Our Christmas Pictures

We took the boys to the park on Sunday to try and get a decent picture for our Christmas card. These are some of the ones I took. I was pleased overall and my Christmas card turned out cute. So, it was a successful day with only minor boughts of fit throwing and screaming profanities from their dad! :)

My little model Braxton

Brady and Mommy

My 3 little angels... :)

My Son!

"Bryce, what can we do to make our days go better?"

"EAT ICE CREAM!"

The Joys of Potty Training

I've been away from blog land for a little while. Sick babies, potty training a 2 year old, and Christmas along with normal mom job stuff will do that to a girl... But I've been reading all of yours when I get a second and I have to tell you that I love blog land! It encourages me so much to read all of them--to share in your joys and frustrations and to know that you share in mine too! So thank you Ladies!

Here's a laugh for you today! As I said before we are potty training the 2 year old. My first child of course was the easy one--gave up his bottle with no problems, handed me his pacifier one day and never took it back, become interested in potty training at 18 months but was out of diapers in the early 2s.

My #2 child...not so much! He'll be 3 in April and he has his own agenda in everything so I've let him do things when he gets ready. With a new baby, I just haven't had the fight in me! But 2 weeks ago I read something that said most children are potty trained between 18 months and 31 months. So I sit and count up #2--He's 32 months and in diapers all the time! So I thought ok, we're going to do this. And he's done great! He's completely out of diapers even at bedtime! I'm so excited!

But there's one little problem...have I mentioned he has his own agenda? Two nights ago, I reminded him to go pee-pee in the potty. He walks right inside the bathroom door, pulls down his pants, and pee-pees in the floor. Since then, he's peed on a big thing of toilet paper that I set in the bathroom floor and yesterday he peed in the trashcan when he got up from his nap! I have no idea what's going through his head! The really bad thing is that I have to stop laughing before I administer the discipline! :)

Christmas Tag

Wrapping paper or gift bags? I think that Wrapping paper is more fun to open. Plus, there couldn't be wadded up paper fights if all we used were bags!!! (Ditto Stacey!)
Real tree or artificial? I love real trees but I have an artificial one. It's big and beautiful and it was FREE! (Do you remember Amy and Rachel?)
When do you put up the tree? The weekend of Thanksgiving....but this year I got the Christmas spirit the weekend before! We put it up and the boys put 2 ornaments on every night until this week.
When do you take it down? Whenever I get the energy
Do you like eggnog? NO WAY!!!!
Favorite gift received as a child? I'm not sure what I thought then but now it was my doll house that my Pop made. My gorilla, Patrick, from my dad would be a close second.
Hardest person to buy for? this year--Brady! What do you get an 8 month old that has 2 older brothers?!
Easiest person to buy for? Braxton and Bryce--they both have a list a mile long that ranges from a new Star Wars toothbrush to a Wii!
Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, I love it!!! It was my Mamaw's!
Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail if I can ever get them out. I've still got a big stack of Brady's birth announcements! Maybe I'll send those for Christmas cards! ;)
Worst Christmas gift received? There's a story that my family loves to tell of an outfit I got when I was probably 7. I opened a box from my Grannie and saw orange and brown plaid material and I said "OOOH YUCK!" I will never live that down! But the red satin bra in front of all my family when I first started wearing one was pretty embarrassing!
Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street, Prancer, Charlie Brown Christmas...anything except Christmas Story! (Lloyd loves that movie and I think it's stupid!)
When do you start shopping for Christmas? Summer time
Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yep, tonight at a Dirty Santa
Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Fudge and other sweets and my father-in-laws smoked meat
Lights on the tree? White
Favorite Christmas songs? I love Christmas music! The Christmas Song (it starts out, "chestnuts roasting on an open fire") and Mary Did You Know and Do You Hear What I Hear (I don't know if that's the name of that song)
Travel at Christmas or stay home? Growing up we were always traveling but I thought it was cool b/c Santa came to my house early and then again at Grannie's house. Now, I don't care as long as we're with our family!
Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Am I a mother of three? Of course I know them!!! ;) Ditto again! You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixon. Comet and Cupid and Donnor and Blitzen but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?
Angel or star on top of tree? I actually have a beautiful red bow my Grannie made for me
Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas eve and then Santa's stuff on Christmas morning
Most annoying thing about this time of year? Traffic
Favorite ornament theme or color? I have a variety of ornaments from mine and Lloyd's childhood and a new one for each year for each of the boys. It may not be the prettiest but it's special to us!
What do you want for Christmas this year? I want the kids to have a fun Christmas and for us to make lots of wonderful memories together!!!! Ditto again but something sparkly wouldn't be bad either--actually I asked Lloyd for a robe. How old am I?