Snow Days

This week we had 5-6" of snow. It is the most I have seen in a really long time. On Monday (the first day of snow) the kids & I woke up late and after breakfast went outside to play. It probably took us 20 min to get ready and the kids only lasted outside for about 30 minutes. A few of our neighbors were sledding two doors up so we went to join them. Their hill is monstrous!! We had a great time sledding but both kids didn't like the snow splashing in their faces. At that point we had to leave to go home and neither kid wanted to go back out that day.

On Tuesday, we slept late again and after breakfast we went outside to play in our yard. The kids wanted to build a snowman and we tried but it was kind of icy so it was hard to. So the kids decided to make snowballs and eat them. Then our neighbors; Mike, Holly & Taylor came over to sled down our hill.

On Wednesday, Holly & Taylor came over for a playdate. It was nice to have someone over for Brennan to play with and an adult for me to talk to.

On Thursday we were able to get out! It was about time since we were getting major cabin fever. I was actually surprised at how easy it was to get down the driveway but getting back up wasn't so easy. I actually had to go outside and shovel the driveway. I did have help from our neighbor, Ramone, my sister and even Ethan helped some.

Christmas (Part 2)

On Christmas Eve we went our church for our first Christmas Eve service ever. We usually can not go because of family functions. It was a great service and I think the kids really liked it. It was nice to have them in service with us (it was a service geared towards kids). It was cute to watch Brennan get so excited about the music.

After church we went home and my mom's family was there for our family gathering. The little kids (Ethan, Brennan, Alena & Jordan) exchanged gifts and Brennan got a Little People Zoo.

That night we forgot to put out cookies for Santa before Brennan went to bed so she didn't get to help. But big brother, Ethan, helped get it ready and set it out for Santa.

On Christmas morning we woke up and found that Santa had moved our tree into the den from the office. We only put a tree up in the office this year (the room is blocked off by a gate) so Brennan wasn't pulling all the ornaments off. It was cool to have the tree in the den with us while we opened presents. First we opened presents from Santa. Brennan got a doll, a big magna doodle and a Mrs. Potato Head. After we finished the presents from Santa we made breakfast and I made the kids snowman pancakes. Brennan was excited to have candy on her pancakes. After breakfast we opened presents from each other. We got Brennan a shopping cart, a cash register, pink Legos, Beauty & the Beast movie (which we lost but found a week later), books and a medical kit.




















On Christmas night my dad's family came over. Right before everyone arrived it started snowing! Apparently it was the first time it has snowed on Christmas day in over 120+ years. The little kids (Ethan, Brennan, Sam & Zack) all opened their presents first. Brennan got a Barbie w/clothes, a Mickey Mouse cup that lights up, a Mickey Mouse stuffed doll and some Minnie Mouse Pj's. The cup was probably her favorite gift! She can't drink out of a cup yet so she puts her sippy cup in the cup and drinks that way.














On Sunday we woke up to a good bit of snow. We got dressed and went outside to play. We used old wakeboards to sled down the hill and Brennan loved it. She probably would've stayed out there all day if we let her. We came in to get dry & warm then got ready to go to Stephen's parents house to celebrate Christmas with them. Because of the snow we weren't sure if Stephen's brother & his family would make it since they live further north than us. But by noon they were able to leave their house. We had a good time and Brennan got a lot of really nice things. Gammi & Poppy gave her a box of princess shoes. She loves them, she will put them on and walk straight to our hardwoods so she can hear the clank, clank of the shoes. They also got her a princess CD player, a princess phone and a My Little Pony. Stephen's brother's family got her a Toy Story Mrs. Potato Head.

Christmas (Part 1)

Annual Family Christmas Picture

As always, we had a great Christmas this year. It was stretched out over a week and a half span. We started our Christmas festivities at my parents house the weekend before Christmas. We have never been to my parents for Christmas but my sister was going to Missouri with her fiance and my brother & nephew couldn't come to GA this year for Christmas. So we decided we would all get together early. It was a great weekend!! We got there on Thursday after Ethan's Christmas Program. On Friday, my parents gave the kids some Christmas PJ's they bought for them. We were supposed to iron on their names but it didn't work out. Plus the boys shirts were too small for them so we had to make a trip to Wal-Mart to buy a red shirt that would fit (and somewhat match). On Saturday morning we took pictures of the kids in front of Grammi & Papa's tree. It is so hard to get Brennan to look at the camera so while my dad & I were taking pictures Uncle Carl was trying to get Brennan's attention. He threw his arms up in the air and that is what Brennan did. It turned out to be a really cute picture and one of my favorites from the weekend. Later that day we opened our Christmas presents. Brennan was so excited, she had spent the last two days trying to open them and getting told "No". She got an Ariel doll, a Rapunzel doll, a Furreal dog, a travel magna doodle, Zsu Zsu Pet Beauty Salon, a princess guitar and a couple of books. She loved it all! She was so cute opening her presents and trying to open everyone else's.












On Sunday before we left Brennan was playing in one of the extra bedrooms. The futon was still pulled out into a bed so Brennan hopped up in the bed and pretended to be asleep. She was cracking me up, this was the first time she ever really did this. I would say, "Night, night Brennan" and she would lay down and close her eyes. Then she would pop her head up and laugh.

Silly girl

My bedtime routine with Brennan is reading 3-4 books and then we sing songs. She tells me what songs she wants to sing and it's usually ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star etc. Tonight she asked me to sing muffin. I wasn't sure what she was talking about so I asked her to sing it to me. She kept saying the word muffin over and over to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Next she asked me to sing blueberry so I sang the it to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle again. She thought this was so fun and it was cracking me up. She kept giving me different words and I would have to sing it to the same tune, it was so cute.

2 year pics

I finally got the chance to take Brennan for her two year pictures. I was a little worried how she would act because she won't let me pictures of her much anymore. She did fine but when she was done, she was done! Portrait Innovations usually takes 100+ pictures but we only got 44. That actually made it a little easier on our checkbook. :) They got some really cute pictures and her little personality shone through.

What happened to November?

(This is one of my favorite pics)

Seems like November just flew by, I don't know why because I don't think we did a whole lot.

Brennan's new favorite movie is The Little Mermaid. We watch it 3-4 times a week and it would be more if I would let her. She is mesmerized every time one of the songs come on, it's cute to watch her sing a long.

Brennan is really starting to put sentences together and she's able to communicate what she wants a little better. She has been extremely attached to me lately. She constantly wants me to pick her up and she will ask for hugs & kisses. I'm soaking it up as much as I can!! When she wants me to pick her up she comes up and says, "Go up mama".

I get comments on her hair all the time. It is just so beautiful and has great bouncy curls. I love putting her hair up with a small clip. I don't want to get her hair cut because I'm afraid it will change her hair and that she may lose those curls. So I'm putting it off for a while.

We went to Fernbank a few weeks ago and decided not to take the stroller in. In the past we have taken it but Fernbank is so hands on we have to keep putting Brennan in & out. Eventually she decides she doesn't want to go back in and so we push an empty stroller. She loved the freedom of running around and exploring. She had a great time in their "Water" exhibit. Oh and she & Ethan put a big puzzle together and she loved it.

Halloween 2010

Brennan wanted to be a Butterfly Fairy for Halloween. When we went to pick out her costume she ran straight to it and never looked at anything else, she fell in love with the skirt immediately. So when she finally got to wear it she was so excited. Our Publix had trick-or-treating last night so we dressed the kids up and took them. They had face painting and lots of games to play. Brennan wasn't so sure about the face painting at first and the flower she got was cute. She tried to play every game and of course wanted to do it on her own.


















Saturday night we carved our pumpkin and Brennan was all about cleaning out the pumpkin. She would say she was "getting out the guts". I knew she wouldn't have a problem getting dirty.



































Tonight we went trick-or-treating at our friends neighborhood. Their neighbor has a tractor & trailer so he makes a hayride for all the kids every year. We had so much fun and Brennan loved getting candy. I even got her to say "trick-or-treat" a few times. Towards the end she was a little tired and opted to sit in the trailer so she could eat candy.