Blast from the past

As I was looking for pictures of Todd and Sarah, I came across soooooo many pictures that I haven't looked at in forever. It made me realize how fast time goes! I think every week I'm going to do a blast from the past and post old pictures- They bring back such good memories... make me laugh, cry, and relive some of those precious moments. I hope you enjoy them:)

Doing the fair circuit... look at that blonde hair

Why did I dress you in that?

Little Irish boy

Was Chris really ever that little!

My brother thinks he's as cool as me...

For those of you that read my blog- make sure you check out my brother's blog, too. He likes to copy me- read the top part of his blog- ummmm... can we say word for word as my first post:) I love you, Toddie... His boys are the cutest, and my sister-in-law is awesome, so you don't want to miss out on their adventures:) If you know Todd, you know he'll make it interesting- but I would only believe half of it:) www.tsmj-thepearson4.blogspot.com

Toys, toys, and more toys

This week, Brendan and I have been trying to get our basement back- it was overtaken by toys a long time ago! We've been sorting through them, donating them, and trying to organize the basement better and it's definately been a chore. In our old house, we LIVED in the basement, but since we've moved, we hardly ever spend time downstairs. Since it's been so cold, we've been trying to play more~ so we've set up different "areas"- the dress-up area, the kitchen, the craft and train table area, the toy area, and the "big boy" area:) My dad is also coming over today to install a chalkboard- it was Chris's 3rd birthday present... just a little late:) Thanks Dad:) I'm so proud of my new storage unit- its was the McCullers' old entertainment center and I painted it and added bins-- now I just need to add a few more and have Brendan help put the t.v. in the big spot so Chris can play his games. I'll take more pictures when we're completely done...

AND... don't ya know that after all of our labor and hard work- yesterday we spent HOURS playing upstairs as usual in the family room. We made a toy house out of a cardboard box. The house then became the barn and I had to feed the kids- Addie was a horse and liked to eat out of my hand... and Chris said he was a pecan (what that is, I don't know) and liked to bite my hand- typical boy:) Who needs toys when you have a cardboard box:)

We're ready for Christmas:)

The tree is up, the stockings are hung, and I'm already done with my Christmas shopping- woo hoo! This past weekend, I started a new tradition- and Elvis the Elf visited at nighttime and the kids got a small present early... Here are some pictures of the kids in their Christmas jammies:)

Every day is a blessing

Having kids has been such a lifechanging experience~ Staying at home can be challenging, but just when I'm at my wit's end, my kids never cease to amaze me. Of course, I'm like every other mommy and think that my kids are the cutest, coolest, and sweetest things on earth... and every day, they do things to crack me up- that's one reason I love this blog- I forget so many things- the little stories that are sweet... so I hope to share some of them with you... and have them blogged so I can look back and remember, too:)

Addison~ My little table dancer- should I be worried? I ran upstairs to grab some laundry- When I left, Addie and Chris were sharing a super pretzel (one of Chris's favorites) at the kitchen table... When I came back downstairs- she was dancing on the table... at least it's now and not when she's a teenager! For those of you that don't know- Addison can talk like a 3 year old... and she's just now 18 months. She also acts like a 3 year old... This weekend, I was busy fixing food for our Tech football game get together (how about them hokies!?)... and she was at the table with her Daddy. Addie LOVES to be with me- nonstop- she likes to be carried around and attached to my hip. Since I was by the hot stove, I wasn't carrying her... And she kept saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy... " Brendan looked at her and said, "Addie- how many times are you gonna say mommy." She looked right at him, rolled her eyes, and said, "Shelley, shelley, shelley, shelley, shelley." Priceless:)

Christopher~ Chris can be the sweetest little boy ever... he has his moments, but then there are times of pure innocence where you just can't get enough of him. Chris and I usually take an afternoon nap together while Addie is down for the count. We were laying down cuddling and I said to him, "Chris, I love you so much I could cry." He really didn't get it, so I had to go into the whole explanation about how sometimes you cry when you are happy. I told him how when he was born, I was so happy I cried. He then wanted to know what happened to him when he was born. I told him how he came out of mommy, the nurses cleaned him off, and then mommy held him and was sooo happy. He wanted to know why the nurses cleaned him off, and I told him that babies are yucky when they first come out of mommy's- and he looked so confused. He looked at me and said, "but what about my toy- my toy was clean." At this point, I was also confused- and he said, "You know- the toy Addie brought me, the airplane, it was clean." Hilarious~ we had bought a toy for him when Addie was born and told him that Addie brought it to him. Soooo... he thought it really came from my belly and just didn't get why it wasn't dirty.

You know your family loves you when...

a UVA grad sports a Tech hat and admits that Tech is THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. O.k... maybe she didn't go that far- but she did give in to Chris and wear the hat:) Gramma Kathy and Sara stopped by tonight for an unexpected visit, and the kids had a ball with them- and Mommy enjoyed the company, too!

A new family tradition...

Throughout the year, Uncle Bruce and Aunt Denise send our children packages of the neatest things- special autographed books, things from their adventures to Charleston, the list goes on and on... This year, for Christmas, they sent an advent calendar- Every day, the kids get to open a door, and there are small wooden pieces that Uncle Bruce and Aunt Denise collected all year long. Let me just say- the kids LOVE it... Chris loves the suspense of it and gets that it's a "countdown." Addie just loves to play with it all day long- I think Santa should bring her a box with doors to open and shut and call it a day- She'd be in heaven:) Chris is very particular and likes to open just one door- but Addie loves to sneak and open them all:) This will be something that we all look forward to for years to come!