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!