Snug as a Bug in a Rug

I know it's a crummy photo but I LOVE having these guys all snuggled up in my bed on a lazy Saturday morning.   

It's a little piece of heaven on earth.

Christmas 2011

We did celebrate Christmas this year despite the lack of posting.   The picture quality and editing is horrible, but if I keep waiting to edit the pictures and only post the non-blurry ones, this post will never happen, or at least happen picture-less.

Christmas Eve we had Dani's family over for dinner and some last minute Santa cookie making.

We read the Christmas story out of the bible while drinking monkey drinks 2 at a time to make sure he was in bed before Santa came.

We took a Christmas Eve family photo to document that there were four of us this Christmas season

As you can tell there were no perfect shots (just feet covered, crazed look shots and me in my grubby clothes)  But we took the pictures none the less!

 The still warm cookies were left out with egg nog to help keep Santa's energy level up on his busiest night.

We all got to bed early and were awoken by a clean teethed Jack who had already made his bed at 6 am.  We managed to roll ourselves out of bed.  Will did not.

We busted quietly though the wrapping paper barracade Santa had left us

To see the splendor left below.  Santa must have thought we were really good this year.

We started opening presents

Santa always brings Pez.  I don't know why cause it's just gross.  But year after year it finds its way into our stockings

In true Jack style, he wanted me to open a present first

Jack loves helping 

We didn't forget about Will Baby upstairs

Thanks Aunt Sarah for getting William's stocking made in time for his first 

Christmas!

Finally awake!

Wait he's missing something

There.  Much better.

Jack got his much hoped for Brady jersey in red. 

And felt compelled to make this face while striking this pose

William got the marshmallows for our new smores' machine

He seemed less then impressed

Mom really wanted a nap

(Maybe they won't see me if I lie in the wrapping paper and cover myself with my hands?)

The guys keep going even though it looks like William is ready for a nap too

The aftermath

Who on earth is going to clean up this mess?

How Jack spends his days

Here's a few pictures I've taken of Jack recently to document one of his new favorite past times...

I love that I am starting to have to ask him multiple times to stop reading and come have dinner, brush his teeth, or hop in the car instead of having to ask him to turn off the wii.    Sure we still have to work on the multiple times part, but he's a work in progress :)

Some Will Baby photo love

Don't you just want to reach through your computer and kiss him!!!

Passing time

One of the best things about living close to my sister in San Diego, is when the fates align and our kids don't nap on the same days and we decide the best way to make it through the rest of the day until dads come home is to go to the beach.

We had a lovely time swinging the kids at the beach park and watching Jack play in the waves and Mads run away from them.

The view from the swings.  Life doesn't get much sweeter then this.

Aren't they all beautiful!

Yesterday Jack and Will both had colds and bad coughs.   Will was a disaster at home so we decided we might as well take our crazy out of the house for a while.  We met Dani's gang at La Jolla Cove to see the seals.  Despite a little mishap of being at the wrong seals, it was the perfect thing to take Will's mind off of his ailing little body.  He was perfectly content in the bjorn blowing spit bubbles and chatting up a storm.   We even saw a guy out walking his bunny on a leash.  He looked a little ashamed to be walking a bunny but I got a real kick out of it.  :)

Jack out on the sea wall (notice the trademark red mustache under Jack's nose.  Courtesy of him not knowing how to blow his nose.  Man, we need to work on that one...)

Me and my little loves

I am a happy lady surrounded by all these handsome guys!

Jack's First T-Ball Team

Jack has wanted to be on a real team for the last two years.  Unfortunately when you move around like we do you inevitably miss all relevant team registration deadlines while doing things like unpacking.  Saturday however, Jack finally joined his first team - The Red Sox.

His first team!!!

Waiting for his turn at bat.   I love how his uniform is not too big to look sloppy but just big enough to make him look like the small fry he still is...

Check out his "I'm ready to catch that ball stance"

First time up to bat with Red Sox Manager Zack :)

Practicing his swing

Dani, Sean and Moo made the event complete.  Jack played first base one inning and got a player out and he made it on base each time he was up to bat.

Will Baby cheering on the Red Sox on the sidelines.

After the first game, our sponsor paid to put all of the kids names on their jerseys.  Super cute!!! 

Looks like our Saturdays are going to be full of T-ball until June!

Dear Jack

Dear Jack,

Today you had your first fight with your best friend.  She's not your first best friend, but you've managed to skate by with your others without a real fight.  Until today.  Maybe it happened today because your best friend is a girl, and guys will never truly understand girls.

You came home and told your father and me that something bad happened at school.  That you had told Claire not to run on the blacktop and how she had told you she knew that already and then burst into tears.  You decided she didn't want to be your friend anymore, came home, threw the worlds largest tantrum and melted down into a big pile of mush.

It makes me remember all the fights I've had with my best friends.  The time my mom left for 20 minutes and when she got home Dani and I were both covered in one another's hand prints, the time Kristen and I fought (over what I don't remember) and my mom drove me over and forced me to apologize (a fact I made sure Kris knew) and we both burst out laughing, and all the times that your dear kind father steps on a hidden landmine and I burst into tears.

My little heart, this is the first of so many days to come where your attitude will be affected by a girl.   You will break some hearts, some will break yours, and one hopefully will make you as utterly complete as your father makes me.

Tomorrow Clarie will forgive you, or maybe she'll even ask you for your forgiveness for falling apart.  Girls are complicated like that.

Love, Mom