Christmas, Round 2!

I can hardly believe Christmas is over! It is our favorite time of year and it is so disappointing to us when it is over! There is so much planning, organizing, shopping, baking, decorating, wrapping, etc, etc, and it's all over in the blink of an eye!

I had to work Monday-Wednesday. Matt and I both had Wednesday through the end of the week off. We had some last-minute shopping and baking to do, so it was nice to have the extra time off. It started raining Wednesday, then froze overnight. Thursday it was rainy and cold. Matt waited in line for an hour at Honeybaked Ham to get a ham for Christmas dinner. He didn't take a coat...as always...and suffered in the cold. He said a lady offered him her blanket, but he kindly let her keep it! The weather kept getting worse as the day went on, and we weren't sure if we were going to get to go home for Christmas! We went to church at 4:00 and both boys stayed downstairs so we were able to enjoy church without interruptions! During church, we began hearing sleet on the windows...which made us even more nervous about Christmas. Luckily we didn't have to be anywhere until Christmas evening.

Zane went to check on Mason after his nap...this is what we found!

When we got home, we ate supper, got in our jammies, and settled in to watch "A Christmas Story." Zane is getting good at quoting that movie! Before bed, we set out a cookie and milk for Santa, put the reindeer food outside, and told Buzz good-bye. We did not realize how traumatic it would be to tell Buzz good-bye until next year...Zane was sobbing! I think he was overly tired, but it was so sad! At first he did not want Buzz, but he (and the rest of us), got pretty attached to our little friend! We are anxious to see him next year! Friday morning I kept waiting and waiting for Zane to wake up! He finally got up about 8:00 and the first thing he did was look downstairs and tell me, "Mom, Santa came!"

Santa came to our house!

Our yearly photo on the stairs
Zane waiting patiently...
Zane's first gift...he was excited!



Mason's first gift...and he's not as excited!


What great hand/eye coordination!
Zane with his remote controlled Wall-E

Matt thanking Zane for a present

Zane told Buzz that Matt wanted a pink tutu...Buzz told Santa!

The aftermath...

Present-opening only took about an hour...much too quick in our eyes! Matt says we need to have more kids so it will last longer! Or, another option is that we are only allowed to open one gift per hour...and have it last all day! Not sure if either of those are great solutions! After gifts were open, we had cinnamon rolls, then Mason took a nap while Zane played with his new toys. We began packing and getting ready to head to Iowa. After Mason's nap, we had our ham for dinner, then started loading everything in the van. We weren't sure how the ride would be, but we just took our time and drove cautiously. The roads weren't too bad, but it did take us an extra hour to get back. Once in Iowa, we went to my parents' house. Aaron, Michele, and Adam were all there and had been hanging out all day. As soon as we got there, Zane wanted to go play in the snow! There was lots of it for him to enjoy! Dad took him sledding, then he ran around and climbed up some of the piles of snow. This one is on their back porch. He used it as a slide!

Zane on the "mountain" of snow

Mason loves to play the piano...LOUD!

Once everyone was inside and warmed up, we opened gifts. We were spoiled, as always, and are very thankful that everyone was so kind to us!

We always have to take a bow-headed picture!

Zane put a bow on himself and told me he was my present!

Zane got this wiggle car and Mason was pushing it all over the house!

Mason's "do" after his bath

Papa with his 2 boys...

Saturday we got up and headed out to Matt's parents' for Christmas with them. We ate dinner, Mason took a nap while Zane went out and played in the snow, and then it was time to open more presents. We were again spoiled and got many many nice things. This year we got a family gift...a wii! Marcy has had one for awhile and has always brought it with her when she comes home, so Zane is very familiar (and good) with it! We were excited to get to play games at home! Our new favorite game is wii Sports Resort!

"Open this for me, please mom!"

Both boys playing with Mason's new toy

All these new things...and still the box is the favorite!

Zane & Marcy having a tea partyMatt & Zane sword fighting...a new favorite game!

We had a fabulous Christmas! We enjoyed time with our boys, parents, and siblings. Those times are cherished by us and we wouldn't trade them for anything! Can't believe it's over...and time to take all of the decorations down. Seems like I just got them up!

Updates on grandparents...My grandma and grandpa are doing well. They both were in the hospital/rehab over Christmas, but are soon going to be moved to their new apartment. Matt's grandpa Beggs went to the hospital Tuesday with pneumonia. He stayed through Christmas and came home the day after. All are doing well now, but we did have 3 grandparents in the hospital for Christmas! Thanks for all your prayers directed at them!

Christmas, Round 1!

What a busy week! It's hard to believe Christmas is this week and all of the magic of the season will be gone again until next year. We're trying to soak it all in here...it's our favorite time of year and we hate for it to be over!

Tuesday Jo had Santa at her house! She knows Santa well, so it was very interesting to hear him talking to the kids...he knew the ins and outs of what had been going on with them lately! Santa asked Zane about Buzz, our elf, and about the day Buzz was hiding in the house because he and Matt were in their underwear! Santa reminded Zane to be good for Mom, Dad, Jo, and school, and reminded him that if he was naughty he may get socks or potatoes! Zane did a great job talking to Santa and asked him for a "blue Lightning." Mason sat long enough for a couple of photos, then wanted nothing to do with him!

Jo had tons of food and drinks prepared for us! Santa brought gifts for all of the kids and the kids exchanged names and got gifts for one another. It was a lot of fun! Afterwards, we went out to eat with the Ottis family. We got quite a few stares as our kids were LOUD...they were tired and hungry...not a good combination!

The boys with Santa

Santa talking to Zane
Jo's kids with Santa

This weekend was Round One of three rounds for Christmas gatherings. Friday evening we headed to Matt's parents' house. We have no snow here in KC...and it was reported to us that there were "mountains of snow" in Iowa...so Zane was very excited to head that way. We had to go to Target to get snow pants and heavy coats so the boys could play in the snow! Saturday morning we went out for just a short time so they could get a snow fix! Zane loved it...Mason not so much! He hated being bundled up so much!

Big and Zane in the snow

King of the mountain!

The boys on a big snow pile!

Mason's first time playing in the snow

After playing in the snow, we headed to Grandma Baker's house. We ate snacks most of the afternoon while we waited for everyone to arrive. Then we opened gifts, ate, and played games. It was so fun watching Zane open all of his gifts. For every single gift, he said "Oh, I've been wanting this!" or "I've been asking for this!" One time he came over to me and said, "Oh boy!" It just warms your heart! Mason was more into walking around and trying to make everyone laugh...he's the life of the party! He was also on full-graze mode, as he always had someone giving him something to eat...the poor boy's stomach was huge by the end of the night!

Ready for presents!

Posing with one of many great gifts!

Licking his lollipop and singing his Jolly Phonics song for "l" from school!

Mason swinging on Grandma's new swing

Porter, Zane, Mason, Tate...they had such a good time together!

All the grandkids with Grandma and Pa!

Sunday we headed to Grandma/pa Beggs' house for more food, presents, games, and fun! Again, Zane was truly excited for every present he opened and I just enjoyed listening to the joy coming from him! He and Keaton played really well together! Baby Kenna, who is now 6 weeks old, was there, and Zane was all over her! He kept hugging and kissing her, asking where she was, and when I asked him if we needed another baby, he said, "we need this kind (a girl)." Oh boy!

Mason & Keaton

Zane & Keaton playing their new Spongebob games

The bathroom was full...so off to the great outdoors!

Look at the concentration...trying to put the straw in the bottle

Matt being creative...

Mason "exercising" at the end of the day...

Buzz decided he wanted to go to Iowa with us...he somehow made it into our van! He was at Grandma Farmer's, Grandma Baker's, and Grandma Beggs'! Zane was so excited to see him wherever we went!

My grandma and grandpa are doing really well right now! They are both going to be released soon. Grandpa has worked very hard and is ready to be moved out of rehab. Grandma still has to be in rehab, but is being moved out of the hospital. After they are both released from rehab, they will be going to an assisted living facility. I am very glad for this as it will be a lot less worry and stress on Mom and Grandma/pa. Thank you for aking about them and keeping them in your prayers!

Our next post will be after Christmas, so we hope that you are able to enjoy the magic of the season as we are! Happy holidays to all of you...spend it with those you love!

A snow day, Santa, a surgery, and a BEARCAT CHAMPIONSHIP!

Winter decided to show it's not-so-pretty face this week! To all of our Iowa friends and family...you got it bad! We only had a little snow and ice and got one snow day out of it (Wednesday). I had mixed emotions about having a snow day...it's nice to get that call in the morning that says "stay in your jammies...no school today) but then in May when I'm ready for summer break I'll be wishing we would have had school! I got a lot done that day. Zane still had preschool, so Matt took him. Mason and I met Matt for lunch (I'm not afraid of a little snow!) and I got my Christmas presents wrapped, so I felt good about that!

Santa's newest (and cutest) reindeer

Jo had a pajama day this week due to the cold weather. Zane was SO excited to wear his SpongeBob jammies! I love pajama days because it's super quick and easy to get the boys ready to go in the morning!

Mason in his monkey jammies

Look at those muscles!

Friday Adam stopped by our house for supper. He was on his way to head to Florence, Alabama for the D2 Championship game. We ate supper with him. Then a teacher friend of mine came over to watch the boys for us. Matt and I had a date! We went to "A Christmas Story" the musical. This is my favorite movie and the musical did NOT disappoint! The entryway was full of cut-outs that you could take your picture with...like in the pink bunny pajamas, sticking your tongue to the pole, and the "I can't put my arms down" scene! They had a Santa there and the kids could talk to Santa before sliding down a slide! I couldn't resist purchasing a leg night light!

Mason's "man purse"

Mason is such an inquisitive little one...and into EVERYTHING! He seems to think it's fun to take as many wipes out of the continer as possible...and sometimes even tries to eat them! I swear this kid will eat anything! We have the ends of the spectrum with our two boys on eating!

Look what I did Mom!

Saturday morning we woke up and got ready to go visit Santa! The whole family goes to the same dentist, and her office has a Santa every year. This is the first year we have gone to see Santa at her office. We were the very first ones there (and even got there early enough to see Santa walk across the parking lot and into the office...) so we got to see him first and didn't have to stand in line or hurry for the next people! Zane was leary at first, but warmed up to him quickly. Mason sat long enough for a picture but wanted to get away from that guy as quick as he could! Santa did a great job talking to Zane and even knew how old he was! Zane told him he wanted a Blue Lightning, which is what he's been saying all along!

Meeting Santa

The boys with Santa
Don't they look like pals?

Santa and Zane talking

This didn't last long before he was trying to get away!

Saturday I was excited to watch the D2 National Championship game...Northwest's fifth Championship game in a row! They lost the last 4 games...but this year they WON! It was such an exciting game...but a heart-stopper for sure! They were up 21-0 for the first half, and the score ended up being 30-23, so they came close to losing again! Dad, Adam, Aaron, and Michele were all at the game. Mom and I were cheering from afar!


Friday when my Grandma was getting her infusion at the hospital (she gets this weekly), she fell down. She ended up breaking her femur. She was scheduled to have surgery Saturday morning, but the doctor was too tired. We are very thankful that he knew his limitations and did not operate when too tired. She ended up having the surgery this morning. The report from Mom was that she came out of surgery telling jokes, so all is well with her. Grandpa is still in the rehab center and doing well. He should come home soon. Thanks for all the prayers directed their way, they need them!

Zane-isms

• This morning Zane came downstairs with a cup of Dr. Pepper. I told him he didn't need pop in the morning and he said, "But Mom, my belly was crying for Dr. Pepper!"
• Buzz (the elf) has been a great addition to our family! Zane was playing really nice with Mason. He said, "Mom, look, I'm being good now!" I told him that Buzz would report that to Santa and Santa would be proud. He went over to Buzz, and in a loud, slow voice (like you're talking to someone who can't hear or doesn't speak English well), he said, "Zane Baker wants a blue Lightning."

Matt's New (Third) Job

So we have been without a computer for over a month and it seriously felt like we were missing part of us. You don't realize how much you rely on technology until it's taken away from you! Matt has been tirelessly working on trying to figure out how to get the computer working again and every time we thought he had it all figured out, it'd crash again! It has been quite the challenge! Today we bought a new laptop and are loving it! Today Matt also figured out the one last thing that he had to do to get our desktop working...so we are now back to full working order! YIPPEE! If you wondered what Matt's new job was...I'm calling him my IT man! I would have thrown the thing away and just bought a new one a long time ago!!!

After returning home from the long Thanksgiving weekend, we put up our outside Christmas lights and decorations. Zane is SO ready for it to snow, and especially for it to be Christmas! Santa delivered a special present to us this week. Sunday evening we received The Elf on the Shelf. It is a little elf that comes with a book telling all about him. He is an elf sent by Santa. His job is to be sure everyone is being good and stays off the "naughty list." The book says that you should name him (we named him Buzz) and that every night he goes to Santa to report on what happened that day. Each morning, Buzz is in a new place in the house.

When Zane realized that Buzz was going to report the good AND the bad to Santa, he wanted to put him back in the box and didn't want to keep him! But, alas, we still have Buzz and he has found some interesting places to hang out! It is so cute to see Zane every morning...the first thing he does is get up and search for Buzz! One morning he didn't see Buzz right away, so he told Jo that "Buzz disappeared!"

Zane preparing to "fight" with Matt

This was a pretty uneventful week for us, so I do not have pictures to share. I'll try to do better this week! This weekend we were home and it was nice to have some time to get things done around the house. Friday night we went to the Ottis house, had pizza, and played cards. Can I just say...the girls won! Saturday we did some shopping, house things, and it was the semi-finals for my dear Bearcats. I got ALL 3 of my boys decked out in Bearcat shirts for the day, so I was happy! Saturday night I did quite a bit of my holiday baking while watching the game on TV. It was an awesome game and a well-deserved win! My family, minus me, is all going to the championship game. If they play like they did Saturday, they'll be bringing home a win! If you are a true Bearcat, you will say this along with me: B -E-A-R-C-A-T-S! I'll be watching/cheering/screaming from home!

Have a great week!

Zane-isms

• When doing laundry lately, I've been noticing some "stuffing," like from a pillow, in Zane's pockets. I asked him what it was and he said, "It's decorations from my pillow at school!" You should see his pillow...he pulls the stuffing out of it during rest time and it's almost flat! But I have learned, you don't mess with his decorations!