Christmas Blizzard...

Here are a few pictures that we took of all the snow that we received from the Christmas blizzard. A few days later we received even more snow! Dave and Benjamin were pretty busy shoveling out our driveway and deck with all that snow! We do not have a snow blower so it was a lot of shoveling that the boys did. I was not much help with my big belly plus Dave did not want me out there where I could fall and have something happen to me. Thank goodness for caring neighbors as they came and blew out our driveway at least one time each day over the Christmas weekend! We had so much snow that I really didn't know where we could put more snow. We will have to wait till spring to see if one of our trees has split down the middle due to the weight of all the snow. It was a beautiful white Christmas but we could have gotten by with a lot less!

A Few of Our Favorite Toys...

Benjamin and Ada kept asking Santa for a couple of things. Benjamin wanted a dinosaur rock and a camera. Ada wanted a dollhouse and a stroller for her babies. These two must have been good this year as they each got what they asked for. They were each so excited to open their gifts this year. It was so much fun watching them get into opening presents. Ada would have to tear hers open slowly and remove every piece of paper and tape while Benjamin ripped into his and would have been done with all his presents in .2 seconds flat if we let him! You should have seen Benjamin's face when he opened his dino rock--it was priceless and he was so excited! Dave couldn't get Ada's baby stroller opened fast enough! She had to take all her babies for a ride. Benjamin even got to give his dinos a ride in the stroller. We had such a wonderful time being snowed in at home, watching the kids play with their new toys, playing family games like Candy Land, Chutes and Ladders, Go Fish, and even checkers. We watched a movie and even played some computer games and a few games on the Wii. It was just so nice being together as a family.

So Pretty...

The Night Before Christmas in Hartford...

Benjamin and Ada enjoyed putting out cookies for Santa and taking in all the Christmas magic. They really got into looking at Christmas lights and all the different Christmas decorations. They enjoyed reading the Christmas Story and the Night Before Christmas. Unfortunately with all the snow that we received and the Christmas Blizzard we were unable to go to church. This was our first holiday at our house in Hartford and we were really looking forward to going to our church for Christmas Mass. We were really bummed. We read stories, read from the bible, and had the televised service on tv but it was not the same. We enjoyed our holiday together as a family and really liked our relaxed atmosphere and the idea that we didn't have to go any where was nice. The snow hampered our church plans but we really didn't mind being snowed in all together. It was actually kinda nice. Both Ada and Benjamin enjoyed their "goodies" in their Christmas stockings. We love watching their excitement on their faces. Alot of what they get are practical things like a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, etc. They each get their favorite candy and a few other miscellaneous items. Being home together for the weekend must not have been too bad as Benjamin declared this the best Christmas ever! Dave and I both agree with Benjamin and think this was the best Christmas ever as we were able to spend at our home together as our little family.

Merry Christmas from our Family to Yours!!

Sweet Siblings...

Every year Dave and I give the kids new pj's for Christmas. We let them open up their pj's on Christmas Eve so they can wear them Christmas morning while they open up presents. Who would have thought that this Christmas would be the perfect pajama day (due to all that snow we received-more on that later)? Here the kids are showing off their new pj's. Don't they look so precious?

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

The kids and I make a birthday cake for Jesus every Christmas. This year we (they) decided to make a Christmas tree one. I frosted the tree green and then they came up with ideas to decorate it. Benjamin was pretty proud of our cake. He couldn't wait to eat it!

Playing Zingo with Grandma and Grandpa...

Ada loves playing Zingo! She will play any time of day even all day if you let her. She convinced Grandma and Grandpa to play too! Grandpa stated that he didn't know how to play and I assured him that his two year old granddaughter would teach him. I think they had a good time playing!

Duel to the Death...

Auntie Carrie and Uncle Matt had a sword dress-up set which Benjamin loved playing with. He even convinced Grandpa to play! Now that is amazing!!

Cookie Making...

The last few years my family gets together at my sister's house for Christmas cookie baking. Benjamin loves helping and this year was no exception! We made his favorite cookies--Andes Mint Cookies--thanks Grandma S for the recipe! We missed the perfect picture--Benjamin and Ada working like busy bees unwrapping all the Andes mints. They didn't even attempt to eat one (both of the kiddos love those mints) which was a shocking surprise for Dave and I. When it came time to put the mints on the cookies that's where the mints started to disappear. Benjamin said he just couldn't help himself. It was a very busy weekend but we got all the baking done.

A Bad Dream...

Benjamin: I had a bad dream last night.

Me & Dave: Do you remember what it was about?

Benjamin: Yep.

Me & Dave: Can you tell us what it was about?

Benjamin: I dreamed that I didn't hug or kiss mommy goodnight.

Me & Dave: That was a really bad dream. Let's make sure you don't have that dream again.

Benjamin: Okay, let me hug and kiss mommy again.

How sweet is that?

Back to Blogging, Hopefully...

I am so sorry about the long delay in blogging. It's not that I haven't wanted too it's just that I have been so busy (Christmas, work, being a mommy, cleaning house, etc) and pre-occupied (awaiting & preparing for baby's arrival). I haven't even had time to download our camera and get our Christmas pictures uploaded. I promise I will you just have to bear with me. I pick my own schedule but January through March are very busy months for me and with baby # 3 due on February 5 I have had a very busy December and January so I can get my "required" work done before I go on leave as my co-worker retired and we have not refilled his position yet so it is just me. Also, both Benjamin and Ada have had a fever. Benjamin started his fever last Friday and was over it by Sunday, now he just has a cold (runny nose and coughing). Today Ada started a fever so we have no idea what tomorrow will bring. I am supposed to go to Vermillion tomorrow for work for meetings so Daddy might be home with the kiddos again.

I enjoyed my 3 day weekend and I got a lot of cleaning done (still more to do). Can you tell that I have started nesting? We are getting so excited to meet this baby! The only thing we are really struggling with is agreeing on names for both a boy and a girl. We are convinced we are having a boy and I thought we had our "boy" name picked out but after talking about baby names with Dave the other day it isn't so. Also when I say we really cannot agree on any name for a girl I am not exaggerating. If anyone feels inclined to comment on suggested names I would appreciate it. I have not been sleeping well so in turn I am exhausted and don't want to do much of anything when I come home from work. We have a dr appt this Thursday and we are having an ultrasound because I have gestational diabetes with this pregnancy and to check estimated fetal weight. I have been having strong Braxton-Hicks contractions quite regularly this past week so I would suspect to see some movement or change but only time will tell. The plan is to take Benjamin and Ada along with us to the ultrasound. Benjamin keeps asking how many more naps till his baby comes out. Ada loves hugging and kissing the belly/baby. She is just so cute when she does it. This evening Ada was tickling the baby and the baby would respond by moving or kicking which would egg her on. It was so precious! She kept asking where his/her other foot was so she could tickle it.