T'was the Days Before Christmas

We packed a whole lot of fun into the weeks before Christmas! Brennan and Rowe were both sick for parts of every week since Thanksgiving, so a lot of the fun happened just days before Christmas. Brennan wanted everything to be just like the first Christmas. That would be Christmas 2012, apparently the first Christmas he remembers!

This is what a lot of our days looked like. Well, except I probably wasn't smiling that much.

Brennan had his own tree in his room this year, which he thoroughly enjoyed!

Getting our live tree!

and guess who was a big help decorating it :)

School Christmas party

Christmas pictures with the cousins

Church Christmas program

Making dough ornaments

Santa's Village as a family of four

His 1st time to write his Santa letter himself

 Cookies for Santa

Trying so hard to be patient for Christmas

Adios Elf

I'm not sure how many years our home will be graced with an elf, so I guess I better write about him while I can.  He arrived the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and showed up DAILY in various spots around the house (except for that one time when he really liked riding the tractor on Brennan's dresser for about 48 hours). He was very creative on a few occasions, but mostly just did the same things someone else's elf had done the night before on Facebook. He seemed to especially like reading books and just hanging out. I didn't get his picture everyday, but did remember some of the time. Brennan did seem to enjoy him more this year. He was given the name Donut, but was mostly referred to as the E. L. F. still between Mike and I. That occurred a lot in late night text message reminders, you know making sure the door was left unlocked for him and all. He departed on Christmas Eve with Santa I think. I'm really not sure, there wasn't a note or anything special. Donut is a real nice guy, it's just hard having a guest in your house DAILY....anyone agree.

Happy 4 Months!

14 lbs. 9 ozs.

25 1/2 inches

You've started waking once a night

Eat every 3 hours

Size 2 diapers and 6 monrh clothes

You have had a happy, fun month Rowe! You are laughing and smiling most of the time. You cry if you're hungry or tired. You do fight sleep often! You laugh at Brennan and I all the time, and Daddy more often too. Each day you show a little more of your personality to everyone. You celebrated your first Thanksgiving with two family dinners at our house. You enjoyed parts of the day, and even let everyone pass you around for awhile. You also rolled from your back to your belly that day! We have spent a lot of this month getting ready for Christmas. You and I have shopped a few days, though I've done most of the shopping online this year. We went to get our real Christmas tree at Valley Christmas Tree Plantation. You slept the entire time we were there. The next morning you woke up with your first cold. We visited Dr. Cartwright twice because I was so concerned with your cough, but both times he reassured us that it was a nasty cold. That cold has thrown your night sleeping off completely. You aren't going to bed until later, and are waking up around 3 a.m. again. Most days you still get up around 6 a.m. and don't want to go back to bed. You are sleeping better during the day most days, and get at least one good nap. You have stayed with daddy a night, Aunt Mandy and Maeleigh a night, and Nonna. We've watched Auburn beat Alabama in the last second of the Iron Bowl, and then win the SEC Championship. You really like the action of a football game! We've taken pictures with Santa daddy and attended Brennan's church Christmas program. You love to play in your bouncy seat and on your playmat for short times. You've also tried out the exersaucer. You have started to lose quite a bit of hair, but what you have is getting longer. Otherwise, your size and looks haven't changed a whole lot this month. A year ago yesterday Daddy and I found out you would be joining our family, and we are loving every minute of you being here!

The lion is your favorite toy! You love to pet him, but if he gets too close (i.e. you pull him into your lap) you scream until someone moves him away. 

Brother introducing you to the world of Planes.

The day we went to get our Christmas tree it was almost 80 degrees. You wore a sweet little short bubble suit with smocked santas, that I didn't think you would possibly get to wear this season without lots of blankets. It turned out you slept the entire time, and this is the only picture I got. 

You obviously disapprove of daddy's attire! Especially since this was during the SEC Championship game between Auburn and Missouri. No, he wasn't harboring any resentment ;). 

Brother wanted to be in the picture too. By the way, he is going through a phase of only wanting to wear pajamas that rarely match.

This is a face we are seeing less and less of these days!

November 28: First Thanksgiving, rolled over back to front
November 30: Iron Bowl
December 5: Christmas tree farm
December 6: First cold
December 15: Santa pictures with Daddy

Jolly Old St. Nick

We had a special guest at our house Sunday afternoon! Jolly Old St. Nick stopped by for some special photos with Rowe and Brennan. For Brennan's first Christmas, this same Santa visited for our Christmas cards.

I wanted Rowe to have pictures with this special Santa for her first Christmas also.  He's a trooper, and she didn't mind spending a little time with him. After all, they favor each other quite a bit! She loved grabbing his beard!

Happy and Merry

Happy Thanksgiving (a week late)! We had a fun and busy Thanksgiving weekend around here. Our festivities started on Monday with Brennan's Thanksgiving feast at Pens and Pages. He dressed as an Indian!

On Thanksgiving day we hosted lunch for my extended family, and then dinner for Mike's parents.

Brennan woke up about 4 a.m. Friday very sick with a respiratory infection. It turned out that almost every child who came Thursday was sick by the end of the weekend, and two parents at our house. The Thanksgiving that kept on giving! Mike and I recovered quickly, but it took two trips to the doctor and several days for the B.

That didn't stop him from greeting his elf! Donut, as he is now officially named as of this year, arrived with breakfast on Saturday.

Saturday afternoon Mom, Lucy, the kiddos, and I watched Auburn's amazing last second win over Alabama. Mike escaped to the other side, and mourned with others of his kind :).

The rest of our time was spent gathering greenery on the farm, decorating for Christmas, and mostly giving lots of snuggles.