Decorating the tree

Kaisley and Mommy

We were late putting up our tree this year (this last weekend), but it was very much on purpose...due to 2 small children! But man, I'm glad we didn't do this earlier...Kaisley tends to bee line it OFTEN right to the presents and the ornaments/lights/branches...anything she can get her hands on!

Brookston decorating

Brookston has done really well ignoring the tree the 2 years in the past. This year, he was very helpful in decorating it! And he LOVES telling me that he helped. Actually right now, as he sees the picture on the blog, he's telling me that he helped mommy. He's going around the tree pointing to each ornament saying "I helped mommy, I helped mommy, I helped mommy!" He's so proud! We are too!

Cookie Exchange & Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Sunday night I baked over 7 dozen cookies. Yes, Richard helped! He's been SO great with all of my baking!!! On Monday, half of the cookies went with me to a cookie exchange and the rest went with Richard to work! I brought "Peanut Butter Blossoms", in our house just known as "Hershey Kiss Cookies". I forgot to take a picture of my 90 cookies, but look at all I came home with after my cookie exchange!

Last night (Tuesday), the chocolate covered pretzel maddness began! The first Christmas that Richard was at his current job I made a batch of chocolate covered pretzels. This year, the 250 pretzels that I made over the course of 6 hours will probably not be enough! But come 2am, I was D-O-N-E!!!

(even though I still had 3 bags of pretzels and 2 bricks of chocolate...my bed was calling me!)

The pretty/not messed up pretzels all along the table

Heath, sprinkles, and Andes mints

Pretzel rods are usually the favorites

Pretzels all bagged and ready to go to Richard's work!

Brookston's girlfriend...or at least partner in crime!

On Friday, Brookston had his Mother's Day Out Christmas Party. Parents were invited to attend and I was so glad that I did. I learned that Brookston has become very fond of a little girl named Elizabeth...and visa versa! Apparently they are quite a pair during school. The teachers told me and Elizabeth's mom that these two just crack each other up all day long!

SO CUTE!

Kaisley gets tubes

What baby wouldn't want to explore this place?

Just as happy as can be!

Check out the cute little teddy each child gets to take home!

Kaisley has been dealing with constant fluid in her ears for a good deal of her 9 months of life. She's only had one ear infection, but over the last 4 months, ever time her ears were looked at, there was tons of thick fluid. We tried waiting it out at first, especially since she seemed to have a cold the first time or two she was checked. Then we tried a round of antibiotics and steroids, but after the fluid still remained, we decided tubes would be next. Mostly because she has failed 2 hearing screenings, and her babbling seemed delayed. That darn fluid wouldn't go away and the poor thing was probably hearing a very muffled world!

So, this morning our happy little girl cluelessly went for tubes! She came out one very unhappy camper, crying for most of an hour. But I hear that's very common after anesthesia of a child. She napped for about 2 1/2 hours and now she's as happy as can be!

I hope this helps! I'm sure it will!

Last Day of Little Gym

Jumping...

jumping...

and a little kicking!

A trick with Ms. Erin

Climbing the rock wall

more cool tricks

Kaisley enjoying herself too!

Today was the last day of Little Gym for this semester. So each kid, one at a time, got to go up and get their medal and award and say "ta da!" Everyone clapped and cheered! The kids were all so proud! Pictures snapped like it was the Olympics!

He LOVED being up here! He also loved jumping off of it! :)

Show me your medal Brookston!

Show me your award!!

Such a cool kid!

So, I have to give props to my super cool toddler too!

Today, like he often does, he tells me, "Mommy, it's night night time!" I say, "you're ready to take your nap?" He says, "yeah mommy, come on!"

How stinking cool is that? I love that kid! He's such a laid back, awesome boy!

(Well, until you take him to the play area at Chick Fil A...right Katherine?)

Gosh I love her!

Seeing my beautiful girl, pictures (since she's asleep right now) or face to face...I just get butterflies...I love her so much!

Hehehe, this just makes me laugh! Hanging out at the dishwasher, with a psychedelic block in her mouth! :) Silly baby!!

Treats #2

I made some more treats for Richard to take to work...if you love peanut butter as much as I do....hold on, this is intense...

Chocolate cupcakes with a Reese's peanut butter cup in them, peanut butter frosting (thanks to my friend Liz for the heavenly recipe and peanut butter cup idea), topped with peanut butter chips. YUM!!!!

For those not so into peanut butter, I also made some yellow cake with chocolate frosting.

Treats for work

I made a new treat for Richard to take to work in the morning...I hope everyone likes them!

All the ingredients ready...

Ready to go in the oven to melt...

In the tin, ready to go with Richard to work!

It's nothing fancy, but the pretzel, mixed with chocolate and caramel (and some with a nut), it's OH SO PERFECT! I had to send ALL of the rest in the tin...I've eaten too many already!

Look Ashley!!!!

Kaisley finally has enough hair to wear "bigger" bows! And my awesome friend Ashley made this as a gift when Kaisley was first born! I'm excited to get her into bigger bows...not TOO big, I'm still easing into this girly stuff! :) But how stinking cute is this??

Painting with Daddy

This was actually last weekend, when we had BEAUTIFUL weather. But, I have yet to post about it. So, here are Brookston and Daddy having a little fun last weekend!

Brookston admiring his work

Nothing says "Happy Thanksgiving" like...

A photo with Santa....

We didn't want to force Brookston and he very much was NOT interested in sitting in Santa's lap. Kaisley was okay at first. She looked at Mrs. Claus and was alright. She looked at Santa and got a little scared. Looked back and Mrs. Claus, back and Santa, then she lost it. THIS is when the photographer finally realized another child with with Santa...we told him just to take it! That was apparently our picture for this year!

Mom, doesn't Kaisley look like me here? That's all I see is ME! ;) ;)

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Oh, and just for fun, here are Brookston's Santa photos from the previous years!

2008

2007

First Video - Kaisley Walking...behind the walker

I've never posted a video, for various reasons that I'm sure you don't care about...so, here's my first attempt. Kaisley was walking behind her walker. This was about the 8th time she did it that night, so she was a little tired by the time I thought to pull out the camera!

Here she goes...

November Pictures

Just some of the fun we've had in November...

Brookston on the carousel at the Mall

(Picture by KHoffman)

"Spider jump" birthday party...Brookston LOVED it!!

Playing on the playground during the picnic at school

Kaisley at the park

Grady and Brookston at the park

Kaisley doing pull ups! :)

Brookston loving the slide

Our sweet baby girl!

***Another new post below just added today***

November Art Work

Every day Brooskton comes home from Mother's Day Out with art work. You ask him what he did at school and it's always "cars, painting and played in rocks" (the playground has rocks). So, here is his November art work!!!

They also made a Thanksgiving placemat, turkey handprints! Brookston came home that day talking about turkeys and his hands. He kept telling me that a turkey says "gobble gobble"! I wasn't sure why he was so into turkeys, because we didn't get the placemat for another week (so they could dry and be laminated). Now it all makes sense!

Our mom's group does a monthly art craft as well. It was the letter "L". They did prints with legos, leaves, and lace!