Christmas Cookies!

Anna and I went to the McMillans yesterday to make some Christmas cookies. Everyone got covered in flour. Anna swiped a little bite of dough, see above, but then realized that sugar cookie dough doesn't taste very good.

Anna and Jackson loved it and did a really good job cutting out the cookies and decorating them with frosting and sprinkles. Hailey's recipe was very tasty! Sorry, no pictures of the final product.

Pumpkin Pile!

I know this entry is a little late, but I just love these pictures and had to post them. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we decorated for Christmas. We let Anna wear her fall outfit one more time as we were taking down all the Autumn decorations. Anna wanted to make a pile of all the pumpkins that we had. She was very concerned when she heard me talking about throwing them away and I think she was trying to protect them. However, we brought up the Christmas tubs and Anna immediately became distracted with all the decorations. We quickly put the fall stuff away and threw out the pumpkins.

Anna was so cute when we were decorating. We had Christmas music playing, talked about the decorations and about why we celebrate Christmas. Every few minutes Anna would randomly call out, "Merry Christmas Mom! Merry Christmas Dad!" (She just stopped using 'mama' and 'daddy' which made us sad at first, but kids have to grow up, I suppose.) Anna was just very excited about the whole process. When we took out the Nativity set we told her a simple version of the Christmas story. It is so important as a parent to help our children keep the focus of Christmas on the Savior, but I'm realizing it's pretty tricky with all the other STUFF that goes along with it.

We've been reading a Christmas story book to her every few days and I think parts of it are sinking in. For example, today we had a snow day. Yep, our church was canceled up here in the good ol' U.P. We were lounging around, snuggling. Ethan wrapped up Anna in a blanket and said he'd "swaddled" her up like a baby. Anna must have remembered that word from the story we have been reading because she said, "Anna not baby Jesus, I am baby Anna." It was too cute.

Shortly after, we got the sled out and walked over to my parents pulling Anna behind us. Anna laughed and giggled and squealed the WHOLE way. (It's only a few blocks.) She just loved it! I'm guessing there will be lots more walks with the sled/sledding to come this season. So, I am sure there will be more winter oriented pictures to post soon. Hope you're all enjoying this beautiful season!

IT'S A...........BOY!!!

We had our ultrasound last Friday and found out that everything is healthy and well with the little baby. We also found out we're having a boy. We weren't hoping for anything in particular, we just wanted to know what it was. I love to plan for things and HATE surprises. Anna went with us to the ultrasound appointment, and she is pretty sensitive about baby talk now. Of course everyone is asking if she's excited for a baby brother, etc., but she just doesn't want to talk about it. We'll give her some time.

So the first thing I wanted to do was buy the baby an outfit. Apparently I'd forgotten how much new baby clothes are. It's CRAZY...even at Wal-Mart. I mean, they only wear them for a few months, if that. Instead I went to Good Will and bought a bagful of clothes for much, much less. The picture above shows some of the cute things I found.

So we're very happy, very excited and can't wait to have another little family member. Oh, some names we are considering, for those interested: Isaac, Benjamin, Elijah. Those are our top three as of right now. We'll take suggestions.

Happy Halloween!

We went to the Church Halloween party on Saturday Night. Anna had been looking forward to dressing up and getting candy for weeks, literally. It's all she ever wanted to talk about. Of course on Saturday she didn't want to wear her costume. She'd been telling everyone, even perfect strangers, that she was going to be a butterfly for "Howleen." So, Anna did end up putting it on and we managed to get a few pictures.

Ethan and I didn't dress up this year. I did wear a burnt orange shirt and Ethan got a pumkin sticker put on his head when we got there...so we were still fesitve-ish.

Oh, the picture of Anna hugging her friend Jackson (a farmer for Halloween) is just so typical. Whenever they see each other they always hug...and hug....and hug...and hug. Finally we have to say enough is enough. Then they go on to ignore each other the rest of the time they are together. Kids are so random!

Another Sweet Cheeks

Many of you already know that we are expecting another little sweet cheeks. I am 16 weeks along, due at the end of March. My ultrasound is scheduled for Nov. 9th, and of course we're going to find out what we're having - I hate surprises. This video is of Anna talking about and to the baby. She is really excited about it and will randomly talk about how she is going to take care of the baby when it comes out...mainly by feeding it lots of bottles and taking it on stroller rides. They will be about 2 1/2 years apart, and I just know that Anna is going to be an awesome big sister. We wanted her to be part of sharing the news with you. (See the video clip below.)

Race Against Tobacco

A couple weeks ago Ethan and Andrew competed in a half Marathon (13 miles), Race Against Tobacco. For the spectators (myself, Anna, Grandma Susan and Grandpa Chuck), it was a beautiful sunny day in the 60's out at Little Presque Isle. The race was pretty brutal - lots of rocks, steep climbs, and intense trails. Many of the runners coming in were scratched up, some were limping, and we even saw someone being carried in by a fellow runner. So, not a race to get a "best time" on, but Ethan and Andrew both finished, unharmed, and we had fun going out to support them. Here is a picture of Andrew striking a pose as he comes in for the finish.