The sun finally came out, so while Mary was sleeping one day we took EC and the boys to the park and then out for pizza. Jenn is like me in that she always has her camera and is always looking for a photo opp. She made me pose by this wall and I thought she was crazy, but it does look a little artsy to me now that I see it.

Here is Ellen looking at us like, "What the heck are you waiting for?!"

Ty was proud of himself for tackling these crazy bars...

And Lucas was proud for figuring out these funky little swing thingys...

We're still here...

I have been the worst at updating this blog lately. Maybe it's because I have NO SPARE TIME as a mother of two. I really don't know how people have more than two kids. Maybe they wear dirty clothes and eat out all of the time. Or maybe I need to work on my time management skills. For now, however, enjoy pics and updates of the two sweetest kids...

5K for the kids...

Our friend, Marie, is a PE/Health teacher (one of my dream jobs) at a nearby middle school. There was a PTA race a few weeks ago where the school with the biggest roster got a grant for new equipment. So we wrapped up the kiddos and raced to support the school system. We did it for a good cause, but it was also a really fun time because a handful of our friends that we exercise with ran in the race too. Here I am with the little bird before the race...

And here is turkey clowning around, trying to get some energy out before he got into the stroller for his contribution to the race.

This is what I thought our team was going to look like... the kiddos and me...

With their new plastic cover to keep the breeze off of them... and their snacks.

But this is what the team ended up looking like. Our friend, Olivier, said he wanted to push the kids. He didn't have to twist my arm too much, but I figured I'd run beside him in case they got too needy. So Olivier takes off with the kids and I run as fast as I can for the entire race, trying to catch him. I was sure that one of the kids would need me, but he said they were fine. Lucas actually fell asleep. I need this kind of motivation in my next race.

Here is most of the group that raced that day...

(principal of school, EC and me, Jeff, Chris, Olivier, Kristen, Jonathon and Marie)

Lucas raced a hard race : )

Friends

Lucas and Ellen are little friends... it's so cute. They even fight. They each know how to push the other's buttons and do it daily. I didn't know it would happen at such a young age. Ellen "pats" Lucas on the head, like she does Tyson, to annoy him. Lucas takes her toys and tries to get her to chase him. They are also sweet... here they are yesterday wrapped up in their own little game. You can see that by the end of it Lucas was starting to annoy Ellen : )

Pullen Park Christmas 2009

2009 Santa Pictures

Well, we tried, but not too hard. We had three chances at Santa pics this year, but didn't even take a try with the third one. The first go around was at Cameron Village in the toy store. Mr. and Mrs. Clause were both there. Lucas seemed a little shy, but excited to sit in Santa's lap. I made a motion like I was putting Ellen on his lap she completely lost it... like she knew what was coming. Santa looked at me with a not-so-nice look and said, "Not this year."

Our second try was at Pullen Park this weekend. Again, Ellen flipped, so I just held her. As you can see below, however, she WAS interested in Santa, just not with sitting alone in his lap.

I feel a teensy bit bad that Ellen doesn't have a good Santa picture yet, but honestly I may feel worse to put her through the stress of getting one. I saw a child her age at the mall scream for a good 2-3 minutes. The poor baby was so scared and her mom was just laughing. So I'm saving Ellen from that at the expense of no good picture.

And Lucas in the first picture... he said he was a little scared : )

Bunny, Carrot and Bird

Tyson's Annual Macy's Friends Picture

Waffels with Nutella...

... our favorite breakfast treat.

Christmas Tree and The Kid

Thanksgiving Day

We had a great time with Grandpa Schroeder this year for Thanksgiving. He was here for nearly a week, which was nice because we didn't feel rushed. We didn't enjoy cooking a turkey last year, or pulling it's head out of it's bottom, so we ordered a turkey from honeybaked ham this year and just had fun making the sides and desserts. Everyone helped cook, Lucas helped set the table with the china that we never use, and then we enjoyed a nice meal. We have a lot to be thankful for, as Grandpa reminded me when I was beyond frustrated with the whining one day : )

After dinner we took pictures and tossed the football in the front yard...

PJ Heads

It's Christmas Time!!

Hip Hip Hooray! We are all so excited (well, Lucas and me at least) that Thanksgiving is behind us and it's time to decorate for Christmas.

We have a beautiful fake tree for our family room, but wanted to have a real tree this year for a few reasons. Neither of us has ever cut down our Christmas tree and it was a really fun activity today while Grandpa is in town. It is the beginning of a tradition that we can keep going for years. Great memories for Lucas. Support local farm. Smell of Christmas in the house.

I loved the experience. The farm was about 20 minutes away. When we pulled into the lot we heard the song O'Christmas Tree playing. I thought that was so festive, but then realized that it was my iPod in my pocket. I had sat on it and it has randomly turned on to this song. How magical! The air was crisp and smelled of a winter fire and Christmas trees.

Our two little elves were ready to find their tree!



And so off we went to find the perfect tree for our home...


Ellen was just as excited to be there as Lucas was...

It was a beautiful day.

With lots of room to run and play!

And then we finally found our very first farm Christmas tree!

Jeff and Lucas cut it down...

... while Grandpa, Ellen and I watched.

And then we were ready to take it home!

Grandpa - thanks for helping us start a family tradition : )

Sleepy Head

The good thing about him staying up until 9ish every night is that he isn't up at the crack of dawn in the morning. Here he is cuddled in our bed this morning at 8:15. A few minutes after this he pulled the covers over his head and waited for us to find him. He likes for us to say, "Daddy, have you seen Lucas? I thought he was in our bed, but now I can't find him. Oh well, I guess I'll just get back in bed and go back to sleep." And then he likes for us to jump in the bed on top of him and act surprised to find him there. Then he wants to do it a few more times. Every.single.morning : )

Picture Day at School

Lucas is having his VERY FIRST picture day at school today! I can't wait to see if it is cute or cheesy like all of mine were : ) I had planned on him wearing this button down, red, plaid shir OR this sweater, but he proteste and said he wanted to wear the sweater over the red shirt. He was right... the kid has style.