Come, Lord Jesus

"Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus. Come and be born in our hearts."  Our Great Light, our Savior is born and we are so joyful.  We give Him thanks for all of this....

For a sweet boy who loves to snuggle next to his Mommy and Daddy before bed. 

For a 4 1/2 year old princess who is turning into a "girl" right before our eyes.  Their hearts are filled with pure innocence and joy and it's simply contagious.  Thank you Aunt Abla for her new dolls.

For a child who is beyond excited about all things Batman and that super special "green stuff".

For a brother who can't stand to fall asleep in his own bed and finds it necessary to sneak out of his bed every night and find a place in Sissy's closet.  Melts.our.hearts.  We just sweep him up before we head off to bed so he can finish the night in his own bed.

For every ounce of sweetness that is shining from this picture.

For a surprise house visit from SANTA on Christmas Eve.

For kids who believe that Santa is magical and loving and all things good in this world.

For a Santa who brings bells and rocks it out with our little musician.

For parents/in-laws who support us and love us better than we know possible.

For Amo Jack and Auntie Georgette and their kind hearts and welcoming home.

For big Santa hugs.

For cousins and new baby cousins (Jacob and Cameron) and our growing extended family.

For a home that has been visited by Santa.

For whipped cream and candy canes for breakfast.

For Daddy's and their little girls.

For Jesus and his birthday and this awesome birthday cake that was made in honor of Jesus and will be devoured at breakfast tomorrow morning.

And lastly, a Christmas serenade for you to enjoy.  Merry Christmas from our family to yours.

Christmas Cheer

T-6 days...but who's counting?!? Our house is full of Christmas excitement and cheer.  The innocence of the kids and their pure joy for the season continues to ground us during those stressful days and hours leading up to all the festivities.  It's truly magical to be able to experience this holiday through the eyes of our children.  We. are. so. blessed.

These photos were taken when we were waiting in line to take a photo with Santa.  Most kids would be thrilled to feel the cold ice and paw print from a polar bear, but not our son, no it wouldn't stop there.  Shortly after the picture was taken, I hear a man calling out to me, "Miss, Miss, you're son is licking the ice."  

I would give $100 at this age to take a "normal" picture with the two of them together.

Who wouldn't be all smiles for a late night smoothie?

And a chance to eat some all of Daddy's ice cream...

Look at the trouble that Shelf got himself into while the kids were sleeping.  Their reaction was great!  They were so concerned that he was going to get in trouble for making a mess.

Penny horsey rides at Meijer!!!  Great bribery while we are in the store too!

 Office Christmas party with the two best bosses...5 years and counting at the "new" office.  So proud of them for the practice that they are building together and the patients they continue to genuinely care for everyday.

First real snow of the season, too bad it was absolutely freezing.

My parents made their annual trip to our house in December to exchange gifts and celebrate the holiday together.  The kids play "elf" and "Santa's helper" and enjoy passing out all the gifts.  

He couldn't get the new pajamas and backpack on fast enough.  He calls it his "power pack" and "shoots fire" from the blue straps.

Playing hair and make-up with her new Sophia doll.

Helaina's first Red Wings game of the season.  Unfortunately, the only two things she could talk about were the slushies and the dance music.  She still looks super cute in that jersey though :).

Just hours before this photo was taken, our little man was at the doctor.  103.9 temperature, a double ear infection, and a cough that produced vomiting...amazing what Motrin, Claratin, and an antibiotic can do for a 2 year old.  Unfortunately, he had to miss out on what should have been his first ever Wings game...there's always next time.

This photo was taken today at school, and it is everything that I love about our son and his first school friend, Griffin.  Griffin, a fellow farm boy from Iowa with his overalls and our son dressed in everything superhero.  I had my phone out to take a photo of Zach with his hand-made ornament and in the process, Griffin planted the biggest hug and kiss on Zach's cheek.  Made.my.heart.melt.  A photo of pure love and joy.  Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Santa Picture 2013 from Twelve Oaks Mall and their Winter Wonderland.  So happy that there were no tears, only smiles, hugs, and Christmas lists for Mr. Clause.  There is such a spirit of magic with the kids and their excitement for Santa and Jesus' Birthday.  Their innocence is contagious.  They get excited about Christmas trees, songs, lights, snow, and "Shelf" our elf.  If only I could pause time...I'd be stopping here a little while longer.

Stationery Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Thanksgiving and then some...

So it's definitely been awhile since we've posted. I try to do a post at least once a week, so that our family (mainly those of you out-of-town) are able to stay up to date with the kiddos.  So our apologies, and here's some pictures from the last few weeks. 

This picture captures the chaos of moving into the house with two little ones running around like wild animals.  Zach is obsessed with power tools so we have to keep them out of his reach at all times, and Helaina wears princess dresses and slippers almost everyday.    

We've been in our house for exactly 3 weeks.  The first week, people were in and out everyday finishing their work, but these last 2 weeks, we've really started to settle into our new routine.  After all the moving boxes were unpacked, it was time to start the Christmas decorating.  We're definitely keeping it simple this year..the tree, the fireplace mantle, some stairway garland, and some wreaths but it's just enough to make the kids happy.

Hot chocolate mustaches.

See, he really can be a sweet boy for a few moments out of the day.  He was hugging Helaina's baby until I wanted a picture, and then he decided to be funny and pick his nose.  If you have patience and a sense of humor, this kid is a laugh a minute.

Daddy with his kiddos.  This year we brought out the "Elf on the Shelf" again.  Zach did not really remember it from last year so they decided to rename him "Shelf the Elf".  How unique.

Our Thanksgiving pictures.  Such a lovely day spent together enjoying the most amazing food prepared by Randy's mom.  Just look at this turkey...it could be in a food magazine and believe me, it tastes even better!

Why is it so hard to get both kids to look at the camera at the same time?!?

The day after Christmas we traveled to Indiana to celebrate with my family.  We were fortunate enough to see our friends, Grace and Claire, that live in Maryland.  Again, not a successful picture taking event and Zach was down for his nap.  Definitely captures the moment though!

My newly engaged cousin, BJ and Shannon.  They are planning a Spring 2015 wedding and we are already counting down the days.  His sister, Jess, also has some exciting news that I'll be sure to post in our next entry!

My first Red Wings game of the year! Always a fun time when your brother comes to town and brings his friends.  Unfortunately, we didn't get a win, but we were all happy just to be hanging out together.

I know the quality isn't the greatest, but my friend sent me this the morning after our house warming party.  Friday night we had over 15 kids and 20 adults for our house warming/friends Christmas gathering.  It definitely was a. lot. of. work. to prepare the house for that many people just a few weeks after moving in, but it was well worth the effort.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed the crafts and the gingerbread house and running wild in an open basement.  I think it's safe to say that we are in love with our new home and all the memories we are already making here.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We know several people, young people, who are struggling with different issues this holiday season, and we continue to pray for them.  We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and are looking forward to this Christmas season.