Snow Baby and Other Things

I just wanted to share these pics of Hunter wearing his winter hat. So stinkin' cute. And what makes it even more special is that all three of the boys have worn that hat.

And I love these pictures of him in Brian's lap with his paci and nite-nite. He loves those things so much, and I know it's probably about time to take the pacifier away, but I can't do it. So we will be waiting for that. Until he's two...which I know what you're thinking~ it will be even harder to take it away then. I know, I know...but I'm willing to deal with that later.

He's also getting into the spirit of Christmas by being the little drummer boy. Brian introduced him to the fun of banging pots and pans with wooden spoons. What a joyous noise he makes. :) Wow.

All I Want For Christmas...

...is my bottom right tooth. :) Yes, Harrison FINALLY lost his first tooth last Sunday. It was a huge deal in our house, because he has waited so patiently while all of his friends lost their teeth first. He was determined for it to come out, and it was ready, so it came out pretty easy. And the visit from the Tooth Fairy brought him a dollar the next day, so he already working on wiggling out the next one.

Musical Debut

Hud had his first choir concert in preschool last week. Although he was singing "Mary Had a Baby" at the top of his lungs all morning at home, he decided not to share his musical talent with the audience later that day. :) He did, however, do a little dance up on the stage, and looked super cute, so what can you say, really...

Thankful

Sorry this is getting posted so late, but better late than never, I guess. We had a great Thanksgiving~ spent that day at Mimi and Papa's house, and then the following Sunday had dinner at Nana's. It was great all around. I hate it that Thanksgiving seems to get passed over or rushed through in order to get to the mad dash that we call Christmas (which I also wish was done differently, but that's another story for another time). I've always loved Thanksgiving, because it is so important to stop and think about all the things we do have to be thankful for. And even though Texas is not known for it's beautiful fall colors, the pumpkins and changing trees do make me happy, and get me in the spirit of the season.
Here are a few things that I have been thankful for this year:

1. I know this is a given, but I am so incredibly thankful for those four very special men in my life. Being queen of the house is, for the most part, a very sweet place to be.
2. I'm so glad that I have my mom, dad, sisters, and in-laws nearby. Family support is so often taken for granted, and I don't know how we would make it without them~ their help with the kids, the advice and wisdom they offer, and the time they take to be with us. So very special, and very much appreciated.
3. I'm thankful for the incredible store I was able to work at this year. Recollections is my happy place, my home away from home, and the girls there have become my second family. As sad as I am that we are closing next year, I am choosing to be thankful for the incredible experience I have had there, for the opportunity to create things and teach others how to do the same, and for the friendships I have formed that I know will last forever. I haven't really let myself think about what I'm going to do when the store is gone, because it's really hard to imagine, but I am trusting that it will be okay, and am excited about other doors God will open as a result.
4. My church family...especially our Sunday Morning Bible Study class. I have realized even more these past few months how incredibly caring, compassionate, and thoughtful these people are. After my surgery in October, meals were brought over for nearly 3 weeks, friends came to help me with the kiddos when my mom was unable to (which, btw, my mom practically lived with us those first few weeks, taking care of the kids, making sure I rested, did laundry, cleaned, etc, etc, etc.), and people that I don't even really know were constantly stopping me to ask how I was feeling and to let me know they have been praying. Wow.

It's been a good year, and with all the stress of busyness, bills, and other not so fun stuff, it's good to be reminded of how very blessed we are. I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving too!

The Meddler...

...is 10 months old today. And please know that I call him that with every bit of love and adoration you can possibly have for your child. :) He truly is the most curious little thing I have ever seen, and is as fast as lightning. He is obsessed with getting into my kitchen cabinets, and will do whatever he has to do to get there and completely tear things up. It's hard to believe, but it took this third little one to make me have to truly babyproof my house~ the other two didn't really get into cabinets and drawers too much. Hunter is another story.

And to mark turning 10 months old today, he started saying "no." Please know I'm not bragging, or exaggerating....this is not something I would make up. :) He says it in a very sweet way, of course, with his yummy little mouth in the shape of a perfect "o." And it totally makes me crack up. Which I know is not a good thing to do when your child tells you no. But I bet you would do the same thing if he said it to you. We'll see how cute it is when he's two.

At 10 months, Hunter has mastered cruising, LOVES his bottle, nite-nite blankie, and paci, and waves bye-bye. So stinkin' cute. He is still a snuggler, which I LOVE, and is just so yummy, especially when he is holding his nite-nite close to his face. With all my talk about what a meddler he is, he really is such a good baby~ he sleeps well, and is so happy to go with the flow...it doesn't get much better than that.

Boys will be...

Boys. Wow. Thankfully I wasn't home for this one. :) Harrison and Hud had way too much fun out in the sand box~ I don't think they left any sand in the box! It was pretty pitiful that Hunter had to watch from the window, but he didn't seem to mind, and thankfully Brian had the wisdom to not let him join in the fun! I don't think the bathtub will ever be the same...

3 Happy Halloweenies

We hope all of you had a happy Halloween! Our crew had so much fun...it was hard for me not being able to be with them for all the games and trick-or-treating fun at church, but being just one week out from surgery, there was really no way. But I had fun getting them ready and took lots of pictures. Harrison was so very excited about his pirate costume that he borrowed from Garrett~ it was pretty authentic, and he wore it proudly. Hud wanted to be a monkey again this year, and after a few attempts at talking him into something different, I gave up. After all, this holiday really is just for fun, so if he wants to be a monkey every year for the rest of his life, why should I really care? He was so happy, and put that hot costume back on again today right after school. :) Hunter was the cutest lobster ever, and seemed very happy with the whole thing. He didn't even mind that head thing he had to wear. My mom called last night after heading home (she took them up to church and met up with Brian, Reagan and Jon to help with the boys) to tell me that he really might be the best baby ever. I have to agree with that. He's so easy, and just goes with the flow. They came home with colored hair (Harrison was polka-dotted, Hudson was all orange, and thankfully Hunter was not painted), sweaty, and tired, but all had lots of fun. I've posted a few of my favorite pics here, and I'm going to attempt a slide show for the rest of them...