Oh Eight!

What a year.  A year that passed in what seemed like a moment to this busy mother of two.  The days continue to pass by in a pace all too fast for me.  It really is true that time flies by in an instant after you have children.  The months seem like days and before you know it another year is gone.  

This year brought many blessings and happiness to our home.  A second birthday and a first, first steps, new words and discoveries, our year has been full of wonderful days. Our two boys continue to amaze us each day as they grow into beautiful little beings.  Their laughter and smiles sustain us and through all the sticky fingers, spilled milk, ear infections, snotty noses and dirty diapers, we enjoy a life that is full beyond measure and are overwhelmed by the love we feel for these two boys.  And just when we think we can't love them anymore...we do...every day a little more.  

Sam...this year our oldest became a kid in every sense of the word.  He learned to ride a bike, swing high, run faster and manage to get dirtier than ever before.  He continues to love outdoors and all things that relate to farm life.  He is an expert on tractors, hay and animals and is quite meticulous in his daily building of his own "farm" in our den.  This year brought us a boy who talks in complete, intelligent sentences and constantly has us looking at each other asking "How does he know that?"  Talking...all the time...every minute.  Jody's parents sit back and laugh because this is exactly how Jody was as a child...constant talking...just like a radio.  And Sam is the very same.  Jody  and I will surely hear "Why?" and "What's that?" a million more times this year.  He has grown to love Jack and is very protective over him...a proud big brother who makes us proud every day.  Sam has grown tall and strong and is wearing size 4 clothes now.  His feet continue to grow fast and his shoulders seem a little broader today than yesterday and I ache to see him transforming into a boy in front of my very eyes.  He is loving and stubborn, tough but kind, and has a heart that he proudly wears on his sleeve.  He has developed manners and persistence and never fails to let us know just what he wants, when he wants it.  He has become our best little buddy and I don't know that Jody could be any happier than when he climbs in his lap to watch a little TV and just talk.  He shows me love every day and blesses me with many hugs and kisses.  I still find myself staring at him, amazed at how beautiful he is and how lucky I am to be his mom.  His eyelashes are still two inches long, and as dark as his eyes. So handsome...my perfect little boy.  This year will bring preschool and independence and I feel my heart breaking as I think about it.  He is growing up all too fast.

Jack...my snugly, sleepy newborn became a snugly, cuddly one year old.  He left crawling behind and spends most of his days running, chest bowed out, as I chase him through the house.  He grew tired of baby food and insisted on table food and can eat and eat and eat.  He loves milk just like his brother and his Daddy and can eat sausage until he is sick. He is saying a few words and enjoys telling me "No" numerous times through out the day.  He is growing taller and thinner and I see those chubby, adorable little legs slowly disappearing.  He is still my chunky monkey and is as cuddly now as the day he was born.  Jack loves to run to us, arms out, giggling as he gives us the biggest hug he can.  He still loves to be held and still lays his head on my shoulder and plays with my hair.  He is a ball of energy who wakes up ready to destroy the house, room by room.  He plunders and leaves a trail every where he goes...he refuses to let the house stay tidy for more than 30 minutes.  I'm cleaning and he's messing up...all day...every day.  He loves his Daddy and lights up when he gets home from work.  He is beautiful...with eyes as dark as his brothers and eyelashes to match. He is soft and sweet and still smells so yummy. Jack is pure joy, pure happiness and he makes everyone smile.  We laugh at him all day and he loves being our little entertainer.  He dances, struts, makes funny faces and noises...anything for a laugh.  I tell Jody that he is going to be the one that wears us out because he is unpredictable and wild and loves being the center of attention.  He loves freely and lets us know just how he feels about us...no words needed.  He admires Sam and appears to love all the little things his big brother does...tractors, animals and toy guns. He changes every day and is learning so much.  Life seems to pass even faster than before he was here and I want to freeze time and hold on to him just as he is today...innocent and carefree...true happiness...my little baby.

A new year will surely bring lots of excitement to our house.  I smile as I wonder what new and amazing things these boys will learn and discover this year.  I pray that they will know how happy they make us and that to us, every day with them is simply perfect.  They make our lives wonderful and the sounds of their little feet is the sweetest sound we know. May we cherish each and every smile, hug, tear, tantrum and kiss as we secretly wish time would tick a little slower this year...

Look how we've grown...

Meet Wooly

Wooly is Sam's newest and dearest friend.  He is a sweet little lamb that Sam received as a Christmas gift from G-Ma and Poppa.  Wooly cries and whines, moves his head and will stretch his legs out to lay down when he is tired.  He has a bottle and Sam sweetly feeds him all throughout the day.  Sam chose his name after I told him that his Daddy used to have a real sheep when he was little and his name was Wooly.  So Wooly it was.  Sam takes Wooly to bed at night and everywhere he goes during the day.  He even lays him down in Jack's crib for naps and panics when he realizes he isn't with him.  He keeps telling Jody and me that he needs a real lamb to take care of.  He wants one that he can keep in the pasture by our house and talks about feeding him hay and rubbing him.  Today G-Ma and Poppa took both boys to a farm in Benson that raises baby sheep.  Sam loved having all those lambs running around him and even got to feed them hay.  There was one lamb in particular that really loved Sam, according to G-Ma, and she made sure to get his stock number for us...just in case.  He told us tonight that he really needs a baby lamb at his house.  So we'll see.  Jody and I knew the day would come when he would start asking for real animals.  Jody's parents let him have all kinds of animals as a child so it's only fair that he let Sam have his own animals too, right?  I have no doubt that a baby lamb is in Sam's future.  For now, Wooly has stolen Sam's heart. 

My Brother

Sam has been getting in trouble lately for being a little too rough with sweet little Landry.  He treats her just like one of the boys and doesn't hesitate to push her down, grab toys from her or yell at her.  I am constantly threatening his sweet little life and promising him a one of a kind spanking if he can't be nice to her.  I try to explain to him that she is a little girl and that we should always be nice and kind to girls.  I have told him that under no circumstances should he ever hit a girl, cousin or not.  He is a little stubborn (just like his Daddy) and so we have had quite a few discussions about his behavior towards Landry.  

Finally tonight I asked Sam, "Why are you so nice to other girls, but you are mean sometimes to Landry?  She's a little girl, too, you know."

He answered with all seriousness, "Because, Mommy.  Sometimes Cannon is mean to Jack and he is my brother so I be mean to his sister Andry (Sam doesn't pronounce the L in her name)."

So what do you say to that?  I was happy and proud to know that he felt the need to protect his little brother even from someone harmless like Cannon, but I couldn't allow him to mistreat Landry either.  So I gave him a long lecture about how nice he is to look after Jack and that I hope he will always do that.  But, I reminded him, he also has to remember all our long talks about being nice to girls and treating them kindly.  He responded with a quick, "Okay, Mommy" and ran off to play.  I am sure Landry will still receive a few pushes from Sam and that he will probably get his fair share of spankings for mistreating her, but I am so happy that after only a year of being a big brother, Sam truly loves Jack and wants to protect him.  What more could I ask for?

My Brother

Poppa's Tractor

Jody recently had his Dad's 1963 Ford Tractor restored.  This tractor was originally Sam and Jack's great-granddaddy Red's tractor that he passed down to their Poppa Joe.  I was amazed at how great the tractor looked after being repainted and cleaned up a little.  Sam loves Poppa's blue tractor and will be so excited when Poppa tosses the keys to him one day.  Jack has followed right in Sam's footsteps...he loves tractors and would spend all day sitting there spinning the steering wheel.  It is not a pretty sight when we have to pull him away to go inside.  His worst tantrums to date have been over having to get off one of Daddy or Poppa's tractors.  It will be a tough decision to see which one of these little farmers will inherit this special tractor.  I'll leave that decision to their Daddy.

Christmas at Nana and JP's

We celebrated Christmas tonight at Nana and JP's.  We usually have dinner on Christmas Eve, but this year Daddy had to serve communion at church.  We had originally rescheduled for the 23rd but had to cancel because all the kids were sick.  So last but not least in our busy Christmas schedule...Nana and JP's.

Jack was more interested in eating chips than opening gifts...priorities, priorities.

Check out Landry on the drums.  This was Jack's gift from Bec and Chris.  Just what he needs, the ability to make more noise.

Sam opening his gun set from Cade, Cannon and Landry.  He needs "lots of guns so he can shoot snakes with Daddy."

Little Annie Oakley

Name that superhero...Nana and JP gave each of the big boys costumes.  That is Sam as Spiderman, Cade as Wolverine and Cannon as the Hulk.

Sam was a little hesitant to wear his costume, but after seeing Cade and Cannon playing in theirs he gave in and put it on.  He ran through the house falling over the slippery bottom of the costume and unable to see.  He couldn't figure out how to keep the eyes positioned correctly...we'll have to cut the eye holes bigger I think.

Is this not the funniest face you have ever seen?  Perfect for Cannon.  It makes me laugh every time I look it.  Hilarious.

Look at Jack's reaction to walking back into the living room to find Spiderman standing there...a little shocked, huh?

After running circles through the house, destroying the playroom and eating five suckers a piece, the kids were all tired. Cannon couldn't stay awake any longer and Sam insisted that he "needed" to lay down with him.  Don't you love his fake sleeping face?  He definitely needs to work on his acting skills.

So another Christmas has come and gone and our boys gave us so many wonderful memories.  Every year will surely be more exciting and chaotic but we count each and every blessing and are so thankful for days like these.  We are so blessed.

Merry Merry!

Christmas morning was indeed magical...just as I expected it to be.  Jack woke up grinning at 8:30 and we, of course, had to pry Sam off the pillow.  He remembered instantly that Santa should have come and was ready to hop out of bed right then.  We checked from room to room before going to the den to find all the toys. The look on their faces was priceless and perfect.  Pure happiness.  They were both a little overwhelmed but soon made their way to each toy.  Sam kept saying, "Santa brought me all this stuff!"

No surprises...Sam went straight for the tractor.

The big red barn was Sam's absolute favorite toy. He couldn't stop smiling.

Trying out the horse...we're still trying to master this one.

Jack tries to lift a few diapers with his bulldozer.

Loving his Fropper!

An unexpected surprise...Poppa brought Crawford up to the house for a quick ride.  Sam and Madi hopped on and rode down the driveway.  Don't you love the cowboy hat with the pajamas?

Then Sam decided to be the little gentleman and let Madi ride alone while he led the horse.  He's smitten, I think.

Sam took a ride on the new horse swing from G-Ma and Poppa.  Jack has a matching one but he was napping and missed the ride.

Later, we went to lunch at Papa's Place.  I looked over to find Jack flat on his back in Joseph's lap, eating pineapple cake...what a life!

Into the sink he went for a quick bath!

The swimming dog was a hit tonight in the tub.  Jack checked him out thoroughly.

They flipped him over to see him attempt the backstroke.

And soon he was doing belly flops into the tub.  He may not last long around here.

Now for the bad news...

Although the day was wonderful and the boys had a great time, they are both still not feeling 100%.  Sam has not eaten in two days and is exhausted.  He feels sick on his stomach and would stop in the middle of playing to run over and crawl in my lap and lay his head on my shoulder.  Jack threw up this morning after trying to eat and hasn't eaten much all day (except for that pineapple cake).  His balance is off so terribly because of his ear infections that he has fallen down at least fifteen times today.  Hard falls.  The final fall was tonight outside.  He fell face first right into a bench outside and cried himself to sleep.  I checked his mouth to make sure he wasn't cut and discovered two pretty little molars preparing to break through.  This little buddy has had it rough. Molars, terrible cold, double ear infection...but still a happy, sweet boy.  I tried to take pictures of his battered little face, two bumps over his eye, a bruised chin and and red mark on his check, but he wouldn't sit still.  Jody and I chose to keep the boys home tonight and missed Christmas at my grandparents.  I hated this but I knew both boys felt horrible and really just needed to rest and get better.  Jack was asleep before 8:00 and Sam is patiently waiting for me to take him to bed right now...he has been asking to go to bed since 6:00 but I have tried to make him stay up and try to eat and drink a little.  We have Christmas at my parent's tomorrow night (which has already been rescheduled once due to all five kids being sick) and I want them to feel great and have fun.  We are ready to be well around here!  

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Santa has arrived at our house and he left lots of great toys for two special little boys. Sam and Jack will be thrilled when they step into our den tomorrow morning.  Jody will be recording the moment they see everything and I am sure it will be priceless.  We did a few gifts specifically for each child but chose to give them several things to share.  At least that's what we're hoping for.

Here are the toys that are a "joint gift."  A dump truck and big bulldozer to ride...several small tractors...Jody bought the blue pedal tractor for Jack but this will definitely have to be shared (Sam will insist)...and a red trailer to attach to Sam's red pedal tractor. 

Santa brought Jack a Fropper, singing pig, books, Elmo Live and an adorable dog that swims in the tub.  The Giddy Up & Go Pony was intended for Jack, but after reading the directions, he might not be able to ride it yet...oops!

Santa brought Sam cowboy boots, a toy shotgun, books, a singing elephant, a doodle board and a big red barn that he is going to go crazy over.

The boys also got a playhouse for outside that we had painted as a feed store.  I can't wait for them to see it.  It is adorable!  Tomorrow will certainly be magical.  Merry Christmas!

Invention

Looking for the latest, greatest hair product for men?  Look no further.  My youngest son, at a mere 14 months, has made a huge discovery.  He has invented something that will surely revolutionize the hair product industry.  No longer will men have to spend big bucks on the perfect product to straighten, spike or style their hair.  And it is free!

Snot! 

It holds hair in place, adds sheen and is all natural.  This is how Jack walked around (proudly I should add) after dinner tonight.   Isn't it lovely?

By the way, today was much better than yesterday.  The boys are feeling a little better and our day had much less drama.  I am praying they will both wake up tomorrow feeling great and that they will be able to enjoy all the excitement the next few days will bring.

Reserve Me A Room...

at the nearest psych ward, please.  I am headed straight there, I have no doubts.  I am definitely losing my sanity.  My day.  Where do I begin?  I should start by warning you that this post may be long, whiny, rambling, etc.  Forgive me.

It began when we arrived home from my grandparent's house.  Jack felt awful and was so tired he didn't know what to do with himself.  It was 8:30.  At 10:00, he still showed no signs of settling down, had a fever of 102.5 and was the most restless child I have ever seen.  And then it began.  The screaming.  My son screamed for two and a half hours.  Straight.  Nothing worked.  I rocked him, sat still, laid on the couch with him, put him in his bed, bounced him.  And he screamed.  And screamed.  And screamed. At 12:00, I numbed his ears and his gums and gave him another dose of Motrin. Everything was numb and he was still wailing.  Finally at 12:30 I put him in the car. He screamed for the first 15 minutes of the ride.  So I kept driving.  I called my poor Mom and asked her what in the world I should do.  I was about two seconds from going to the emergency room and yelling, "Fix him!"  She offered to come help and I told her I would call if I couldn't get him to sleep soon.  Finally at 1:00, he fell asleep in the car. I brought him inside and was able to put him down at 1:30.  I went to bed, drained and frazzled.

7:00...Jack is already awake.  Five and a half hours sleep...are you kidding me?  He is burning up.  He looks pitiful and is screaming again.  He insists that I hold him every second.  As soon as the clock hits eight, I am scheduling a doctor's appointment.  I go to wake up Sam, who I discover is also running a fever.  I call the doctor back to make a double appointment so Sam can be seen too.  I called my mom to ride with me and find out she is on standby waiting to hear from Allyson.  All three of hers are sick...Cade sobbed all night with an earache, Cannon had a fever of over 104 degrees and Landry was a mess too.  I told her to help Ally and I called Rebecca to help me.

9:30...The doctor says Sam has an awful cold, but it is viral so no meds for him.  Jack has two awful ear infections so he gets an antibiotic.  Off we head to Target for our prescription.  Both boys are doing considerably well and we make it back home by noon.

We get both boys inside, give Jack a dose of medicine and hope they will soon rest. Nope.  Jack will not settle down, cries uncontrollably and is beyond miserable.  My poor Sam feels awful too and begs me to hold him.  So both boys are in my lap, crying and fighting over who gets the most room in my lap.  I talk Sam into resting on the couch and feel so guilty for neglecting him. He feels bad too, but Jack is demanding every piece of me.  In the mean time, Rebecca walks out to the car to get her purse. The doors are locked with both sets of our keys inside.  Did I mention I don't have a spare key?  Great.  I call Jody, who questions how in the world I could have done that ("How hard is it to put your keys in your pocket?" were his exact words.) and tells me he'll have to try to get in the car when he gets home.  

Jack's medicine kicks in and he suddenly has energy.  Too much energy.  He is bouncing up and down in Bec's lap, head banging her and walking around shaking his head for no reason and laughing.  He is so tired he is delirious. Delirious but funny, and by now we need a laugh.  He ventures down the hall and goes to his room to "use the bathroom".  Well, all his bouncing and laughing caused his diaper not to do it's job. So I walk in to find poop all over him and the chair in his room.  Straight to the tub he goes.  Sam walks into the room and over to the chair, sticks his hand in the poop and says, "What's that Mama?"  Into the tub he goes too.

So now they are both clean and exhausted and I am seriously praying for a nap.  Nope. Jack refuses.  He screams and cries and will not let me put him down.  I feel myself melting down and am at the end of my rope.  Jody's parents came by around 4:00 to bring milk and Sam crawled in his Poppa's lap and Jack snuggled up with G-Ma and both went to sleep.  Sigh.  I just sat there on the couch in a daze.  Peace and quiet. Unfortunately, they had to leave so they passed the boys off to us.  I snuggled with Sam for the first time all day.  Just as I closed my eyes to take a nap myself, Jack wakes up (after 30 minutes) and is out of control again.  This is unbelievable.

I was so happy to see Jody arrive home.  I needed a break.  I was done, mentally and physically. Robin and Chad came to help Jody get in my car.  This is the icing on top of the cake folks.  Do you know why my car was locked?  Our wonderful, sweet cat (can you feel my sarcasm) was in my car!  For five hours!  She must have jumped in while we were shuffling out sick children and we closed the doors with her inside. She hit the door locks while walking all over my car (did I mention I just had it cleaned two days ago).  After a lot of tries, the guys were able to get in and free Lucille. Jody's parents came to help with the boys and I ran out for a while.  Can you imagine if we didn't know the cat was in the car and I had driven off with her?  I can picture me trucking along in my own little world and her jumping from the backseat to the front. Yes, you would all be attending my burial if that had happened.

I got home to both boys playing and acting fine.  Jody informs me of how perfect they have been and he just doesn't know what is so hard about it?  I bit my tongue.  Jody took Sam to bed and Jack finally took a bottle and went to sleep. He has only slept 6 hours in the last 31...whew.  He hadn't been asleep two minutes when he had a terrible coughing spell.  He proceeded to throw up all over me, himself, the chair and the floor. I was soaked.  Into the bath he went (screaming) and into the shower I went. We had to give him more medicine and finally after a long crying spell he went to sleep at 11:45.  I was not able to put him in his crib without him screaming until 3:30.  

It is now 4:30 am on Tuesday.  I got a good four hours of sleep and now I am up and overwhelmed by all I have to do to get ready for Christmas.  I told Jody if they aren't better by Christmas Eve, we would postpone Santa.  They don't know what day of the week it is, so we may have Christmas on Friday or Saturday.  We'll see.  I just hope and pray that they (and Cade, Cannon and Landry who are all very, very sick too) get well soon and can enjoy Christmas.  They are what makes Christmas magical and I desperately want it to be perfect for them.  Say a little prayer for them all to feel better soon.

Granny & Papa's Christmas

We had Christmas dinner at my grandparents house tonight.  We struggled all afternoon over whether to go or not because the boys haven't felt good all day and both were running fevers.  I gave them plenty of medicine and as soon as their fevers were gone we hit the road.  We had a delicious dinner and the boys enjoyed playing in Granny's basement.  Papa had a fire going (he would have had a fire if it had been 80 degrees outside) like he does every Christmas and we were all a little toasty to say the least.  Soon after dinner, both boys began to show signs of feeling bad again so I knew we had to go home.  Both boys were beginning to run fevers again and before we could get out the door Jack threw up all over himself and Granny's kitchen floor.  His fever had spiked and he felt awful.  We left in such a rush I can't even remember if I told folks goodbye.  I know everyone understood and we look forward to being well and seeing everyone again soon. 

All the boys enjoyed eating dinner with their cousin Riley.

Sam checks out his first gift.

Jack loved his Santa that lit up and played music.

On Your Mark, Get Set...

GO!  After a rainy, dreary couple of days, we took advantage of the first dry moment to send the kiddos outside to burn off some energy with some good old-fashioned races. The three older boys were all out to win and ran their legs off.  Sweet Landry was the perfect lady, standing and observing all those crazy boys before deciding to run a little herself.  And Jack. Well, he was doing his best George Jefferson impression.  

Waiting...

Waiting patiently for Mama to walk out of the room so they can each steal another ornament off my pitifully decorated Christmas tree.  My tree started out quite decent.  We bought a real tree this year and it was perfect and cute...for about two days.  And then it began.  Jack pulls all the round ornaments off and runs through the house yelling "Ball, Ball".  I chase him (as he laughs hysterically), retrieve the ornament and place it back on the tree.  Sam is a little more advanced.  He doesn't really take the ornaments down that much.  Instead, he turns all the snowflakes and picture ornaments around backwards.  This drives my OCD self nuts.  For days I was constantly chasing one, saying no to the other and rehanging all my ornaments.  Well, after about four days of this, I threw my hands up and said "Forget it."  Now, the ornaments are all stuck wherever, backwards, two on the same branch, identical ornaments side by side...whatever.  I have given up on having a beautiful tree.  And you'll notice there are no presents under the tree...I know better.  I threatened numerous times to break out the gate (a full blown barricade that circles around the tree) but had scary visions of the boys scaling it and them and the tree crashing to the ground.  So I'll wait.  That perfect tree will have to wait for now.  My boys will see to it.

Should Have Known Better

Today I took a chance.  For the first time in 14 months, I snuck away and took a shower while both boys were awake.  I do take showers, folks, it's just I usually have to do this while Jody is home or the boys (or at least Jack) are asleep.  But today I decided to be brave.  I shut all the doors to the bedrooms and bathrooms, made sure they were happily occupied and ran to take the world's fastest shower.  I should have known better.   I came out (literally after 5 minutes) and nearly busted my you know what in a big wet mess.  There was pee from one end of the hall to the other.  I knew it had to be Jack.  His newest trick is to pull his diaper off and run through the house naked.  I was right.  I walked into the den to this sight...

Naked,  on top of the table, looking out the window.  This is why mothers can go all day without a shower.  I never understood this before having babies.  I always thought that was the craziest thing.  How do you not have time to take a shower?  Really, how hard could it be?  This is why.  You are busy beyond belief and when you do sneak away you stumble into a puddle of pee and a naked little boy peaking out the window. This is my life (and I love it).

Cannon Was Here

When all five kids are here, my house ends up destroyed.  Every time.  Every toy bin is dumped out, food and milk cups are thrown about and shoes and clothes are left in a trail from the door.  And I am okay with this.  Me, the girl who thinks it's okay to vaccum everyday and finds joy in spot removal actually doesn't mind. Really.  I love that they have so much fun together and can just be kids while they are here.  Nothing is off limits and they always have such fun together. I welcome these days with open arms even if it means at least an hour of sorting and picking up to get the den/playroom back in order.

I have seen sticky fingerprints in areas I didn't think they could reach, toys hidden in tiny places and found food and cups in strange places.  Yes, I expect all these things.  But today was a first.  I looked up and saw an unexpected sight.  A diaper hanging perfectly on my rabbit on top of the bookshelf.  These are tall bookshelves and the rabbit almost touches the ceiling. I was amazed that someone could manage to toss a diaper with such accuracy and leave it hanging perfectly on the rabbit.  I knew without asking the only little boy that could have done this.

Cannon Lee.  It had his name written all over it.  You see, he loves to remove his own diaper and toss it high in the air.  This time he just had impeccable aim.  Pure Cannon.  I am just glad it was only a wet diaper.

Comfortable

When I walked in to check on Jack while he napped, I found quite a mess.  Apparently, Jack needs more room in his crib and found it necessary to throw EVERYTHING onto the floor.  Blankets, loveys, pillow, bottle...they were all in his way and simply had to go.  

The extra room obviously worked for him.  Check him out... all stretched out, arms behind his head and sleeping like an angel.  I just wish he would sleep like this at night!

A Busy Saturday

Today was a busy, but fun day for us.  We took the boys to the Christmas Parade and later to a family Christmas Party.  The parade was pretty terrible if you ask me, probably the worst parade I have ever seen (long pauses, terrible floats and no candy for the kids), but Sam and Jack thoroughly enjoyed themselves.  The freezing cold weather didn't seem to phase them at all.

Bundle of sweetness

Three disappointed boys...NO CANDY!!!

The beginning of a smile...a huge John Deere tractor was coming!

The babies enjoyed the bands the most.

We finally took the kiddos inside Granddaddy's furniture store to warm up.  Jack made himself at home on a bean bag.

Lu-Lu couldn't resist joining him.

As soon as we got home, we changed clothes and headed out for the Barbour Christmas Party.  This is a party with Marie's brothers and sisters and all their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.  The food is delicious, the company is wonderful and Santa and Mrs. Claus always show up with a gift for each child.  Sam loved taking part in the cake walk this year.  He gladly took money from Daddy, Mema and anyone else who would pay his way in.  Sam and Jack love being around their family and so this was an extra special night for them...many of their favorite people all in one room!  They stuck close to two favorites, Mema and Keen Keen, most of the night.