bubble bath

Jake got some super-duper moisturizing bubble bath in his stocking, so we tried it out. Jake LOVED it! He was so intent on the bubbles that I could only get him to look at the camera and smile once. The amazing thing is that he did the same thing over and over again. He would scoop a handful of bubbles with one arm and then use the other to pour water over them with his cup. He loved watching the bubbles disappear when the water washed them away. He played and played until the water got too cold to stay in any longer. He cried when all the bubbles were gone and it was time to get out:( I think the bubble bath was a hit!

christmas pictures

My sweet friend Trisha took some family pictures recently. She always wants to practice, and we were more than willing to be her subjects:) We were excited by how well they turned out, and the boys were great! Here are some of our favorites. Hope you enjoy!

early christmas

We celebrated Christmas on Saturday since we'll be out of town visiting family for the actual day. We read about the birth of Christ and did our Jesse Tree devotional for the day. We want our children to know that Christ's birthday is the focus on Christmas, not Santa or presents. There is nothing wrong with these things, but they're not the reason for Christmas. We just want them to understand that Christ is the reason we give presents. Not sure Jake understood much of this, but it is important to us to start our family traditions regardless.

We got Jake a little kitchen because I managed to find a great deal on one. It even fits in a corner! His friends Owen and Corrie have one at their house, and it's the first thing he goes to when we have play dates. Well, he LOVES it! He enjoys it so much that he has been eating less because he wants to be finished so he can get down and, "Cook!" as he calls it. He constantly is saying, "Ice. Ice." and putting his cup under the water/ice front dispenser on the refrigerator. We've been talking about pretend and now he says, "Pretend." as he cooks with a skillet on the stovetop, which has sounds and lights. When he puts a pot on the burner, it turns red and Jake says, "Hot!" The kitchen definitely is a hit! Now all he needs is some fake food to go with his dishes, and he'll be a chef in no time:)

9 weeks

Showing off those 25 1/4 inches:)

Taking a break.

 Jake brought Sam this monkey rattle, and Sam gave him the biggest grin! 

Another break:)

Lifting your head is hard work!

Happy boy.

Chillin' on Jake's bed.

two months

Sam had his two month checkup this morning with Dr. Chris since Dr. Danny is still out of town. We knew that Sam was bigger than Jake, but we weren't sure by how much. Well, Sam weighs over a pound more than Jake did at this age. Sam weighed in at exactly 13 pounds, which puts him in the 81st percentile (Jake was 11 lbs 14oz and 50th percentile).

He is growing like a weed! He was 25 1/4 inches long (99th percentile)! And to think we thought Jake was tall at two months at 24 inches:) Sam is already wearing 3-6 month onesies due to his long torso. His head circumference was in the 64th percentile. Needless to say, he is a big boy, but he is very proportionate.

Sam did great with his shots- cried and then got over them quickly. Poor Jake thought those shots were for him and needed a little consoling to convince him that he wasn't getting them:) All in all, it was a great visit, and Sam is developing right on track.

brothers

Jake asked to hold Sam for the first time this week. He's says, "Hold me." all the time to us, but this was a new one. So we obliged. He was very gentle and so excited to have Sam in his lap. He even leaned over a gave him a kiss, unprompted by us! Too sweet!

parade

Sunday afternoon was the annual Christmas parade here in Greenwood. Since we had such a good time last year, we decided to venture out and go again this year despite the chilly weather. We kept the boys bundled up, and they had a great time. Jake even kept his mittens and hats on the entire time. Sam slept, and Jake loved all the floats and people marching past. He waved to everyone! We met Jake's favorite friend, Noah, and they had fun talking and sharing food. Hopefully Sam will stay awake next year:)

Sam (hiding in the stroller), Jake, Noah, and Sophie waiting for the parade to march past.

Jake liked the plane on this float.

Daddy and Jake watching the parade. 

jake got really excited when he saw these horses!

The tractors with their big wheels were also a hit with Jake.

smiles, part 2

I made a post about all of Jake's smiles, and Sam didn't want to be left out. Already wanting to keep up with his big brother:) Sam decided to start smiling all the time this past week, and we melt every time we see his gummy grin. It just makes our day. Here are some captured on film, from the first inklings of a smile, to the lopsided grin, to the full-blown real deal. Enjoy!

hint of a smile forming

sweet, demure smile

a little bigger

the sideways grin

 happy boy

big grin

 I don't think he could get any happier! The bigger he smiles, the rounder and more chubby his face looks:)

8 weeks

"You want a piece of me?"

jesse tree devotional

Christ is the reason we celebrate Christmas. A baby coming so that we might live. This truth sustains me, and I look forward to this season of waiting before He arrives. Advent is a special time to focus on His coming and prepare our hearts. We decided to use this Jesse Tree devotional for our family this year. My friend Becca sent me a link to this author's blog, and I have been so encouraged by her poignant writing and simple way of speaking Truth to my heart.

Each evening we read the Scripture and short devotion, and Jake gets to hang the ornament with the symbol for the day's Scripture on the tree. The Scriptures start at the beginning of Creation and cover all the important events in the Old Testament, each pointing to Christ's coming. It's a wonderful way to remind ourselves of all that God has done and His great love for us.

We wanted something tangible for Jake, and the ornaments are perfect. I printed them out, affixed them to scrapbook paper, and then laminated them so they'd stay in good shape for years to come. You can print out the devotions or simply read from the pdf file each evening. We printed them all out and had them simply bound into a book that we can use for many more years.

Jake may not understand everything we're talking about, but we know he understands more than we think. Sam is too little to understand, but he is still a part of our evening Advent preparation. We never want our children to go a day without knowing their Savior, and we pray that each of you has a personal relationship with Christ. This is the reason we celebrate Christmas- Christ's coming!

nativity

When we got home on Saturday, we put the tree up and brought out the decorations. Daddy put lights on the tree while Jake and I unpacked the nativities. We put our nativity on top on the buffet, and Jake's nativity on top of his toy box. He thought he was big stuff standing on a chair and playing with our nativity on the buffet. He likes playing with both of them and can even say Jesus now. Well, it really sounds like, "Jewie or Joey," but he can pick him out of the nativity. He also says, "Sheepie," instead of baa, baa when he sees a sheep. It's precious! He loves the singing angel on top of his stable and likes to take the figures over to Sam and show them to him. It's really sweet:)

Cheesing for the camera.

Playing with our nativity on the buffet.

Playing with his nativity on his toy box.

o christmas tree

On Saturday we all went to Davenport's, a local family-owned tree farm, to look for our Christmas tree. They had trees (cut or still in the field), a petting zoo, hayrides, hot chocolate, and a little ornament shop. Mark didn't get to come with us last year when I got the tree here because he had to work, so this was his first trip. We had a great time. We picked out a great tree, fed some animals, and even took a hayride around the field. It was a perfect day- cool with lots of sunshine!

Feeding the goats with Daddy.

Trying to find the perfect tree:)

Checking out the wagon for our hayride.

Family pic before the hayride. You can see Sam's hat sticking out of the Ergo. He slept the whole time:)

Jake and Daddy.