Crash

Crash-this has become Brandon's new nickname, given to him by Uncle Mike. Why? Well, unfortunately last night we made our first (and hopefully only) trip to the ER due to a head injury. We were having an after Christmas get together with my family and all was going well. Uncle Mike and Aunt Amber arrived and Brandon was so excited to show them a lego car he had built. He was running from the living room into the kitchen at full speed and tripped and his forehead hit our kitchen table (thankfully it is round). As his mom, this next part is very difficult for me and I have to say that I am grateful Matt was home so I didn't have to deal with it by myself. When Brandon hit the table it made a loud pop and I looked at him and saw a spot on his forehead. As I got close to him I saw a big, deep gash and immediately said, "We have to go!" Matt applied pressure to his head and squeezed it shut to help with the bleeding. My family was wonderful and took care of Anna while we went to the ER. Now, Brandon knew something was wrong obviously because his head hurt and he saw our reactions so he was pretty scared. The ER was busy and we did have to wait a while, but overall the visit was good. A pediatric physician saw Brandon and they gave him some numbing medicine on the wound so he wouldn't feel the pain. He didn't even need a shot of pain meds before she stitched him up. He was so brave and tough and didn't even cry while we were there. He needed 2 internal stitches and 5 external stitches to close it all up. Did I mention that I was grateful that Matt was with me? Anyway, things could have been a lot worse and Brandon didn't have any problems during the night (I got to be his bed partner and check on him) and he did fine today. He is one tough cookie!

Winter Fun

The kids got new sleds for Christmas from Kim and couldn't wait to try them out. Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long before the snow came. Now there was not a whole lot of snow, but you don't need much when you have these super slick bottom sleds and a little slope in the backyard right? So, thanks Kim, the kids had a blast!

He Came!

Well, Santa did come and he loved the cookies and especially the chocolate milk. He left the kids some great presents also. He even managed to get a basketball goal into our living room for Brandon! Anna got the leapster she has been asking for so she was excited about that. They both got a few more littler things as well. As you can see, Anna loved her guitar that came with glasses.

The Night Before Christmas Eve

On the night before Christmas Eve, we had fun attempting to make a gingerbread house. This would be the first for me and us as a family. Anna had done one at her preschool party (the smaller one in the picture) and I thought it would be a fun activity for us to do. It does take some patience and I give Brandon credit for the decorating with just a little help from Daddy. Anna didn't last long with it as she had more important things to do, like take care of her babies. It did turn out pretty well I have to say. We just might have to do it again next year.

Well, Santa probably knew we would be out of town on Christmas Day, so the kids wanted to leave him a special treat in case he came early. They left him a note with some cookies and chocolate milk. I guess we will see if he likes it!

Christmas Parties

I was able to go to both Brandon and Anna's Christmas parties at school. They were on the same day so it was a day of partying! Anna had fun decorating a gingerbread house, being a reindeer, making a snowglobe, and having a book exchange.

Brandon played several games and ate some good snacks. He was excited to give Mrs. Kern her present so I had to take a picture of it. He gave her apple butter, of course, a candle and an ornament he picked out for her. He was so funny when he gave her the box. He told her something was alive in there! She got a good laugh out of it anyway.

The kids are blessed with great teachers and we are thankful for them!

Anna's preschool Christmas program

Anna had her preschool Christmas program recently and it was so cute. She has been singing songs around the house for a while. We went and picked out a pretty dress for her to wear and she just couldn't wait to wear it. She did great up on the stage and sung her heart out!

The Big 6!!

Our Brandon man turned the big 6 years old on Dec. 19. It is hard to believe really. It feels like yesterday that he was born and we were now a family of three. Celebrating birthdays is very special in our family. This year, we did not plan a big party, but decided to just let Brandon decide what he wanted to do for the day. This was a tough decision for him, as he is a thinker and all. He ultimately chose to have lunch at Red Robin and then go play at Playtime. So, we had a great lunch, with Brandon getting sung to and a sundae, for being the birthday boy (they were so nice there they even gave Anna a sundae too). Then we went to Playtime for several hours and had so much fun. Brandon of course loved the racing game the most. That night we had some cookie cake and he opened a couple presents. We ended the day of fun with a movie and some popcorn! Could it get any better? Happy Birthday Brandon!!! We love you so much and look forward to celebrating many more with you!

Grandmary is 90!!

Today Grandmary is 90 years old! What an amazing woman she is and we are so blessed to have her in our lives. She lived in Bolivar, MO for many years and has since moved to Owensville to be closer to Jim and Sue, so we get to enjoy her even more. We recently had a birthday party for her in Bolivar so she could celebrate with her many friends and family. She is famous in Bolivar after all!

It is a pretty good drive for us to get to Bolivar, like four hours or so, so we stayed a night in a hotel to break up the trip. The hotel had an indoor pool so we knew the kids would love that. That was actually one of the highlights for them. Matt's cousins, Stacy, Laura and Meri Ann, and their families also stayed there. Laura's daughter, Haley, was able to get in the pool with Brandon and Anna so they had a lot of fun.

So many people came to celebrate with Grandmary. It was so great to see her so happy and enjoying herself and seeing people she hasn't seen for a while. The whole family was there so it was like a little reunion for us as well. I believe a great time was had by all. Great job Sue for making it all happen. Everything was wonderful! We can't wait to celebrate her 100th!

Children's Choir Program

Tonight was the children's choir program at our church. Brandon is in Lord's Lambs, the choir for prek and kindergarteners. He loves to sing and has a natural ability to hear notes and pitch and all that music stuff. He did not get any of that from his mommy by the way. It comes from his daddy and his Grandy.

The kids did a great job tonight singing their songs. It is wonderful to hear children lifting their voices and praising God. What sweet sounds!

A Family Tradition

When Matt and I got married we started some traditions of our own and one of them is cutting down our Christmas tree. We go to a tree farm and find just the right tree, cut it down, bring it home, and enjoy the smell of fresh pine (and deal with the needles that drop on the floor). So, when we had kids we continued the tradition and it has been so fun to share it with them. When we moved into our house, the previous owners left their Christmas tree for us because they didn't have room for it. What a deal we got! It is a 9ft. artificial tree that is perfect in our living room. So now the kids get to go and pick out a tree that will go on the landing by their bedrooms. They get to decorate it with ornaments of their choice and special ones that they make.

We bundled up and headed out to Sunbrite tree farm to find the perfect tree. After a little bit of searching, a potty break by a tree for Anna, and a little more searching, we found just the right one! Matt got the cutting started and the kids took their turns and in no time it was down (or should I say up when looking at the picture). The kids hauled it back to the guys who shake it and wrap it up for us and we were on our way home. It was a successful, fun, and absolutely special day!!

Santa and His Reindeer?

Anna and Brandon were playing together the other night and getting along at this point. They were upstairs and I could hear some commotion so I asked what they were doing? Matt and I laughed so hard when they revealed what they were up to. Brandon had Anna hooked up in front of him, she with her antlers and he had on his Santa hat. Santa and his reindeer? Sure enough.

Linhardt Family Pictures

We had Thanksgiving in Owensville this year with the whole Linhardt clan together. It was a great opportunity to have some family pictures taken and we were so blessed to have Matt's sister, Sarah, take them. She did such a great job and we had so much fun (despite the cool temps). Mom and Dad's back yard provided an awesome background as well. We took the formal family picture and then had some fun with the others. They were all so good, but I only put a few on here.

Being all together as a family is such a wonderful blessing and we will cherish times like this. Thankfully, we can look back at all of the pictures.

So, thank you so much Sarah for capturing this special time for us.

Tooth Fairy Visit

Brandon lost his first tooth the other night which was so exciting! I don't know who was more excited, me or him. I loved pulling out my teeth as a kid and right now Brandon does too. He wouldn't let me get my hands on it, he wanted to do it all himself. As he was working on getting it out, Anna noticed a little blood was getting on the tissue he was holding. She started crying and was so concerned about him being hurt. I reassured her he was okay and by the end of it all, she was trying to pull one of her teeth out. It was all so cute and funny!!
I asked Brandon how much he thought the "tooth fairy" was going to leave him and he said $30. Wow! I told him the "tooth fairy" had a lot of teeth to pay for so he probably would not get that much. He then said $10, and by the time Matt got home from work it was down to 20 cents.
Well, the "tooth fairy" did visit and left 4 quarters, "a whole dollar", according to Brandon. He was so excited! He is now working on the next tooth, which is pretty loose, so I expect it to be out in a few days. He better get wiggling it, or I might have to get my hands on it!

Can we keep him?

As I was taking a letter to the mailbox today, I was startled by a sound in a bush by the garage. I just figured it was a rabbit since we have had them around constantly eating up our shrubs. I shook the shrub thinking the rabbit would run off, but the rustling underneath the shrub didn't stop. I looked a little closer to investigate the cause and was very surprised to find a turtle trying to get under the shrub as far as he could. Brandon and Anna were outside with me and I told them to come check out the turtle. I pulled the turtle out of the shrub so they could look at it. They thought it was pretty cool! The turtle wanted to get back under that shrub so it took off, and of course Anna tried to stop it. She loves animals and isn't afraid to touch most of them. I was trying to figure out what to do with it, not wanting to put it in harms way in the road. The kids said, "Can we keep it?" I didn't have to think too hard about this. "No, we don't need a turtle and he will be much happier outside trying to find a new home" I said. So we took the turtle to an open area where hopefully it will be safe. A little later when Brandon was going to get on the bus, we looked for the turtle but couldn't find it.

Cousin Movie Night

Last night, we had movie night at the house with popcorn and pizza. We had Avery and Deacon over to watch Lady and the Tramp 2 with Anna and Brandon. We love living so close to Aaron and Sarah and having opportunities like this. We look forward to the next time and when we can have Amelia along for the fun, too.

Trick or Treating!

Like last year for Halloween, we went to Aaron and Sarah's house so the kids could go trick or treating with Avery and Deacon. They couldn't wait to ride in the trailor and have Uncle Aaron pull them around the subdivision with the four wheeler. We started off with some hot dogs and chili and apple cider. Brandon wanted to be superman again this year, so Superman Returns. Anna wanted to wear her dress up cheerleader outfit, Avery was a cat, and Deacon was a baseball player. Sarah and Amelia stayed warm inside the house while the rest of us went trick or treating. Now, I titled the blog this way because when the kids went to each house they said,"Trick or Treating!!" followed by thank you, even before they got candy. It was too funny. We ended the night with some good ole smores. We all had such a great time and looked forward to the extra hour of sleep we would get as we set the clocks back. The treat basket will be full for a while!

Pumpkin Carving

The night before Halloween, we had a fun family night of carving pumpkins. This year, Brandon designed his own and Daddy helped with the carving, while Anna told us what she wanted hers to look like and we did it for her. Now, when it came time to clean out the seeds and slimy inside, the kids had different reactions. Anna could not wait to get her hands in there and enjoy the mess, but Brandon wanted no part of this. I had to stick his hand down in the pumpkin to show him it wasn't all that bad, but he wasn't convinced. It took him a while, but he finally got the inside all cleaned out so Daddy could carve. Brandon chose a pretty big pumpkin this year and has already decided that next year he won't choose one quite so big because that is just more he has to clean out. After the pumpkins were cleaned out and carved they were set on the porch to display. Happy Halloween Eve!

Anna's First Cleaning

Anna has been asking me for a long time when she can go to the dentist and I kept telling her soon. Well, soon finally came and she went for her first appt. last week. She met her dentist, Dr. Pickens, took a ride in the chair (her belly button was the up and down switch) and came away with a balloon, new tooth brush and toothpaste. I did recieve the news that I knew I would, "she needs to quit sucking her thumb." Yes, yes, I know this. She is doing much better with this habit and catches herself getting ready to do it. But, we do have some orthodontic, head gear in our future I believe. We should probably start saving for this now. Anyway, the dentist doesn't clean the kids teeth on their first visit, as to not overwhelm them. So, we went back yesterday for her first cleaning. She did great, picking out her flavored toothpaste and flouride. The down side of the flouride meant no gum or anything sticky to eat for the rest of the day. Anna loves gum and did ask for some, but we made it through the day obeying the flouride rules. It was a good experience for her! Dr. Pickens, we will see you in six months (hopefully, done sucking the thumb).

Brandon's School Party

Brandon had a Halloween party at school last Friday. The kids were able to take their costumes to school and change into them for the parade and party. They had a parade around the halls and cafeteria to show everyone their costumes and then went into their classrooms for their party. It was fun to watch Brandon interact with his friends and play the games. We took a class picture to help capture the memory. Happy Halloween!

Little Miss Amelia

A week ago today, we were blessed with a new niece. Miss Amelia Faith Junk entered the world on October 19 at 1:27 p.m. and was a tiny 5lbs. 12oz. Sarah did a great job getting her here and is doing well despite the lack of sleep that comes along with a new baby. Big sister, Avery, and big brother, Deacon, are pretty proud siblings. Amelia looks so much like Avery did as a baby, just not as much hair. Cousins, Anna and Brandon, were all smiles when we saw her in the hospital and Anna can't wait to play with her. Amelia is a new addition to a richly blessed family!!