Christmas Tree Farm

After going to the Christmas tree farm last year, we knew that we wanted to make this a tradition. The farm is awesome...it's rated the #1 Christmas tree farm in the state, and it's filled with tons of stuff to do. They have pony rides, camel rides, a live nativity, a train ride, Santa photos, a snack shop, and acres upon acres of Christmas trees. The boys thought it was awesome...especially the train ride part (BIG surprise!). We had a great time roaming around looking at all the gorgeous trees. It really made us want one, even though our heavy ornaments would never hold on real branches, so we decided on a big, beautiful wreath instead!

 

What Characters!

Happy Birthday, Harrison!

Tomorrow is Harrison's 2nd birthday, and we just can't believe how time has flown! He was the sweetest baby and is now just as sweet as a toddler. The way he says "love you" will melt your heart. He idolizes his brother and both his granddaddies, which is awesome. If he thinks you're upset, he'll try and help you feel better by sharing a toy or giving you a hug.

 

 He's very independent...maybe even more so than Hampton. He knows what he wants and will figure a way to get it. He's also very into the word "no", but it's still cute for the moment! He always likes to be doing something, especially figuring out how something works or goes together. He has absolutely no fear, which is both good & bad at the same time!

 

We absolutely adore this little boy and are so blessed to have him. We couldn't imagine a better partner-in-crime for Hampton. What a wonderful Christmas gift you are, Harrison! We love you!

 

She's Here!!!

We are beyond thrilled to introduce our newest blessing, Miss Hayden Kate Howard! She's named after her aunt & great-grandmother, carrying on our "family names only" policy for our children. Right now, she has blue eyes like her brothers & medium dark hair that is just begging for a hair bow! Looks like all that heartburn paid off!

After being admitted to the hospital last night, she arrived this morning at 9:26 am. She's our tiniest baby, weighing 7 lbs 1 oz, and measuring 20.5". After being rather frustrated at being evicted from her previous home, she's settled down for food & a nap, which is exactly what we're doing, too! 

Thank you for all the prayers & well-wishes for our little family! 

Baby Plan

Well, it's Baby Eve. Tomorrow is the big day. We can't believe we've finally made it, and that it's already here! Our complete plan is still a little unsure, but here's what we've got for the moment:

We're picking Hampton up from school today right after lunch, then heading to Paul & Jan's house. The boys will stay with them until first thing Saturday morning, when Bob & Randi will take over. We're figuring we'll be let out of the hospital that day, and we definitely hope so since Saturday is Harrison's birthday!

After dropping off the boys, we'll head to our Doctor's office for one last checkup. Depending on the situation, he told us that we may be admitted to the hospital tonight. If not, we'll come in bright & early Thursday morning.

Hopefully, we'll have a fast, uneventful delivery and have a sweet baby girl to show off early tomorrow afternoon! We are so looking forward to adding a third blessing to the precious two we already have. We hope to post a photo or two once she gets here, so check back with us. Until then, please keep our family in your prayers!

North Pole Breakfast

The Sunday after Thanksgiving means one thing...Telly the Elf arrives! We celebrate with a North Pole breakfast of snow covered doughnuts, along with chocolate ones because we're equal-opportunity like that.  Telly comes every year with a note and little gifts. This year, he brought each boy a story book about the true meaning of Christmas. It's definitely a mixing of traditions, but all this fun extra stuff needs to lead directly to Jesus's birthday.

 

Now, we aren't a fan of trouble-making elves, but it will be fun to see what Telly comes up with and where he lands every night after reporting back to Santa.  We've already had several conversations about elves and how Santa is going to know everything that happens. We hope the good behavior lasts all season...especially with a new baby coming into the mix this week!

 

Turkey Day Recap

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving this year! We woke up and watched the parade, which has been a tradition for Tanner since she was little. It was fun watching Hampton get into it...both boys loved seeing the balloons, the Sesame Street characters, and Chicka from Sprout. Harrison kept saying "Chicka back?" because he wanted to see him again. We also caught part of the dog show, which the boys loved as well. We have some pet-loving children, let us just tell you!

 

We celebrated Thanksgiving lunch at Paul & Jan's house. Bo got up super-early to smoke the turkey, Bob & Randi brought Tanner's favorites (the carbs), and P&J balanced out the meal with yummy veggies and desserts.  After stuffing ourselves, we settled in to check out all the newspaper circulars. Even though we didn't want or need a thing, it's fun to browse through the paper & see what are going to be the big deals of the year.

 

We didn't get to play much outside because it was quite cold, but we did snap some photos. We had taken cute pics of Hampton last year in the tree, so Bo wanted to recreate them and also have an excuse to goof off with the boys. Hampton loved it, Harrison notsomuch. You can kind of tell the look on his face is like "whoa, now!". It was a great day spent with family, and we were definitely thankful for it!