Eli's Christmas Program

Tonight was Eli's Preschool Christmas Program.  He was so excited for it and he did such a great job.  I was also very excited for it.  Not only was this Eli's first school program but this was my first school program as a mommy!  It was a big day for us both. :-)  He had been practicing his songs at school for a few weeks and his teacher sent home a few of the songs so we could practice at home too.  At first Eli wouldn't sing his songs for us.  He kept saying they were only for at school and he couldn't sing them at home.  I kept trying to get him to practice with me but he wouldn't.  Then as we were decorating the Christmas tree on the day after Thanksgiving he started singing one of his songs.  I had tears in my eyes as I listened to him sing about little baby Jesus born on Christmas day.  Then as he finished his song he turned to me and said "I sang it for you because I love you."  I gave him a huge hug and told him that I loved him too as those tears in my eyes came pouring down my cheek.  I love this boy so much and he is such a sweet heart.

As they opened the curtain all the kids were waving and it was so cute!  It took us a few seconds to find where Eli was standing.  He was in the 2nd row and the boy standing in front of him was about the same size.  Eli did a great job!  He sang each of the songs and did all the hand motions too!  After the first few songs Eli waved really big to us!  I loved seeing that!  Afterwards he told us that he saw daddy but he only saw my hands and my camera, not my face. :-)  I had to make sure I captured this big moment!  It was so very memorable!  We were very blessed to have both Papaw and Papa come see Eli at his program.  Eli loved having him there and it meant a lot to the whole family.  

All ready for his Preschool Christmas Program

Brothers

With Papaw

Papaw and Isabel

All the Pre-K classes

Singing away!

Pre- K and the 3's classes

Eli and Papa

Proud Daddy

Proud Momma!

Isabel at 17 Months

My sweet baby girl is 17 months old today!  She is a bundle of energy and so much fun and boy can she scream her little heart out. :-)  She is definitely coming into her own little personality and it is exciting seeing the little person she is going to be!  She has such a sweet side where she loves to cuddle and hug and then she has a very stubborn side where she screams and screams when she doesn't get what she wants.  We are currently working on the screaming.  She woke up at 4:00 this morning and wasn't to thrilled about going back to bed, screaming bloody murder at 4:00am is not my idea of a good time.  

In the last few months she has gotten 8 more teeth and is now up to 12!  They have not been to kind to her.  We have had a few rough nights here and there since there were several coming in at once.  She is just getting the 12th tooth right now and is still having a few rough nights.  I am hoping it is just her teeth and not a sleep regression.  I like sleep and she normally sleeps 12 hours.

Isabel has also really started to talk in the last month or so.  For the longest time she was only saying mama and an occasional dada.  There were also a few mumbled sounds that were for certain words but now she has several words that actually sound like the words and then several more that sound close to the words.  Mommy can usually figure out what she is saying.  Some of her favorite words to say are; Jude, Fishy(nemo), Foofa, Minnie, Gabba, eat, more, and nana (banana).  Those words are super clear!  And today at lunch she started screaming and I asked her what she wanted and she said "more nana"!  I was blown away!  It won't be long and she will be jabbering away!  She also has a few favorite friends (stuffed animals).  When I get her up in the morning she has to hand me some friends before I can pick her up.  We always bring down Fishy, Foofa and Minnie but lately we have also been bringing down Plex, Muno, and Brobee. :-) And was ALWAYS have to have her very favorite taggie!  That is an absolute must!

She is still super ornery and quite the climber!  She has officially figured out climbing on the couch.  Now she needs to learn that she has to sit on the couch and there is no climbing on the arm of the couch.  She definitely keep me on my toes.  Isabel, get down! is said several times throughout the day.

Isabel Annette at 17 Months

Still working on some teeth

Posing for pictures in front of the tree

With her little Minnie of course!

She is Ornery for sure!

Love her bright blues!

Such a silly girl!

:-)

A few of her favorite friends and her taggie!

Isabel's Stocking

Our kids are very blessed with 2 very talented grandmas!  Mike's mom has made each of our kids their Christmas stockings.  These stockings are GORGEOUS and I know my kids will cherish these always!  They are seriously the most beautiful stockings ever!  These stockings take a lot of hard work so they should have them by their 2nd Christmas.  Since she is about to have grand baby #7 in less then 6 years she has been constantly making stockings! :-)  

Isabel got her stocking today and it is just perfect for her!  I showed it to her and her eyes lit up!  She has loved looking at the other stockings since we hung them up this weekend so she knew exactly what is was!  She immediately  pointed to the little bear on it! :-)

Isabel with her beautiful stocking from Grandma

Finding the bear

Looking inside

They are all so different and so so gorgeous and just perfect for each of the kids!

Eli(22 months) in 2009 when he got his stocking

Jude(2) in 2011 when he got his stocking

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Decorating for Christmas!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year!  We were able to celebrate with each side of our family over the past week.  We started off last weekend and had a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner with my dad, then we headed to my mom's for a big Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day, and we finished with a delicious brunch Friday morning with Mike's side of the family.  We are blessed with such a wonderful extended family and we are so happy that we were able to celebrate with everyone.  It is always fun to see all the cousins together.

All the little Indian cousins at my mom's on Thanksgiving

Elijah

Jude

Isabel

 

 

I look forward to Black Friday shopping each year!  I think there has only been 1 year since we got married that I didn't go shopping and that was because we were in Alabama.  I was really looking forward to it this year because I didn't have to take any babies!  I met up with 2 of my sisters at Walmart and we helped each other out through out the store.  It was packed so at times it really helped to be able to leave the carts with 1 person and send someone else out to push through the crowd.  There wasn't too much that I needed to get but it was still fun and I was able to get some really great deals.  And bonus, I was home by 9:30!  I probably would have gone to another store, but Mike was home with a sick Isabel who needed her momma.  Poor baby had a very nasty cough and cold that she is still fighting.  Even though I was home from shopping by 9:30 PM it was still a pretty sleepless night taking care of my baby girl.

Since we were all home Friday afternoon we decided to set up our Christmas tree!  We have a new (to us) tree this year.  We now have the tree that my dad used for years and years.  It is a very nice tree and quite a bit bigger than our previous tree!  I love how it looks in our living room.  Someday I would like to get a real tree, but for now I am perfectly content with a fake tree.

The boys had a blast helping me decorate.  Isabel still wasn't feeling too well so she cuddled on daddy's lap and watched.  Of course in all the excitement of getting the new tree up and having to send Mike out to buy some lights for it I didn't take a single picture while we were decorating it.  Ugh, I am not very happy with myself.  The boys did a great job and had so much fun together.  Jude even put the star on the top and was so proud of himself.  I may have to reenact that shot. :-)  The tree looks great and the house looks great, I love this time of year!

The boys with the finished tree (even Reggie joined the picture)

Such handsome boys!

All cozy in front of the tree in their new black Friday jammies!

 

First Snow!

Today was the first snow fall of the season!  Eli was at school so he missed it, since it didn't last too long, but Jude and Isabel thought it was pretty cool!  It only snowed for about 90 minutes and by the end there was a little snow on the ground but it quickly melted away.  Hopefully we will have so good snow this year and the kids will get a chance to play in it.  We had such a mild winter last year that we didn't get a chance to play in the snow at all.

Jude and Isabel watching the snow fall

 

I couldn't keep Isabel away from the window!

She was pretty excited about it!

Fall Pictures

I have been wanting to get outside and take some pictures of the kids for several months but for some reason I kept putting it off.  I thought that I had missed my chance since it is already into November but I was wrong.  We had gorgeous weather this weekend so we headed outside to enjoy it st our neighborhood playground and I was finally able to get some pictures of the kids! I really enjoy taking pictures.

My Loves!

I think they are pretty cute :-)

:-)

It's is not easy to get all 3 to look at the camera

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Eli is getting so big and looking so grown up!

I can't believe he will be 5 in a few months

I am not ready for my baby to be so grown up

It was like pulling teeth to get Jude to look at the camera and smile

:-)

Love this silly guy!

My pretty little girl!

I love everything about this little girl

She was not in the mood for pictures today

But cute as a button!

Finishing up the morning with a muscle shot!