Nice Weather

These pictures are a few weeks old, but I just ran across them today and remembered I wanted to post them on the blog! One morning a few weeks ago Keely would not take a morning nap no matter how much I tried! So finally about 11:15 I decided a stroller ride was the only option left! Luckily it was a pretty nice day, so I got coats on both kids and we went off on a walk.  Keely fell asleep pretty early in the walk, so I decided to take Brooks to the park so he could run around.  He was the only kid there since it was a weekday, and he had a ton of fun.

 He's pointing that he wants to go down the slide

 Super cute...and Keely slept the whole time!

Thanksgiving Cookies

I know I'm a little late on posting these, but before Thanksgiving, we got together with Lane and Katy and decorated Thanksgiving sugar cookies.  We are not sure we will have the time to do Christmas cookies together, so we just did them early this year!
Brooks helped me roll out the cookies and cut them out the day before.  He was so focused! I think his shirt was just as messy with flour as mine was by the end of it all!

 Mom came to help us get them frosted

 Katy mostly ate the frosting and sprinkles!

 Brooks did such a good job with the sprinkles, and loved the turkey shapes the best! And you can see Keely in the background of this picture...she just isn't quite old enough to join in the fun..maybe next year!

 Brooks really loved eating the chocolate sprinkles, but still wouldn't try an actual cookie

 Lane was proud of his....

 I took the time to make a few of them with different frostings and piping

 They looked better in my head, but they weren't too bad!

 Brooks was pretty proud of the finished products!

Christmas!

First of all, I wanted to vent to everyone the fact that I accidentally deleted all my pictures on all of the old blog posts I've done.  I am still mad about it! I hope that I can go through them and at least re-post some of the pictures, but it will take some time! Anyway, until then, you can just enjoy new blog post pictures!

Now that it is finally December, we can officially say without criticism that it is Christmas time! So I will now post some of my Christmas pictures I have been holding off on posting.  In one of Brooks' Christmas Veggie Tales videos, they promote Operation Christmas Child in the previews.  Brooks has always loved watching that segment for some reason, so I really wanted to pack a shoe box with him this year to send to a little boy his own age.  I hadn't looked into the closest drop off place in our area and sort of forgot about it until my mom mentioned their church was doing shoe boxes.  Great! Brooks got to go to the store a pick out things a little boy might like.  He was so cute and picking out all sorts of little things saying, "this might be fun", or "little boy might like this one".  I really do think he understood the whole concept that the toys were for someone else because he never once wanted to play with them himself or cry when packed them away. 
Brooks I think had the most fun picking out the candy to send to the little boy.  He kept putting more and more in a pile saying "He might like this one, he might like this one".  I had to sort it out and pick just the suckers and other candy that wouldn't melt, but it was fun for him!

 He picked out a dinosaur for him! :)

 And of course a football!

 and a little stuffed reindeer for him...I know he looks sad in this picture, but he was just showing me what the little boy might do with the reindeer, hug him!

It was a fun experience for him, and I hope he really did understand the act of giving to a little boy who didn't have as many things as he does.

And in the spirit of Christmas, he are some pictures of us decorating the tree this year.  Always a fun time!

 Brooks loved looking at all the ornaments again this year

 His favorites were the snoopy and woodstock one he got last year and one of my old ones that has penguins making hot cocoa with hershey's syrup

 Putting up the tiny manger scene that was Blake's when he was little

 I gave them a couple of early Christmas gifts that they could enjoy during the Christmas season.

 Brooks acting excited to get a box of lights....it was actually his Christmas jammies in a Christmas light box, but at least he knows how to be 'happy' about any gift! ha! :)

 They also got some Veggie Tales Christmas videos...Keely liked those (at least to chew on!)

 We then watched one of the Veggie Tales videos....Brooks loved it of course....