Play Night

We had the Skagen kids over for a fun play date night while their parents went out for a birthday date. We had such a great time! We had pancakes for dinner with whipped cream and sprinkles, and threw in some sausages and bananas to be healthy. Aly helped me make the pancakes!

After dinner, Cole and JT played while Jim and Aly had a hot date to McDonald’s for ice cream. Aly had a gift card and she was so excited to pay for her own ice cream. 🙂

When they got back, Jim declared it was snuggle time on the couch.

Everyone put their pajamas on and we the kids voted to watch Bob the Builder. We had just finished one episode when Adam came to collect his children… and no one moved off the couch to greet him. They must have had a great time!

Kicking off 2011

We’ve been having a great 2011 so far (all two days’ worth). Haley has looked so cute in some new clothes!


From Uncle Jeff and Aunt Gena


From Mom and Dad


From Great Uncle Rick and Great Aunt Julie

I finally got video of Haley laughing… it’s pretty poor quality because JT was in the tub when she started giggling and the only thing I had with me was my cell phone. She was sitting on my lap watching JT splash and I was holding her arm with one hand and my phone with the other… but I got one (twenty seconds in), and it’s pretty contagious!

The rest of us are enjoying our new toys… like the remote for my camera, which helped me get this picture on our way out the door to go grocery shopping. I couldn’t resist getting a picture of Haley. She’s so stinkin’ cute.

JT got some new Thomas books and is really getting good at “reading.” He points to some words and sometimes asks what the letters spell. He is always looking for an audience.

JT is loving his new booster chair from Target. After lots of deliberation, I’m very happy with the one I got. I doesn’t have straps, which is good because we stopped strapping him in his highchair a few months ago. It is one piece, which makes for easy cleaning. And it suctions to the chair without tie downs, which is great. I’m glad I found it, and it is just the right size. JT also got a bunch of new placemats from the NC Coles, which has been nice. I was pretty tired of his one Thomas placemat!

We also got some “previously loved” items from JT and Haley’s cousins in North Carolina. JT got a neat animal card matching game and Haley got some clothes that her girl cousins wore. It is so special and we had such fun opening the surprise box!

Happy New Year

The kids and I spent New Year’s Eve quietly at home, but New Year’s Day is a whole different story. We hosted our seventh annual New Year’s Day pajama breakfast at our house, with eight adults and, this year, eight children four and under. Fun times!

We ate and ate and relaxed and watched our children run around until everyone went home to take naps. It took me two hours to clean up and locate all of the toys – many of which required using the wand on the vacuum… it was worth every minute! 🙂


Typical: the girls are smiling at the camera and JT is busy eating.


These two are ready for nap time.


Future babysitters!


This year’s picture
Click here to compare with last year’s picture

Christmas Day

Jim and I woke up before our children on Christmas. I wonder how long that will last? Anyway, I had time to pop the coffee cake in the oven and we opened our stockings… then we couldn’t wait any longer and we got JT up to do his stocking.

Then we had a quick photo shoot in front of the tree before we ate our yummy breakfast.


Compare with JT’s baby Christmas pic here

Finally, we got to open our presents! Jim had no idea what was in his two big boxes. He was so excited to open them!

One big box was a chain saw. The other was a bug & stone deflector for the truck.

JT did a great job opening his presents. I like to open one person at a time, and that was perfect because he got to play with his new toy while Jim, Haley, and I each opened one.


A new Thomas and freight car


Crocodile Creek placemats from Uncle Jeff & Aunt Gena


A booster seat – no more high chair!


Helping Mom test out her new remote for the camera – so cool.


“Just like Cole’s”

Here’s a little montage of the morning. Last year I put it to music and I had planned to again this year, but then I realized I wanted everyone to hear what JT had to say!


Somebody get a trash bag!

Grandpa and Grandma Cole arrived just in time to change diapers and dress children while Jim and I got ready for the day. Then we opened presents with them… JT had become an opening professional by then.

The biggest hit was JT’s new chain saw. “It sounds just like Dad’s!” he proclaimed proudly. JT did not put his chain saw down (or turn it off) for a solid hour, and only then because dinner was ready.


The men

Grandpa and Grandma Keene arrived, and we were ready to eat. We had a fabulous ham dinner and relaxed together after the kids were ready for naps… and broke out the desserts. We had so many that Jim looked at my mom and said, “Are there more people coming?”

To end the day, I went to work with Jim for the night. Then the ladies got up extra early on Sunday and did our post-Christmas shopping. By Sunday evening, my house was back to normal: gifts put away, Christmas decorations boxed up, floors vacuumed. The only remnants of a great holiday are the new clothes and toys, and the leftover desserts calling to me from the refrigerator.

Happy birthday, Jesus!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve as a family of four. JT spent the entire morning in his pajamas playing with new toys.


Moon dough barn from the Skagens – soooo messy!


New construction worker set


Dart gun to shoot at Dad (not at Haley… or mom… or Slider…)


Playdough tools

After naps for the kids (and A Christmas Story for the adults), we had a prime rib dinner and got dressed for church.


Love my family.


Haley’s beautiful Christmas dress from Shira, and pearl bracelet from Mom


Poor Haley…

After we got home from church, the kids went to bed. But somebody put brownies in the oven, so Jim and I ate warm brownie sundaes with homemade french vanilla ice cream before we stuffed the stockings and climbed into bed. 🙂

Christmas Thursday

Thursday we went to Grandpa and Grandma Keene’s house for dinner and presents. First, JT had to get Haley in the Christmas spirit by teaching her a song…

We had a yummy comfort food dinner of homemade mac & cheese and hot dogs – awesome.


Laughing at Uncle Matt


Snuggling with Aunt Jennifer


Jim and Jennifer and their families


The whole crew


Haley and her mom 🙂

After dinner, the chaos began. We started with stockings.


JT was pretty excited about a new toothbrush.


Grandpa and Grandma are happy to just watch and hold Haley.

I played Santa and passed out tons of presents – not only from Grandpa and Grandma, but also from the Alabama Keenes and the Arizona Thoens. It was great watching JT get excited about new toys!


His first baseball lesson


Haley and her new doll
(I think in this picture she looks like a girl version
of a picture of JT when he was the same age.)

We got a blow-up Alabama lounge chair from Aunt Alice and JT loved it! Then again, so did Jim.


Trying out the new chair

After gifts, we settled in to watch a good movie (The Bourne Ultimatum was on) and enjoy dessert: homemade apple pie and ice cream. JT claimed the new chair for his movie watching spot. He ate a Christmas cookie and had some ice cream while keeping his new Thomas bath toy close at hand. At one point he looked over at me and said, “Mom, your ice cream is good.” Brownie points for JT!

Haley had a little fussy time and enjoyed cooling off on the floor with Grandpa Keene, who almost didn’t eat his dessert because he was focused on baby duty.

Before bed time, Aunt Jennifer read JT one of his new books. So fun!

Christmas Wednesday

On Wednesday, after workout, JT and I made Christmas cookies. He did a great job helping cut out the cookies.

After naps, we loaded up the cookies and presents and went over to the Skagens’ house for dinner, cookie decorating, and gift exchange. Aly did a great job holding Haley. She was very gentle and held her close. Here are my god-daughter and my daughter. Two cuties! 🙂

The kids loved decorating their cookies. Here you can see Cole sneaking a lick off his decorating knife! JT gave Cole a new garbage truck from Toy Story 3. This information is important if you watch the Christmas montage video! Aly loved her new digital camera from us, and took over 100 pictures in under two hours. There was a lot of “say cheese!”

Christmas Tuesday

I’m going to do Christmas week with just day titles because there is too much to do all in one post. What a great week!

Tuesday JT, Haley, and I bundled up to do a Christmas light walk around the neighborhood. It was windy and cold, but it was our last chance before Christmas!


Haley is ready to rock.


JT is ready to roll. Literally.
(Sorry, couldn’t help it.)


Slider was so happy for the long walk!


Haley couldn’t quite see the lights but she was snuggly warm. And so was I!

When we got home, both kids got in their pajamas and we ate popcorn and watched the Dr. Seuss original The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I explained to JT that the Grinch didn’t want the Whos to have Christmas because he didn’t love Jesus, and then JT wanted to know why Jesus wasn’t in the movie. 🙂