It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! :)

 Loading up the tree with ornaments!  

 So serious in his decorating...

It's Christmastime!  This past weekend, we went out and bought our tree.  Bear Cub said he wanted a "BIG!" tree and so that is what we got.  Whoa...this thing is big!  He found this in the tent and I was a bit skeptical...it is beautiful...just big!  :)  We actually had to trim the top off so it would be off the ceiling...it was a bit like Clark Griswald in "Christmas Vacation."

Bear Cub was so cute as he seriously helped me decorate the tree.  You can see that we have little "clumps" of ornaments...he seemed to like to load up one branch before moving over a bit.  Pretty cute!  The next morning, he came downstairs and immediately checked his stocking...I guess he thought it was time for Santa to come!  I have a feeling that this Christmas is going to be FUN with our little man!  :)

Grrr....

Ok, so I was messing around with the blog and now I have lost my ability to put up the cute backgrounds that I once did.  Argh!  Oh well...so, I'm back to my simple blogging format.  At least I still have the spot to give you the updated news and share photos with you.

Silly boy...

I had quickly gotten BC a bowl of mac-n-cheese the other night and had to take a phone call for work. THIS is what I found once I got back into the kitchen...he had decided that he and Zoe would be eating OUTSIDE that night. Too funny! At least he was sweet enough to bring her food out too...

BC and his teacher, Miss Betty, during his Thanksgiving Feast at school

Sitting with one of his buddies before the feast. I think this was his "snake face." **sigh** Lovely.

Thankful...

Hi there,

I hope you all had an enjoyable Thanksgiving. We had a nice day spent with BOTH families...a yummy meal at my mom's with family and then on to Auntie A's house for more family time. Thanksgiving is definitely a time for FAMILY, and that is truly what is was all about for us this year. No real thoughts of Christmas, shopping, baking...just family.

Our sweet nephew, who was was suffering from a Urea Cycle Disorder (UTC), passed away early last Saturday morning. I have no profound or eloquent words for this surreal event, except that we will love this little boy forever and will always be thankful for the 18 days that we knew him in this life. I know we will meet him again one day. We celebrated his life on Wednesday with a beautiful outdoor service and then a reception at his parents' house following. The turnout was amazing...the support and love evident. The family is doing as well as can be expected and we are all continually amazed at the strength of not only this baby boy, but also that of his parents. They fought the battle hard and right along side of their son, teaching us all about the meaning of dedication, love, and determination. So now we know that there is a precious new angel in Heaven...his name is Anders and I am sure he is one of the most beautiful of all. :)

I will post pictures again soon. I just wanted to update you on things and wish you a belated Happy Thanksgiving. I do hope it was a good one for you!

Hi there

Check out those spikes! He only likes to wear his hair like this on Fridays. ??? Ya...you got me, on that one.

He LOVES to swing...just like he did as a baby! Having fun here at Great G & G's house

I love this picture of him. He is such a sweetheart.

LEAVES!

Hanging out with Great Grandma S.

BC with his best neighborhood buddies...

The snake scientist!

Zoe Belle...the angel pup!

Mr. Smiles...snake in hand, of course.

Proud Mama (Auntie A) and her sweet baby boy, A. He is a beautiful baby, for sure!

Hello! Well, here are some pictures...finally! Like I mentioned in my last post, it's been a crazy couple of weeks around here. Look at me now...it's almost midnight...what am I still doing up!?!?

Well, some random updates...no creative writing skills at this time of the night. Ha!

• We had a great time in Indiana and enjoyed the CHILLY weather. You'll see that Bear Cub enjoyed jumping in the Fall leaves! We were able to visit with most everyone while we were there...so it was wonderful to have that time with family!
• Bear Cub is doing well in school and is excited about this Friday's Thanksgiving FEAST. Parents are invited to this, so I'm also anxious to see how it goes. :) He's starting to talk about some kids in his class and when I pick him up from school, I see him outside playing and chasing with the other kids. It's these small things that just make my heart smile.
• Work is busy, busy and I am trying to catch up and get ahead so I can truly enjoy the time off at Thanksgiving. It's not often that us teachers get so many days off in a row, so I really want to be able to enjoy the time and relax. That means busting my booty leading up to next Wednesday!
• A few weeks back...Halloween was a success and BC looked adorable as the Snake Scientist. He had fun trick-or-treating but was good and ready to come home and pass out candy after about 40 minutes of it. That was fine by us! The less candy to have around here, the better!
• Our now 2-week-old nephew, Baby A, is hanging in there. He has a whole team of doctors working around the clock, trying to get and keep him stable. He had his eyes open today, which was a definite positive. It's a very difficult situation, but we all remain positive that he WILL be ok. He's a fighter, that's for sure!

It's amazing how a medical crisis makes you realize what the important things in life are. Does it really matter if I get all of the laundry washed and folded today? Should I really be stressing over the fact that BC is wiggly in school at times? Does it really make a difference if I get ALL of those papers graded tonight? The answer to all of these questions...and so many more in life...is NO. It just does not matter. What really matters in life is having a strong and loving family, friends, and of course, good health. So, as this Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I know that I will take the time to remember what it's important in life and to be thankful. Each and every day. :) I hope you can do the same.

We're still here!

Hi everyone! Wow...sorry for my lack of posting. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. Halloween was fun and I do have pics to post...still need to get them off of the camera though! Bear Cub is doing well at school and my work has been keeping me constantly busy. Last week, we flew to Indiana for a family visit, so it's been hectic getting back on track after that.

Most importantly, our sweet, beautiful nephew was born last week...9 days ago now. He unfortunately needs a lot of prayers sent his way, as he is fighting something called UTC, which is a Urea Cycle Disorder where his little body does not produce the enzyme needed to break down protein, which causes a build-up of ammonia in his body. It is very serious...and very rare...but he is fighting and doctors are working HARD to figure his situation out. Our family would appreciate any thoughts or prayers that you may have for this precious little bundle. We are full of hope and positive thinking...he WILL make it!

Amazing how it takes something so serious to make one realize how small and petty MOST of our worries are. If we have our health...we have SO MUCH!

I'll post pictures soon...I at least wanted to say hi and let you know what was going on in our neck of the woods. I will keep you posted on our cutie-pie nephew. :)

BOO!

The Snake Scientist in full concentration mode at the beanbag toss game.

Dr. Bear Cub...the mad scientist! ;)

Daddy and BC caught this fish with just a short line and hook that we found dangling on the edge of the dock. They caught 2 like that!

Wish this picture was less grainy...it's rare that we can get a good family shot!

Miss Zoe...this is how she lounges at night.

Hi there! Happy Halloween! We are doing really well here...staying extra busy, but having fun all along too. :) Bear Cub had his Fall Festival at school this week and it was really fun. We were so proud of him and how he stood in line to wait his turn at the games and followed directions during the Cake Walk. A year or more ago, he would have been ALL over the place. He is really growing up! :)

Let's see...Zoe had her yearly check-up today and she looks great! She's going to be 8 next month and both the vet and tech said how she looked a lot younger. She's still our lil pup! :) It's always good to get a good report at the doctor's!

We are all set for trick-or-treating on Sunday. I never did figure out how to make BC into a snake, so we decided to go for the SNAKE SCIENTIST. It's very homemade and random, but it turned out pretty cute and BC is just happy to be able to drape all of his snakes around his neck! Ha! ;)

Have a great weekend! Sorry that this post is kind of random...it's Friday and my brain is tired from the week! Happy Halloween!!