A White Christmas!

Today was the first time we've had a White Christmas in our area since 1947! For Ella's 1st Christmas! How special is that? I love snow... and since this was my first White Christmas as well, it just added to the excitement of my favorite holiday!

What a great Christmas we had! This was the first year that Cooper really understood that you could ask Santa Claus for the things you wanted, and he would (probably) bring them to you. The two main things he really wanted from Santa were a "big barn with lots of animals and a big race track for my cars". So he was THRILLED with his barn and his race track when he saw them this morning. He was so happy with everything he received. He is so appreciative!


Miss Ella liked her stuff just fine, but she was much more interested in playing with the toys that are in the den all the time (like Cooper's building blocks) while he was distracted with his new stuff and wasn't saying, "No Ella, that's dangerous" (his new favorite line). :) Funny girl!


But back to the snow... after we finished opening presents at our house we headed out to Nana and Pop's house for breakfast. The snow was just getting started and so pretty! After breakfast and presents at Nana and Pop's, we loaded back up and went to Grammy and Papaw's for lunch and (more) presents. When we left to come home from there the snow was really coming down. It was so much fun to see snow on Christmas Day! After nap, Cooper and Chris went out to play in it for a few minutes before we piled in Chris's truck to go to my Grandma's for supper and (yet again more) presents. Cooper and Ella were absolutely exhausted by the time we came home. When I was tucking Cooper into bed tonight he asked me if we were going to celebrate Jesus' birthday again tomorrow. :) At least with all the visiting and all those presents he still remembered the reason for it all! Sweet sweet boy.

I am feeling so so blessed and happy that my children had such a great Christmas and are so loved my our family. They are very fortunate kids!

I hope you all have enjoyed your day as much as we have! Merry Christmas everyone!

Ella is 8 months old!

I've started a blog no less than 10 times since Cooper was born, then never followed through with posting it anywhere or keeping up with it. Sort of random to start a blog now, but I feel like Cooper and Ella are changing every day and growing up so fast. Writing about them here with help me remember and keep up with everything they're doing. So here we go...

We have been so busy lately getting ready for Christmas! (Which is 4 days away and I have hardly wrapped any presents! Needless to say I will be in a wrapping frenzy every night after the kids are in bed.) Anyway, Cooper is so excited about Christmas! He's old enough now to understand that he can ask for specific things and Santa/family will (try) to get them for him. He has loved looking at all the catalogs and pointing out that he "needs" everything inside. And if he doesn't "need" it, Ella does. She "really really really" needed a big remote control car last week "so she could crawl after it while I (Cooper) drive it". Such a thoughtful big brother.

On that note - Cooper is having to learn how to handle Ella getting into his things now that she's crawling everywhere and into EVERYTHING. It's hard for Chris and I to know what things are just his and should be off limits to her, and how much Cooper just needs to learn to share and let her mess with his things. Cooper has gotten very good at the art of distraction. He can usually give her another toy and get back whatever she has that he doesn't want her to play with. However, Miss Ella adores her brother and would crawl 100 miles to be close to him and play with whatever he has instead of her own toys that are much less interesting. Keeps us very busy making sure that Cooper is being kind and Ella doesn't grab anything dangerous for her.

Speaking of crawling, Ella has become so mobile! She can crawl pretty fast and pull up on anything she can get a hold of. She likes to crawl with her right leg sort of taking a step every so often. Very hard to describe and very funny to watch. It's like she wants to walk but can't figure that out so she'll half walk/half crawl for now.

She has learned to give kisses, play peek-a-boo, wave hello and goodbye, say "Dada" (though Chris and I are still debating whether or not she knows what she's saying), give kisses, dance (more of just a booty pop but absolutely hilarious) and stick her lip out to pout whenever she is not getting her way. She is so full of personality and absolutely precious! We say all the time, "She is just so sweet!" She loves to smile and loves loves loves her brother. She just lights up whenever he talks to her. She has always been crazy about her daddy, and has him tightly wrapped around her finger... especially with this whole "Dada" thing. :)

Cooper has become so grown up! I can't believe he is 3 1/2 years old! He is just the sweetest, funniest, smartest, cutest little guy I know. He constantly amazes us with what he knows, understands, and can figure out.

Chris and I are very blessed and so looking forward to Christmas with our babies!