Snow Day!

Can you tell how much fun Braden had in the snow this morning?? He's been waiting for a snow like this all winter and it finally came! When he got up this morning and looked outside, he could hardly wait to get out there. SO after putting 14 or so layers of clothes on him (It WAS 25 degrees!), we went out. And after a nice play in the snow, we came in to have a cup of hot chocolate. Ahhh....To be a kid again!

Christmas baking at its best!

I always enjoy our tradition of Braden and I making cookies for Christmas, and this year was more fun than ever. He was so excited and did an awesome job of cutting the shapes and getting them to the pan in one piece. But when it came to decorating, I think he ate more M&Ms than he used! Oh well, it's about the sweets, I guess. And here is my little chef...cheesy smile and all!

Merry Christmas to us!

We got a nice little early Christmas surprise when my ultrasound was scheduled for yesterday. We had to be there at 8AM and that was no problem because I had been up since 4 excited about it all! The photo above is a profile of the baby's face...in case you couldn't tell. Those things are tricky to look at! And my instincts were right. They told me it was definitely a BOY! Of course I really wanted a girl, but I am still happy! Braden, however, is not too thrilled about it. He had his heart set on a sister and has told me he's not happy about this "brother" thing. Oh well, I suppose he'll just have to get used to it, right?

Welcome to the "Good Ship Potty!"

Oh boy.....You know how it is when your kid's been playing quietly a bit too long and you think you ought to go and check on him, but you don't? I had just mentioned to Thomas that he was being awfully quiet and he said " Oh...He's just playing in his ROOM!" No sooner had that been said, Braden comes running into the room whispering something. All I could catch was ..."Come look at what I made and DON'T TELL MOMMY!" They both go in there and Braden exclaims "IT'S MY POTTY SHIP!" Half a roll of toilet paper, I tell ya. And thank goodness it was just carefully balanced across the top and not inside. Oh yes...Quite the builder he is.
If there is ever an award for "toilet art", he's got it in the bag!

-M

The Pirate & the Princess

Well, here are my two favorite kiddos all dressed up for Halloween! We'd asked Marah to come over and trick-or-treat with Braden because we have a great neighborhood for it and they had so much fun together! Their buckets were filled to the TOP by the time they got back home. And I have heard nothing but "I WANT CANDY!" ever since!

-M

A Day at School

What an exciting day the kids had last Monday at school! A policeman AND firetruck showed up as this month's topic was Community Helpers. They really got a kick out of it all and I think they learned a lot too. Afterwards, we all went inside and I hung out there for a few minutes while Ms. Amy started class. I was glad that I did....I got a little sneak peek at what they do in there. Apparently, the "Silly Goose Game" is a favorite of theirs...And you can see why!


Amy is obviously a nut as I will use this picture for blackmail later. :-) But seriously, the kids love her. And they are really lucky to have a teacher so enthusiastic about her job. Not only does she do a great job teaching, but she knows how to get a little crazy with them too!

-M

My Abstract Artist!

Well, if you couldn't already tell, this is me....According to my soon to be 4-year-old! I just really get a kick out of his "artwork" lately. He builds things out of EVERYTHING. I mean, nothing is off limits...Blocks, paper, green peas! No matter what, he is always building. And very meticulous about it, I might add. It almost always has to be symmetrical and is usually complex. I'd like to think of it as his Pre-engineering days. I'm glad he enjoys creating so much. It might be silly, but Mommy and Daddy think it's pretty darn cool!

-M

My NEW baby!

I got a really nice surprise yesterday at the OBGYN when my Dr. said he was going to do an ultrasound! So here is the first picture of baby Laster #2. I know... it doesn't look like much, does it? The baby is between the two + signs. Teeny tiny thing, but it was very encouraging to be able to see the heartbeat! I was joking with Thomas, "Awww, honey. It looks like you!" And he was like, "What? A peanut head?" Oh yes, sweety, please do keep that sense of humor for those nights when the baby wakes us up at 2AM!!

-M

My baby's first day.....

of school!!!

Ok, so it's NOT Kindergarten, but it was definitely a big deal! We have decided to Homeschool and Monday was Braden's very first day of Preschool Co-op. It's just one day a week and lasts from 9 to 12:30. I had a TERRIBLE time leaving him...he had a blast! He cried when we had to leave. At home, he is learning his letters and how to write his name. He's very interested in how to spell things. And I usually spend most of the day answering questions about one thing or another. I'm so proud of my smart little boy!

A close call?

This is the view from our back deck on Tuesday. A freak storm that hit the night before the Hurricane Katrina storm was to get to us caused major flooding. This photo is not the water at it's peak! A couple of hours after that, it covered the road and we were literally trapped in our neighborhood! We were actually afraid that it might get up high enough to get to our house. We were just not sure what to expect at this point...after all, we thought this itself was impossible. After a LOT of praying that night, we woke up the next morning to find the water receded drastically! It's definitely an event I won't soon forget! I'm just glad we aren't dealing with what is going on in New Orleans at the moment. We have a lot of blessings in our lives and this makes me quite mindful of them.

-M