Christmas

Our first Christmas on our own, with no family to visit or invite over. It was small, and mostly quiet. To be honest, at first it was weird with a "now what?" sort of feeling, but once we got going, we had a blast. We LOVED having a day together as a family with no errands to do, nothing to fix, no to-do list, and away from electronics and the Internet. Mostly, we just enjoyed playing together. And it turned out great!

Goose mostly wanted the food in the stockings... :)

The Mr. and I liked taking time with the boys to enjoy each present a bit before moving on to the next present.

And of course, we had to use all that cardboard and wrapping paper for something! It was great!

Matchy-matchy! Mickey loves to match with his brother (he really does- this face was because he was impatient to take the picture).

Independence Day

This last Independence Day was a new one for us with 2 littles. The city doesn't really host any parades, but we found one out in the suburbs and were able to attend with some wonderful friends of ours.

 

Much more culture in this parade than any I have been to up to this point! Brazilian dancers, Scottish band, an Asian group, hip hop dancers, and Mexican riders. What fun!

We were just commenting on how we hadn't seen any horses in this parade (as it neared the end), when along came "fancy horses." They were beautiful and fun to watch!

So glad we found a parade out here! And we are grateful for this country, our freedoms, and the military personnel who work and fight for our freedoms. God bless America!

Days of Gratitude

Happy post-holidays! We hope you were all able to spend time with your loved ones! I am trying to be more grateful, so bear with me.

"We can choose to be grateful, no matter what. This type of gratitude transcends whatever is happening around us. It surpasses disappointment, discouragement, and despair. It blooms just as beautifully in the icy landscape of winter as it does in the pleasant warmth of summer."
(Click here for the full talk from President Uchtdorf).

1. I am grateful when Mickey splashes water all over the counters, floor, and himself when washing dishes with me. It means we have clean water to wash dishes with and, more importantly, that Mickey is willing to help and work with me.

2. I am grateful for the trial of not knowing where we're going to live or work next month. It is very stressful, but it is helping us to find strength together, to find a greater capacity within ourselves, and to turn more to our Heavenly Father. (There's a new video about this here).

3. I am grateful when sick children wake me up in the middle of the night. It means I get to spend at least one more moment of time with my precious Littles in this world where life is so fragile. It also means I get to hear Mikey say "thank you" when he's mostly asleep and I help adjust him to breathe more easily.

4. I am grateful when the Mr gets up early to play ball, even when he wakes up the boys or can't stay to help Mickey go back to sleep while I feed Goose. It gives him the exercise he needs and helps him be happy.

5. I am grateful for a job, even though it is far from family. It will give us a chance to learn and grow and have a new adventure.

6. I am grateful when it's a little chilly in the mornings. It's still warmer than what our grandparents had to live with in winter.

7. I am grateful when Goose falls asleep in my arms.

8. I am grateful when we get to visit friends and say goodbye. I know I will see them sometime-even if it's not until the next life.

9. I am grateful that we finally have a place to live in where we're going.

10. I am grateful when I am sick, sore, or in pain. It reminds me how amazing my body is and how much I take it for granted.

Christmas

We love the chance to spend time with family for holidays! This year we got to host Christmas morning in our temporary apartment, courtesy of Mimi & Gpaw. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the 2 cousins shared - and with their new toys too! It was fantastic. 

Guess who took over when grandpa set up the camera?

He still plays "pew-pew" with random sticks because of this...bad idea Santa. 

Gpaw & Mimi's turn

Showing the littles how to play with a toy.

A spot of color to go with all the spit up spots :)

Goose's opinion of present opening.

Apparently Auntie E thinks this of opening presents . . . good to know.

Cars, cars, cars!

Lovin some grandma time!

A kind cousin was willing to share his Santa toy with Mickey. (That's the real gift of Christmas)

Opening gag gifts - including a redneck plunger (attached to a gun) and a iPad arm attachment.

Playing in the snow with grandpa - definitely a highlight of the celebrations for Mickey!

What a beautiful lady!

What the rest of us did while they were out:

Of course, a little boy cannot complete a snow day without sitting on grandpa's lap and drinking hot chocolate!

Our Boys, Halloween, & Family Pictures

It's been a fun adjustment to having two children instead of just one, but these two are so cute together and there's so much love between them!

Putting each other to sleep.

"What's going on here?"

Halloween was also a fun adventure with these two. We enjoyed dressing up the family (however simply) and going to various activities.

Halloween Costume #1 - Sheriff

Costume #2 - Fox

Family costume - Mrs. and the boys are foxes and the Mr. is "What does the fox say?"

We also took some family pictures before the craziness of the holidays and moving hits. The first group was taken about a week before Goose was born by my father. The second, a couple weeks after Goose was born by Elizabeth Eck. A huge thank you to both of them for the time they gave us!