Merry Christmas

Brutus was the first awake at our house this morning at 6:30 am. I found him begging at his stocking because he smelled his new toys. Ty was up briefly for a bottle. I started our cinnamon rolls and Greg's coffee, anticipating the rest of the family would rise soon. Finally, at 7:45 my first sleepy eyed Makenna stumbled out into the living room mentioning the smell of breakfast and smiling at the dog. Soon, the others followed suit and checked out the mess Santa made on our floor as he came down the chimney again this year. Kate isn't feeling well but enjoyed herself anyway. Ty loved opening his gifts and everyone seemed to enjoy the peaceful, slow paced morning. Greg's been called into work tonight and my parents are scheduled to arrive in time for our crab leg dinner.....yummy!

We're ready for Santa!

We prepared our Santa plate of treats a little early tonight because Kate was begging to go to bed. The poor thing is miserable! Ty was also ready to be tucked in although I doubt he has visions of sugar plums dancing in his head! He is trying so hard to crawl, he was practicing in his sleep as I laid him in the crib! I read Twas the Night Before Christmas to Kate in her bed rather than the traditional reading as a family under the tree. I do hope she feels more like herself by morning. Since we had to miss church this evening, Greg I slipped away for a pleasant walk. It was a balmy 53 degrees tonight! If we can't have a white Christmas, a warm one will do!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

We always have a birthday cake for Jesus. This year we chose dark chocolate fudge...we just know God made chocolate for our pleasure! Anyway, just as we were all getting ready for church this evening, we noticed Kate's energy level suddenly dropped. Her eyes and face were red and she was running a fever.....so we read the birth story and had cake rather than infect our church family tonight too. We hope she is feeling better by morning.

Baby's First Christmas

Ty enjoys checking out the tree so I allowed him the opportunity to touch his first ornament (Daddy, Mommy and Baby snow people). He had to taste it, like everything else these days....

He's mobile!

Ty's figured out how to crawl....only he's stuck in reverse! He has gone all over the living room the last two days. He is so proud of himself; however, his new skills wear him out!

Christmas with the Baughman's 2009

After Grandma's funeral on Saturday, the family gathered at Greg's Mom's for Christmas. We enjoyed watching Ty unwrap his gifts (which we didn't think he'd do) and seeing Lizzie in non-stop movement all evening. She is a funny, busy little person. I now know how my sweet sister in law stays so thin! I took a photo of Carol's stair case. I have always loved it decorated for Christmas. It is just one of those traditions that I still enjoy even though Christmas itself is no longer one of my favorite holidays. Ty got some new OSU items, even one that came with a disclaimer! I think you'll know which one when you see it!

Luella Baughman

Greg's sweet grandma, Luella Baughman passed away quietly yesterday morning. She gets to celebrate Christmas with the Lord she's loved and served her whole life. She entered an assisted living facility after her 90th birthday and was disgruntled about sacrificing her driver's license because she was still needed to drive the "old people" to church and listen to kids in Awana say their bible verses every week. She lived a very full 93 years and was known for answering the question of "how are you?" with "oh, I can't complain". And she never did. She was a true inspiration of Christian service and love as she would bring the sick into her home, even while raising her own six children. As much as she will be missed by the many who love her, we just know she was welcomed into heaven with open arms.

It's a Wonderful Life

Makenna and Kate were both involved in a church Christmas play with their friends. This was Makenna's third and Kate's first. They both enjoyed the process of learning their songs and motions. Makenna was chosen for one of the larger roles this time and handled it well. She had a small solo that she wasn't aware she was getting until they sprung it on her at one of the practices. Her voice was pretty sweet sounding as she sang about what life would be like without Jesus. The play opens as a church musical is ending so Makenna is dressed as a shepherd who is irritated by one of the other shepherds who thought the musical was a waste of time because he wants to get home to his presents. The kids quickly learn that without Jesus, there is no Christmas and without Christmas, there is no joy, light or hope. They find the true meaning of the season and share the good news with others. In the end, the wayward shepherd can't wait to get home to share the true Christmas story with his family. As spot on as Makenna's lines and solo were, Kate was entertaining with her typical four year old antics. She was rather wiggly and expressive but pretty darn cute.

Ty is five months old today

Ty is developing quite a personality these days. He has found his loud voice and uses it regularly. He's generally happy and smiling but can make some of the funniest expressions and frowns too. Greg and I have found ourselves relaxing a bit and enjoying him more. At this point, we believe he is completely out of the woods with his health.

"This Coat is Very Itching My Neck"

Kate was not impressed with this gorgeous hand-me-down dress coat. Her friend Shelby passed it along and I love it....I decided some photos in front of the decorated shops in historical downtown Corydon would be the perfect setting but Kate looked less than angelic pulling and tugging on the collar. Oh well, we will never be the Rockefellers!

Chatter Box Kate

Kate and I had tickets to see Jack Frost at the Derby Dinner Playhouse this morning. We had plenty of time to sit and enjoy a muffin and some tea prior to the show since I allowed a lot of extra travel time due to the crazy weather and rush hour traffic. She had so much to say! It was non stop chatter for 45 solid minutes! I didn't get any more words in than "uh-huh" over and over! She went off on a tangent about how much she loves Santa. "Mom, I love Santa. He is so cool. I think he's like my best friend. I want to give him another hug. Don't you like Santa? Can I visit him again? Is he always at the mall? What are we doing tomorrow? He is awesome." and on and on......that covered no more than 30 seconds of the 45 minutes we had together prior to the show! Santa then showed up on stage! She was so excited! She could not resist sneaking in a quick wave...which seems totally acceptable given their new "best friend" status! It was fun to spend the time with her.

We are family!

So, we still couldn't get the entire family together at the same time, but we were finally able to get all the kids at once and in the end (on the same day!) got a shot of me and Greg! Honestly, my mother in law thought she placed a simple request for updated photos this Christmas! I hope she likes them as much as we do!

Funfilled, Busy Weekend

We were able to enjoy a quiet day as a family on Thursday seeing a movie and having pizza for dinner....it was a perfect way for us to hang out and make the most of the start to the craziest season of the year. Greg will be at UPS a lot more this next month and the normal hustle and bustle of the season tends to drain us so we decided to relax this Thanksgiving instead of spending it on the road or in the kitchen. Ty had his four month check up today and weighs 15 lbs 11 ounces (75%) and is 25 inches long (50%). He didn't even complain when he got his shot! He is a chunky and happy baby! Theresa and her family arrived last evening for a visit. I got to keep the boys today while she and Jamie went shopping, out to dinner and to the UK game in Louisville tonight. The kids literally played until they dropped. I love the time I get to spend with these awesome little guys and I hope Theresa got some down time.....she is a great mom who deserves a break!

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Kate and Makenna were excited about decorating for Christmas. They did the bulk of the Christmas ornaments. Ty enjoyed watching all the activity. Erin and Lauren have decided they are too big to participate in photos by the tree....bah humbug!

One Christmas errand down, many to go.....

Kate saw Santa in the mall today and wanted to say hello. I wanted their photos done in their Christmas pj's but Greg was not sure. Anyway, there was no line (the only place we didn't stand in line today!) so I got it out of the way. Kate was thrilled and Santa told her he remembered her from last year and promised a surprise for Christmas along with her requested Dora's Christmas movie. Now that I've spent hours in line trying to start the Christmas shopping, UPS will be delivering anything else I have to purchase this next month! Too bad I can't get groceries delivered too!

Thanksgiving Memory

I am glad to know I did not scar my children for life last Thanksgiving when I fed them dinner at the Meijer deli because it was the only thing open! I had terrible morning sickness for weeks and Greg was working. We couldn't find an open restaurant and there was no food in the house. I must have looked rough because the clerk gave us extra pieces of chicken! This all came back to me tonight when the kids declared that we HAD to have turkey for Thanksgiving because it is tradition! Now that I have refreshed their memories, Erin has determined we HAVE to go back to Meijer and eat in their deli! Since Greg will be working again this year, I think homemade pizzas will be perfect...I'd have to be as sick as I was last year to consider Meijer's fried chicken again!So, I am thankful for kind clerks and fun kids.

Happy 13th Birthday Lauren!!!

We pulled off two pretty big surprises for Lauren this year! We love to make birthdays special and this was Lauren's first year for a party since she turned 5 so she assumed we weren't doing anything today. First, my parents showed up for breakfast. Lauren was literally shaking as she opened the door. We didn't tell any of them Grandma and Grandpa were coming and they were all delighted by the surprise. After Greg's requested omelets and pumpkin bread, she was beyond surprised to open a mini laptop from all of us. Marking her entry into the teen years was something we wanted to celebrate in a big way....I think we succeeded! On Friday night, she's having her friends over too. Happy birthday to you Lauren! We love you!!!!

Loving those babies!

Kristin, Ethan and Avry came to visit and it was so nice to relax and play with the babies together.

Homemade Baby Food

I had a busy morning steaming fresh, organic veggies to stock my freezer with homemade baby food. Ty wasn't immediately impressed with his carrots but decided to smile about them in the end.

Weekend News

We all enjoyed our visit from Jill and Aaron. It has been too long. I love it when my friends from Dayton can come visit as our trips home are so busy we only get an hour or so everywhere. As Jill and I always do, we stayed up entirely too late catching up and laughing. Greg missed the fun here while off hunting his Dad's woods in Logan County Ohio. My dad was able to go along on Saturday. Thanks to my parents, Greg came home well rested and well fed! Ty was the only unhappy member of the Baughman clan this gorgeous 70 degree weekend as he battled a nasty head cold. The poor thing had drainage coming out his eyes, nose and mouth. Praise God his fever was low grade and not too worrisome since it only lasted two days. Fevers over 100 tend to destroy red blood cells so we monitored him closely in fear of a relapse.

New Phots of Ty

Erin's New Specks

She says they make her "look like a smartie".