Decking the Halls

The tree is up! Christmas with boys our boys' age is going to be so fun. We're so excited! Eli loved decorating the tree!


All his ornaments pretty much ended up in the same spot.
He's pointing to the Rudolf and Santa ornament we got him.
Amos' 1st Christmas!
Admiring his handiwork.
So much to be thankful for.
Happy little elf.
Merry Christmas All!

And now...a video. You may think it's funny...but it's snot.

Christmas Tree Shopping

I accidentally loaded all the pictures as "small." If you click on them, though, they're normal size.

Here are some pictures from our lives lately:

We started Thanksgiving with Eli helping mama make chocolate chip pancakes. He's STILL snacking on those.
Pancake-making face.
Eli, mama, and Amos made peanut butter birdseed wreaths for the birds. The squirrels have shown the most interest, though.
Eli surveys his handiwork.
Today we went shopping for our Christmas tree. Eli was WAY into it this year, in contrast to last year, when I don't think he really got it.
He spent some time looking at the branches, and carrying around little pieces.
Amos wore his Christmas-colored hat.
Eli soon realized that there was a bouncy castle, and the trees became a distant memory. He met a new friend in there, and they bounced away for a half hour or so.
Eli's velociraptor impersonation.
Still clutching his tree piece, even in the bouncy castle.
Aerial shot.
Jessa has the carry-two-kids thing down. Note the handy use of the belt loop.
We got our tree home and set up, but the lights and decorations aren't on yet. Stay tuned for a post on that soon!
Amos is so close to his first laugh. Sometimes you can get a half-chuckle out of him, but he stops there. But smiles are everywhere.

Impromptu Photo Shoot

It just so happened that at the Welcome Back Student Picnic in September, the four of us were showered, combed, and dressed suspiciously similar. It also happened that the husband of one of the faculty was there and, serendipitously, he was a photographer and offered to snap some photos of our new family of four. Thanks Hugh Alexander for these great shots! Enjoy...






Good stuff.

Cuties All Over

Amos is my favorite accessory.
Check out Eli's sweet new snow suit, courtesy of Grandpa Smith. Thanks a bunch!
Boo.
I love that sweet little chin.
Get a load of those glowing ears. Delicious.
Eli started gymnastics at University of Denver this week! It was so much fun. He, as usual, was a little timid about this new adventure. Each time we moved to a new apparatus he would say "No thank you. No thank you." over and over. He's very polite, even when stressed.
We had a fabulous play date with our buddy Miles and his new little brother Owen today. We had such fun! The boys played and then we walked around campus and walked to Mustard's Last Stand for lunch. Yum!
Eli, what's that look for?
Fistbump!

Miles found Eli's bedtime paci. Score!
Owen and Amos, future best buds.
Da boyz! So so fun.

Phone Photo Fun

This is my current facebook profile picture. When I snapped this photo of Eli, it took me straight to that misfit elf, Hermie. We have since purchased a dvd of Christmas classics including Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer, Frostie the Snowman, Little Drummer Boy and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The Rudolph movie, specifically Hermie's character, is Eli's current obsesssion.
I caught this fabulous shadow as we were walking around campus with Eli's "fuzzy wand."
Amos is well on his way to being a thumbsucker. He still has a little trouble locating it all the time, but when he does he's very happy. It's deliciously cute.
Amos in his monkey pashmina. He's a fashionister.
Tee hee hee.
Amos snoozed out during a housewarming party for our roomie Christa. Her pampizon chair made a perfect nest for him.