New Year's Eve

The boys spent the night with Grandma and Grandpa Bradley on New Year's Eve. They had a great time. Their crazy parents went out with friends dressed in 70's clothes. We had a wonderful time. We picked the boys up on New Years Day and took them to Bread Co. for lunch. It has been a relaxing day!

Christmas Day at Grandma Bradley's

We made it to Grandma and Grandpa Bradley's house around 2. Uncle Greg, Aunt Jackie, and Logan were already there. We opened presents first. We gave Grandma and Grandpa both a blanket. Of course, Grandma's is to use to keep warm and Grandpa's is more for decoration. It has pictures of Nick and Alex. They gave us Silver Dollar City season passes for all four of us. They also gave Ryan a gift certificate to Panera and a coin sorter. My parents gave me a gift certificate to Kohl's and a jacket that my mom made. I wore the jacket to church last Sunday and should have taken a picture. I think it is beautiful and it fits me perfectly.

All three grandsons loved playing with the plastic food from Grandma and Grandpa. It is to stay at their house so they can use it in the play kitchen. I'm not sure Logan knew it was pretend! Alex was cracking up at Ryan. I'm not even sure what they were doing but Alex kept giving him an icecream cone with different things stuck in the top instead of the icecream.

Grandma made both boys their own special play outfit. Nick got a doctor's coat and a big doctor's kit. I could hear the boys upstairs playing with it for a long time one morning this week. She made Alex an artist's shirt, and they gave him a crayola color and glow thing. It is really cool. Alex has played with that a lot and the puzzles from Grandma and Grandpa.

My mom also made all three boys a busy book. I want to put pictures of that on another blog. They are really neat and took a lot of work!

Uncle Greg and Aunt Jackie gave them remote control cars. They love those!

We ate lunch and then played with all the new toys. Well, mostly, the women visited and the men played. Ryan took the boys downstairs for a while to play nintendo. My dad still has the original Nintendo with the mario game and duckhunt. After a while, Nick and Alex came back upstairs but Ryan must have stayed downstairs playing by himself for a while- remembering the good old days.

And we can't forget...

I guess I have to include a picture of myself on Christmas morning. I had a wonderful Christmas. Ryan gave me a beautiful new watch, beautiful new earrings, beautiful pajamas which are also very soft and comfortable and two books. I read the books the next two days. Both were by Ted Dekker and were great! He also gaev me a beautiful bag that his boss's wife Nancy made. I can carry all my books to the library in it. The boys gave me a Mandessa CD and a movie- One Night with the King. I'm looking forward to watching the movie because I love the story of Esther.
Ryan got his fossil watch, some clothes from Express, and some books. The boys gave him a nice scarf and pajama pants.

Alex's Christmas

Alex celebrated his first Christmas with us! It was wonderful to have him here to hold and kiss- when he lets you. Alex came downstairs and was ready to open everything and play with it. He also got two transformers from Santa and a Little Einstein Rocket that drives and transforms into different vehicles. Once we told him there were more presents, he was ready to move on. Nick gave Alex a police car that includes a policeman and a dog plus all kinds of little accessories. Alex loves all the little guns and things. We gave Alex a camera (he loves to take pictures), a sweater, a Kung Fu Panda book and an ocean book, the same calendar as we gave Nick, stomp rockets, and something else- can't remember right now!

Our greatest gift this year was to bring home another son and I think even Nick would say his greatest gift was getting a brother. I am amazed by the progress they have both made over the past 6 months. Christmas was wonderful but definitly a lot for Alex to take in. He did really great!

Nick's Christmas

Nick was very excited about Christmas this year. For one thing, he got two weeks off school! We prayed Christmas Eve before bed that he would feel better for Christmas, and he did. Santa brought Nick two transformers and a K-Nex/ Lego Dinosaur building kit. Plus, there was a big loader and a Zippity for the boys to share. Alex gave Nick the Land Before Time Movie. And we gave Nick three shirts with pictures on them (he had told me that is what he wants to wear to school), two dinosaurs- an ankylosaurus and a triceratops, calendar, some books- mostly dinosaur books (notice a theme), and a Little Foot (from the Land Before time movies) puzzle. I made the calendar on snapfish and used Nick's sight words from school so he can read the sentence each month. Santa also gave the whole family Mario Cart. We have had a lot of fun playing with that!

Of course, there was candy and hotwheels in the stocking. Nick also got some really neat things from his grandparents and Aunts and Uncles.

Ryan's surprise

Alex went with me one day to buy Ryan a watch from Fossil. Ryan had seen it in the magazine and really liked it, but he had no idea I bought it. I wrapped it up in the middle of a big box full of coffee for his tassimo machine.

Christmas morning

Here is what Nick wanted for Christmas and probably would have been happy if this is all he had gotten. It is another Land Before Time Movie. I think it is number 10. He has watched it that many times!

Here is our tree Christmas morning right before the boys came downstairs. They slept in until 7:50. I didn't think they were ever going to wake up.

Here is what Nick wanted for Christmas and probably would have been happy if this is all he had gotten. It is another Land Before Time Movie. I think it is number 10. He has watched it that many times!

Ryan thought he got a whole box of coffee. He did but there was a suprise inside.