Of all mornings for my children to sleep late- wouldn't you know Ben slept until 8:30! and we finally had to wake up Maddie at 9:00. Now most mornings I would be thrilled (this hasn't happened since!) They were both so excited, and shocked to find that toys just kept appearing! It was just magical! 
My children are so blessed! They got to spend Christmas with both sets of Grandparents. Bob Bob and Ju Ju drove all the way from Florida and Dee Dee and Pa Paw drove all the way from down the street! They helped make lots of memories for the kids and we all enjoyed our time together. Ben and Maddie are really enjoying their toys from the grandparents, and the hugs and kisses were great too!
Yes, Yes, I know...it's almost the end of January and I am just now blogging about the biggest holiday of the year, Christmas. Let's just say it took me this long to recover, like a really bad hangover. No seriously, it was pretty magical as you can see here. This was the little ones spreading their reindeer dust. You know, so Santa's reindeer could find our home. Well, thank goodness they did that, because those little sleigh pullers found our house no problem!
Here they are posing in their matching new Christmas pajamas. Psych! That just didnt happen this year. Although they look pretty cool. This is not a great photo of Ben, but I loved it of Maddie, and I am having a really hard time getting them both to smile at the same time! They both loved Christmas and really for the first time Ben "got it". At 4, things seem to kick in.
I just have to give a shout out to my friend Heidee for giving my son such a meaningful and fun gift. This simple advent calendar has been so much fun. Every morning Ben wakes with the question..."Mommy, can I go get my chocolate now?" He just loves it and it is just one magical part of this Christmas season. 
ok. Sometimes you just need to be silly. So, this morning as we were making breakfast, we decided to play with my most recent christmas gift. I received this lovely gag gift at my book club outing where we decided to exchage "white elephant" gifts....the only catch was you had to wear whatever you received- throughout the whole dinner. Luckily, I did not pick the shower cap! Ben looks like a real chef here.
Ok- it is official- Ben and Maddie have had a little chat with Santa. Ben wants a wobbly scooter (aka a razor) and Maddie just said Ho Ho Ho the whole time. This was a great Santa, and the kids were just great too! hint: click on the photo to get a better look at these beautiful kids God gave me!! 
I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to kids' birthday parties: Sometimes less is more. If you could only go back to last year's party- you would see that I am slowly learning this. We kept it simple. No games- just playing. ok, I did have favors, but overall, boys and girls (especially boys) love just running around and playing. It was even raining and messy out- but they didn't care, they had frosting and hotdogs to eat! And, check out that teepee! Many thanks to Auntie Robin for that creative and generous gift. The wheelbarrow is a favorite too- it get's lots of use in the "Landfill" which is what Ben calls the diggable area under our deck- aka little boy heaven.
Yea! Ben is 4! Can you believe it? How time flies. Ben decided on a train cake this year- in the spirit of the Polar Express. He is still not a crazed fan like some of his peers, but he is intrigued somewhat. I saw the cake pan in a catalog and just "had to have it". It was really fun to make, and it is served as pull apart cupcakes. Anyway, I am gastrinomically digressing. The most fun was just having friends and family join in on the fun. Many thanks to the grandparents who sent gifts and moolah! Ben has been ejoying it all. 
Maddie has started taking "Mommy and Me" Gymnastics at a local gym. It is quite a workout for both of us. Ben is in a regular class while I get to play with his sister. Ben took this class when he was Maddie's age so i thought it was only fair that Maddie get a shot! 
