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Gingerbread Town

We usually just do one gingerbread house, but this year Brynn picked out the "Santa's Flight School" set. It worked out well because they didn't have to try and push eachother out of the way! I'm pretty sure that they ate most of the candy. I had to dig through our pantry to find extra candy since we had run out about half way through.

Twinkle Twinkle

Do your best to tune out the big girls fighting in the background!

Leaves are Falling Everywhere...

We have no leaves... well, maybe like 10. We live in a new development with small new trees. The ones that do fall off of the trees just blow away. So, we went to play in Uncle Ky and Aunt Ya-ya's leaves. They live in a super cute house in super cute Westwood. They have an older house with lots of HUGE trees. Raking leaves is a part time job for Uncle Ky, but the girls love to play in them once he has them all in a pile. Here are some pictures of them enjoying Ky's hard work!

Some Random Pictures from The Program Day...

Brynn's Christmas Program

Here are a few pictures from Brynn's program.
Brooke wants to know when it will be her turn to sing!

She really just did it for the treats!




Check out this video of her singing:

Ainsley's Christmas Program

Here are a few pictures from Ainsley's program at school.

Parenting Is Scary...

Two weeks ago Brooke was very sick. Very, very sick. She was running a super high fever and nothing was helping. After a visit to Urgent Care, they decided she needed further testing and sent us on to Children's Mercy Hospital. We spent the day there having many tests done. She continued to be very listless and unresponsive. Her and I sat in the small room of the hospital in the dark. I quietly sang the same one line song I have whispered to all of my babies. I prayed. I prayed a lot. I prayed for her healing and for the doctors to figure out what was wrong with her. I also thanked God for her. It had been exactly two years since I was in the Emergency Room while pregnant with her and the doctor told us that we were losing the baby. They admitted me to the hospital and we waited...
And two years later, I was snuggling my miracle. The doctors decided her body was acting as though it was septic. They gave her a very strong IV antibiotic. It took about a week for her to be back to herself, but she seems to be doing better.
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On our way home from school yesterday, the big girls wanted "cheese sticks" as a snack so I stopped and grabbed them some. Brynn was sitting in the car eating her snack while I carried bags into the house. I came back out to grab another arm load of stuff and saw her struggling. She was not breathing... She couldn't tell me what had happened so I grabbed her out of the car. I squatted down in the front yard and put her over my leg and tried to get the food out of her throat. I didn't see a neighbor outside to help, so I did my best remembering what I had been taught about choking. Finally she coughed up a big piece of cheese and took a breath. She started crying from fear and then I started crying. We just sat in the front yard and hugged and cried. I asked her if she was ready to go inside yet and she said, "No. Just keep snuggling." It was freezing outside but we didn't seem to notice. We just kept sitting there snuggling.
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This parenting stuff is sure scary...

An Email Forward Worth Reading...

To My Child

Just for this morning, I am going to smile when I see your face and laugh when I feel like crying.

Just for this morning, I will let you choose what you want to wear, and smile and say how perfect it is.

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.

Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.

Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles..

Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck, and I will buy you one if he comes by.

Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.


Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.


Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys..

Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.

Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.

Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.

Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.

Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.

I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.

And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask him for nothing, except one more day..............

Ainsley learned Psalms 23 for school!

And They Wonder Why I Have Headaches...

These were taken within 10 minutes of eachother.
The little girls were playing school with all of my snowmen... while wearing rain gear... on top of my rolled out wrapping paper. Obviously.

Apparently "Brooke did it all by herself"! Whatever.

Decorating...

Brynn made the final decision on the tree. It was huge. Luckily we have tall ceilings, but it is still a large tree! It has already fallen over once (only a few ornaments were broken...) We now have it tied to the chair rail! Jesse has taught the girls to say we are having a "hillbilly Christmas". Lovely.
The girls each got a turn to put the star on top which gave daddy a good arm workout. My only Black Friday purchase was a train for the bottom of the tree... and I did it online. It is much bigger than we expected it to be, but the girls love it and it looks really cute.
Oh, and check out Brynn's new use of tree "skirts"!

Over the highways and into the woods....

Every year we meet up with Jesse's family on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and go cut down Christmas trees. The last few years we have been driving to Holt, Mo which is close to where Jesse's sister lives. It takes an hour to drive up there, so we always stop for breakfast on the way!
The girls make their Christmas lists before we go. They cut out pictures from magazines and mailers and glue them onto construction paper. Ainsley is pretty sure that Santa can't read, so this makes it easier for him. Brooke was not a fan of Santa this year. Ainsley gave Santa her list and then proceeded to tell him how much she dislikes "Elf on a Shelf" (which is a book that comes with a little elf that you are supposed to sit on your shelf. He watches the childrens' behaviors and reports back to Santa. She was terrified of it so we sent it back to Santa).
Be sure to click on the pictures so you can see them bigger... Brooke's face is great!