Keeping Christmas Every Day

Cute little Zachary has figured out how to keep the spirit of Christmas year round.

He will not go to bed unless I sing him Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, now going on 61 nights and counting. No other song or even variation will do.

Throughout the day he will spontaneously burst out in Christmas carols such as: Joy to the World, Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, and Santa Clause is Coming to Town.

I hear the question on a daily basis, "How many more days until Christmas?" or "Mom, what about the Christmas Spirit," reminding me not to forget.

Princess Training and Homework

I turned around the other day and let out a little laugh when I saw this...

Apparently she was doing "Princess Training" and working on her balance while doing her homework. Nothing like a little multi-tasking. Then we talked about her future Prince Charming and giggled when we wondered if he was "Prince Training."

Speech Update

After two in-depth evaluations we finally had our first session with the speech therapist yesterday. She'll be coming to the house every Tuesday to "play."

Some of my thoughts:

I am not a novice at this...after all this is my fourth time around. I know how to talk with my child, to name things, to make sounds, to try to get them to mimic and repeat....so why isn't any of that working?

He is supposed to learn 1-2 new words a week, and new signs count. But I don't want them to count. I know he can learn new signs, what I don't know is if he can learn new words. I love that he signs. I love the connections he makes and that it enables him to communicate when he so desperately wants to. But I want to start hearing words, which brings me to my next point...

I really am prepared for this "process." I know it will take time, work and energy. I'm not expecting results next week. Baby steps, baby steps down a long road.

Am I ready to get tough and not give in to Gavin's grunts, and gestures when I know exactly what it is he wants? You better believe it!

Even as I voice these concerns we have seen some progress even in the last week, he's started making a few front sounds in attempt at words...it'll come.

I love this kid. He is smart. He is good. He is loving. He is playful. He is a ham. He is a gift.

Sourounded By Those You Love

McKenna LOVES stuffed animals. I walked in for one more good night kiss and found her surrounded by loved ones.

And of course, every good stuffed animal has a name. There is:

Curly

Sparkles

Foxy

Fuzzy 1

Fuzzy 2

Lily

JoJo

Pinky

Ham

Snowflakes

Ducky

Bella

Taylor (after Taylor Swift)

Sweet Dreams!

Just Because...

these pictures make me smile.

It's a Girl!

Introducing little miss Sadie...

We've done it...we've officially become dog owners! And we couldn't love her more. We surprised the kids on Wednesday and drove up to D.C. to pick up our new little family member. (I honestly feel like we've added to our family and I didn't even have to go through pregnancy...YEA! ) They were SO surprised and SO excited. I don't know any kids that have worked harder to "earn" a dog and prove their responsibility. And now, boy, are they loving this girl to pieces.

Sadie giving Gavin kisses. Gavin loves her, but is a little jealous. If I'm holding her he tries to push her off my lap and plop down right in her spot. It's kind of funny.

Zachary spent all day yesterday on the flour with Sadie on his tummy or cuddling right up close.

Two very happy daughters.

Sadie is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and is the sweetest thing in the world. She has been SO good. She loves the kids and is always so happy to see them. She loves to cuddle, loves to give kisses, her puppy energy level has been remarkably low, she never wines or cries (other then her first night home) she is already crate trained AND liter box trained. That's right, I said litter box, like a cat. It's amazing! When the weather warms up we'll make the switch to outside. I never thought I'd see the day to watch Bret hold a puppy on his lap, loving her and smiling. But it's happened! She is so sweet it's hard not to just adore her. She is so tiny right now, weighing just under three pounds. She'll stay fairly small too, her mother was only 17 pounds.

When she is not on someones lap this is her favorite spot in the house...curled up on our soft fuzzy blanket!

Preschool

For Christmas we gave Zachary the gift of going to preschool. And man was this boy excited. The first day after Christmas break he was up and dressed by 6:45. The cute thing was that he dressed himself in a nice collard shirt, not the typical star wars tee-shirts he loves to wear day in and day out.

Off to school he went and Gavin and I enjoyed a very quiet three hours together....what I am going to do when this buddy of mine is gone all day next year in Kindergarten?

Books

I love books.

I love crisp new pages.

I love the smell of those crisp new pages and will often sit with my nose up close, flip through and breath in deeply, savoring that wonderful new book smell.

I love to sit in book stores surrounded by countless written works of art.

I love to escape and get lost in a good story.

I love to laugh out loud and cry as I read.

That's why it was a special treat when Bret sent me out the door one day armed with a gift card to go have some quite alone time in Barnes and Noble. Ahhh....it was lovely.

I came home with these three selections that have been on my list for a long time. And yes, I am still smelling the pages!

Growing up and still to this day my mom's nightstand has piles of books. She is one who loves good literature and there is not a night that goes by that she doesn't read. I remember taking an early childhood literature class and statistics showing that love learning grows most within young children when their parents not only read to them but they see their parents reading. (I think of this when I happen to get so lost in a book that the rest of my life takes a back seat and it helps me not feel so bad!) Thanks Mom and Dad for instilling this love of reading in my life. And thanks Bret for sending me out to read!

Trouble

This is kid is trouble. He definitely keeps me on my toes.

But he's the cutest little trouble maker there is and I just can't get enough of him!

Say Cheese

Most kids this age will look at a camera and smile.

Not Gavin.

Whenever I try to take his picture or get him to smile...this is his reaction.

We're going to need to seriously work on this one.

Catching Up

I've been catching up on this here blog. Feel free to scroll down as I put many back in December so they'd be included in our 2009 book. Lots more fun to come!

Happy Birthday Bret!

It's hard for a birthday to be too exciting when it's your first day back at classes. I tried to convince Bret that I could bring in donuts or something to his class today....but that was quickly shot down. Nonetheless we had a great night together as a family with a yummy dinner, Bret's favorite chocolate cake that I only make once a year...usually on his birthday, and fun family games.

Let me just add here a few things that I absolutely adore about this man, hopefully without embarrassing him too much! :)

One of the first things that made me fall in love with him was that knowing him and being around him inspired me to be a better person. I love that this hasn't changed. His goodness brings out the best in me and inspires me to try to be the best I can.

I love that my heart still skips a beat when I look across the room, catch his eye, and he winks or smiles in my direction.

He is the BEST father. He is completely hands on in all areas. I feel so equally yoked in our home. I love that he plays with, teases, takes time for, talks to, listens, tells bedtime stories, teaches, and testifies with our children.

He is fiercely loyal and devoted to me. I have no doubt or question where I come on his priority list, and I love that.

He honors the Priesthood. I love that he leads our family in family scripture study and family prayer on a daily basis. He gives us Father's Blessings at least once a year. He is a man who loves the Lord and strives to live a faith filled life.

I love his sense of style. When it comes to decorating our home or buying clothes for me I love that he has good taste and that our tastes co-inside. I could trust him to pick anything out, knowing we'd both love it. And he is so thoughtful, many times bringing home a little thing here or there for me because he knows I am in need and that I will not go out to buy it for myself.

He is such a hard worker. There is not a lazy bone in this mans body, something which he learned from his father. Whether it is school, work, family, or church responsibilities Bret always gives 110%.

He loves to travel and experience new things. Be it a long distance trip or a day trip close by, he loves to expose our family to new adventures and experiences. We have created so many wonderful family memories through travel and the exploration he leads us in.

He recognizes when I need a break and sends me away for a fun girls night out or to my room with a good book for some quiet alone time. The great thing is that I never have to question how things are at home when I'm away. I know he is happy, the kids are happy, and that I will return to a house of order.

It just boils down to this...

I love him. And I am one lucky girl to be spending forever with him! Happy Birthday Bret!