3D Painting - January 8

The boys really enjoyed our painting project this afternoon. I had unpacked a coffee maker that Danny got as his Christmas gift from the hospital (those of you who know Danny know how really funny that is since he doesn't EVER drink coffee, but our parents are going to love it when they come to visit!) and it was packaged with two big foam inserts. I had read somewhere that those make a great "canvas" for little painters, so we decided to give it a try. Wyatt and Colter painted for almost 30 minutes while I got supper started. The greatest part is that the foam pieces aren't completely covered with paint yet, so we are going to let them dry and finish them another day.

Along for the Ride - January 7

The weather was great today - not too cold and not too windy - so Danny took advantage of the time to get some work done in the yard. He had two wonderful helpers who worked hard helping Daddy move the leaves that had collected on the side patio into the backyard to use as mulch. They loved scooping up the leaves, riding with them into the backyard and then stomping on them after Daddy dumped them out.

All Rolled Up - January 7

This is Zane's favorite new position - all rolled up. If I put him on his belly to play he quickly rolls over, grabs his feet and starts playing with his toes.

Wyatt's Fashion Sense - January 5

This is how Wyatt came running out of his room this morning after I sent him to get dressed. He has been picking out his own clothes for quite a while - sometimes they match, sometimes they don't. Here is our conversation this morning...

me: Wow, Wyatt! Are you sure you want to wear a short-sleeve shirt today? It's kinda chilly outside.

Wyatt: No, this shirt is good for today. It's not very cold.

me: Wouldn't your camoflouge shirt be better? It would keep you warmer.

Wyatt: Mama! This is the shirt I want to wear. I'll put on my fleece jacket for outside.

me: OK - can I at least take your picture?

And the "bed head" - well that is a whole other story...

Announcing "Scraps of Life" - January 5

I want to announce my new blog called "Scraps of Life." I love sharing pictures and stories about our family on this blog. In addition to sharing our lives with our faraway family and friends, it is a great way for me to "pre-scrapbook" and make sure I get the stories and other information down before I forget them. What I have been missing is a place to share me - my thoughts, my passions and my perspective on this life. In the midst of being a wife and a mom I don't want to lose sight of what makes me who I am. So if you are looking at our family blog and happen to think "How is Jen doing?" or "What's going on with the adoption?" or "I wonder if she has been scrapbooking or quilting lately?" go to my blog and you will probably find the answer. You can click on the link below (all the way at the bottom of the sidebar; I also have Danny's linked from there) or you can click here http://www.jengriffis.blogspot.com/. Enjoy!

"I'm just going to live in the refrigerator!" - December 27

Yes, this is Wyatt in our refrigerator. Let me tell you the story...

Wyatt has always been a pretty intense kid. He feels things deeply and isn't shy about showing his emotions (which is great when he is happy, not so much when he is upset!). He can also be pretty resistant to change and struggles when something is not going his way. He is definantly on the strong-willed side of things. We are always reminding him to "use his words" to tell us what he is feeling instead of throwing a fit or hitting whoever is closest to him at the time. A few weeks ago we started hearing variations of this phrase whenever he would get upset or frustrated, "OK Mama, but I'm just going to live at church (or the grocery store, or a tree, etc.)." As funny as those statements sounded, we realized this was his way of "using his words" to explain his frustration. On this particular day I was fixing lunch and we were out of his favorite kind of cheese. He was near the refrigerator and he said, "OK Mama, I'm just going to live in the refrigerator!", then he opened the refrigerator door and climbed inside. I had already been thinking about how I was going to scrapbook his newest phase of communication, so I quickly grabbed my camera and took a few pictures. He started laughing and forgot about the cheese we didn't have in the refrigerator. I am so proud of him for working through his emotions and learning how to communicate his frustration. It's ok that it sounds a little crazy because it makes us all laugh in the end!

Library Trip - December 27

Every couple of weeks we make a special trip to the local library. It's not that we need anymore books (remember I was a first grade teacher - we have lots of books!), but they really enjoy walking in and picking out their very own books to take home. Lately Wyatt has been picking tree books and Colter picks out books about planes or trains. After they pick out their books, they take them over to the pillows and read while I pick out a few additional books to add to our stack. I am so glad that I have boys who love to read!

Finally - Some Real Snow! - December 27

This wasn't supposed to be much of a snow event. It started as frozen rain in the late afternoon, but quickly turned to snow. The boys went outside to play in it because we weren't sure how long it was going to last!

After a few minutes it started snowing even harder!

In about an hour the backyard was completely white and our boys were having a blast playing in the fresh fallen snow! What a nice surprise!

Christmas in Lubbock - December 25

Danny was feeling better Christmas morning, so after we opened our own presents at home we drove to Noni and Papa's house. We were able to get a picture of all four cousins while both babies were happy!

One of Colter's favorite presents was foam fingers from Aunt Megan. She knows how much he loves football games and now he can take his own foam fingers!

Wyatt loves his new guitar from Noni and Papa!

Zane really enjoyed his moose with the chewy antlers!

Abi looking cute in her Santa hat with her new doll!

It was another fun Christmas celebration! I do have to say that Colter was disappointed when the last present was opened. Between his birthday and Christmas, November and December are very exciting months for him! We have worked hard during the weeks leading up to Christmas to remind both boys that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday and that it's more fun to give gifts than to get them, but when it comes right down to it on Christmas morning opening presents is just tons of fun! : )

Christmas Morning - December 25

Santa left the boys exactly what they asked for this year! Colter got "a sharp-nose airplane", Wyatt got "a telescope and a microscope" (thankfully Santa found a small handheld multi-function microscope, so that request fit into his budget!), and Zane got "a toy to chew on" (that request came from Wyatt and Colter!).

Wyatt also got a Playmobile forest set - great for our little tree-climber!

Colter also got an aircraft carrier to use when he play with all of his "sharp-nose planes".

Zane was anxious for Danny to open the box with his new blocks, perfect for a teething baby!

The best Christmas presents ever!

Christmas Eve - December 24

Danny was going to be off Christmas Eve afternoon and evening and we had great plans for spending that time as a family. All of that changed when he starting feeling bad Sunday morning (only hours before we were supposed to drive back from Colorado). Somehow he managed to drive us home (a six hour drive with a 103 degree temperature; he refused to let me drive!) and then slept off and on for the next 24 hours. I adjusted our plans and we survived (and actually enjoyed!) the day. We did end up skipping the Christmas Eve service at church (I wasn't sure I could handle all three boys without Danny's help!), but I had them get dressed anyway so I could take this picture.

Christmas Cookies - December 24

Wyatt and Colter were great helpers making Christmas cookies this year. They helped me mix the dough, cut out the cookies and, of course, decorate them with lots of icing and sprinkles!
Here is their plate of cookies for Santa! Yummy!

Sledding Fun - December 22

A trip to Colorado in winter wouldn't be complete without sledding on Pike's Peak. The boys had a great time and even Zane didn't seem to mind the cold weather.

Wyatt loved sledding this year! He seems quite different from our little boy who just two years ago didn't want anything to do with snow!

Our little teddy bear all bundled and warm!

Colter's favorite part was getting a ride back up the hill!

Colorado Christmas - December 22

We drove to Colorado Springs the weekend before Christmas for an early Christmas celebration with Danny's parents. It was a quick trip, but we enjoyed getting to celebrate with them, and as you can tell from the picture, the boys had lots of fun opening presents!

Santa's Trailer - December 19

Danny and the boys loaded the bike trailer with the gifts we needed to deliver in town and spent the afternoon playing "Santa". The boys had a great time, Danny got some exercise and I got one more thing marked off my "Christmas To Do List"!

Painting Christmas Paper - December 16

The boys had a lot of fun painting our wrapping paper this year. Zane even got to help a little bit, although he wasn't as excited about it as Wyatt and Colter!
They decided to paint with their feet this year and spent a long time walking back and forth over long strips of wrapping paper.
In the end I'm not sure which was the prettier work of art - their feet...
or the paper!

Colter's Belt - December 14

Colter loves to wear his belt. If his pants have belt loops then he thinks he HAS to wear a belt! He also loves these particular jeans and as you can see they are starting to get rather worn. The other day, referring to all of the holes in his jeans, I said "Colter those jeans are just going to fall off of you someday!" He looked at me and said "No, Mama, Colter has belt on!"

Ranching Heritage Center - December 7

We went to the Ranching Heritage Center in Lubbock for their Christmas celebration. The lights were beautiful and the boys had a fun time.
Colter, Papa, Noni, Aunt Megan and Wyatt looking at the lights.
They had lumenarias lighting all of the paths. Wyatt had a great time trying to figure out exactly how they were working!

Chew, Chew, Chew - December 5

Zane has discovered the joy of using his hands to find things to put in his mouth. He will grab anything he can reach - toys, fingers, clothes - and stick it straight into his mouth. He loves to chew!

A Visit with Santa - December 2

The boys visited with Santa to make sure he knew what they wanted for Christmas. Colter wants "a sharp-nose airplane" and Wyatt wants "a telescope and a microscope". Wyatt told Santa that Zane just needs "a toy that will be good for him to chew on".

Decorating the Tree - December 2

The boys had a great time putting the ornaments on the Christmas tree this year. They were very independent with their decorating and knew exactly where each ornament should go.

Of course, that meant most of the ornaments ended up on the bottom-half of the tree, especially this poor branch which was Colter's favorite spot. It was almost touching the ground by the time he was finished!

Wyatt and the Lights - December 2

I just love this picture! Wyatt has always been fascinated with the Christmas tree lights. I have another picture of him doing the exact same thing three years ago!

Cutting Down the Tree - December 1

We met Danny's parents in New Mexico to cut down our Christmas tree. This is always one of our favorite Christmas traditions and we are happy that we get to do it in a real forest now! We found the perfect tree and the boys helped Danny cut it down.

One Ordinary Afternoon - November 27

Just an ordinary afternoon...Wyatt playing a drum set of his own creation...

Colter cutting and glueing his latest masterpiece...

and Zane just hanging out taking it all in! I love just being home with my boys!