Merry Christmas 2015

This year has been full of joy and excitement.  Normal errands turn into adventures that are often loud, messy, and a little crazy with two boys in tow.  Anderson (2) has earned the nickname "The Tank" and is tough and independent but also remains a mama's boy.  Alekzander (6) is a confident Kindergartner and a friend to all. He is learning to read and memorizes Bible verses every week.  These two are sweet and sensitive, loud and lively, and caring and kind.  We are excited to celebrate Jesus' birthday this year and cannot wait to see what joys 2016 will bring.

Six Years

Accepting that we were the parents of a Kindergartner

was a little hard to swallow at the beginning of the school year,

but now we are the parents of a six year old! 

Wrapping our heads around that is crazy, 

but we are so blessed to watch Alekzander grow and develop.

Alekzander remains sensitive and sweet.

He does not like being wrong and 

is sometimes hesitant to try new things.

When his actions lead him the wrong way, 

and consequences ensues, he immediately seeks out 

an "I love you; I forgive you" hug.

He loves to tease his little brother.

One minute he will be arguing, poking, 

or head-locking Anderson, and the next,

he is hugging him or letting Anderson crawl all over him.

He often pulls Anderson in for a hug when he sees

him at school in the afternoon,

and he is one of the first that will comfort Anderson 

even if/especially when he may have been the instigator

or cause of his brother's tears.

Alekzander loves to be outside.

He would love to dig for worms 

and get dirt under his nails every day if he could.

He likes to play soccer or 'volleyball' until dark.

He can ride a two-wheel bike when pressured,

but he prefers his scooter or running.

He has a keen palate for a kid and 

can name the three ingredients in my biscuits.

Fruits remain a choice dessert,

and he could eat pizza or noodles seven nights a week.

School is going well.

He is a friend to all, he likes to lead,

and he is learning to read.

He prefers math over reading,

loves PE and recess,

and is dying to buy school lunch!

Within 30 minutes of waking up,

he has to let a loud, crazy primal noise out

{which inevitably wakes up Anderson too early}.

When asked why, he says it is to 

get the crazies out before going to school 

{while this method is not always successful, it is consistent}!

Upon coming home from school,

he immediately needs his down time which 

typically includes a TV show and a snack.

We love watching his personality grow and develop 

as he becomes more sure of himself.

We welcome his 6:40 wake up call

as it is a bright start to our day,

and it is when his mind/mouth wake up.

Ready or not, the questions start rolling

as if he has used his night to come up 

with ones that will stump us for sure.

The endless questions, the sweet insecurities,

the silly antics, sometimes emotional bedtimes,

and energetic outbursts are just a few of the things

we love {and would never change} about Alekzander.

Happy 6th Birthday, buddy.

We love you to the moon and back,

and will continue to wrap our love around you

forever and always.

The Tank

Our little tank.

A solid little guy who knows what he wants.

Tough as can be with a heart of gold.  

He asks for "Snuggy Buggy" (snuggles),

Gives kisses, hugs, and pats,

And is free with his unprompted, "I luf you."

He is polite and precious

and can be loud and grumpy demanding what he wants,

smiling, and saying 'please.'

Anderson is funny and he knows it.

He can make all of us laugh by giving zombie kisses or

pretending to sleep and then shout, 'I'm awake!'

He even shouts that out in the middle of the night.

Currently he is obsessed with all things Frozen.

We bought him a Frozen storybook from the book fair 

two weeks ago.  There has not been a day yet

that he has not had the book in his clutches. 

He sits and reads it to himself and has a favorite page that he studies:

Anna and her best friends forever!

He is anti-carbs, pro-dairy, super snacker.

A mama's boy through and through,

superhero, race car, farm animal toy fanatic.

He loves to try to take pictures and see himself in the camera.

At a recent 'play in the woods' family photoshoot,

all he wanted to do was hike and explore. 

When he was asked to sit still or lay in the leaves and smile,

he acted like he was a cat being pinned down in a bath!

Ironically, he does hate baths, especially when he has to lay down to wash his hair.

There is not a thing I would change about this silly, tantrumming, little two year old

Who absolutely steals my heart every day.

 Photos from our "Play in the Woods" session with our friend Susan

{Fresh} Air Time

{Surprisingly, no children were harmed in the making of these memories!}

Mommy of Boys

Hand prints on cupboards and shoes in the hall. 

Toilet seat's up and there's mud on the wall. 

Every sports channel to them will appeal, 

And the front room doubles as a football field. 

The shelves in the kitchen are continually bare. 

There's toys on the couch and jeans on the chair. 

Wrestling and mud and cars and noise; 

I'm sure you can guess I'm the MOTHER OF BOYS! 

{Patsy Gaut}

My cousin shared the poem above announcing 

that she was having a baby boy; 

I had to share this picture with her...

This was from the morning after Halloween 

after we had returned home from church.

The Broncos helmet is attached to Alekzander 

who is UNDER his little brother!

I would not change a thing about my life!

Oh, how I love being a mommy of two boys.

Hockey Player

Our tough hockey player

sporting a Boston Bruins jersey, 

a Nashville Predators helmet,

a Team Canada hockey stick,

and hand-me-down snow boots!

Every treat Anderson got was his new favorite; 

rather than put it in his bag, he would carry it in his hand

while saying "Bick-or-Beat" at the next house

where he could barely grab his new treat.

The helmet greatly slowed and inhibited his 

ability to eat his treats though he wanted to so badly!

{Post Trick-or-Treating ... hanging on to his treasures:

An empty raisin box from the beginning of the night, 

a lollipop that lasted the entire mile loop, 

and 2 choice chocolate candies}

Broncos Player

 {Pre-Trick-or-Treating}

 {Post Trick-or-Treating}

Halloween 2015

Alekzander picked the theme for our Halloween again this year:

we were to go as a Sporty Family.

We excitedly played our parts as the golfer, 

the runner, and the hockey player.

He gave himself the role of Broncos football player.

Andrew's golf bag doubled as the candy overflow bag

and was filled pretty quickly as we have some

extremely generous neighbors!

The wagon was transformed into a Penalty Box for 

our Bruins hockey player.

One little girl asked what it was for, and I explained 

that it was like a time out spot for hockey players

when they were 'bad' during the game.

She immediately asked if Anderson was bad!

Poor guy definitely was not bad - just a little overwhelmed.

Both boys were surprisingly calm and passive trick-or-treaters.

Anderson actually preferred to stay in the wagon most of the time,

and Alekzander said he would rather stay with us

 than run ahead with his friends.

Both situations were quite agreeable to me

as I know future years will look much different! 

I cannot wait until next August when 

Alekzander assigns our next family Halloween theme.

{Please let him include us in his costume plans next year too!!}

Let Them Eat Dirt

Google "Let them eat dirt" or "Reasons why your kid should be in the dirt"...

my children should be the spokespeople!

They cannot resist the pull of the dirt...

Our flower beds are generally not 'flowery' -

they are beds of dirt that the boys cannot stay around from.

A simple planting and watering mission one afternoon turned into 

creating 'mud shoes' and resulted in a much needed bath.

The joyful benefits of playing in the mud

far outweigh the cost of scrubbing the 'ring around the tub'!

Baby Mac and a Pumpkin Truck

Only the coolest Dad in the world hauls 100 pumpkins around in the back of his truck!

And only the coolest cousins hang out in the back of the truck with the pumpkins.

A Whim and a Win

Andrew is a great expectation manager, 

but a trip Uptown to try to get scalped tickets

for Alekzander's first Panthers' game

exceeded all expectations.

On a whim, Andrew decided to 

try to take Alekzander 

to the Panthers - Saints game.

It was a perfect storm of wet weather,

the Saints in town with a losing record,

an injured Drew Brees,

and a risk-taking, negotiating Daddy ...

and the big boys gained entrance

to the Panthers game for a fraction

of the face value on the tickets

and had awesome seats right in the end zone.

 Though the game was loud and a little overwhelming,

Alekzander enjoyed his first NFL game

and was especially happy to report the Panthers' win!

Truths of Two

Oh, this little love. 

It is a good thing he is cute

because he is giving us a run for our money.

In a matter of days, he busted his lip twice,

fell down the stairs, darted to the road,

and skinned his knee.

He makes frequent demands "right now!"

and cries crocodile tears almost daily.

He is two ... the truest, the 'two-est' of two!

But he has the biggest heart.

He prays for Mia and Tessa and Baby Butt.

He cried the other night when I was leaving

and clearly said, "Mommy, don't leave me."

He loves to give one more hug after you put him in his crib,

and without fail, he will kiss you on the mouth if you pretend to pout.

He recounts the details of his day,

can recite Buddy's books from school,

and knows how to spell Alekzander's name in a song.

He is smart and cute, cuddly and strong.

He makes us laugh,

amazes us with his vocabulary,

and charms us with his snuggles.

Anderson,

we'll take the two-ness of you

because we love you sooooo much.

Goat Whisperer

Anderson the Goat Whisperer

 The Carl Sandburg Home

c/o Connemara Farms

September 13,2015