Santa Claus

We had our ward Christmas party last week.  The kids loved it.  Here are a few pics from the event.

 Anna helped decorate letters for members of the ward with lots of stickers. 

 Daddy, also working hard on his letters. 

 The big event was Santa Claus at the end.  Andrew didn't seem to mind it at first....

....then he was terrified.  ;-(

Anna, on the other hand, loved every minute of it.  She was very nervous beforehand and wouldn't let go of me.  Once she was on his lap, she was in heaven. 

Merry Christmas

Deck the Halls

 Welcome to Christmas season.  I love this time of year, especially since we have kids to enjoy it with.  We decorated our house the day after Thanksgiving.  Anna was beside herself; she was so excited!  Andrew kept pulling down the Christmas tree and eating hooks.  It was dangerous for him.  All of these picture have poor lighting but you get the idea.  Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Gobble Gobble

 Happy Thanksgiving.  I thought the picture above was very fitting for this post.  I think Andrew thinks he's cute enough to eat.  I found him in the crockpot the other day.  It's his favorite place to sit.  Whenever I turn my back, there he is, all squished in there.  It's cute.
Now, on to Thanksgiving....  It was a great day.  We got to spend it with some of our good friends, the Gublers.  WashU put on a formal Thanksgiving dinner for free for WashU students and their families.  We figured that free was a good option for us this year.  I think Anna was in heaven being at Daddy's school.  She squealed the whole way there and back. 

 I tried to get some pics of the kids after our dinner but they just wanted to play.  No surprise there.  It was fun to see them so happy. 

 In the midst of all of this happiness, Andrew head butted Anna, hence her screaming.  Sad moment. 

 Here are a few pics I snapped of Andrew later on in the day.  I just thought he looked so grown up.  His favorite place is the "baby table."   He can get on the chairs all by himself.  He gets this big look of accomplishment each time he does it. 

 My sweet boy loves giving hugs. 

 Even though we didn't make the dinner, we did make the dessert.  We had some really delicious pies to enjoy.  The pecan pie took the gold though.  It has been a fabulous weekend.  Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Oh to be a kid again

 What do you do when it's rainy?  You jump in puddles of course.  However, you probably shouldn't do it when it's cold outside.  Oh well, we did it anyways and loved every minute.  Andrew saw Anna jumping and of course had to join in.  Unfortunately, his shoes were not waterproof at the time so we only lasted about two minutes before going inside to change.  This picture below is also a good reason why we went inside very quickly.  Andrew fell smack dab in the middle of that puddle and got soaked.  It did not even phase him.  I'm glad I don't have to be a kid again, but I am glad I get to experience the things kids experience through my two little ones.  I love being their Mom. 

 Andrew is behind Anna in this picture.  She totally eclipsed him.  Haha!

 I made these little dessert cups for a YW activity.  Aren't they cute? 

 Anna is learning karate through the Wii.  OK, not really, but she thinks its funny when her Daddy plays with her. 

 Don't forget the little man!

Little Moments

"Enjoy the little things in life

For one day you'll look back

And realize they were the big things."

I read this quote a few weeks ago, and it has just really stuck with me.  Anna isn't even three yet, and I already feel like my time is running out.  I know that sounds dumb, let me explain.  Next year she'll start preschool and I'll never have her at home with me all day long like I do now.  I no longer think that Mom's who cry on their kid's first day of kindergarten are over exaggerating.  I get it now.  I know I still have Anna for 15 years at home with me, I just hope that I remember to enjoy the little things now. 

So, I took this advice to heart and have been trying to live more in the moment of things.  A couple of weeks ago, we had the most beautiful day of the season.  It was just gorgeous outside, so Anna wanted to have a picnic.  No surprise there.  I agreed and it turned out to be one of the best afternoons we've had in a long time.  There was nothing special about it in particular, just the three of us enjoying one another.  I had this overwhelming sense of love for both of my children.  I could just feel a great spirit from each of them.  It made me feel so grateful that I get to be their mom.  

One little thing that I hope I never forget is how much Anna loves to help Andrew.  She is always encouraging him and loves to call him "little bubba".  It's sweet.

 I hope I always remember how fun loving both of my kids are.  They seem to love everything about life, (minus a few things like eating dinner and sharing).  Every day seems like a grand adventure to them.  It's great being able to explore life through their eyes. 

 Anna has a very funny side to her.  She is always keeping us laughing.  Even her expressions alone can make us crack up. 

 Anna is not the world's best eater.  We have to do a song and dance for every bite at dinner.  It's a constant struggle.  She does like to drink the juice from her pineapples.  *And I hope I never forget that.

Basically, I'm just feeling really happy to be Mom to these two great kids.  Here's to enjoying the little moments.  ;-)