Yay Camera!

I finally fixed the problem we were having with our good camera and loading pictures on the computer! Wish I could have figured it out before all our Christmas photos were deleted, but oh well, that's just the way it goes.  At least it's fixed now! So anyway, I decided to get a few pictures of Brooks and Keely with the good camera since I hadn't in over a month! So here are just a few of the ones I took.

 

Keely had a hard time staying put....

 Brooks thought it was hilarious!

 She got stuck in the gap between the couch and ottoman...Help mom!!

 Hugs...

 This expression is perfect for Keely...she looks so ornery!

 And Happy!

 

I think both kids had fun, and I at least got some good clear pictures of them again, especially Keely!

 

A Quick Trip

On Friday we drove to Smith Center so we could be in town for Blake's cousin, Wesley's, wedding reception.  Brooks was super excited to go to Grandma and Papa's and had his back pack packed and ready to go right away Friday morning. 

 We didn't do a whole lot while we were there, but that was kinda nice.  Blake and I got to go to the movie Friday night and Grandma and Papa put the kids to bed.  Keely did much better this time around than she did at Christmas.  She didn't wake up until after Blake and I were back and once I finally got her some Tylenol for her teeth cutting pain, she slept all night. 

 On Saturday morning we went to the 2nd Cup Cafe for Breakfast and then went to see Papa at his new job.  Brooks thought it was fun and got a Dekalb sticker and hat.  He saw a Dekalb sign in York today and pointed it out saying, 'Papa's Work!'

 He liked running around the warehouse

 Brooks also had his first fudgesicle.  He was unsure at first (as he is with all new foods) but I think the lure of a chocolate Popsicle finally made him brave enough to give it a try.

 He liked it and was a mess!

 Keely was a happy girl all weekend

 I realize now I should have taken a picture of Blake with his cousin, Wesley, but I didn't think of it at the moment! It was a good reception and fun to see the happy couple...congrats Wesley and Carol!  We drove home yet Saturday night so I could go to a baby shower Sunday afternoon, and the kids did not do well.  Brooks was super tired from not napping any on Friday or Saturday and he refuses to sleep in the car.  He wasn't entertained with just his iPod, so he ended up getting to play the iPad, which he said was 'pretty special'.  We had planned for Keely to sleep the whole way home, so we put her in her jammies, fed her a little bottle, then left around 7pm.  She was so tired that she fell asleep before we even got out of Smith Center.  However, she woke up when we got to Red Cloud and wouldn't go back to sleep.  We still had at least an hour and a half left by that point, and it wasn't going well.  We tried different toys, turning the cab light on, singing to her, and she just cried and cried.  Finally we stopped in Hastings to check her diaper, but she was clean.  I fed her a little bottle and Blake got gas, but then we kept driving.  She started screaming right away, so I ended up climbing in the back seat and sat between the two kids' car seats to entertain her.  She liked that but didn't want her bottle or sleep. She just wanted mommy to be within sight.  Oh well, at least she went to bed right away when we got home.  We had a fun couple days and used today to get good naps and get ready for another week. 

Christmases

I had been waiting to post about all of our Christmases until I got all of my pictures downloaded on the computer.  I tried to download them earlier this week, and for some reason the pictures from my nice camera wouldn't download.  I tried a couple of times and it wouldn't work, so I had Blake try the other night.  When he was working at it, somehow all the pictures got deleted from the camera...yes, all 323 photos we had taken over the past few weeks are gone.  I'm super bummed about it...no pictures of Brooks and Keely in front of the tree, none of the kids with Santa on Christmas Eve, and whatever else was on there...I don't even want to think what else is gone!! Oh well, I have to get over it, and I'll have to start asking for copies from others of our kids from all the Christmases! At least I do have the few photos from my small camera and my phone, so I will have a few to share!
On Dec 9 we had a Christmas with my Grandma and Grandpa Jost and my Uncle Steve and Aunt Sherry were in town too.
Bret told the Christmas story with a nativity before we opened gifts

 Brooks loved his gift of a ball and plastic cones that he could set up and knock over with it.

 Aunt Laura playing with one of Keely's gifts with Brooks

 A few weeks before Christmas we drove around looking at all the houses in York participating in the Lighting Contest (Blake's idea and sponsored in part by York Ace Hardware!)  It was a lot of fun, and there were a lot of great lights!

 Brooks got his first taste of a candy cane by getting one from one of the houses that had a Santa dressed up outside on their driveway handing them out! So fun!

Then we had our little Christmas as a family later that week.

 Keely loved unwrapping the gifts

 And of course, so did Brooks

 A new big boy water bottle! Brooks didn't get a lot of 'toys' this year...he got several stuffed Angry Birds, several balls, a board game, a few videos, a duffle bag to take on trips, a backpack, a couple new shirts, some books, some painting supplies, some mega blocks, and then a LeapFrog scribble and write.  (That's from about all the Christmases, but I thought I would list them so I could look back and remember someday!)

 Brooks loved his stocking too...so fun.  I wish I had the pictures of the kids in front of the tree from this night and others I took, but these will just have to do :(

Then we spent several days in Smith Center celebrating Christmas with friends and family. The first big gathering we had was with all the Burgess Cousins.  Here we are with Blake's Burgess Grandparents, his brother Luke and family, and Blake's parents.  I couldn't get the photo of all the Burgess cousins that were there together to upload...I tell you, I'm having problems with pictures lately!!

Another night we had Christmas with Blake's Lambert family.
Here is Keely with her Great-Grandma Lambert

The family with Lambert Grandparents

  Brooks and Keely opening gifts

 Brooks enjoying his first popcorn ball.  He loved that it turned his hands green.  He had been sick the whole week before Christmas, and this was the first night he had eaten anything in about a week.  I was so glad when he finally felt better and didn't whine and complain all day!

 

Picture of the cousins with grandma and papa after church

 Brooks showing Amos (Luke's dog, or Pearl's dog as Brooks would say!) how to play daddy's phone.

 

Brooks and Pearl played pretty well again this time...she is the closest to Brooks' age of the Burgess cousins, but she is still 2 years older than him.  So I guess that would make Rosa closer to Brooks' age, but since she isn't quite one yet, she couldn't really 'play' with Brooks.

 Winter, Pearl, Brooks, Grandma, and I made a rice krispie train.  I don't have the pictures of them with the final product because, yes, they were on the other camera, but here is me mixing it for them!

 Brooks eating jello-one of the few things he ate that weekend!

 When we got back home after Christmas, the kids and I went over to my parents' for an evening because my Reimer grandparents were over from Kansas.  Brooks and Keely each got a gift from them.  Brooks was super excited to open another gift!

 ooooo...an Angry Bird thing!!!

 Keely playing with grandpa and patiently waiting her turn for a gift.  She's so goofy!

 Keely got an activity table, and loves it...she can't stand at it by herself yet without falling over, but she really wants to, and gets a little crazy when we bring it out.  She loves it!

 Well that was about our entire month of December! super busy, but lots of fun.
 I unfortunately have no pictures from our Christmas with my side of the family that we had on New Year's Day...hopefully mom or Cody got some of my kids too!! :)