Merry Christmas to all! Hope everyone's day was filled with joy, laughter, family and thoughts of the best present of all - the birth of baby Jesus.

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2: 10-11

We took the boys to see Santa Claus yesterday at the FMG with some friends. Both of the boys did really well especially considering how long we waited to see him. Then we braved the long lines again to get inside to see the trains which Lo and Colin loved!

Here are some random {phone} videos from the past few days....

Colin's first time hearing this book

Elias playing with Daddy

Daddy being silly

Last week's goals:

• Menu Planner: Dinner at Mom and Dads, Burgers, Chicken Alfredo, A Big Fat Who Knows, Thanksgiving, Dinner Out?, and Tacos
• Make Thanksgiving treat for the boys' teachers
• Finally mail out Elias' birth announcement to the White House
• Mail letter to Disney for the boys (http://pinterest.com/pin/197173289905449111/)
• Write note of Appreciation to someone
• Game plan for Thanksgiving Sales (can I hit any before work?) and Black Friday
• Go to bed before 11pm at least 2 nights
• Complete at least 1 pin Completed http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cheese-and-bacon-potato-rounds/detail.aspx and http://cookiesandcups.com/pumpkin-dump-cake/ Potato Rounds I'd make again. Pumpkin Dump Cake probably not. It wasn't bad (others enjoyed) but I wasn't wild about it.

This week's goals:

• Menu Planner: Dinner at Mom and Dads, Italian Crockpot Chicken, Out with Friends, Tacos, Chop Suey, Cheesy Crockpot Chicken, and Dinner out (go out of town?)
• Complete at least 1 pin
• Go to bed before 11pm at least 2 nights
• Put up Christmas Tree
• Create Christmas list and distribute
• Start creating list of who I need to buy for, what is already bought, and what to needs to be bought

2011 has proved to be a pretty good year for us giving us many reasons to be thankful. Some of the high-lights:

• The birth of Baby Elias. As I even just think about how much joy that little boy brings into our lives, my eyes are filled with tears. I'm so thankful for him, his happy personality, his charming smiles, and his sweet kisses.
• My silly smart affectionate 3 year old. I'm so incredibly proud of the little boy Colin is becoming. And try to remind myself that when he pushes back that he is learning to be assertive and voice his own opinion.
• My amazing husband. I've always thought he was pretty great but his greatness has gone up another notch. He really stepped up to the plate when I was pregnant and took responsibility to many things around the house. Now that Elias is here, he amazes me daily by how much he does; works 50-60 hour weeks at work, more than pulls his weight at home, is a fantastic father to the boys, is the early riser, and even does the occasional 4am feeding :)
• Our health. I feel so blessed to all be healthy. So many things can go wrong with pregnancy and despite the normal pregnancy pains, we were blessed with another healthy pregnancy. In a year where many friends and family members around us had cancer and other major health scares, I'm thankful for minor illnesses.
• The boys' school. There are no words to fully convey how much we love their school. They lovingly care for Colin and Elias when we can't. Their teachers spend their days teaching my boys, making fun crafts, singing silly songs. The boys get to play with their friends but most importantly, they are told about God's love through words and actions.
• Jobs. While we may complain about our jobs, the hours, our co-workers, the stress of it all, I am so thankful for what it provides. Without it, we wouldn't have a roof over our head, food on the table, etc.

There are so many other things to be thankful for: our church, our Salvation, the sunshine, our family and friends, etc. We have so much to grateful for.