Gingerbread House.

Sunday evening, we decided to make our gingerbread house. We bought a kit at Target and we were so happy we did! It was perfect!

This was our first time as a family that we've decorated a gingerbread house...it's so fun to start our own traditions and spend time together as a family! It just keep getting more and more fun by the year!

Scott did such a good job decorating with the frosting! I love that face...he's concentrating really hard!:)

Brielle was really into it! She did such a great job too!

Braden was more interested in eating it!

The final product!

Snow.

My mom called me Friday night worried because she heard in the news that a really bad storm was on its way to D.C. area. I had also heard about it in the news but didn't realize how bad it would be.

On Saturday we woke up to this:

...it snowed all day.

With so much nice white powder we figured it would be fun to go sledding.

It was BAD out there!

...but the kids had a blast!

Later on Saturday we heard that our ward's Christmas party was cancelled. The whole world stops here when it snows! After living here though, I completely understand why. It just doesn't snow enough here for people to be used to this kind of weather...and we got 2 feet within a 24 hour period! 2 feet! That is a LOT of snow in one day!

This is on Sunday. Church was cancelled.

We were buried in snow.

Everyone was out there shoveling their cars... it took Scott almost 3 hours clear our car.

Brielle was loving life.

...and so was Braden.

They both played out there for a long, long, long time.

Brielle was having the time of her life playing with Baxter, our neighbor's dog. He is soooo cute and loves Brielle!

I have to give my brother credit for all of these pictures! He is awesome with the camera!:)

Braden is terrified of Baxter so he just did his own thing. He was mesmerized by the snow.

Such joy in her face. Just priceless.

There was sooo much snow!

Mocos...and rosy cheeks!:)

Is snow really that tasty?

My husband was shoveling for almost 3 hours! We haven't see this much snow since we moved from Idaho...

Scott got creative and tied plastic bags around his shoes, since he doesn't have snow boots.

I guess we are having a white Christmas this year!:)

The National Tree & Santa.

Last Friday, after Scott's last final of the semester we headed to the National Tree and to see Santa.

I was jumping for joy at the thought that we get to have Scott for two weeks!!!

This is the cutest little Santa's Workshop! I'm so happy we got to go and I think we'll definitely come every year we are here! I had a MUCH better experience here than at our mall's where they rip you off! At this Santa's Workshop they took a picture and gave us a 5x7 for free!!!...and we could take pictures with our camera too! That's what I'm talking about!

...and look how cute it is inside...

...the elf lady in the picture was so friendly...

I'm so excited to see Santa...I just can't hide it! OH! my heck! I'm crazy! I was in kind of a silly mood that day!:)

Brielle was so excited the whole time we were standing in line until she actually saw Santa and then she started freaking out and crying! We were soooo surprise that she got scared! Braden was such a good sport and after they took the picture he sat on his lap and told him what he wanted for Christmas. Brielle wanted NOTHING to do with him...after we walked out I asked Brielle why she got so scared? She said that he didn't have his hat on.

Later that day, we were saying prayers before bed and this was her prayer:

"Heavenly Father, please bless that my mom might listen to me that the Santa today was different and he didn't have his hat on and stuff...Thank you for the other Santa at the mall that had his hat on and wasn't different..."

I had to convince her that there is only ONE Santa and that this time around Santa was just hot and that's why he wasn't wearing his hat! We shall see how long she believes me...she is just too smart for her own good!:)

Static.

So happy to have seen Santa!


Braden was keeping Scott's ears warm.

The White House.

Being silly...the only way that we could get our kiddos to look at the camera!

I miss this man so much when he's studying! He's mine and ONLY mine for the next two weeks. I'm not sharing him with books!

He was checking me out...I think he likes me too...:)

Life.

Last Saturday we woke up to snow!

Brielle and Braden played for a little while outside, eating the snow and throwing snowballs. Until they were so cold, Braden started crying desperately because his hands were frozen.

I don't know what it is about my kids and wanting to see what snow tastes like...

We came back indoors and I felt grateful that we are not homeless and that we have a warm, cozy home to come to when we are cold...and of course we HAD to have some hot cocoa with marshmallows.

By Tuesday, most of the snow had melted. We ventured outside on a walk (to keep everyone sane) :) and we decided that winter had finally arrived! It was cooooold!

I followed Brielle and Braden around and just let them do their thing...they LOVE being outside, even when it's cold...my feet were soooo cold...

Brielle was just enjoying herself, just chilling in the cold...coloring, meditating...what a silly girl!

"Cooome oooon!!! Leeet's gooooo!!!"

Apparently, I was walking too slow for Mr. Braden's liking...

Oh! Look what Mr. Braden found...what would you call it? Snow? Ice? or Slush?

Whatever it was...

He was in heaven!

Then, Brielle had the bright idea of getting our sand little shovel and rake to play in the snow.

Braden thought it was the coolest thing ever!

So much concentration...

The things children find entertaining...

I think by then, my toes were about to fall off...I was soooo cold...but look at how much fun these two were having!

I HAD to beg them to come back home...

while I was waiting for them...I found this...they are all over here in Virginia. Just beautiful!

They FINALLY, decided to come back home! By then, I couldn't feel my feet!!!:) But they had a blast!

Later in the week, Braden whacked Brielle with something and cracked Brielle's lip. She was bleeding. Braden got in trouble. Brielle put on a Dora band aid to make it all better.

Another day, I made delicious homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. It was delicious and Braden let me know it was delicious, which is VERY unusual for Mr. Braden. He is picky. If it were up to him he would eat ice cream, cupcakes, anything sweet the rest of his life.

So he liked the soup. He kept telling me: "Hmmm...mom this good mom." But he took his sweet time eating it. He'd eat a bite then contemplate, eat another bite, then contemplate...he's picky and a slow eater. But at least this time he WAS eating and not waiting for me or Scott to force him to finish his dinner. When he would start contemplating for too long, I'd remind him to keep eating. He'd tell me: "mom (with a tone), I'm just looking at Brielle's plate." or "I'm looking at yours plate." I tried to keep a straight face but it was way too cute to keep one.

This little girl can bring me the most joy and at the same time she can also make my days soooo complicated! She's been so sassy lately, having MAJOR selective hearing, and so incredibly whiny. Sometimes I just have to remind myself that she's only 3 years old. I often wish I were an EXPERT at parenting, I wish I knew exactly what to say, the perfect consequence to give, how to always keep a calm and poised voice, etc. as she is learning, I am too...

She looks so ANGELIC and beautiful in this picture.

She asked me to make her a "princess" pillowcase. I was going to save it to put in her Christmas stocking but I couldn't wait, we both went to pick out the fabric. Of course she wanted to get fabric with Disney Princesses but I refused! Glad I could convince her that it doesn't have to have Disney Princesses to be a "princess" pillowcase..and she actually is in LOVE with her new pillowcase!

These days, I think I'm more of a negotiator than a mom!