Zoo Lights

The Wednesday before Christmas we were able to spend the afternoon/evening with the Hemphill's. We had such a good time. We hung out at the house for a little bit; playing, opening gifts and eating dinner and then we headed to the zoo. It was the perfect time to go. The weather was pleasant and there weren't many people there. This allowed for the kids to run ahead of us without getting lost in the crowd and we could walk at a leisurely pace. It was so much fun to watch the kids looking at the lights and hear their excitement when riding the train. We even stopped to talk to Santa.

Burt looking cool with Zachary attached to him.

The boys wanted to sit with Christopher and Sophie. Aren't they cute.

Nicholas loved the zoo map. I think he is telling Christopher where they should go next.

Sophie thought the train was too loud.

Cheesy smile once again, but too cute. He was much more cooperative at this visit with Santa and I love that he was able to sit in his lap and talk to him.

Nicholas telling Santa how much he loves trains.

Our fearless leader.

The whole crew.

Trying to see if the train would squash a penny left on the track. They weren't that close when the train went by in case you are wondering :-)

Trying to get us all in a picture.

This one taken by Brandon and Brittny is the best.

And that is how we ended our night at the zoo. We were so glad we got to spend it with our best friends.

Happy Birthday Joshua!

(Photo taken by AME Photography)

Sweet, sweet Joshua. How can it be you are already 3 years old? So crazy. You are such a character and your personality shows more and more everyday. You certainly are your own little man. You crack me up with your facial expressions and funny sayings and at the same time can make me crazy with your whining, but I love you so very much. Right now you love anything associated with dinosaurs, games and your little brother Zachary. You would touch him and love on him constantly if I let you. It is the sweetest thing. You can definitely be strong willed and test the limits, but at the same time you break down if someone looks at you wrong. Oh the drama you can bring :-) But you also bring such joy and laughter to our household and melt us with your big green eyes. What more can we ask for except that you grow everyday in the Lord and never forget how much your mommy and daddy love you. Happy Birthday Joshua!!!!!

School Christmas Party

Burt was able to attend Nicholas' Christmas Party while I was at the dentist. I would have gladly traded places, but it worked out great since he normally misses these activities. I made it to Joshua's party later that afternoon.

Filling up his bag with goodies.

Cheesy smile once again

Singing for the parents

Waiting patiently for cookies.

Looking at his goodies.

Very excited look.

Zachary eating

We finally started to feed Zachary "real" food the beginning of December. He seems to like it better now that he is eating fruit and not just cereal and veggies. Go figure.

Using his thumb to help push it in.

Christmas Decorating

Here are some photos of the kids decorating the tree and the final product. They did a pretty good job. I had to fix a few that needed to be on sturdier branches, but overall they were great helpers and loved doing it. They were very excited to hang ornaments and used "non-ornaments" to decorate the tree also such as hanging monkeys, string and crafts from church that probably should have gone on a door. Such a festive tree indeed.

Gotta love the brighter lights on top.

The boys kept rearranging the figures in the manger so I decided to just leave it be. One of the sheep climbed the ladder. Smart one he is.

Five stockings this year.

Hanging their ornaments from the ornament swap party. Joshua is very intent on finding the right branch for his treasure.

We also decorated a Gingerbread House. The boys really enjoyed this.

Cheesy smiles with their sides of the house.

And a just because picture. This is his genuine smile. Such handsome little boy.