got it home, Jackson felt it was his job to cut all the strings off. He was so intent on doing it that he didn't realize he wasn't helping too much. It was a lot of fun watching him help with the tree though - this year he is absolutely in LOVE with everything Christmas!

2nd Birthday Post and Thanksgiving

What a year to be thankful. I remember so well how last year we were still "homeless" and living with my parents but had signed for our new house (which exactly one year ago we first walked through the door with our key!). There's so much that we are thankful for and really I have to say that the Lord has blessed us immensely!

We had the Hansen's and Ford's over for Thanksgiving this year and it was such a great time (as it usually is when we're all together). It was my first experience hosting and despite two little boys who wanted me to play rather than get things ready, it went pretty well. We also celebrated Evan and Brendan's 1st birthdays because we had cancelled their party the week before because Brendan was sick. Our two little red-headed birthday boys did so well and it still amazes me how they could pass for twins (maybe not identical but they do look like siblings!).

Happy 1st Birthday Brendan!

This will be the first of a couple of blogs this week for Brendan's birthday because we really haven't celebrated his birthday yet. Our little guy turned one on Thursday but we had to cancel one of his parties on Friday because he had the flu! Thankfully we didn't have any of the vomiting involved with it but I'm definitely glad that we're nearly done with it because I was not enjoying doing laundry every day.

We did end up having a little celebration on his birthday (because I couldn't just let his first birthday pass by without any fun!). My parents came over for dinner and we attempted to give him cake, which he definitely did not want (the first sign that he really wasn't feeling well because he hardly ever refuses food!). So we will reattempt party 1 with Luke's family on Thanksgiving and then party 2 with my family on Sunday.

I still can't believe that he's one though - this year has just flown by. Brendan continues to be a happy little guy and a "go with the flow" kind of guy. When he wants something though he's sure to let us know ... he can be quite vocal at times. He's creeping around everything and will take steps between the furniture but refuses to let us help him - he wants to do it all by himself! He loves watching his big brother play and my favorite thing is to watch the two of them in the bathtub laughing as they play together. We certainly were blessed with this little guy!

Our Little Spiderman

Luke and I had plans for a little get away in Lansing to do some shopping. We had planned to stay over night for one night and then be back by Friday afternoon. But little did we know how quickly our plans would change. We dropped the boys off Thursday morning and Jackson had a cold. We figured he would be okay because Brendan had just gotten over the cold and it lasted only a few days and wasn't that bad. So, we left knowing that he was in good hands with my mom. Around 3pm we had a call from my mom that he had gotten worse and she thought we should try to get him in to his doctor. Being the wonderful mom and grandma that she is, she was willing to take him and told us to stay until she knew more. 2 1/2 hours later she called and told us that Jackson was on his way to the ER for breathing treatments because he had low oxygen levels in his blood and they couldn't get them up at the office. Luke and I flew out of that hotel and came home as quickly as possible with me feeling like the worst mother in the world because I was not with my son on his first trip to the ER and had left him when he was so sick! Talk about serious guilt! We arrived in the ER and got the news that he was doing much better but they still wanted to do another breathing treatment to see if he needed to stay for observation or head home. Eventually we were given the option of staying or going home and did decide to head home because Jackson was ready to be out of there.

On Friday we went back to his pediatrician and felt like quite the celebrities there! Evidently he looked just awful when he was in on Thursday and they were anxious to see how he was doing. Thank goodness for such a wonderful office that truly cared about how he was doing. One of the nurses, who knew my mom, told me that she was tempted to call Thursday night to see how things had turned out. Anyways, at this point they have diagnosed him with Asthma brought on by a virus. He reacted well to the asthma treatments so we're wondering if this is going to happen again. Needless to say, next time he gets a cold I am going to be a nervous mom! Thankfully he's almost back to his old self. He's still using the inhaler and has some steriod medication to get his lungs back to normal.

The weekend certainly didn't turn out as planned but we are so thankful that everything turned out okay and now are a bit worried about ever leaving again! We did take him trick-or-treating on Saturday but now it's time to lay low again for the remainder of the weekend. Had to post some pictures of them in their Halloween costumes - loving these boys more than anything! After a scare like that you realize just how blessed we are to have these little guys! And blessed to have parents that spent their entire evening in the ER with a really sick little guy and a curious little 11 month old who wanted to get into everything! I'm thinking we owe them big time for that one:)

"I want to go to Gammas"

I made the mistake of telling Jackson that next week he is going to spend a night at my parents. The night that I told him I heard lots of noise in his room after he was supposed to be in bed. As I went up to check on him, I discovered him standing at the top of the stairs with his suitcase. He told me he was ready to go to Gamma's house. I took him back to his room and discovered one of the loud bangs I heard was him moving a big rubbermaid tote (filled with sheets so it was quite heavy) into his room so he could climb to get things to pack! I couldn't resist taking pictures of what he packed and how he packed - he had 4 pairs of jeans in there and one shirt. I think I have some teaching to do about packing. Needless to say, the suitcase remains packed with those clothes because he assured me that's all he needs and he can't wait to go to Gamma's.

Brendan's 1st Haircut

It was definitely time... my little redhead was starting to look like he had a mullet at times! So, Sunday after church, Luke (who is now the family barber) trimmed up Brendan's hair. I was a little hesitant because once they get their haircut they look so much older but I have to say that it's definitely an improvement.

Crane's Orchard

On Tuesday we went to Crane's Orchards to pick some more apples (because we've already used all of our apples from our first picking) and to try out the maze there. It was perfect weather for picking apples and enjoying all the stuff Cranes had to offer. Jackson enjoyed the hayride there too.

Pumpkinfest and KIDS!

What a perfect weekend we had! Saturday we headed back to our Zeeland roots to watch the Pumpkinfest parade. Our niece Lauryn was in it and we wanted to see her in her first parade. Little did we know that my dad was also going to be in the parade, riding on the Borculo Christian float. Jackson was all concerned because Grandpa was riding on "the hook" of the float (he was sitting by the hitch). It was great seeing the boys' reactions to the parade though. Later that evening we were invited to join the "Hope College Reeverts" gang as many of the girls made their way into town for Pumpkinfest. Oh boy - there were a lot of kids there but we had such a wonderful time chatting and catching up with them.

Pentwater

I had been watching the weather diligently for a week as we prepared for our camping trip. The forecast looked like it would be cold but not wet..... how wrong they were! We left Friday after work for a weekend in Pentwater. Years ago we started going up there for a 5K/10K race that took place on Saturday evening. The race has now somehow disappeared ... it was usually such a small race that we both would medal in our age groups. Anyway, we still have gone up (except for last year because I was VERY pregnant and we were moving out of our old house this weekend last year as well). Jackson had been looking forward to camping all week long so to watch his face on the way up there and when we first got there was priceless. The entire ride up I was nervous our trailer would blow over on the highway and we'd cause a terrible accident. The wind didn't end up dying down until Saturday afternoon and we had rain off and on until Saturday afternoon but that didn't seem to ruin the weekend. We all kept saying how thankful we were for a warm trailer this year because every other year we were in tents. It turned out to be a memorable weekend and Sunday was absolutely perfect up there. Now, sadly, we pack up the trailer and wait for next year.

Daddy's Boy

There's just something about Dad right now for Jackson. Whenever Luke is home, the two of them are together. We started painting Jackson's room last week and the two of them finished it off this weekend (I"ll get pictures up soon). Luke had Jackson using the roller to paint and even let him get that last little area on the wall. Jackson was extremely proud of himself. Not only that, but they are two of a kind when it comes to being outside. If there's a reason to be outside, they're outside. Last Sunday, the two of them spent most of the day playing around in the yard. It's so fun to see how alike the two of them are.

Jackson is also claiming that he's such a big boy now because he'll be starting Sunday school! I think that it'll be harder for me than for him because it just seems like such a huge step and soon comes actual school! Well... a little time for that yet. But all of a sudden, he's claiming he's too big for everything... too big to ride in the stroller during walks, too big to play with some toys, too big for everything but hugs and kissses which I'll take as long as I can get them. Because there's one thing that only Mom can do lately... tuck him into bed:)