Few of My Favorite Things

My friend Joanna once again pulled through for us. The kids were not in the photo-taking mood last weekend, but Joanna was able to capture a few good shots.

Let the Holidays Begin

Oma and Opa spent Thanksgiving Eve with us. The day consisted of us playing with the kids and catching up with each other. Taylor always loves it when we have company stay the night. Last night, my mom and I unpacked Taylor's pink Christmas tree and put it together. Last year after Christmas, I purchased some "princess" lights that were on clearance. After we got Taylor's tree up and decorated, I put her lights in her room and surprised her with them. She loved them, so does Landon. Guess I should buy some boy-ish lights like trucks or something so he can have a constant party in his room too. Poor boy loves to play with a pink kitchen set and pink strollers. Thanks to my friend Mindy who passed down some real boy toys for our little man. Now he has trucks and cars that are anything but pink.

Today we took our time lounging around, making crafts, and baking our goodies for our Thanksgiving dinner. We headed over to my in-laws and celebrated Thanksgiving there with my parents as well. It is such a nice treat to have all of the grandparents in the same place so that we don't have to split up the day and drive kids across town.

On our way home tonight, I was asking the kids what they were thankful for. Taylor said she was thankful for Christmas, and Landon said he was thankful for water. Ha ha! The kids make us laugh. Hank and I both told the kids that we are thankful to be their Mommy and Daddy. What a treat it is to be the parents to Taylor, Landon and Ryland!

The day was wonderful and relaxing, and it filled my yearly craving of a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Hard to believe this day has come and gone. Now it's time to prepare for Christmas. The kids are excited for Daddy to pull out all of the Christmas lights and decorations tomorrow.

Grandparents' Tea

Today was the annual Grandparents' Tea at Taylor's Montessori school. It wasn't a regular day of classwork. Instead, the school put on an open house for grandparents or special persons and had some treats for everyone. Taylor invited her Opa Lou, Oma Ingrid, Grandpa Don and Grandma Carol. They were able to watch Taylor "work" with some educational toys and meet the teachers.

From the photos above, I can see that Taylor brought "Laila" the stuffed bear with her to school today. "Laila" belongs to Grandma Carol, but Taylor has developed an affinity for the bear. Taylor named the bear after her baby cousin. It's quite cute.

So while Taylor spent the morning with her grandparens, who all love her dearly, I took the boys to Gymboree. Now we are all home hanging out and kicking off the Thanksgiving holiday.

Krispy Kreme, Friends & the Flu

Wednesdays are the day when Taylor spends the afternoon with Grandma Carol, and I have the boys to myself. This Wednesday after we dropped Taylor off at school, I took the boys to Krispy Kreme. We enjoyed the yummy donuts and milk, and Landon watched the donuts being made. He was quite content the whole time we were there.




Wednesday was also the day that Taylor came down with the flu. Because I have a newborn and a son who has had respiratory issues, we felt it was best to keep Taylor at grandma and grandpas house to recover. While I felt horrible leaving my sick little girl last night, I knew she would have great care and the two boys would be protected. Thankfully this bug she caught was only a 24-hour thing and Taylor is starting to feel good again.

Today Landon played with his girlfriend Kalyn. It was funny how both of them ended up playing in just a t-shirt and diaper. We caught them sitting together on the kiddie bench so I had to take a picture. We will want to show them how cute they are in the years to come!

"I Miss Her Too"

Today as we were driving home, Taylor and I had this sweet, sweet conversation. (I have to record this on our blog for years to come!)

Taylor: Mom, is Jesus in heaven?
Me: Yep, that's where he lives.

Taylor: Is Lynette in heaven?
(Side note: Lynette is Hank's younger sister who tragically, unexpectantly died five years ago. We talk about Lynette often and even gave Taylor her middle name in honor of her Aunt Lynette. Even though Taylor never had the chance to meet her sweet auntie, we want her to know about her.)

Me: (trying to choke back tears) Yep, she's in heaven with Jesus.
Taylor: That's good!

Me: Yeah honey, it's good for her. But, we are still sad because we miss her.
Taylor: I miss her too!

Oh gosh, the flood gates are running again as I think of this sweet conversation we had today. For one, I am amazed that she understands that Jesus is in heaven. And two, she already knows it's a good thing to be in heaven with Jesus.

Sweet, huh?