All Dressed Up

Makayla

Derick

I love to get my kids all dressed up for Christmas and Easter Sunday. It is so much fun.

Russell's brother came and visited for a few days and took some really cute pictures of Derick and Makayla in their Christmas outfits.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is the best when you have little ones. I was up about and hour before the kids woke up. I was just waiting and waiting. It was so fun to watch them open presents. I went way over board with the shopping. They still have toys in the closet that I put up because they got so much.

Makayla was not sure what was going on but she was having a great time with the wrapping paper. She also loves the boxes.

The kids got a kitchen to share. Derick loves to act like he is cooking. He has played with his kitchen every day for hours. He loves it. It is so fun to watch him play pretend chef. Makayla is still to young to play with it but I think we are going to get our moneys worth out of it.

Christmas day was pretty quiet we just stayed home with our little family. The weather was way to bad to see extended family. We just enjoyed having dinner together and spending tome watching the kids. It was a lot of fun. I am so excited for next year. IT will be great to see Derick and Makayla over joyed and happy getting new toys.

Having kids and watching them grow is a lot of work but it is so much fun.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we had planned on going to Grand Island to spend the day with family. I was so home sick and excited to spend time with my family. Well about a day before we stared to get a really bad snow storm and that turned into a blizzard. We still tried to go to GI that morning but the roads were way to bad so we turned around and came back home. I was so hart broken and sad. I just wanted to sit and cry but I felt that we needed to make the most of it.

The couch family from our branch at church had invited us over so we took them up on the offer. It was so sweet of them to have us. Derick had a really good time with there son Steven. The Couch family has 3 boys and they remind me so much of my brothers when they were younger. So that felt a bit like home. They also have a daughter named Amanda and she loves our kids so much and she is really good with them.

Amy and Dan couch made some really yummy food and we just had a great evening of eating, visiting, and laughing and watching the kids play. Thanks so much Couch's for saving our Christmas Eve!We love you.

Me, Makayla, Amy Couch, & Karen Kaduse

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a great time. I was so excited for some really yummy food. We went to Grand Island on Thanksgiving day and spent most of the day with my family. We then spent the evening with Russell's parents. It was so much fun to hang out with family and watch Derick play with Emma. They had a great time together. Derick also had a great time jumping on the trampoline with Lindsey. She is always so good with the kids.

The day after Thanksgiving we put on our shopping shoes and of we went. We found some good deals and got a bunch of Christmas shopping done. The kids were good sports.

Makayla and Mommy

The family doing a craft for the Christmas tree.

Emma and Derick

Halloween

It was so much fun to get the kids dressed up and all ready for Halloween. The only net so fun part was Russell had to work that whole weekend so he could not join us. Makayla was a little ballerina and Derick was GI Joe.

Derick loved trick or treating. We went with some friend and that was so much help. Derick would run form house to get his candy. The best part was he had no idea what candy even was but he was having fun collecting whatever was being handed out. He went form door to door for about and hour and a half and never complained. He was a real trooper and brought home some good treats for his mom and Dad. Makayla was also a trooper she just slept in the stroller and was really good. It was sure a fun night.

Blogging? What is blogging?

Sorry I have been MIA for so long. Life has really been busy. Having 2 kids so close makes for a lot less free time if any. I really hope to do better. I will at least try to post some new photos of the kids. They are growing so fast.

Our Big Boy Derick

Derick is 100% Daddy's little boy and helper. He LOVES to spend time with Russell. It melts my heart. He will copy every littel thing Russell dose even the way he is sitting. He is also a little shadow to Russell. I love to watch him. He is a t a stage right now were he is learning new things every day and figuring out now things. It is such a fun stage.

Derick will remind us that we need to have family prayer by coming to us and folding his arms. It is so cut. He has to help us shake Makayla's bottles every time she needs one. He has a play cell phone and he will talk on it a and then laugh and talk some more. It is pretty funny to watch. ( I guess he watch me to much on the phone.)

Derick is starting to say some words. He will say Dad, mom, baby, hi, and a few others but it is pretty hit and miss right now. Like he has not said mom in a week or so everything right now is baby and dad. But he sure know how to shake his head no and he knows what that means.

Derick is such a fun little boy and we are enjoying this chance to raise him.