Family Breakfasts and My Sweet Boys

With our new schedule we have gone back to eating breakfast together as a family. It is such a nice way to start the day. The boys love that extra time with Daddy, and it just feels like everything gets started on the right foot.




It amazes me how well the boys will play together, especially with a structured activity like blocks or coloring. Joe is really wanting to be one of the big boys lately and loves sitting at the table just like them.




And just 'cuz he's cute...



This afternoon I found these two cuddling up under a blanket in the "big chair"...

It's becoming more and more apparent how close these two are...they are just the best of friends and it makes me incredibly happy. I love listening to them talk to each other and hearing Jacob teach Joshua things or explaining something to him. I am amazed at how caring Jacob can be, and how much patience he has for the Bear.

Well I am off to finish up dinner and to put up our new color coded family schedule!

Love,

Happy Monday!

We are still enjoying our own little winter wonderland here...well I say "enjoying" but I don't think it was so fun when my poor husband had to carry groceries up the long hill through the snow!

Little Joshua was worried that our pool was gone! But we explained to him that it is just under the snow, and it will be there when the snow melts, lol.




I can't help it, but every time I look at a picture of my boys I think they must be the cutest kiddos on the planet...


We are starting a new schedule this week, now that things are settling down with baby Jamie. We plan to start kindergarten next week, so we really need to be settled into a good routine.

Happy Monday!

SNOW Day!

"I'm a snow-duck, Mommy". I'm not sure what a snow-duck is exactly, but apparently Joshua is one.




We were amazed at just how much snow there actually was! This was definitely the biggest snow we have ever seen!






At first the boys were a little weary, but they quickly figured out that snow is FUN!







Jacob was brave enough to sled down a hill! He was so thrilled. He wanted to be sure that I would stand at the bottom to catch him. I love my cautious little Jacob!





Joshua says. "I'm a reindeer pulling my sled."



I love seeing the snow on the trees and landscape. It's just so peaceful and pretty...



What could be more fun then sledding with your brothers?

Heading Out to Play in the Snow!

Getting ready to go play in the snow is quite an undertaking, LOL. All of the coats, hats, gloves and what-not...

The boys were just so excited though. They had been eagerly watching the snow fall since Christmas Eve, and waiting (not so) patiently to have a chance to play in it.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Opening Presents!

One of the best parts of being a parent is seeing the excitement in your children. I just love hearing Joshua squeal at every little thing. And hearing Joe say, "thank you" after opening his gift. I love hearing Jacob show his brothers how to play with their new toys. I love seeing how all three boys were excited to open little presents for baby Jamie, and were so happy that he had new toys.

One of the neat things about buying gifts for the boys this year was that they all had a shared interest. I'm not a huge fan of television shows for children, but lately the boys have taken a big interest in the show Wonder Pets, and it has been a very positive thing. The show puts a huge emphasis on teamwork, and it has really encouraged all three boys to play TOGETHER and to work together to get things done. Everything they play these days is somehow related to Wonder Pets, and whenever it's time to clean up or do chores, they excitedly ask, "Can we use teamwork?" I like that the show also encourages helping each other...it's really had a positive impact on the boys.

So, finding Christmas presents they would be excited about was pretty easy, lol.

We do things just a little differently in our house. Rather than buy each child a huge mountain of presents, we give each child one special present that is just for them, and the the other gifts are shared things. With having a bunch of boys all in a row, it would be impossible to keep the toys separated into who's is who's, and really I don't like the selfish atmosphere that can foster anyway. Instead, the majority of the toys are just shared, with everyone having a few special things that are just their own. It works well for our family. :)

One of the cutest moments was when Joshua wanted to call Baby Jesus with his cell phone. Just precious!

Hoping everyone had a lovely Christmas, and that the joy of celebrating the birth of our Savior remains in our hearts for the year to come!

Love,

A White Christmas!!!!!

We are getting a wonderful Christmas present this year....SNOW!!!!! We are expecting the first blizzard here in twenty years, and the largest snow storm in ten!

Something about seeing snow fall outside the window just really makes Christmas feel even more special.

Love,

Christmasa Eve Nannies

I have always really loved our tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve- our special Christmas pajamas, or as we say in our family, "nannies".

The boys were so excited to open there special presents. You should have heard Joshua's squeals of delight! "It's a package! It's a package!" He kept saying in a high pitched giddy voice. And when he opened the box to find Christmas Lightening McQueen nannies, he literally screamed in excitement. The boys LOVED that the three of them had matching nannies. I'm sure Jamie was excited to have brand new nannies that were just for him, LOL. Being the fourth boy means lots of hand-me-downs, so it was fun to pick out special nannies just for HIM.

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for tiny baby hands...ever so kissable. I love to just sit and hold those precious hands!

I am thankful for...sweet baby cheeks. Oh how I love those chubby cheeks! I love seeing pieces of each of his brothers in him. Joshua's face, but with darker eyes. Dark hair like Jacob. He seems to have the same strong willed nature of Joseph...

I am thankful for...cute little toes! I know that one day, before I am ready, those feet will not be so little! Soon, they will run through the house, just like the others. Someday, he will walk on these feet, play, run, and jump. They will be bigger than my feet before I know it. But, he will always be my baby.

I am thankful for this precious bundle of joy! For everything that he will become, and for the very special little person he already is! I love you, Jamie-kins!

Pax Christi,

Baking Cookies!

We've been busy this week with a LOT of baking! Between the cookie swap and Christmas party, there have been a lot of cookies and breads to be made!



Please excuse my mess, lol! It's been a little chaotic trying to get everything accomplished this week.



The boys really liked helping with the sugar cookies. They thought it was very neat to see the frosting turn from white to red or green when we added the coloring! Jacob thought that the sprinkles were "beautiful". He's been a big help with the baking this week. :)


There's still more baking to do this week. I love how excited the boys get about baking together. What a great way to learn math...counting cups of flour, helping to measure out ingredients. What amazes me is how Jacob can remember the ingredients in a recipe after I have read it to him. He really enjoys helping. I really enjoy the conversations we have while working together. I hope he will always remember these times...I know I sure will!