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!  

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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! :)