The holiday season was such a gift. We were so blessed to get to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas in Texas this year with our family and friends, and I'm so grateful the boys (and Kipper & I) got to spend that much time with all of the people we spend so much time missing! Owen and Bodhi loved playing with their cousins, not being rushed, and getting to spend real quality time with everyone. There is something about getting to go to bed, and wake up in the same house with your family...hanging out in your PJ's and eating breakfast, drinking coffee, walking to the park or just playing outside. It's so much better than squeezing in lunch or dinner with people.
My BFF
I got to spend a week with the Reid Family upon first arriving in Texas, and it was some much-needed time with my BFF. I cherish my friendship with her so much, and I never take it for granted and never will. Jennie and Chris were so gracious and let myself and the boys stay at their home for about eight days. It was wonderful quality time with them, and since our kids are all boys, and almost exactly the same ages, it was the perfect on-going playdate. Jennie & Chris have such a warm, cozy home, and I never wanted to leave. Luke & Noah are sweet, kind, adorable boys. We loved getting to see them for so long, and miss them again so much already.
Thankful
We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving at the Perry's. There was a very special reason to be even more grateful for our many blessings this year, and we didn't want to be anywhere else. Baby Brielle was born in October, and meeting her for the first time, and getting to give Stephanie, Ryan and Reese a big hug was such a relief and so overdue...it was such a gift to get to be with them on the holiday in which we stop to say "thank you" in life. Since Brielle was born with Down Syndrome, it was unique and divine timing that we got to spend the next holiday saying thank you for all of the amazing joys in our lives. When she was born, we celebrated. When we heard she had DS, we cried - tears of fear for how it was all going to work out, whether she was going to be ok, and our hearts broke for how Stephanie and Ryan must have been feeling. We wanted so desperately to be with them...to hug them, cook for them, and just support them. Now, I can say that I was then, and am now so grateful for the reminders that Brielle has brought to us all. She isn't even six months old yet, but I think I speak for many of us when I say she has already taught us so much about what is really important in life - our family, the love in our lives, and being together.
I've also been reminded that when we create expectations in our lilfe, we often think that something is "wrong" when it doesn't turn out as "planned." But, that isn't the case at all. Life is exactly as it should be, and there is always good, productive or positive to be found in every situation, relationship and experience. Each moment can be a learning experience and a gift...even if it's not how we pictured it. Thanks to Brielle, I consciously try everyday to avoid sweating the small stuff, and stressing over things that don't matter.
Brielle is doing wonderfully, and is such a happy baby. Also, SHE IS ADORABLE! Seriously, cutest little girl with the sweetest smile. When I see pics of her smiling, I instantly smile. She has brought us so much joy, and I am so excited to see what she teaches Reese, Aila, Owen and Bodhi...and to watch them all grow up together.
Also, watching Stephanie & Ryan has been amazing. They have been graceful in receiving their unexpected gift. We've always known they were amazing parents, but watching them in this experience has been such a blessing. They are strong, positive, genuine and so beautifully united. Although I've seen Steph cry - tears of joy and fear for Brielle - I have mostly heard her talk about how lucky she, Ryan and Reese are to have Brielle join their beautiful family. And she's right. They have been handed a gift, and they completely get that. They are not taking it for granted. They embrace the opportunity for exactly what it is, and they will continue to be role models for all of us because they have first hand experience with knowing what really matters in life. It's like they now know the secret to life, and not many people get that backstage pass. I'm so proud to have them in our lives, and I'm so glad Owen & Bodhi have such an inspirational aunt and uncle in their lives.
Reese is such a wonderful big sister, and loves having Baby Brielle around...she gives her kisses all of the time. Their bond is so sweet. We miss them both everyday!
Howdy!
We were also lucky enough to have the Launais' visit us in Texas at the ranch. It was such a great time, and Jaime, Jon, Niko and Mila got the real Texas cowboy experience! I am so grateful to have such a wonderful cousin to be so close to and raise my family with. I have so many funny, wonderful memories with Jaime as a kid, and when I see her, it's like we can pick up where we left off...whether we're talking about the tree house in Western Hills Harbor or being "skater of the month" at the Granbury Skating Rink...it's easy with her, and our relationship is even deeper now that we have kids. Speaking of the skating rink...when she was in town, we stopped in and went roller skating with our kids at the same Granbury Skating Rink we went to together as kids! The same owners, Buddy & Doris Wisdom were there, recognized us, and let us come in and skate for free. They even served us "suicides" (soda mixed with all the types of soda) and candy. It was JUST like old times. (except my roller skating skills were a little rusty!)
Christmas 2011
Christmas was wonderful this year too. We spent Christmas Eve at Mimi Kathy's house, and the kids had a blast shredding through their many gifts. We took some awesome family photos (minus my outfit), ate too much yummy food and the cousins had a blast together.
Christmas morning, we woke up at the ranch with Mimi Darlene and Grandpa Trey, Stephanie, Nico, Ryland, Gigi and Gunnison. It was adorable to watch the kids wake up and run to the tree, amazed (and genuinely shocked!) that Santa came! They yelled, "He came! He really came!" The best part of Christmas morning is absolutely watching your kids faces...that is the gift Santa gives the adults.
Here's a picture of Mimi Darlene with three grand kids. I love this picture of my mom, she looks so genuinely happy with her baby boys. And, she is happy when she's with them. They love her so much, and she really made Christmas special for them and always does.
On Christmas evening, Papa, and MeMa came over, and brought the boys remote control helicopters. It was adorable, and they SO loved getting to have yet another gift opening party! They sure do have a lot of people who love them, and they are very lucky kids to have so many wonderful grandparents.
My sisI am really proud of my sister. I got to spend some much needed, quality time with Stephanie, her boyfriend Nico, and her two boys - Ryland (4) & Gunnison (1). Being only 21 with two kids seems really hard from my perspective. When I think about what I was doing at 21...I am shocked at what my sister seems to endure. Although she is young and has a lot to learn, she stays true to herself and is working really hard to do the things in her life she knows will benefit her kids. She's working, she's in school and she's a mom of two. I can't imagine carrying all of that around with me everyday...but she is making it work. I think I would be too exhausted to be half the mom she is in that situation, so I'm really proud of her. Clearly, having kids this young was a decision she made, but it is a lot, and can be really overwhelming for both she and Nico. Yet, they are making it. They are both great parents, and Ryland and Gunnison are so genuinely loved. Nico is a nice guy with a lot of opportunity in front of him. I'm excited to see where life leads them, and hopeful they can continue to make it work and be happy.
Mr & Mrs Greg Morris!
After Christmas day, we headed to Austin to visit with Grandma the Great, and see as many Reese folks as we could! Luckily, Mimi Kathy and Grandpa Greg tied the knot, so we had a huge reason to get together and celebrate. The Reese family hosted a little party at Scholz Garten. There was dancing, toasts, cake and the kids had a blast singing in the microphone and dancing on stage. We are so happy to have Greg in the family, and he's proved himself to be an amazing Grandpa already. He welcomes time with the kids, loves Kathy so much, and might be the handiest person I know (next to my sweet husband of course). Congratulations Mr & Mrs Morris!
Great Grandma's
We also got to visit Madeline in Stephenville, the same weekend Ryan graduated with his Master's degree. It was so wonderful to see her, and let her meet Brielle and Bodhi and see all of the grandbabies. She looked good, and the pictures of she and the kids were so cute.
In Austin, we stayed with Great Grandma Marcella (Owen is "Owen Jacobi" after his great g'ma!). It was really nice to see her, and get to spend some quality time with her, as well as ALL of the wonderful Reese family members. They are all such a positive light, and come together all of the time. Family really is the most important thing to them, and I'm so grateful to get to be a part of that.
Home
After a 13-hour drive from Texas to Arvada, we arrived at home at 11:30 PM. Kipper said, "I have one more gift for you on the kitchen counter." I assumed he had a little something for me, and he just forgot to bring it to Texas. A new scarf maybe? Perhaps he got me some new socks?! I have never been more wrong in my life. I walked into my kitchen to find...A BRAND NEW KITCHEN. He had spent the last month remodeling it! He sanded, primed and painted the cabinets, and replaced the back splash and glass in the cabinet doors (which he had to special order). He worked so hard, and I was shocked and overwhelmed with gratitude and love for my sweet sweet husband. I love working in my new kitchen everyday, and I am reminded at how much he did to make me happy every time I cook a meal. I am living a dream by cooking in my dream kitchen, and I feel like such a lucky girl. Here it is!
We are missing our family, but the boys are LOVING the snow. Lately, it's been everywhere we look. Piled high in our yard, in the mountains, at the park, everywhere. They've built snowmen, snow forts, and would go skiing everyday if we'd take them. It's been such a fun, memorable experience to watch them learn to ski. Owen can ride the chair lift now, and ski down without a harness. He is still learning to slow down, turn and completely stop, but he is doing great, and seems to be a natural. Bodhi mostly plays on the bunny hill, and loves to go "sast!" (aka fast). They are in heaven in the mountains.
Owen
We just registered Owen for kindergarten for Fall 2012. SERIOUSLY. He will be FIVE in March...and it breaks my heart! I have no idea how he got this big this fast. Intellectually, he's grown up so much and is starting to understand everything. Physically, he's so tall! He loves to measure himself up against us...and it blows me away every time. He is eventually going to be taller than me, and I am going to be looking up when I have to ground him for sneaking out of the house. That day is coming...and it terrifies me!
He's an atheletic kid, and is usually pretty physically capable. Although recently I got a call from his school to pick him up because he had fallen and hit his head on a concrete floor. They wanted me to have him checked out at the doctor. So, I picked him up, took him to the doctor. In the car ride over, I asked him, "what happened?" He said, "I was trying to do a backflip off of the ladder." I said, "why would you do that? It's so dangerous." He said, "I wanted to show my friends this really cool trick, but my feet got caught on the ladder and I fell backwards." Then...in the same breath, he gazed out the window as if he was in deep thought about something and said, "Mom...are ninjas real?" (hmmm...that explains the backflip!) He was fine, and nothing was wrong. Sadly, I wasn't sure if ninjas actually existed. This again was one of those moments I had to google the topic, and ask dad. I am a girl...I've never given a ninja a second thought.
Bodhi
Oh dear, what to say about this little pistol. He is hilarious and feisty and sweet and stubborn...all at the same time! He is dinner and dessert in one bite. He literally yells a command at you one minute, and is snuggling you and saying, "I willy willy missed you today mama," the next. (even though I didn't go anywhere) His hair cracks me up too. It's still this fine, wispy baby hair, and when he wakes up in the morning, it looks like he put his finger in a light socket. And, he usually asks for a cookie before breakfast, which never happens, but he continues to try...every day. He's such a good little brother because he typically goes along with whatever Owen tells him to do (most of the time), and acts out his assigned character flawlessly. His best impressions are pretending to be animals, which he still loves, and sometimes stays in character even at the grocery store. Strangers will say hello to him, and he says, "meoooow" or "hooo hooo, haa haa." I think they assume he just can't talk yet because no matter what I say to him, he won't break face. He would prefer to crawl on the floor at the store, but I usually don't let that last too long. :)
Funny moments over the last few months...
Reese and Owen were playing superhero and princess.
Owen: "I'm batman, and you're sleeping beauty."
Reese: "Help me batman, I need you! Save me!"
Owen: "I'm cooomminnng!" (swinging from the play ground at the park)
Reese: "Be careful Batman, if you fall out of a tree, you might break your arm off, and have to get another arm. Be responsibility!"
***
Bodhi loves to play with babies...and he was playing with Reese's baby.
Bodhi: "Wook at my wittle baby mama."
Me: "Oh, she is so cute, what is her name?"
Bodhi: "Baby Bee-elle" (that is what he calls ALL babies :)
***
Owen was riding on the side of the cart at Target and we bumped into an asile...and he said "shit mom!" I said, "Owen, that is not a nice word, and we do not say that." He said, "But, mom you just said it in the car." (I guess I need to start being more careful!)
***
Bodhi watches Diego, and loves to scream at the tv at home and in the car. Diego asks the viewers to repeat what he says, and Bodhi constantly yells "Actividad!!!!" (and other spanish words) at our screen. It's so cute.
***
Noah Hermsen & Owen were talking at the dinner table...
Noah: "Hey Owen, when we grow up, I am going to drive planes...do you want to drive planes with me?"
Owen: "I can't. (shrugs his shoulders, with a "sorry dude" look on his face) I am going to be a paleontologist.
***
Owen and I were recently building a science lab out of a cardboard box in the living room. I was cutting out windows and building shelves, etc...and Owen patted me on the back and said, "Good job mom, you're acting just like dad!" (geez, really? As a stay-at-home mom of two boys, I so often feel like the nerd in school trying to fit in with the cool kids.)
Owen's language
pistachios - smashios
sandwich - shamich
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