Is it Christmas yet?

Jackson made a gingerbread house. Brooks just ate candy.

Jackson is a little crazy right now! He is so excited and keeps asking when Christmas is. It doesn't help that it has been cold and rainy the past few days. It is supposed to warm up tomorrow with a few thunderstorms. We tried to go outside for a little bit yesterday, but even with a fire it was too cold. We did roast some marshmallows though. Brooks took a long nap, and Jackson played quietly. I love that Brooks still loves to cuddle. He is very active, but still wants to be held when going to sleep.  He is wild and crazy though. He loves to run and scream especially after baths when he runs around naked. He loves to play cars and wants to be with Jackson. He says thank you a lot now. It is so sweet. He loves to yell, "tada!" This child would brush his teeth 10 times a day if we would let him.

Jackson has had a rough few weeks behavior wise. He has been saying mean things and just being defiant. He had to go to bed by himself last week. He screamed until he fell asleep. He also insists on sleeping with a zillion things- his blank, Baby Sheep, Baby Sheep's blank, Baby Sister, Baby Monkey, his Cars pillow that used to belong to Briggs, and his blue Micky pillow. It is crazy! He is doing well with potty training. He pees all the time and is getting better at the other.

We went to Greenville today just to run errands and get out of the house. Then we came home made cookies. Jackson likes using the cookie cutters, but if I am being honest, they both just like to eat the dough.

The ended the night playing in rocket ships or old diaper boxes. It is the little things that are so much fun!

We attempted pictures in our Christmas pajamas!

The Polar Express

The boys have been so excited about this. Jackson could not sleep last night and was up at 6 this morning. We started out with breakfast at William's Hardware- yum! Then we made the trip to Bryson City, NC. It was a nice drive even if we had to stop for several potty breaks. Jackson and Brooks stayed awake the entire two hour trip!  We got there around 12:30 and explored the town. It is really cute and has some fun stores. We were able to watch the train leave. The boys liked that. We also went to the train museum which was really cool. Of course the boys just wanted to play with the train tables.

We went back to the car and put the boys in their pajamas. It was cold (40s) and cloudy. We went to a bookstore ( later Jackson would say that was his favorite part). Then it was time to board the train. Jackson was so excited about his ticket! Brooks just wanted to eat his. We boarded and found our seats. The boys were so excited. Then we were off! We got our hot chocolate and cookies first. The boys loved the cookies but not the hot chocolate. The train ride was pretty. The tracks run along a river. We listened to the book and sang some songs. Before we knew it, we arrived at the North Pole. Santa waved to us from his sleigh. Then we stopped because there were deer on the track! As we headed back, we sang more songs. Poor Jackson was so exhausted that he fell asleep before Santa came. Brooks was excited to see "Oh Oh Ho." He wanted to rundown the aisle. Santa gave both boys a bell, and we got some pictures. Then we were back at the station. We even ran into some people from church.

We left and headed back to the car. Brooks fell asleep as I carried him and slept until we stopped in Greenville. Jackson stayed awake the whole way home.

We had such a fun day. Jackson really gets all of the excitement of Christmas, and it is so much fun.

Last Week of School

This was a very busy week full of last minute shopping and trying to get everything done. My kids at school were great, and we enjoyed caroling and a fun party decorating gingerbread houses.

Jackson had his party on Thursday. Apparently Brooks made himself right at home and enjoyed running from the classroom. Jackson ate chicken minis and cupcakes. He also made a cute ornament.

Jackson sang in his program on Friday. Brooks was not as good this time. Jackson's group was cute. It is hard to believe Brooks will be doing the program next year.

I also had several appointments this week, but I did have a Central Sisters party to go to. Tim and I went to dinner with the Watsons Friday night.

I am looking forward to two weeks off!

Brooks 18 month old check-up

Brooks had his check-up today and got one shot. He is doing great and was really good for Dr. Hart. He only cried during the shot and when he was made to walk.

Weight:24 lbs 6 oz (47%)
Height: 2ft 8 in (23%)
Head: 48. 3 (71%)

Jackson's First Christmas Pageant

Jackson sang in his first Christmas Pageant at church. He did a great job. Brooks made it through by eating lots of fruit snacks and coloring on the offering envelopes. We skipped dinner at church and ate at Noni's instead.

Christmas Fun

Breakfast with Santa
This morning we went to the Children's Museum for their annual breakfast. We had a great time last year, so we had high expectations for this year. We were disappointed. It is expensive and was definitely not worth the money this year. First of all we were crammed at a table with another family. This completely shut down Jackson. It takes him awhile to get used to new people. Then the food was cold. Jackson ate nothing, and Brooks nibbled on pancakes. Then we were supposed to wait at our table until they called us for pictures with Santa. This is not smart for young children. Finally they told everyone to just go get in line. The boys did sit with Santa but would not smile. They did enjoy the two craft stations, but were disappointed we did not make reindeer food. We went to the story time this year. It was cute but a little long. Mrs. Claus told stories, and Rudolph and Frosty made special appearances. Brooks liked it. Both boys enjoyed singing songs.  I think they had the most fun playing in the farm  and construction area. Brooks is a wild man on the slide now.

Cookies for Santa Plate
We also went to paint our annual plate. It all started out fine. Tim had a simple design. Jackson picked out ornaments for him and Brooks to paint. We got their feet painted and on the plate. Jackson was happily painting his gingerbread man. Then all of a sudden there was a huge meltdown, a screaming meltdown because he said he didn't know how to paint. I had to drag both boys out of the store screaming with everyone staring at us. Jackson asked me why I had to be so mean to him all the time. He is starting that early, isn't he?

Festival of Trees
If I didn't have to go to all of these places today, we would have just gone home. Jackson took a 15 minute power nap and woke up in a better mood. We walked to see all of the Christmas trees. The boys enjoyed it. The day was perfect with temps in the mid 60s so we decided to walk and find something for lunch. We happened to find Santa driving his sleigh and giving rides. Jackson and I rode 2 years ago. I took the boys again this year. It was fun. Brooks waved to people, and Jackson soaked it all in.

Errands
The boys wanted Frodo's so we all enjoyed our pizza while watching Prancer. Then we went to the mall to buy Jackson sone new shoes. He is in a 9 1/2 wide now. Then we went to Costco to stock up on our usual. We were all tired of traffic and people by that point so we headed home.

Attempt at Pictures