THANKFUL...

Thanksgiving.  What a wonderful day!  A day set aside to specifically say what you are thankful for. Bailey did this beautifully, as she made her "Thankful Tree" yesterday.  She came up with the following to be thankful for (she also told me, that if we had more leaves...she could say more that she was thankful for.  Melt!):

God
Jesus
Family
Home
Food
Friends
School
Books
Bed

Love it!  I agree baby girl!  So thankful for God, the salvation he provides and the many, many blessing he's given our family.  We are truly blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

PRESENTS FOR THE BIRTHDAY BOY...

Brandon still doesn't connect birthdays with gifts.  To him, it's a birthday if there is cake and a candle (which is why I had to put another candle on his piece of cake, the day after his birthday :0). 

Even so..once he realized that the new toys were for him, he caught on quickly to the Happy Birthday theme...or "Happy Birthday to Brandon" toggled with "Happy Birthday to Me" as he sang :0)

Sissy gave him one of her books... which he immediately
sat down to take a look at.  Sooo sweet.

Love how he lays down to play cars... he's in full imagination mode here :0)

This toy was a big hit...with both kiddos, haha :0)

LOOK AT ME... I AM THREE!

How did this happen so fast?  Our little man turns three today.  Three already!  As I'm sure all mamas do, I've been thinking back on the day of his birth; as I type, three years ago today, my contractions were really starting to pick-up.  I hadn't slept much the night before and I was ready to get him out and see his sweet face.  How. Sweet. That. Face. Was.   How sweet that face still is!  And the little man behind the face?  We simply could not love him more.

Our little man entered the world at 7 lbs 8 ounces, measuring in at 20.5 inches long. Today he weights in at 31 lbs and measures 37.75 inches.  He's done awesome with potty training and the next step is a big boy bed here in a few months (gasp!).

Brandon Elijah is funny, sweet, smart, adventurous; he's all boy and he loves people. He loves firetrucks, ambulances, all types of trucks and everything Disney.  He's rough and loud and he gives the best loves.  He's emotional and dramatic but also very focused and determined.  Our little man can be strong-willed; he can also be very kind. Most of all...he brings an unbelievable amount of joy to our family.  

Happy Birthday little man!!

Our beautiful little man...

It took a few breaths... but he finally got it :)

This picture cracks me up, because it looks like sissy is praying and
thanking God that the candle is out.  Finally... cake!

When I asked him if he liked his cake, he said a (very) quick "yep",
before eating another bite....haha :0)

Thank you Jesus...for the miracle of our family.

FALL AND FABULOUS...

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a shorts and flip flops kind-of gal.  I LOVE warm weather however... I have to admit, the colors of Fall are pretty darn amazing! God is one amazing artist!

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO...

when you're two and you're trying to "hide" from bedtime :0)

FIRE FIELD TRIP...

Earlier this week we participated in a field trip with our homeschool group.  We went to a local fire station that did a GREAT job with all of our kiddos (we had about 50) of various ages.  It was very informative for the adults as well as we got to see the "private" areas of the station (their "day room" which consisted of a large kitchen and living room area, plus their bunk/bedrooms).... we also got to learn why the Dalmatian is known as the fire dog (do you know why?).  Both of my kiddos had A LOT of fun and Boo took back a lot of really good information (Brandon on the other hand just kept making firetruck sounds... haha).  Learning while having fun... SCORE! :0)

FAMILY, DISNEY AND PURE MAGIC...

Last month, we took an amazing trip to Walt Disney World.  While we are blessed with many trips to WDW, this one was our favorite yet.  The only thing that "went wrong" is my baby brother, Joshua, was unable to join us; he was missed terribly.  Outside of that, the weather was amazing and the time together as a family was a huge blessing.  Attached are some pictures/a video.  Don't forget to maximize to full screen and turn on your speakers.  Enjoy! :0)

HALLOWEEN 2014...

Another fun year of trick-or-treating with some friends in their "Norman Rockwell" of neighborhoods.  We always have a great time.  Even though it was chilly this year (the kids were layered up!) it only offered the opportunity for homeowners to pile on the candy.  Our kiddos collected two HUGE (imagine gallon sized zip lock bags STUFFED FULL) of candy after only about 20 houses.  And we're not talking just any candy...this is premium stuff!  Tom's coworkers are going to be very happy as this mama is sending most of it to work with daddy... haha :0)  Don't worry though, I am keeping a small bag for the two miracles in our home.