Tag, We're It!

Meredith tagged me over a week ago, but we had to get our camera repaired to get the pics off of it, so it has taken a while to get this done!  We have a long standing tradition in my family of going to the Live Nativity at church each year. As a youth I was an angel, head angel, and even Mary (they covered my blonde hair!)  Michael was a shepherd on more than one occasion I know.  So, since David & I have been married we have always gone, and we have taken Henry with us!  Last year it was so cold that David & Henry sat in the car & just joined us for hot chocolate inside afterwards.  This year it was not quite so cold, and Henry loved watching the animals and petting them afterwards.  In this pic Mimi & Henry were getting acquainted with a donkey!  He even shouted, "I want to go up there!" when the angels appeared on the roof.  I cannot imagine going next year with three.  I have a feeling David will be outside with Henry & I may be inside with the twins, unless it is a warm December night!

The object of the picture tag is to:

1) Choose the 4th folder where you store your pictures on your computer

2) Select the 4th picture in the folder

3) Explain the picture

4) Tag 4 people to do the same

So, Sally, Tori, Ashley P. & Ashley G., tag, you're it!!

A Very Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve at Nana & Papa's in Cullman

I was at the doctor & hated that I missed the festivities, but David & Henry reported back that much fun was had by all!  Henry always has a great time with all of his cousins.  With a newborn, 4 two year olds, 1 four year old, and 1 five year old, there is always something going on. David said Henry did not want to leave, but he was certainly tired when he got home! Thanks, Nana & Papa for the new Thomas train & the Thomas tent--Henry loves them both!

Christmas Day Henry refused to take off his pajamas.  I had a cute outfit for him to wear, but I did not push the issue.  After all, it was Christmas!  So, he wore his pajamas all day long & loved it!  This pic is of Henry & Papa trying out Henry's new sleeping bag.  Henry had a good time playing with David, Mimi & Papa, and Grandmother while I was on bed rest.  I really appreciated the extra set of hands since I am somewhat out of commission these days!

This pic is from Christmas morning.  I hate I don't have more pictures, but we got a ton of video!  Henry was a little hesitant to go downstairs, but as soon as the toys were in sight he took off running & saying "Santa brought presents!!"  He got a red guitar (which is all he asked for from Santa for the entire month of December), a little people garage, lots of cars, trucks, trains, puzzles, books, coloring books, etc.  

Meet Grace!

Today at the doctor we got a great picture of Grace in 4-d.  Do not be alarmed that it is a little distorted.  She is rather smashed up in there, and also the fluid makes shadows and wavy appearances on her skin that are not there.  We could not get a good picture of Grant's little face, but he was doing great.  Grant weighed 3lb. 1 oz. & Grace weighed 2 lb. 13 oz.  We were so excited!  They are getting so big (which probably explains why their mommy is getting SO big too!!)  They both have a lot of hair.  Grace currently has more hair than Grant (yea--hairbows!!), but Grant could catch up or surpass her in the hair department before birth.  We'll just have to wait & see!

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells!

Henry's rendition of Jingle Bells this morning at breakfast:
Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

If Only I Had a Camera!!!

I have done a bad job this week of documenting the life of Henry. However, there hasn't been much to document as we have all been sick (with completely unrelated illnesses, oddly enough.) However, everyone seems to be better. So, this afternoon we headed to the library for a family outing. David is constantly reading and getting books on tape for his trips in the car. I wanted books for bed rest, and we try to always have new library books on hand for Henry. I think the excitement of different books around the house makes it easier for us to keep him interested in reading. What was particularly photo worthy was the 4 1/2 foot tall Grinch in the children's section that sings and moves. Henry was amazed! I was definitely wishing I had a video of him watching it. Then, we headed to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner. We were thinking that the entertainment of a hibachi grill might keep him happy long enough for us to eat, and it did! He LOVED watching the man cook the food, and he liked eating it too. We'll definitely have to do that again...and I promise to bring my camera. Actually, I'm about to go put it in my purse right now. I don't want to miss any more photo ops this week!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Henry had a fun visit with Santa on Friday.  Santa was so patient and waited on Henry to warm up and sit right in his lap.  I did not get a smile in my pic, but luckily the photographer did.  So, we have a really cute pic on our fridge!  Henry has been telling us he wants a red guitar for Christmas from Santa.  He told Santa also, I believe, so I guess we'll see if Santa's elves can make a red guitar!

I think Henry liked the Chick-fil-A cow dressed up as Santa just as much! 

First Trip to the Dentist!

Henry had his first trip to the pediatric dentist yesterday!  It was a lot of fun, and he was even talking about it this morning.  He got to dip his hand in paint to go on a ceiling tile in their office, they brushed his teeth and he certainly had fun playing with all of the toys!  No cavities and a great report from the dentist was the highlight of the trip for me!  We'll go back in 6 months.  

Yesterday at the doctor the babies weighed 2 lb. and 2 lb. 1 oz.  We were so excited!  They are growing great.  All of the 4-D pictures this time were not good due to the babies running out of room and being all smashed up.  However, we did get to see him kicking her in the rear!  The sibling rivalry has started in the womb!
Last night we had a family Sunday School Christmas Party at church.  The kids decorated cookies and dunked marshmallows in chocolate.  Henry had a great time eating good food and running around playing with all of his friends!

A Great Holiday Weekend

Thanksgiving Lunch in Cullman with the Cousins

Having a cookie at church after Hanging of the Green Sunday night

Enjoying a chip at dinner tonight!  Henry even had salsa!

We have had a great long Thanksgiving weekend.  We have enjoyed time with friends and family, done a little Christmas shopping, and even managed to go out to eat a few times with Henry!  (I think Friday night at Davenport's was Henry's favorite.  Jennifer & Sara helped us entertain him, plus he loved watching them make the pizzas!)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! It seems every year we feel God has blessed us beyond measure... more so than the year before.   This year is no exception.  We are so thankful for our family, our friends, and our church.  It is hard to believe we will have two more precious babies at the table for Thanksgiving next year.  We cannot wait!  God is good!Henry & Maury did some Thanksgiving cooking today too!  They made pilgrim hats by dunking marshmallows in chocolate and putting them on a fudge stripe cookie.  Yum!  I did not have yellow icing to draw a buckle on the hats, but they did not seem to notice.  
Henry decided to watch the Disney channel this morning with Curious George on the ottoman.  I had to make sure both had a blanket & pillow.  Henry insisted!

Deck the Halls!

I started scheming yesterday, and I realized that with each passing week I'm becoming a little less mobile.  So I started toying with putting the tree up early this year.  Then I realized the housekeeper comes Tuesday, which means she could help us get rid of all the needles & glitter that will be all over the house after decorating.  That sealed the deal.  So, Saturday afternoon David got all of the Christmas stuff down out of the attic, and had the tree up by the time Henry got up from his nap.  Henry stopped at the top of the stairs when he saw the tree and said, "Christmas!  Daddy, look!!"  (I love the way a child's mind works.  They think everything is so magical!)  So, we went downstairs, and Henry did not even want his afternoon snack.  He just wanted to decorate the tree!  (Excuse his bed head!)  So, we did.  He did a great job over all.  We did throw a few ornaments down the stairs and break them, and I'm sure that will happen several more times in the weeks to come.  That's ok though.  We know better than to put out anything too precious this year, because it is all part of having a two year old!

Mommy's Little Elf!

Henry helped me with some Christmas shopping yesterday, and in return I took him to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream.  I think it was a win win situation for both of us! :) 

My Little Helper!

Henry has truly become my little helper.  He takes so much joy in anything that he can do with me, whether it is putting something in the trash for me or helping me cook in the kitchen.  Last night we had tacos, and he sat on a stool and helped me the entire time I cooked!   He put chopped tomatoes in a bowl (mostly missed as you can see, but he picked them up!!) He also put cheese in a bowl, lettuce in a bowl, and helped me put taco shells on a cookie sheet.  He was so proud of himself, and I was excited that he was entertained while I was cooking.  
Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

Each Wednesday night at church they sing "Happy Birthday" & "Happy Anniversary" to each person who has celebrated in the past week.  David took Henry up tonight, and they sang Happy Birthday!  He wasn't sure what to think of the attention, but in years to come, I know he'll proudly stand on stage as so many other children do!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Henry!!

Henry had a wonderful birthday as you can see by all of the pictures.  He really enjoyed seeing friends and family at his party on Sunday!  Nana was sweet enough to make the great Thomas the Train cake (video below).  Henry loved it!  Henry also loved his helmet that came with his tricycle!  He wore it around the house even when not on the trike.  It was hilarious!  (Still is.)  Then, today we went to the pediatrician for the big 2 year checkup.  Henry was 70th % for height & 30th% for weight, so quite "long and lean" according to Dr. Stone!  (He weighed 26.5 lbs. and was 35" tall.)  We were glad to see he is growing and healthy (although we already knew it!)  We are so thankful for Henry and all of the joy he has brought to our life the past two years, and we are so excited for the next two members of our family to get here.  I cannot imagine how much joy three children will bring to our family!  We truly feel blessed beyond measure!  

Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

An Early Birthday Celebration!

Our extended family gets together to celebrate birthdays every month or two.  So, this past Sunday we had our October/November Birthday Party!  Aunt Karen even made each person their own cake, and we sang Happy Birthday 5 different times!  Henry loved singing & blowing out the candles on his Curious George cake!

Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

Below is a video of David's creative train engineering last night in the playroom.

Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

There is hope for Henry!

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Untitled from Brooke Patterson on Vimeo.

There is hope for Henry yet!  This afternoon Maury came over to play with Henry, and look how sweet Henry was to Carter!!  We're hoping he'll be this sweet to his two new siblings in a few months!

I could not resist posting this pic of Henry earlier....possibly a little static in his hair?!?  Not his best smile, but his hair is cracking me up!!

We came inside from playing, because it was getting dark.  We gave Henry and Maury some milk, and they walked to the den & got on the couch themselves!  They were being so cute and behaving so well.

Healthy as can be!

Grace was trying to put her hand in her mouth! (above)  And below, our sweet little boy (who doesn't have a name just yet) almost had his feet in his mouth!

We are so thankful for two healthy babies!  Yesterday they completed the checks of all the organs on the babies, and they both passed with flying colors!  From here on out, it is all about monitoring their growth and ensuring they have enough room while they get a little bigger.  They each weighed 1 lb. 3 oz., which was just great.  They are also both turned sideways with both of their heads on my right and their little hineys on my left.  No wonder I'm so uncomfortable!  I'm praying they'll find a better living arrangement in there!   However, that is certainly secondary to their well being, and it continues to be a praise for us that the doctor says I truly could not (we could not) be doing better! :)

Oh, the cute things that you do (and say!)

Having breakfast with David on Monday :)

Feeding Grandmother's fish, Herbie, who has come to live with us until she returns from her trip to NYC!

Henry just says the funniest things these days!  I wish I could remember all of them, but here are a few examples:

-I told him to come feel the babies kicking in my belly.  He ran over and gently, quietly placed his hand on my stomach & then said, "I feel it!"  I said, "You do?"  (I thought he really did.)  He said, "It's a basketball!"

-He asked for skittles for breakfast this morning.  As far as I know he has never seen, much less eaten a skittle, nor do we have any in our house.

-He told me last week, "Mommy, your belly is too big."  (Thanks, Henry!)

-He answers the phone and carries on conversations with people, and don't even think about taking the phone away from him either!  He will set you straight in a hurry!

-He often likes to sing in the car, but I am typically prohibited from singing with him.  He'll say, "No mommy!  Do not sing!  Janet sings!"  (Janet teaches music at Henry's school.  Apparently she does a slightly better job than I do!)

Toddlers are just precious!  I have to write down all of these things so I will remember them one day years from now! :)

Happy Birthday x 4!

This afternoon we went to Pierce's first birthday party!  I think Pierce had a great time, and all the kids definitely did.  Coincidentally, today is also Matt's birthday, so we were celebrating both!  This morning we were in Cullman for Papa Grady's 88th Birthday, but we also celebrated Uncle Brian's Birthday.  Henry has had WAY too much sugar in the past 24 hours with all of candy & cake!  Happy Birthday, everyone!

 No, that is not a baby doll!  Sweet Kate this morning in Cullman was holding baby Grayson.  He never woke up, so apparently Kate was doing a pretty good job! :)

Happy Halloween!

Henry had a great Halloween!  This afternoon we put on his costume and let him go and trick or treat at the neighbor's house before going to the church Trunk or Treat.  Henry got a big kick out of everyone wanting to give him candy, but I think he enjoyed some of the activities even more than all of the sugar.  Believe it or not, he even went to sleep tonight at a decent hour!  We had a great time, and we are really enjoying Henry being old enough to understand and participate in fun things like this!