Happy New Year

For Christmas this year Brandon and I wanted a nice camera so we could capture the boys in action...we are still playing with it but here's some pictures. Parkes has a strange obsession with coconuts so Santa brought one in his stocking which we took to Happy's house for him to open (years in Aruba has made him an expert). Parkes did not like it though so maybe he'll stop calling people coconuts in the grocery store and I can stop explaining to them why.Brandon hard at work...he's just start another gut and rebuild. And exciting news this Christmas is Brian got engaged to Amy. We are so excited for them and their happiness just shines through them.

Christmas and Birthday

We had an absolutely wonderful Christmas this year. We were really restored in the goodness of people this year and the power of God's love and how He always provides even when we can't see how. We keep Christmas simple this year which was pretty easy since Parkes asked for wood for Chirstmas to make a treehouse. So Santa ended up bringing wood and a field goal for the boys and the neighbors and construction started on the treehouse yesterday. Parkes gave Brandon an Alabama blanket we made. Parkes' favorite gift this year was a stack of brown paper bags (he asks for one evertime we are in Publix so Santa felt it would make a good gift). He's other favorite was his Beginner Bible from my parents...he ran around screaming and jumping after he opened it. Cash's favorite was his crackers...he loves his food. This picture showed up twice and I couldn't get it to delete so you can see his favorite gift again.We made tutus for their cousins, but Cash would of keep one if he could. He would yell "I wear, I wear" everytime he saw it. He loves to say "Cheese!" My brothers and sister with the boys on Christmas afternoon. The boys with their cousins. Brandon and my brother "acting like they like each other".Finally we celebrate the boys birthdays with the family by playing some games and Santa (or my brother) stopped by to say Happy Birthday. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, and if you didn't get a Christmas card from us (which would be everyone that isn't walking distance from our house) it's not from lack of love it's because we haven't left the house to get stamps because we are working on Parkes' potty issues and hopefully will only have one child in diapers starting the new year.

Lights, Camera, Action

So I had a good idea to take a picture of the boys all tangled up in lights while we were putting up the tree and as you can see they didn't think it was that great of an idea. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating 3 times. We are so thankful for the life we have and the people that have filled it up. This week especially we have really felt such a great outpouring of love and generosity of the people that have entered our life. And now it is Christmas Break...where has the time gone. I am really thankful to get to spend two weeks with the boys and have a break from the regular schedule where I can just enjoy being a mom again without the constant rush. As for the boys, Parkes is getting so old so quick. He'll be 5 at the end of the month and is loving everything to do with books and reading. Every night we must read one chapter of the Magic Tree House series books and one chapter from the Bible before he goes to bed. He loves to list together letters and ask me what they spell and is now very interested in vowels since I told him you can't spell anything without vowels...which has come back to get me since he then list out letters and I say they don't spell anything and he tells me "mom it has a vowel." And Cash is as funny as ever. He talks like crazy, and does not stop until he gets a response which is usually him yelling "bye dadda, bye dadda, bye chis, bye dadda" the whole way to school since they are not in the car to respond to him (chis is chris who does work with Brandon). And he thanks everyone for everything you could imagine...he brings me the remote as he says, "Tank you, tank you" until I take it. And he always thanks me after diaper changes as he also says, "bye bye pee pee." Cash has brought down the Christmas tree this year which brought more tears from Parkes then Cash. It's hard to believe the year is almost over and my boys will be a year older (all three of them). Hope you have a wonderful Christmas!!!