Littlest Angel

On Christmas day at Mim and Poppa's house, Jacob participated in the retelling of the nativity story. Jacob played the angel which cousin Drew played a shepherd and Momma played Mary! We weren't really sure if he would actually allow us to dress him up as an angel, but ended up really enjoying the costume and probably could have stayed in if far longer than the play required.
We are so excited to have this new tradition in our family and that Jacob and our future children get to act out the most important part about Christmas!

Our sweet angel, right after receiving his halo

A tired angel takes a rest in baby Jesus' manger

Free Labor

After putting the Christmas decorations away, the house needed a good cleaning and Jacob decided to pitch in and help! What a sweet boy!

Dreaming of a White Christmas

Our dreams of having snow on the ground for Christmas day came true this year! The weather took a dramatic turn on Christmas Eve (the temperature was nearly 70 on the 23rd) and we got pretty bad weather in the evening. So bad, in fact, that we were afraid Christmas Eve Service would be cancelled at church!
We woke up Christmas morning to a fresh blanket of white. After breakfast and gifts, Jacob got to play for a bit in the snow and had so much fun! He wasn't quite sure about it at first, but ended up having a ball!!!

Snowy lawn and icy street on Christmas morning


Bundled up and ready to play!

Are you following me?

Near the fence, where the snow was deeper.

Merry Christmas!!

Wishing you a healthy and happy Christmas!

Wordless Wednesday- Piano Man!

Happy Birthday, Jacob!!

Our sweet little boy turned two today! The past two years have been such a blessing and we feel so fortunate to share life with this wonderful little guy. Jacob is sweet tempered, kind, funny, and silly. Each day is an adventure and we're just glad we get to tag along!

The morning started off quietly at home. Jacob got a new train set for his birthday and was soooo excited to see it set up in his playroom. He was having so much fun in fact, that it was difficult to pry him away for breakfast!

After breakfast, we met up with Auntie Catherine and Jacob's cousins to see the trains at North Park. Each year, we do something fun on Jacob's actual birthday (something just for him and non-Christmas) and thought it was fitting given the gift he received. He and his cousins had such a fun time watching all the trains and were absolutely mesmerized. When we first arrived, Jacob was definitely on sensory overload, but just loved looking at all the displays!

We had lunch at the mall and then headed home, just in time for nap. As Jacob was waking, I heard him quietly say "choo choo"! He was so excited to get out of bed and play with his new train set!

This time of year can be manic and crazy, but having our sweet boy's birthday allows us some quiet in the all the chaos. It's a time to reflect on the day he came into our lives, how he's changed, and all the wonderful things to come!

We love you, Jake!!

Our two year old!

The train, all set up and ready to play!

Pure joy!

Playing with his "choo choo"

The Trains at North Park

Conductor Jacob and Daddy

Jacob doesn't know where to look or what to think!

Trains right on his level

The gang, hungry and ready for lunch!

Christmas in Kansas City

We just returned yesterday evening from our annual Christmas trip to Kansas City, Missouri. It was a whirlwind weekend, but one filled with family, fun, and food!

After an eight hour trip, we arrived in KC on Friday afternoon around 4:30 and checked into our hotel on The Plaza. We spent the evening with Courtney's uncle, Mark, and enjoyed walking around The Plaza and having a yummy dinner! Each year for Christmas, The Plaza is lit with thousands of Christmas lights and is such a festive place to be and enjoy! On many occasions, we take carriage rides around, but it was late and cold for our little one. After opening gifts, it was time for bed!

On Saturday morning, we met up with Courtney's great-aunt for breakfast. While we were eating, it even snowed a bit! Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to really stick much, but it was still beautiful! We picked up Nana (Courtney's grandma) and headed about an hour away to spend the day with Courtney's aunt, uncle, and cousins. We spent the day catching up, playing, and of course doing our typical Christmas events like reading the story of Jesus' birth, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and blowing out the birthday candles, and opening gifts! It was such a great day!

We headed back home on Sunday morning and walked in the door to our house a little after four o'clock. Jacob did an amazing job in the car, he's such a trooper!

Enjoying the chilly weather after dinner with Uncle Mark

Our happy (albeit tired) family!


With Nana

We can just tell that these two are going to be trouble when they get older!

A quiet moment to himself

Too distracted to take a picture with Mim!

Jacob's new trick, fake crying!

Two seconds later, happy as can be!!

Singing Happy Birthday to Jesus

Complete joy!

Party Time!!

We celebrated Jacob's second birthday over the weekend since we'll be out of town the weekend before his actual birthday. This year, we decided to tone it down a little and just have family over. Of course, there was still a theme of blue, turquoise and lime green polkadots and plenty of fun decorations to make our Christmas-decorated house more birthday ready!

Dinner was our favorite-Mexican food! We served homemade white chicken enchiladas, two-cheese enchiladas and a taco bar. Everyone seemed to really enjoy the menu!!

The adorable invitations that were created by Jess from Polkadots and Pirates

Our door sign told guests it was time to PARTY!!!

The favors, framed invitation, and lantern I made to hang on the light fixtures

The delicious party favor cookies from Whimsy Cookie Co.

The party crown and hats from Polkadots and Pirates

Lighting the Menorah on the second day of Hanukkah

Drew and Ben painting ornaments


Jacob and Ben coloring in the playroom


The presents!


Yummy cupcakes from Elizabeth's Cakes in Plano



Blowing out the candle


Of course, our picky eater wouldn't even eat his birthday cupcake!

After the party, Jacob decided he needed a little alone time and went to his special play corner in the study with one of his new toys!

A Visit to Santa Claus

Last Friday, Daddy had the day off from work so we met up with Jacob's friend Anna (he says it more like Nanny) at Willow Bend to meet Santa. This is the same place we visited Santa last year, but Jacob was more able to enjoy the Polar Express theme this year! Unfortunately, our scanner doesn't work with our new computer yet (or should I say, just isn't hooked up correctly yet) so I'll try to scan in the official Santa picture later. It was amazing to see how much Jacob has grown!

Jacob and Anna posing before the real posing began!

This year, Jacob actually played with all of the train gear. Last year, he was sequestered to his stroller!

After visiting Santa, we took a detour to the play area. It was pretty crowded, but Jacob and Anna did a good job of continually finding each other in the sea of kids!

Before we left the mall to have lunch at Tin Star (no worries, our picky eater didn't starve, Momma packed him a lunch!) the kiddos took a little ride in one of the cars outside the play area. They had a blast!

Snowy Morning Playdate

We woke up this morning to a blanket of white, a rarity this time of year in Texas! Lucky for us, we had nowhere to go and were able to stay inside, cozy and warm.
Jacob's friend Anna came over to play and those two are absolutely hilarious together! We had a fun morning "watching" Home Alone and being silly.

Posing with their puppies

Hugs!

In Jacob's tent

Cooking in the kitchen

Teamwork!

Taking turns

Jacob and I were so happy Anna got to come play! It was a wonderful way to spend a chilly day!