Twas the Night Before Christmas....

As I sit and type this I am listening to the ocean crash behind me. Because we can't all be together this Christmas we decided to do something totally different. We left this afternoon and came to spend Christmas and the week at the beach. Dad and Allyson left at 6:30 this morning and by the time we got here the tree was up and cookies had just come out of the oven.

Mckinley is asleep and Braxton has just come up from sprinkling his reindeer food on the lawn. We're excited. Merry Christmas!

Look Who's Talking Now

Here are my babies. Not a fabulous picture but their together. I really think they love one another. Brax and I left before Mckinley woke up yesterday and when we got home last night she was asleep on the couch. Tonight he just couldn't get enough of her. And she loved it! I'm looking forward to being with them both in another week or so. She has the sweetest personality and will smile and "talk" all the time.
Brax's buddy at school just turned 5 last week so a lot of conversations lately have been about age. Every time he asks "when am I going to be 5?" I respond with "Never. I want you to be 4 forever!". Yesterday, very early in the morning, on our way to meet dad for the drop off out of nowhere he said "Mama I'm going to be 5 soon. And it's ok because 5 is just a little bit bigger than 4". (and imagine him taking his index finger and his thumb showing me just a little).

Another First

We have a tradition in our family. Every Thanksgiving we go around the table and before we say the blessing we say what were thankful for. It never fails that year after year I always say the same thing. My family. Look at these pictures. We had dinner at Aunt Lisa's like so many years past. Braxton had a great time with baby Zoie (who's a trip!) and Mckinley was loved on by her Grandaddy and Aunt. Again, I am reminded of how lucky I am. I am so fortunate to have a husband that I love and love being married too. I am reminded everyday of how lucky I am to have healthy children.
Last night we had dinner at church followed by a special service and since Brandon was helping
prepare the food, the kids and I drove out by ourselves. Mckinley does NOT particularly enjoy the car seat. She can handle it better if I'm sitting in the back with her but last night she screamed the entire ride and Braxton was sitting on the other side of the car singing "Humpty Dumpty" (but his always comes out sounding like Huuuunty Dunty). She's screaming, he's singing. And I'm up front chuckling. My children are healthy. They scream, they cry, and they sing.
I am so thankful!

What I'll Miss.....

On Monday I return to work. I had my baby girl almost 8 1/2 weeks ago and I can NOT believe that it's time.
Ever since I had Braxton I've said that I'm a better mother because I work. Not only does work help my family financially but I get to be "me" for a couple of hours and my children have space to be who they are. They get to play with other children and interact with other adults. Not to mention spend time with their grandparents! I honestly think we're all better. But over the past 2 months I've spent some quality time with my babies and this time I really took time to take it all in. I didn't fret over things like laundry or about unloading the dishwasher. I knew it would be OK if I spent ALL day in my pajamas and I found myself laughing at some of the things that made me cry when Braxton was born. I've realized how fast time goes by and that each and every day truly is a gift. In the motions of the day, I paused to look at my sleeping babies and realized that both of them were no longer "just mine". Life has for sure changed around here.
My return to work is bitter-sweet. I know I'll never have this time back. I have so enjoyed taking my little boy to school, picking him up, rocking my daughter for as long a she wants, resting on the couch with her on my chest and listening to her breathe, smelling her breath as she yawns, and stepping back and watching the two of them interact, smile, and love another. It's the little things..
As I make my way back to the classroom where 22 children that don't belong to me will greet me on Monday I'll have my 2 children on my mind. I'll miss them terribly. Think about me....thank goodness it's a short week!!

The Latest

Halloween was different this year. I had class and although my professor said we could miss I had already missed two for having Mckinley and felt like it would be more "responsible" of me to go. I thought about Brax all night. Ever since he's been born we've been home and have gotten a picture of him in the candy bowl. We had to start the same tradition with her.
I decided Brax was too big to sit in it with the baby and plus he'd squash the peanut butter cups! Brax helped me put her in the bowl. We had to lay her down and Brax began putting candy on top of her. She didn't make a sound. Poor girl. She must take after her mama and will probably love sweets as she gets older!
I'm still not sure why my photos won't rotate so I couldn't include one of the two of them (Brax sat beside the bowl!). I did want to include a picture of Braxton's "rilla" that he drew this morning. It's so cute. It even has hair on the top of his head! I remember drawing like this when I was a kid. Why do kids never seem to want to draw a neck or body?

My Little Babies

This time around at the hospital I had some really good nurses. They were personable and during their shift I felt like some good conversation took place between us . One of the nurses I had the day after Mckinley was born asked how "Big Brother" was. I told her that he wouldn't have much to do with me or the baby and that I hoped he'd come around. She told me that the same thing had happened when her children were born and now they were best friends. Although I'm very close with my own siblings, I asked her what she did to see that that would happen. She said she simply told them all the time that they were best friends. They grew up hearing it and believed it.
Braxton has continued to do really well with the baby. I started telling him that they would be best friends one day. He keeps asking when we can teach her to crawl, what he'll do when she plays with his cars, and that when she starts talking he wants her to call him "BB" (?).
We were in the car earlier this week and he was talking about his friends and I asked who his best friend was. He said "Mckinley"(!)
As you can see, it does appear that way!

Very Special

(I can't rotate the top one for some reason. I'll keep working on it!)
Braxton has REALLY come around. He loves helping and is constantly wanting to touch. I think I've already started saying the phrase I'll say most often for the next 15 years or so; Leave her alone! It was as if one day he just woke up and realized she's not going anywhere. He's been so sweet.
Last week, however, Braxton woke up and was feeling a little neglected. I felt terrible and so guilty. Brandon told me to pick him up form school and spend the afternoon with him. We went to get ice cream, Monkey Joes, and to have a snack afterwards at Chick Fil A (he was "starving"). I told him we'd have to eat there because I can't eat in the car. Here's how the conversation went.
B-Why can't we eat in the car? Daddy does.
Me- Well I can't eat and drive.
B-Why not?
Me- I'm just not that special.
B- Why are you not special?
Me- I am special. I meant that that's one thing I can't do.
B- Am I special?
Me- VERY special.
B- Is daddy special?
Me- VERY special.
B- Is Baby Sister special?
Me- VERY special.
B- Why is Baby Sister VERY special?