Time Sure Flies!!

*****Warning: A very LONG post, but LOTS of pictures!***
It has been awhile. Things have been pretty quiet and low key around here. I know some of you were a little worried about our little family over the holidays with our Daddy being deployed, but everything worked out great. We spent Thanksgiving with about 6 families from our ward. The kids ran around and played and the adults sat around and chatted. It was so nice that I didn't want to go home! Nana (Brett's mom, Peggy) came out to visit us the first part of December. It was so nice to have her come and hang out with us. She went with us to pick our our Christmas tree. I have to say, I think we picked the best one. It was the perfect height and had a very pretty shape. Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it all decorated in our house. T has decided that he likes Santa Claus and M is still scared of him. So we have pictures of T with Santa and M is as far away as possible. I also don't have any pictures from Christmas because we were able to skype with Brett while the kids opened their presents. T got a couple of train sets and it was a trial to get him to open any other presents after he saw the trains! The trains are well loved and played with at least once a day, if not more. The trains even go to bed with T most nights!! M got a Leapster Explorer and loves playing with it. Our Christmas day was so low key and relaxing. We have loved spending our Christmases with our extended family, but I must say it was nice to just have our family. I love having Christmas on Sunday. It seems like the perfect way to celebrate our Savior. I did make M and T's Christmas outfits. Unfortunately, T did not cooperate and this was the best picture I could get of him!So far this month, we have not done much. It has been so cold and windy. I am thankful that we have not had hardly any snow this year. I have not been looking forward to all the snow that good ol' NJ can get! We are starting to get into the home stretch of our deployment. It will be good to have Brett home. I have told him that I don't want to know any dates of when he will be home. Too many times, those dates change more than once and I don't want to deal with that. I have some guesstimation of when he will be home. It helps being a key spouse because you are privy to information, like when deployments are leaving!! Brett should be home sometime around the first full week of February. Part of me is excited for him to get home so I can leave and not have to worry about the kids, the house, or be a parent for a little while. I figure he had 5 months of not seeing the kids, I can have a day!

M and T really have been very good. I look at them and see them getting so big. Brett is going to be in for a surprise when he gets home. T was talking, but it was very garbled and you could barely understand what he was saying. Now he is talking so much clearer. He has also gotten so much bigger. T is really a thoughtful kid. He is funny because he can be so particular about things. T has started doing puzzles. I am amazed at how much he can do by himself. He does get frustrated at times because it doesn't go the way he thinks it should. He does crack me up on many occasions. The other night I was putting him to bed for I am sure the 12th time (he is a master of stalling) and had just come downstairs when I hear him calling for me. When I got upstairs, he had his hands behind his head and his eyes closed and said to me "I rest now, mommy. I rest now, Mommy." How can you be mad at that!!

M is doing so well at school. I went to Parent Teacher Conferences a couple of weeks ago and her teachers had all good things to say about her. They told me that she is the child they want every year because she is so helpful and willing to learn. M has been so helpful at home too. She helps out with T so much. They love playing together and can't go to bed without saying good night to each other. I have been reading M "The Tale of Despereaux" She loves it and hates it when we miss a night. There are so many times she sounds just like a teenager. It makes me wonder what she is going to sound like when she really is a teenager. M just lost her first tooth!! She pulled it out all by herself. I was helping clean out our primary closet at church and I got a phone call from M telling me she had pulled out her tooth. I was so proud and relieved I didn't have to pull it out!! M is starting to read more and more. It seems like it wasn't very long ago I was pregnant with her and now she is almost 6. My how time flies!One little thing about me. My friend and I decided to study our scriptures this year and so on Jan 1, we started reading the Book of Mormon. The challenge, to read it in 40 days. I know huh!!! I have to say there are days it has definitely been a challenge to read 5-10 chapters at a time, especially when they are the Isaiah chapters in 2 Nephi. But it has been really neat too. I have read the Book of Mormon before, but never without a lot of pauses. It has been nice to read and see the stories. I have found a couple of things that have really stood out to me that I had never noticed before. So I am on Day 18 and will read Alma 11-14. It has really been an awesome experience so far!

It decided to snow the other day. I was not thrilled because I had to shovel snow, but the kids had fun playing in it for a little while!