An early gift

Ben gave me a pretty special Christmas present...he took me to see Jim Brickman.

I've always liked his piano music. We went out to eat and then to the concert which was at the Orpheum..a very unique, historical auditorium in Wichita . We had such a good time. There were a couple other performers with him, the electric violin guy was pretty amazing!! They were all very entertaining with not only their musical talent, but the humor. Ahhhh, what a good Christmas present!

Christmas cookies

I made some Christmas sugar cookies...and had a little helper for the sprinkling part.

He took his job pretty seriously...

And discovered that amazingly the sprinkles that were spilt on the counter would stick to his hand...so naturally he had to lick them off. 

Pink hands, face, and tongue from ALL the sprinkles eaten!

A well earned cookie..he waited patiently to eat one..and it looks as if he enjoyed every bite.

It may have been a tad more messy to have a small helper..but I think it was just as much fun to watch him as it was for him to help.

Our Year: 2012 [Christmas letter]

OUR YEAR:2012
(there are several links to previous posts as you read along...feel free to click on them to look at pictures, etc.)

We've had a good year...make that a great one!
A few trips, a few changes, the best for last...a new family member!!

We had a pretty mild winter, and were able to play outside much of it without bundling up. Regardless, we were all very excited to get away to the beach in Mexico! My parents took all of us in February and we had a WONDERFUL time. You can see more pictures from that here, and here, and here, AND here! Christian still talks about Mexico and the airplane ride...how we should just go to the airport so we can go to Mexico. Ahh, if only it were that easy, we would all go frequently!

Starting in the spring, Ben started on a big project...finishing the basement! It started out looking like this. Over spring break, Ben's dad and brother came to help frame out the walls and put in the support beam. Throughout the summer the basement was Ben's "job"..and by the time the school year started, he had finished what was intended to be complete (all but the bathroom).

Ben changed schools this year...he went from teaching first grade to teaching high school spanish in McPherson. He has been teaching Christian some Spanish, and its especially funny to hear him talk to me in spanish and try to then "teach" me. He can say alot of the "Green Eggs in Ham" book in Spanish...quite entertaining to hear.

Speaking of Christian...he is an active 3 year old and it is amazing how much he has changed over the last year. He always has something to say. His vocabulary and the way in which and when he says things has developed so much from earlier in the year. Quite often I find myself saying to Ben, "what...how old is this guy anyway??" We love him so much, and he keeps our household quite lively in both energy and conversation. He spends alot of time with trains, trucks, cars, blocks, books, or some kind of hook/string to play while indoors...and pretty much anything is exciting and fun to play with while outside!

This summer we went to MN for a Birky reunion and extended it for a couple days for a little vacation of our own. We had a good time away. A couple weeks later we went to the Hershberger reunion, which was only an hour and half away...also a good time. We spent alot of time outside; in the pool, in the garden, and later picking lots of apples.

This fall we added Noah Benjamin to our family...and he's just the perfect little addition! He's already over a month old. Our lives have definitely changed, but its amazing how quickly it feels as though he has always been apart of us. It's so fun to have a new life to celebrate this Christmas :)

We look forward to celebrating with both of our families around Christmas. We have so much to be thankful for...and feel blessed to have our family, health, and our home...as well as much more. Most of all we are grateful for the gift of JESUS..the best gift of all.

Merry Christmas to you all...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We've been getting things up and ready for the big event at the end of the month..

CHRISTMAS!

Christian is definitely more excited and involved with the whole idea of Christmas this year.

He helped Ben put the tree up and helped me with the decorations.

He also decorated his own tree...

Ben and Christian put up the lights outside.

Christian's comment to Christmas lights on people's houses...."Whoa, I'm so EM-PRESSED!!!"

We drove around town one evening, and he got a kick out of looking at all the lights. In a week we're going with some friends in Wichita to look at Christmas lights...I can only imagine his excitement (in addition to riding in a little bus...oh my!!!)

We've also done various Christmas "projects"...

Santa ornament, finger paint candy canes, daily advent with the "Jesus Storybook Bible", playing with the fisher price nativity, opening a gift (I wrapped all the Christmas books we had, and had bought 2 new ones) in the evening..only when he hasn't asked MANY times and its not too late, coloring on the easel and the chalkboard wall with Christmasy things, and making/playing with a felt tree on the wall.

I think my favorite of the things we've done in preparation for Christmas has been the advent. He's at such a fun age, where he is very captivated by stories..and to have him interested in the Bible stories is even more fun to see!

There is another little person that makes this holiday season so fun for us...

I love to watch him like this, so peaceful.

Christian asks if baby Jesus is like Noah...I guess if there were a play or something, Noah would make a pretty good baby Jesus :) 

He got his first ornament from Grandma...

It's blurry, but I still like it...

Here's my little reindeer boy all wide-eyed!!!

[5 weeks old]

Newborn pictures

These were taken 3 days old.

Oh my precious lil' pumpkin..I just love him :)

BIG yawn!

So peaceful.

Bless you little one.

Melt my heart.

Ooooh. love.

10 perfect toes.

I think I probably took 50 pictures...give or take. 

Ben doesn't seem to think Noah will be neglected in the area of getting photographed (I think he's right!).

Oh Christian...

You don't have to wonder what's on his mind...he'll tell you, sometimes whether you want to know or not! I love this boy...he daily cracks me up. Here are some of his latest...

"I'm so 'em-pressed'!!! (As we drove into Mom & Dad's driveway)
"What are you impressed with?"
"The Christmas lights!! I'm just so EMPRESSESED!!"
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He's been naming random toys..then saying, maybe for Christmas I can get that. And then, he'll switch it up and say, maybe for my birthday I will get ____.

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We had one of the MYF students watch Christian the other evening while we had a sponsor meal at John & Chris's (Ben's uncle/aunt...YUMMY!)
She said when we got back that he told her that everyone has 'two bodies'....and went on to explain, "But only mama's bodies have milk in them for Noah to drink."
Oh. my. goodness.

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When we were at a local restaurant..a woman we know asked Christian if there was something new around the house (referring to Noah).
He excitedly answered, "YEAH!!! We have Christmas lights!!"
...Then she said, "Are you a big brother?"
"Yeah I am." (head tilted to he side with his half way smile)
"What's your brother's name?"
"Noah....but sometimes I call him No-ey!"

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Christian says, "I wish I had a girl. (after looking at pictures of our dear Iowa friends..the Brokaws)
Maybe there is one in your tummy."
me: "What are you talking about?"
C: "Well..it will take a little while and then you will have a girl come out of your tummy."
me: "Oh Christian..I think you are mistaken..this is not the case!"

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As I was feeding Noah..Christian says,"can I give Noah a massage?"
Sure.
So he proceeds to rub his back..."isn't that nice, that is a massage Noah."

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Uncle Mitch came over as we were finishing up lunch. Christian had eaten enough to "earn" dessert of a cookie. So he says to Mitch, "Don't ya want a cookie Mitch?"
Mitch: "No, not really. I don't need one."
C: "Oh, did you not eat all your food."
M: "No, I ate all my food, I just don't want a cookie right now."
C: "But if you eat all your FOOD, then you can have a DESSERT!"
M: "But I don't really want dessert."
This went back and forth for a little while...and then Mitch went into a longer explanation that sometimes Christian doesn't always want to eat any of his food and only eat the dessert...but for him he would rather eat his food and not his dessert. Then after his explanation, he said, "make sense??"
C: "No." "If you eat all your food, then you can have a cookie."
Agree to disagree!
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I was shopping with both boys in Walmart recently, and we were going down the toys aisles.
He was talking about the various toys he was seeing saying, "oh, I want that" ..or oohing and ahhing over all the trucks and cars. And he really wasn't being loud about it or anything...then finally he said, "Mama, you are passing by everything! We are missing them all!!"
He said it so seriously, I had to laugh! Poor guy, we got out of that section so it wasn't so hard on him :)
He was treated by the old lady handing out samples...a Christmas Oreo...he said, "OH BOY!!! I will tell Daddy that I got a treat and he will say...'NOOO WAY!!'"

(P.S. The shopping trip with both boys by myself went pretty good. The only downer was that when I got out to the car I realized I had an unpurchased gift (the whole reason we were in the toy section) still in the cart! I was going to drive to the front doors and hand it to the greeter person. Meanwhile, I proceed to back up and had completely forgotten that my CART was still back there! A man that worked at Walmart must have heard the lovely sound it made and came to take the cart...so I just gave the toy to him! Oh my, it was time to get home at that point. An accidental shoplifting and rear ending my own shopping cart...I guess the boys can handle the shopping but I cant!)

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With Christmas music on in the house..he is very curious about the words and what the song title is. He especially finds it amusing to hear "Santa Baby"....he'll say, "Did you hear that, Santa Baby?? That is just silly!" And later in the song they sing "Santa cutie.." which gets even more of a reaction since I recently bought cutie's (like the food..clementines) at the store. He does not miss anything.
We told him he will be able to sing Christmas songs in front of everyone at church with sunday school, so can practice his songs. "OH, I'M SO EXCITED! OH BOY! I can sing loud!"
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Mom and I were talking about a lady at church that was hospitalized for a heart problem. During the conversation we were saying the valve might be leaking, but they were going to do an "echo" (echocardiogram) to figure out what was going on. Well, Mr. Ears was listening to this conversation, and piped in to ask, "Echo? Is that scary?"
"No, its just test for her heart, its not scary."
He was satisfied, and went on playing.
The next day, out of no where he says, "Yeah, and Grandma says that that leaking happened on the echo?"
It took me a minute...I had no idea where this came from...and I asked, "what echo?"
He says, "You know, the test! Its not scary, that lady had leaking and the echo test."

Bottom line: I really don't think any info you wouldn't want known should be told...he will remember it..and out of no where bring it up.

His room

Here's where the little fella is now sleeping at night (when he sleeps!).

This picture was obviously taken prior to Noah's arrival...it was actually a week before.

Christian wanted to be included...

A couple weeks late..but these were taken on the quilt I made him.

SO tiny! 

[Noah 12 days old]