Pics to follow up from Christmas!

I don't think I could have done a better job describing our Christmas weekend with the boys than Chris did in a previous post. It was just so special to have our little Cole here us this year, and I think Jack "got" Christmas this year. He would walk around the house singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. We had a wonderful time spending time with our family.

Dinner at Famous Dave's after Christmas Eve service with Grandpa Wayne and Grandma Vicki

The tree Christmas morning

Jack tearing into his kitchen from Santa (he likes to cook like daddy)

Our first Christmas as a family of 4

Cole and Tessa with their new drums

All the Great Grandkids for Christmas!

Kyleigh sledding ...... Jack shoveling the yard

Karissa playing in Chris' truck ...... Keaton having fun!

3 Sisters

Grandma making juice in the 'washing machine'

Jack was so tired from playing in the snow he fell asleep at the dinner table

Keaton and Jack worn out from a busy weekend!

4 Months Old

My baby turned 4 months old on Christmas Eve. He has been doing so many new things this month. He truly is our little Christmas miracle. It was last Christmas Eve that we found out we were pregnant with Cole. The day was full of excitement and shock as we tried to figure out how we should tell our families. We took Jack and headed up to Babies r us to see if we could find a Big Brother shirt to wrap up and give grandma and grandpa. That evening as we all got together for Christmas Eve service it was all we could do to keep our little secret until the next morning. So the following day just as we were finishing opening up presents, Jack took his little box over to grandma and everyone was so excited. Chris told his parents Christmas morning by calling them and telling them what I got him for Christmas! And at Grandma Marge and Grandpa Ronnie's Christmas Grandma Vicki had gotten and ornament with all the great-grand children's names on it, and we just added baby Lacy to that to share with everyone. Then at our last Christmas who-ha Jack wore his big brother shirt to tell Grandma Helen and all the family. Soooo.......a year later and her is our little man. I think he really enjoyed the Christmas weekend, with cousins around to watch and new toys to play with.

4 month stats: 15lbs. 9oz. 26 inches long

Things I want to remember at 4 months are:
-how he is full of smiles and laughs now
-how he goes to bed on his own without us bouncing him to sleep
-how he started eating cereal and pears and LOVES it!
-how he really knows his mommy now and sometimes cries when he sees her and she doesn't pick him up
-how he is reaching for toys and trying to hold them
-how he always watching big brother and daddy play
-how he loves to snuggle with his really soft blankies right in his face
-how cute he is when he is jumping in his jumparoo

-how when you get really excited you fake cough!

Battle Scars

As we tucked Jack into bed tonight I stared down at him as I always do. Alissa was getting something on the dresser and Jack looked right into my eyes. What I saw in his face wrapped up the entire weekend.

I got home early on Wednesday and did not return to work until Monday. It snowed the entire weekend launching white frozen flakes down to earth every minute of the day from Wednesday until Sunday morning. Jack's cousins came into town and stayed the whole weekend. We traveled and did Christmas in several spots opening presents, playing with gifts and friends.

Jack has shoveled, sledded, fallen, ran, opened presents (...and not just his), played, ate, played some more, jumped, ran x 4, watched movies, spotted new tractors, thrown snowballs, talked on the phone, wished merry Christmas, ran x 6, rode in the van, NOT napped, up at 5:30 AM every morning, discovered, hurt himself, conversed, negotiated, ran x 8, jumped x 5, still up at 5...this time 5:15, invented, de-clothed, bathed, brushed, braved wind chill and battled until it was all over.

At dinner Sunday night he sat next to me with all the family at the table staring into his own abyss. Until he fell asleep while eating a chicken nugget. He litterally asked for a nap. That is how you live life. As I saw his face tonight, all 5 inches of it's diameter, I noticed the scratches, the wind burn on his cheeks, the exhaustin in his eyes, the messed up hair and the scars from the weekend. It was all I could do not to laugh. So I smiled. He gave me one back. So full his wind burnt cheeks puckered up and his final grin of the weekend was from ear to ear. Did Jack win the day? He won the weekend!

Random things...

Jackson, I love you dearly, but I am thinking a straight jacket might fit you well. It doesn't matter if you wearing pj's or clothes, they all come off...ALL the time. You can run out of the room for 2 minutes and come back in naked. (thanfully you keep your diaper about 75% of the time.) Today after I laid you down for your nap, I heard you shouting for something, so I came back up to check on you, and there you were laying in your bed with no clothes on. :)

Cole you are like a little smile box lately. I love it. Today when I was taking pictures you were hilarious, then I rolled you onto your tummy and "bleh" here comes the spit up, all over your Christmas blankie. But you just kept on smiling.

Starting Food

About a week ago I started Cole on rice cereal. He started waking some in the night and just really seemed hungry at night time. At first he didn't care for it so much. But then I added some pears to it and he really started to enjoy it. Well, I ran out of pears the other day and had to substitute with peaches...I think can you tell how well he liked the peaches from the picture.

Beautiful Boys

No words can describe how much I love these 2 little guys.

Shared photo book from Alissa

This is obviously not done...but here's what I have so far!

Click here to view this photo book larger