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.