Meeting Santa

We haven't really had a sit down with Luke about Santa. Honestly we haven't decided exactly how we'll handle all of that. This is probably the last year we can get away with not really dealing with it! :)

He knows (from TV/movies) that you're supposed to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what he wants for Christmas. So when we were at the mall last Saturday and Luke found out that Santa was there... he went all Buddy the Elf on us shouting, "Santa's here! Santa's here!" We asked if he wanted to tell him what he wanted for Christmas and he said yes!

We walk closer and find out we have to purchase pictures to make this happen. We get the cheapest thing possible and Luke refuses to get closer than 10 feet from the Santa man. Will not sit in his lap, will not sit next to Santa, and only stood close to the chair because I was pretty much holding him hostage there.... Santa asks Luke what he wants for Christmas and he freezes. Santa keeps saying, "If you don't tell me what you want I'll bring you a big moose!" (Really creepy Santa man?) Anyway, Luke finally tells him he wants a toy robot and we plop Parker down for the photo op.

The picture is so deceptive as to what's really going on. Luke is absolutely TERRIFIED yet is smiling ear to ear. Parker did not scream or cry one bit, didn't mind being sat in Santa's lap yet looks as if he's just doing it to please Mom and Dad.

They got elf hats after the picture (which Parker immediately ripped to smithereens) and we had a special lunch at Chick-fil-A to celebrate surviving the whole experience!

Here's to next year being a better experience! :)

November 2012

This honestly might be the first time that I have kept up a New Year's Resolution for almost the whole year! I wanted to be better about documenting our family's life on our blog (because let's be honest...I don't have time to scrapbook right now!) and even though I have been late on our monthly updates sometimes they eventually get posted!

Here's what we've been up to in November...

Jonathan and his brother, Samuel, ran in a half marathon. 

We picked some pears.

We had a "Thankful Tree" for the whole month. 

We had the boys do shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. 

Thanksgivings all over with all of our family. 

Mitchell Thanksgiving

Taylor Thanksgiving

And our family Thanksgiving/Fall card.

We hope you had a great Thanksgiving and enjoy your time with your family during this holiday season!

Operation Christmas Child

This year our family did two shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/). I love doing these kinds of things with my kids. I won't go into my full soapbox, but I do not want my kids to grow up thinking they are entitled to whatever they want. I want them to have a servant's heart and long to help others who are less fortunate than we are. Ok I'm done :)

We took the boys to Target and they were able to pick out toys and clothes for a boy and a girl. Usually I'm a sucker and let them get a treat from the $1 section at Target but not this trip. I wanted them to give to others without getting something. 

They did great and Luke LOVED helping me put them together!

Jonathan had to intervene as Parker was trying to dump the box!

I'm so proud of Luke and I hope we're able to do things like this often with both of them!

Taylor Thanksgiving

We got to Palestine around 9:30 pm Tuesday night. The boys did great in the car but had a hard time going to bed (they didn't even sleep in the car!).

We had Thanksgiving with my mom's side of the family and then my dad's side of the family. We aren't able to see all of them very often so Thanksgiving is a big event!

 Working with Daddy                       Hanging out with Aunt Bek :)

Luke and Cheyenne playing the piano at Granny's house

Grandparent eating up their time with the kids

Bek doing Chey's hair       Jonathan & Jacob being little kids

 Thanksgiving morning Bek got a doe and Jonathan was able to be in the blind when she shot it.

 Jacob reverting back to his childhood again... poor Evan!

Friday morning I went out in the blind with Bek and my dad (I needed some peace and quiet!) Then that afternoon my dad's side of the family came in. 

 This is what happens when the Taylors come in... ginormous bonfires and target practice. 

 Luke and May May staying back from the huge fire!

We had a great time at the farm and being in the country. :)

Mitchell Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving with the Mitchells the weekend before Thanksgiving (such a blessing that Martha does this for us every year!). Luke and Parker absolutely adore their cousins! It's so fun to see them actually interacting with each other now.

Gramma with some of the grandkids!

One of the funnest things for me this year was the time that I got to spend with some of my nieces and nephews outside. They wanted to make a pile of leaves to jump in and we all worked together to make it big enough for them to jump in it all at the same time. Here's the end result...

  

 We had a great time catching up with family and eating way too much! And ps - I'm horrible about taking pictures during the holidays! :(

Thankful Tree

This November I wanted to instill in my boys that we have lots to be thankful for. I didn't think Luke would quite grasp it last year so I was looking forward to what he would say! He didn't disappoint! Some days he was thankful for whatever he saw when he looked around and there's lots of foods on Parkers! :)

Toward the end of the month I ran out of room to hang all our tags (even after adding sticks!), but I kept a list going to get in all 30 days of November.

Here's what they were thankful for this year...

Pickin' Pears

Last weekend we had the opportunity to pick pears at one of Jonathan's colleagues house. He has miles of pear trees and we have been trying to go for a while (darn all this sickness going around!).

Luke was in heaven... Parker couldn't care less really. He kept wanting to walk but it was making me so nervous with the cactus and tall grass.

Luke loved reaching for the pears and picking them off the tree!

Parker didn't really like to get that far away from Daddy!

And I made an Apple Pear Crisp this morning with all of our pickins!

Obviously I couldn't wait for after dinner... It was yummy!!!

Here's the RECIPE I used.

October 2012

And still playing the catch up game! Here's what we were up to in October. 

My mom and aunt came to visit for a weekend and after the kids went to bed... we played Angry Birds together...

Lunch entertainment at Rosa's...

 Luke dressing up like Swatter from the Chick-fil-A comic books

Played outside 

Being silly with Mommy

We had a picnic in the boys play set... and we all fit!

 We have some goofy boys...

New outlet for chalk and memory verses!

The boys went on the annual Mitchell Boys camping trip (and Mommy got the weekend to herself!!!)

One of my favorite things about this trip is the uncles and Papa put together a devotion for the younger boys. So at the end of the weekend they've heard lessons about 5 different things. They get to learn more about how to walk with Jesus from other men besides their daddies. Love this!

This Halloween we hosted our 2nd annual Halloween Block Party. We invite our neighbors over for hot dogs and get to catch up before the trick or treating starts. We have really enjoyed getting to spend time with our neighbors in this way!

Mommy's little entertaining helpers

Luke was a robot

 Parker was supposed to be a cowboy, but he wouldn't keep anything on... I'm surprise he wore the boots!