Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of our readers!

We have had a VERY blessed Christmas.  We were and are lucky enough to have a family here who takes us in every Christmas Eve and lets us be a part of their family celebration.  So after church we headed to celebrate! 

The real excitement started as we got ready for church....The kids were all napping, Steve had gone to church already and I was getting myself ready.  Slowly each child woke up.  I fed Collin, but didn't want to get him dressed as I feared it would be full of spit up before we left.  I told Isaiah to get ready, which has taken him up to 40 mins and me starting the car before he actually was dressed.  Brielle woke up crying, which only means one thing....she woke up too early.  So as I am supervising Isaiah getting dressed, I start to get Brielle ready.  And then it starts.  She doesn't want her socks off.  I convince her it will be ok.  Then I try to get her shirt off.  It's a no go too.  By now she is screaming and crying that she wants her Daddy.  Yup, I want him too, but if we get ready, we can go to church to see him.  OK.  Let's get tights on.....NO!  (with crocodile tears).  So, now we are getting close to being late, so I just take the dress and stuff her in it.  Quickly get Isaiah dressed, myself and Collin ready.  I ask, on the off chance they will comply, to take a picture...this is what happened.

 

At least I got a good shot!  (but we were a little late for church.....at least later than I wanted to be there)

 

 

It was a super late night, but it was worth the 10:30 bedtime!

 

 

We woke up Christmas morning and I am not sure who was more excited, me or the kids! We started opening presents around 7:30 and finished around 4:30pm! It was really fun watching the kids open a gift and want to play with each one before they would move on. 

 

 

Our Tree

Isaiah's gift from Santa

 

Collin loves his new Lion toy

Brielle's "Princess Pillows"

Isaiah's Hot Wheels Garage

 

Playing together with Brielle's dollhouse from Santa

 

We really had a great Christmas and are truly blessed.  We are looking forward to celebrating with Minnesota Grandma!

 

We hope your Christmas was just as great!

We have had a busy Advent season. Now that winter is here, we are having even more fun outside! 

Collin has had his first, of many, makeovers.  Brielle has decided that Collin looks good in a headband!  Since this picture, Collin has had his hair brushed many times. 

We have been lucky to squeeze in a little cuddle time with a really hairy Daddy.

 

 

Steve, Calie, and Collin were in our church's production of Journey to Bethlehem, where people came and walked through the streets of Bethlehem the night of the birth of Jesus.  We were Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  Though I think we confused Isaiah and Brielle, because whenever Isaiah heard my speaking part, "This is my son; his name is Jesus," he would ask, "Why do they keep saying that?  His name is Collin."  :-)  It truly was an awesome experience and VERY well done.  There were over 1200 people who attended the two nights.

 

We carried on the tradition of making a gingerbread house. This year we even gotten some of the candy on the house, in addition to what was all over the floor or shoved in their mouths.  Isaiah and Brielle each got to decorate one side of the roof.

 



 

And while the older two are keeping busy doing all sorts of festive Christmas things like making ornaments, baking cookies, wrapping presents and so on... Collin is busy growing up and getting older--5 months!  He's now rolling over and also started eating cereal.  We're pretty sure that he is the messiest cereal eater of the three so that should make things quite interesting in a couple of years.  We can only hope it is temporary as the two other ones are anything but neat when eating!



This past week brought us our first heavy snowstorm of the winter... just about 18 inches!  After several hours of shoveling, we also had plenty of time to build a snow fort and have some snowball fights.  Isaiah LOVES being outside in the snow; he will stay out there forever, no matter how rosy and chapped his cheeks get.  Brielle loves the idea of being outside more than actually being outside.  She never lasts too long though as she is quick to get "super chilly" and asks to go "back inside."

Live action shot.  Look out!

Of course one of Daddy's and the kid's favorites is pulling out the traditional Santa train.  We almost forgot to take it out this year but luckily the train tracks and cars are now strewn throughout the living room now.  Isaiah and Brielle love watching it go and singing along with the music it plays.  Even Collin has enjoyed watching the train go around.

 
And of course we have been blessed over the last couple weeks with many presents showing up from all over the country.  Our kids are so fortunate to have family and friends that care and send all sorts of fun things.  It has been surprising that the kids have pretty much left all the presents under the tree untouched.  Though that is probably because they have kept themselves more-than-entertained with the big box Great Grandma from NJ sent her gifts in.  This has been the source of hours of fun; we told her that she should save money next year and only send the box!

So just how many Vera children fit into this box???

We're thinking maybe next year, we'll just package the two of them up and send them to different places to celebrate Christmas with the rest of the family in other states.  Don't think they'll mind one bit!

All 3 of our little munchkins!

What more could we even think to ask for this Christmas?  We are so blessed and thankful for these 3 kiddos in our lives... without question the greatest three gifts we've been given.  The excitement, fun, laughs (and headaches) never end with these goofballs.  Hope you all have a very blessed holiday season celebrating with those that mean the most to you.  Merry Christmas!!!

Collin's video debut

Collin is a Vikings fan!  My Dad would be so proud!  He is watching the Vikings game and cheering them on!  Check it out!

This weekend Collin is also making his theatrical debut, starring as baby Jesus in Journey to Bethlehem at our church.  I will try to get a picture tonight to post.  Hopefully I can do it before Christmas! 

Other than keeping busy, all has been well here.  Except last night that is!  We had the text book definition of a rough night!  Steve was throwing up, Isaiah had bad dreams, Brielle was coughing, and Collin had gas.  So, I was one busy lady doing everything except sleeping!  Turns out Brielle was throwing up too, we just didn't know it, so she quietly slept in it.  I discovered this fact as we were about 10 mins away from walking out the door to go to church.  I had everyone else ready, as I was waiting until the last second before I had to wake her up.  Needless to say we didn't make it to church today. 

We have started our Christmas baking, and now all Brielle wants to do is bake cookies.  She gets really mad when I tell her not today!

We are looking forward to Christmas and all of the celebrations that go with it.

November Happenings

So, we are well into November and this post is way past due!  We have been SO busy here it is nice to have a moment to update everyone on what has kept us so busy.  Since the last post we celebrated my birthday, Brielle's birthday, Trunk or Treat, and Halloween.

My birthday was especially nice this year since it fell on Steve's day off.  We went out for breakfast, went to the zoo, had nap time, and rounded out the day with a quick dinner.

Isaiah loves to take pictures

 

We participated in our 2nd annual Trunk or Treat at our church this year.  I love Halloween, so I always try to come up with a theme for our trunk that matches our costumes.  This year it was Sesame Street.

Super Grover, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster

 

 

We also went to a pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkins.  Brielle would make her choice, then change her mind.  She would have walked all over the patch until she found the perfect pumpkin.  She settled on one finally.

Waiting to get our wristbands

Wagon ride to the patch

Searching.....

Found one!

Brielle found one

and another..

and another!

Bouncing on the huge pillow trampoline

 

The week of Halloween found our house extremely sick.  Both Isaiah and Brielle had 103 temps.  We spent most of the week watching Halloween movies and shows and of course the Imagination Movers (a TV show).  They were feeling a little better, so we let them go to a few houses for trick or treating.   

 

 

Ready to go trick or treating



 

Collin's first Halloween



 



He passed out while I passed out candy

 

 

The Friday after Halloween brought Brielle's 2nd birthday.  She knew it was her birthday and that she was turning 2.  Just ask and she will tell you, along with show you two with her fingers! 

 

Brielle and her cake

The Cake

"sota" (as in Minnesota) Grandma and Brielle

The food....We had banana splits, monkey bread, monkey poop (choc covered raisins), banana bread muffins and monkey munch.

and jungle juice to drink

Banana split toppings

the boys in the bounce house

pile on Daddy

blowing out the candles

With Daddy's help

Brielle and her future husband

Combing Daddy's hair with her brush from her new vanity set.

 

 

That was the end of our celebrations, but in the middle of all of that, Steve has been working on refinishing the cupboards.  He has sanded, stained and varnished each one.  They look beautiful.  Last Friday he and Pastor Charlie put in most of our new counter top.  Steve finished the weekend off by putting in our new sink and faucet.  Here are some before and after shots.

 

Old Sink

old counter top

old counter top

 

Where the sink was

Old counter top is gone

This is a collection on peanut shells and mouse poop. 

We have never had whole peanuts in our house.  GROSS! 

Closer view

More mouse poop

Finished! No more gap!

Finished

New sink

 Mostly done

close up of counter top

And then there is this........This is the breakfast bar (part of it).  It has been cemented to the 2x4 so it is almost impossible to get off.  Hopefully it will be done soon, but it requires a lot of work.

 

 

We love our new kitchen.  We will add a back splash, possibly under cabinet lighting and eventually flooring but we need to plant another money tree before we do that!

 

 

And now you are up to date on our happenings. 

 

Oh yeah, somehow during all of this Collin turned 4 months old!!!