Happy New Years (Eve)! I thought it'd be fun to close out 2014 with one last blog post (making a total of 103 posts this year!).
One (of many) cool thing about having little kids is that they can't tell time so they don't know that it's well before midnight and they're in bed on New Years Eve when, for most people, the party is just beginning. Ha! That's not to say we didn't host our own semi-lame NYE festivities here, though. (Note: yet another cool thing about having little kids is that they don't know how lame our celebration was!)
First up on our wild night was . . . Bath! But hey, that did involve bubbles AND bathtub markers. Does it get any better than that?!
Next up was the highly anticipated toast with sparkling apple cider (or "glitter cider" as Bailey called it). We mentioned it a day or two ago and Bailey had been eagerly asking about it ever since. I should mention that our kids don't drink soda so they aren't familiar with carbonation. As it turned out, Bailey did that thing kids do when they make faces that lead you to believe they aren't loving it, but then they say they like it. Bentley kept saying it was "hot" but he chugged it and wanted more!
We capped off our night with a little Frozen (the movie), playing and snuggles. A perfect end to the year, if you ask me! Oh, and you should know that they had popsicles tonight - obviously, Bentley's was RED!
You guys know I tell you all the time what a great big sister Bailey is, right? And how the boys absolutely ADORE her? I mean, really.
She was playing with Brooks this afternoon while Bentley was still napping and, oh my goodness, the giggles and squeals of delight from Brooks were endless. Just look at the sheer joy on his face!
And, better yet, listen to his giggles . . .
Merry Christmas! I hope this post finds you nestled under a cozy blanket, reflecting on a day full of memories made with loved ones. That's basically where I am, only my "blanket" is a space heater next to the computer - and my "reflecting" is in the form of a blog post.
We enjoyed a wonderful day today. Bob and I were up late last night getting everything ready for this morning . . . you know, the big Christmas morning reveal, when the kids scurry downstairs to see if Santa came and, if so, what he brought (because, of course, they were on the Good list. Duh.).
Would you believe we actually had to wake the kids up this morning?! They were all still sleeping at 8:30 and we wanted to ensure they had time for presents, breakfast and play (in that order) before we went to Aunt Lesli's house for lunch. As you might expect, it takes some wrangling to get everyone downstairs in the morning. When we finally did get downstairs, Bailey and Bentley ran right over to see if Santa ate the cookies they left.
In their excitement, they ran right past the trampoline and piles of wrapped presents! It was only a few seconds, though, before they were all bouncing happily on the little trampoline that Santa left them. Brooks, in particular, kept sneaking back to the trampoline throughout the morning!
We let the kids start by checking out their stockings. I requested that they go one-at-a-time so we could watch them. I love to see their little arms stretch all the way into the stockings in search of goodies.
After the stockings, came wrapped presents . . . and also more chaos. Obviously, it's hard to wait so there was some overlap but I did appreciate their excitement.
Once all the presents were unwrapped, there were frantic pleas for help opening and assembling things so Bob set to work doing that while I made breakfast (cinnamon rolls, because we all know I don't really cook). Apparently it was a group effort ("Team Buck", as the kids would say) when it came time to assemble Bentley's new race track. Make sure to note the excitement on Brooks's face in this picture. So sweet.
After breakfast, there was more playing until I was able to lure everyone upstairs to get dressed . . . just in time for Granny and Grandpa Buck to bring over a big present. Now, in addition to the little trampoline, the kids also have a see-saw! And, yes, it's in the living room, too. Ah, life with small children. I wouldn't change a thing!
These pictures are blurry because they loved the see-saw and therefore it was in perpetual motion. The best part? It has three seats so Brooks can ride, too!
We were able to pry them off the see-saw so that we could go to Aunt Lesli's house for lunch. Oh, and more presents!
Nevermind their new presents, what they played most with at Aunt Lesli's was the piano!
Granny and Grandpa Buck, and Grandma Bilyeu were there for lunch, too. It was so nice seeing everyone again. We have loved getting together so much recently (Thanksgiving, Bailey's birthday and Christmas). There's never too much time with family.
At home tonight, the kids were super excited to take a bath and use their new body wash/shampoo and loofahs! They also got to draw on the tub with new bathtub markers.
We have no shortage of desserts here tonight but Bailey and Bentley requested their reindeer cookies for snack tonight, so we obliged. Then they all rode on the see-saw some more. Such delight!
No see-saw or trampoline or the latest toy can ever replace the ultimate play-thing, though . . . Daddy!
