Christmas 2013

Christmas with a toddler is just about the best thing I've ever experienced.  There are so many things to see and do ... and experiencing it through Barrett's eyes brought me back to my own childhood. We spent most of December taking him to different Christmas spots around town, but we saved some for the actual week of Christmas.  

First we his the movie theater in downtown Grapevine to watch Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. This is one of our favorite family traditions.

Daddy and Barrett at the Movies

(little blurry ... but still cute)

The next day we bundled up and drove around looking at Christmas lights.  There was so much to look at we couldn't keep up!  Barrett kept pointing out the windows exclaiming phrases like:

 "Look Mommy, it's a snowman!" 

"It's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer!  Run Run Rudolph!"

"It's Santa Claus Is Coming to Town!" (every time we saw a Santa)

"Baby Jesus!  Look it's Baby Jesus!  Jesus Birthday!"

        

Waiting in Line to Go Down the First Street

Just an Example of Some of the Lights

On Christmas Eve we started the day with our annual Chic-Fil-A breakfast with friends.

 Sweet Friends

 Playing with the Big Kids

Then we headed home and spent the afternoon making cookies for Santa

After Adding Frosting and "Ornaments" to the Tree

(yes ... it's supposed to be a Christmas Tree)

Working Hard for Santa

So Cute!  

He was having so much fun!

After Christmas Eve service, we headed to Nana and Papa's house for dinner and a few early presents.  (We didn't get a cute family picture of us all dressed up for church because Barrett and I overslept during nap time ~ which meant we were basically running out the door!)

Eating Dinner with Cousins

Playtime with Hannah

Opening First Christmas Presents

Is This One Mine Too?

I Get MORE Presents?!?!

Opening Presents with Daddy

At home we changed into new Christmas pajamas and set out our cookies for Santa!

Explaining to Mommy "These are for Santa"

The Tree Waiting for Christmas Morning

We decided to spend Christmas Day at home as a family of 3.  It was nice to spend the whole day with our little munchkin and focus all of our attention on him before his sisters come next month.  I loved having a slow paced, stay in our pajamas, drink hot chocolate, and watch movies kind of day.  It was a nice little break from "real life"

Santa Came ...

And Filled our Stockings...

And Ate the Cookies We Left out for Him!

Barrett had so much fun playing with all his new toys.  I think he was a little overwhelmed because nothing held his attention for very long.

Examining Everything

"I Put a Ball In a Basket!"

Basketball and a Puzzle

And Back to the Basketball Goal

Playing Toys with Mommy

(Yep ... That's Me Back there!)

Presents Waiting to Be Opened

Opening Presents with Mommy

Cute Little Christmas Elf

Getting Excited ... Getting the Hang of This!

Before we headed back to Nana and Papa's house for dinner, I was determined to get a picture with Barrett by the Christmas Tree.  As you can see, it went really well ...

After a quick meal, we had some MORE presents to open from Barrett's aunts and uncles!

"Aunt Rachel Help Barrett"

Smiling with Daddy

(went better than smiling with Mommy by the tree earlier!)

And then on Friday Gamma, Poppy, Aunt Lindsey, Baby Jordan, and Uncle Kyle came for one last Christmas celebration.  We couldn't go to Gamma and Poppy's house this year because I'm not allowed to travel until after the twins are born.  So they came to us!

Watching Jordan Open Presents

Apparently He Decided She Needed Some Help

Lots of Help

The Barrett Side of the Family 

(Gamma must have walked off for a second)

The next morning we played with Baby Jordan and then went to lunch with Gamma's family.

Big Brother In Training ... Teaching Baby Girl How to Crawl

Almost all of the Arnold Grandkids and Great Grandkids

(Four More on the Way!)

As soon as we wrapped up all of our Christmas celebrations, we immediately started taking down the Christmas decorations.  Which is weird for me.  I usually take them down, kicking and screaming, after it's really no longer socially acceptable to have them up.  But this year, I'm anxious to finish getting the house ready (and cleaned!) for Parker and Payton to get here.  We can count down the days until their arrival now! 

"Helping" Mommy and Daddy Put Away Christmas Decorations

We had a great Christmas Week celebrating and hanging out with our little guy.  I can't wait until next year to celebrate with ALL of my babies!  "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year"

Christmas Adventures

Barrett spent the ice storm at Gamma and Poppy's house ... AWAY from all the ice and snow!   He was able to go outside and play instead of being stuck inside all day. He also baked cookies with Gamma ..... And performed post cookie eating, sugar rush Christmas melodies.

Helping Gamma Bake Cookies

Look What I Did!

Best Part of Baking:  Eating It

World's Largest Gingerbread House with Poppy

Sugar-Infused Jingle Bells

After he came home, we had lots of Christmas activities to catch up on! First, we went to visit Santa.  I think he was a bit overwhelmed because he has absolutely NO expression on his face! 

Compared to last year's picture though ... I'd say this is progress! 

Then we had a Pajama Day/Polar Express birthday party for our friend Caroline.  

Making His Very Own Ornament to Hang on the Tree

Buddies Watching Polar Express

Coloring While Mommy Works on Christmas Cards

(He thought Mommy was coloring ... so he wanted to color too!)

In the midst of all these Christmas activities, my most favorite part it all is listening to Barrett sing Christmas songs in the backseat of the car.  The other day Silent Night was on the radio and he was trying to sing along.  He stopped and said "It's a Holy night Mommy!  A HOLY night! A HOLY night!  It's a HOLY night Mommy!"  I realize that he was repeating the lyrics he just heard, but there was something so sweet about hearing those words come out of his mouth.   But the songs he sings repeatedly in the car, or while dancing in front of the Christmas tree, are "Rudolph," "Jingle Bells," and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

 

"Santa Claus is Coming To Town"

This one is my absolute favorite video of Barrett singing a Christmas song.  He had a little bedhead, Santa jam-jams, and gingerbread cookie crumbs on his face.  And he was very proud of himself for singing so well!

And when the weather warmed up just a bit, we went to check out the lights and the light parade in downtown Grapevine. 

Not Really Sure What To Think

Christmas Fun with Mommy

Uncle Kyle Was There Too!

Light Show with Daddy 

Whoa!  Lots of Christmas Lights

Santa!

Playing with Daddy

Big Ornaments!

"Just One Finger ... Riiiight?"

All month long during storytime at the library we have been reading Christmas stories, singing Christmas songs, and making Christmas crafts.  

Listening to "The Night Before Christmas"

Decorating with Ornaments

We are also continuing to read Christmas stories and following the Advent Calendar reading from the Storybook Bible (see previous post) each night at bedtime.  Barrett absolutely loves Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, etc.  But we have also been talking about "the reason for the season" being Jesus' birthday.  The other day I asked him "Hey buddy, Why do we celebrate Christmas?'  He looked up at me with those big eyes, and I saw the wheels turning in his head.  "Jesus' Birthday!  Remember Mommy?" My heard immediately melted.   

It's HERE!!!!

It's December!!!!!  We wait 11 months every year for December to get here.  So expect LOTS of blog posts this month.  

Last year, decorating the house for Christmas was SO much easier because Barrett wasn't walking yet.  Now he can run to all of the boxes, take everything out of them (which means a big mess of glitter and sparkles to clean up), and push over the Christmas tree. So I figured out a way to distract him give him another way to "help."

Very First Hot Chocolate

Barrett and Mommy Starbucks Time

My side of the family LOVES Christmas.  Ok ... it's probably fueled by my sister and me.  So we had a "What does your house look like so far?' FaceTime chat.

Showing His Cousin Our Christmas Tree

After all that hard work, snuggling in your pajamas is a great way to spend the evening

Sporting New Santa Jam-Jams

We are also starting to see signs of Christmas around town.  Frequent phrases I hear from the backseat of the car are "Look Mommy! It's Christmas" and "Listen to Christmas Song!"

 Showing Mommy (and the babies in Mommy's tummy. Wow that's huge!) the Christmas Tree

Another frequent Christmas sight in our house is Barrett wearing a Santa hat and a diaper.  It's his favorite after bathtime/before bedtime outfit.  I love watching him run around the room and clean up all of his toys in this "outfit."

 "There's a Snowman"

Showing Mommy How to Use "Just One Finger" When Touching the Tree

(so far it's working!)

Then comes Christmas Time Bedtime:

Matt and I have loved reading Barrett's Christmas books with him before he goes to bed each night.  Two books are $1 finds at the Target Dollar Spot, and one is a Hallmark book that I recorded myself reading last year.  When we "read" it he hears Mommy's voice reading with Christmas music playing in the background.  We've got Santa and Rudolph down!  Then when December rolled around, we started reading Storybook Bible selections based on an Advent Calendar Reading Plan I came across online.  We decided to read it all together as a family of 3 (instead of just whoever happens to be doing story time before he goes to sleep), and I could tell he thought it was something special because  BOTH Mommy and Daddy were in his room reading with him.  This might possibly be my new favorite Christmas tradition.

First Girly Post!

Today I got to celebrate and focus on Parker and Payton.  Three very sweet ladies: Johnna, Kelli, and Kara, threw the sweetest baby shower to help celebrate the impending arrival of my baby girls.  They decorated Johnna's house in gray and pink ... and I got to take a lot of the decorations home to put in the girls's nursery!  

We received so many sweet gifts to help get us started on our journey as a family of 5!  I can't wait to meet these baby girls and put all this stuff to good use!

Name Banner in Nursery Colors

 Make Your Own Headband Station!

(The one thing I have repeatedly said I am the most excited about with the girls: HEADBANDS!)

More Flowers for the Headbands

 Yummy Food! Perfect After Lunch Snacks

 Delicious Sweetly Chic Cake by Miss Kara

More Decorations

(and a sonogram picture you can't see because of the flash) 

Twins' First Aggie Gear 

Starting the Brainwashing ... Even in the Womb!  

 Jordan Having Fun after a Long Weekend at Aunt Alli's House

Hannah and Her Party Dress!

 All The "Barrett" Girls ... The Two In My Tummy Included 

 Kara, Me, Kelli, Johnna

Sweet Hostesses

Thank you so much for making today so special for me and my growing family!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like ... Fall?

Fall has always meant back to school time for me.  Even though I love a break from he summer heat, I've never really enjoyed fall all that much.  Fall meant early mornings, no more sleeping in, homework, and as an adult, grading papers.  Now that I stay at home with Barrett, fall means better weather to play outside, cozy mornings by the fire, answering questions about why a leaf is red, and cuddle times with blankies.  It ALSO means anticipation of the holiday season!  (Which if you know me, you know I live for the holidays.)

This particular fall means capturing a last few months with my only child before he becomes a big brother.  One particular morning this week we spent some time in the kitchen making Pumpkin French Toast.  (Which, again, if you know me, you know I don't do mornings very well.  I usually throw some Cheerios in a bowl and make sure he's got a cup of milk to buy me some time to wake up completely.)

These pictures remind me of pictures of my mom and I making cinnamon rolls when I was about 2 years old.   I wish I had one of those pictures to post next to these :) His favorite part was probably using the Spiderman spatula I bought for Matt, but I didn't actually get a picture of that part!

Measuring the Pumpkin

He Likes to Stir with a Fork in a Circle

Eating at "Barrett's New Table"

"Big Boh-NAN-ah"

In the past week or so, Barrett has become even more of a chatter box.  We Facetimed with Gamma the other night, and she couldn't believe how much Barrett was trying to tell her.  He was so cute trying his best to tell her about his day and all the toys he was playing with.  Nana and Papa noticed the same thing when they were babysitting him the other night.  It's so fun to listen to him try to put more and more sentences together.  

Things I Typically Hear During the Day:

• "Mommy, What you doing?"
• "How doing Mommy/Daddy?'
• "I play with (insert given toy here)'
• "Mommy, what this?"
• "Mommy, who is?" (Who is this? ~ While pointing at a picture or a book)
• "This-ah Barrett's BIG boy bed!"
• "Daddy go work ... at hockey!" (Matt WISHES!)
• "Oh! Oh! I/Barrett go get it"
• "He wants bilk." (I want milk)
• "He wants a snack" (I want a snack)
• "Here ya go Mommy.  This is for you" (as he's handing me an object he really thinks I need)
• "Barrett put up cups!" (while he's helping me unload the dishwasher)
• "Wear tennis shoes/Toms" (and Lord help me if I make him wear the "wrong" shoes
• "I-ah go shopping at-ah ... Target" 
• "Butter sandwich.  And bilk.  And chicken nuggets!" (His request everyday for lunch. Butter sandwich = PB&J sandwich)
• 
  

And then there's the after nap cuddle time that I can't seem to get enough of.  This is how we spend a good portion of our afternoons before Matt gets home from work.  For some reason, I think it's hysterical when he laughs at a show he is watching.  Maybe because it doesn't happen often.

This particular afternoon is was cold and overcast, so we had the fire going and the house was dark.  It was the perfect setting for a snuggly afternoon, and then he got a case of the giggles!

 Such a Sweet Sound!

Halloween 2013

This Halloween was much different than any other Halloween we've had.  This is the first year Barrett can really eat candy, go Trick-or-Treating, and understand that he he dressing up in a costume. This is how we spent his first Halloween.  He was just DAYS old then!  And last year we got a little more adventurous, but he was still to little to Trick-or-Treat.  I can't believe how BIG my little monkey has gotten in the past year!

This year, we started the day by decorating a Mickey Mouse pumpkin. He loved it much more than I thought he would.  He ran around the house yelling "Mickey Punkin! Mickey Punkin!!!"

Happy Halloween Picture

Then we had some Pre-Trick-or-Treating fun with the Besancons. 

Jake (Neverland Pirate), Sully, and Boo

After a quick dinner, Hannah and Moses came over to Trick-or-Treat with us.  We had SO MUCH fun hitting the street with cousins.  

 My Little Pirate Eating Halloween Dinner

 Wolverine, Jake, and Rapunzel

Wait a Minute ... You Don't Belong In Neverland!

(this one just made me laugh!)

Off to Trick-Or-Treat!

Cousins.  So Cute!