Merry Christmas

Praying that your Christmas is filled with reminders of Christ, feelings of Hope, and the love of family!

Merry Christmas!

Love, 

the Simmons

Will, becca, Anna-Kate (3.5) and Benjamin (10 months)

Pajama Party

We did a sticker chart to encourage Anna-Kate to use the potty instead of her pull up.  When she completed the chart, we had a family pajama party!  (We also realized since that the power of reward is what was driving AK toward success, sigh.  I think the power of discipline may have to be what comes next, bigger sigh.)

For the pajama party, I picked something that Anna-Kate could easily help me with for supper.  Pizza biscuits!  I love that this picture shows her wearing her comfy Hello Kitty socks and her nightgown.

  She was so excited that the whole family would be in their pajamas!

I mean really excited!

While I was getting the biscuits out of the oven and plating them, she was getting the living room set up.  She found blankets for all of us and throw pillows off the couch for us.  We never used them, but we had them!

We enjoyed Tinkerbell with pizza biscuits in our pajamas.  

Loved spoiling our girl in a pretty simple way!

Brilliance in Training

This was our reminder to Benjamin that this book is more appropriate for him than all the books on our bookshelves that he prefers to pull out!

Photo Dump

This is my first photo dump from the pictures in my phone.  I have a new fancy phone.  But, I am just going to admit.  I might as well be 20 years older than I am for how little time I put into learning my gadget.  I don't know how to easily get the pictures off my phone.  Am I missing a cord?  or is there an app for that?  (I also don't know how to 'shop' for apps)  Should I really have this phone?  Some might be asking that very question right now.  

Anyway....I finally just emailed the better of the pictures to myself.  Here are a few of the images you have missed over the last couple months:

This was Benjamin's first time riding in the cart with Anna-Kate.  Can you tell that he felt like a big boy?!  So proud of himself!  And, I am obsessed with that big grin!

Will and I are teaching one of the 3's classes at church.  (They are the oldest third of the 3's, so they have all just turned 4. That also means AK is not in our class, on purpose.)  We average 15-20.  This was before the majority of the kids show up.  When all the kids are there, it is full speed ahead with all hands on deck!  How amazing is that man in the short chair?!

I took this to send to my sister-in-law.  How in-style does Anna-Kate look in this Banana Republic sweater!?  My sister-in-law's husband kindly did the laundry in their house.  After that laundry experience, AK was gifted this sweater!  If you doubted, the dryer does in fact shrink sweaters!

This is an image we don't see very often anymore.  AK seldom falls asleep in the car.  Over Thanksgiving, when she passed out for an hour, I had to get this picture.  

Natalie started walking.  I tried to get a picture to send to her parents of her practicing her new skills.  This picture is also funny because it shows what toy I used to draw her toward me.  Yes, a shiny noodle ladle from the toy kitchen.  Those utensils are her favorite!

Shopper in training!

I went to the mall with the three kids and my parents.  I let Natalie out of the stroller for a few minutes to let her shop with Anna-Kate.  She was so excited to be free!  Next time we will borrow Dad's credit card!

This was one of my "quick trips" to the grocery store!  

Benjamin is asleep; time for Natalie's first crayons experience at Mrs. becca's house!  She loved it!  Doing what Anna-Kate does always makes her feel so big!

Maybe next time the photo dump will be done by a more technologically savy becca!

Baby's First

Mohawk!

and Baby's First tooth!  Finally at 10 months that first tooth broke through!  The second is almost through too!  (The drool and the fussiness may have arrived as well...)

Watch out Daddy, here comes trouble!

Big Girl's Millionth

Cheesy Grin!

Then and Now

2009

Anna-Kate at 6 months

2012

Benjamin at 10 months

Love these sweet moments with my little ones!

Beginning the Season

We got ready for the Christmas season immediately around here!  Thanksgiving morning Anna-Kate was the coordinator for tree-decorating.  

What do you think...how many ornaments can you get on one branch?  (Ssshhh, don't tell, we may have redistributed the ornaments Thurs evening when a certain 3 year old decorator was in bed.  And, there may not be many ornaments in the lowest foot of branches, thanks to a certain crawler and walker!) 

Saturday morning we tried our luck with the crowds and with the preschooler's mood to visit Santa.  It went great!

This picture sums it up:  Santa is gracious.  Benjamin is curious.  Anna-Kate is wary.

I took for granted that Anna-Kate understood that there is a month of anticipating gifts.  When we walked away, she immediately said, "Mama, I saw Santa.  Where is my Barbie?"  That has been her consistent request for the last month.  I think our very wary Santa-lap-sitter was only doing it because she thought she was going to walk away with her new Barbie.  Ooops.  I think she understands now!

The reindeer headband just doesn't quite equal a Barbie.

So excited for a Christmas season full of family, fun, anticipation, and

Christ's Love!

10 Months

Benjamin!  You are 10 months!  How did that happen?  10 months old means that you are almost 1!  Little man, you are loved!

This past month he has perfected crawling.  He is quite deliberate as he goes for whatever he wants.  He has a little temper when you keep him from his desired goal, like the dish-washing soap in the cabinet or the glass top in the other cabinet.  Luckily it is truly a short-lived temper!  He remains our happy little man....well, unless he is tired or hungry.  

He also has a strong "homing instinct" for his mama.  He is underfoot while cooking, at the bottom of the stairs if I go up for a quick chore, and if it is near a meal or bed time, watch out, he his finding his mama!  

He also has started waving, not great at on-cue yet, and is clapping (been doing since 8 months forgot that in your last update buddy).  

He is still nursing 5 times a day and eating 3 meals with one snack.  He sleeps 2 naps and 12-12.5 hours each night.  He likes his sleep, and demands it at 6:35 every night!  Makes evening activities a little bit of a gamble.  

We go for his allergy appt in 2 weeks; luckily there is no update on that one!  

Benjamin, your dad is loving that you are mobile and enjoying a bit more being tickled and tossed about.  Your sister doesn't enjoy that you can go after her toys, but she absolutely l.o.v.e.s that she can make you laugh!  And, your mama is just not loving that you are growing so quickly, but boy does she think you are a handsome little man!

Family Time

This week, we were so thankful to get to spend so much time with family!  There were lots of family members that we missed, but we were excited for the time we did spend Thurs thru Saturday with different people from our family.  Extended family we don't see often.  Brothers and sisters together.  

And, of course, littlest cousins learning to play together at the holidays!

The big kids were playing BLAST (our church evening program) lunch time was "time for snack."  Love seeing all three play together!  

All that fun family time and I took those above 3 pictures!  Gotta get better at pictures on the holidays!  I did however get a picture of the turkey Will and I cooked!!  Our first Thanksgiving turkey....not bad!

Now and Then

Remember this sweet little baby,

this tiny little guy on the day he came home from the hospital...

...9 months later

Does anyone else think it is time to graduate car seats?!

Love those puckered little lips!

Nanny Update

It's been a while since I have shown you much around our house.  Okay, lately, I am a blogging slacker.  Mainly because I am either not as creative or mostly  just less time.  See previous post about my preschooler being joined by a now crawler and a now walker!

Remember what June looked like...

This was my bright idea for a "quick trip" to Target...

 did you know that a quick trip to Target really doesn't exist when you have three children to get in and out of the car and in and out of the cart?

So, the next time we went to the store, I thought it was time to train the future shopper!

Mondays have largely become my errand day.  Yes, I said 

errand day

 with all three.

Normally I try to figure out how to get anything we need from BJs.  The cart is the easiest configuration of all three kids.  I can do lunch there if needed.  This past Monday, by the suggestion of Natalie's mommy, we went to the small playground at Brier Creek community center before heading over to BJs.  

This park will be great next spring!  Two young toddlers will love this!  

AK loved making Nat laugh by surprising her at the end of the tunnel.

Remember I mentioned a new crawler and a new walker...

Getting ready...

wait for it....

Here We Go!

 I think they are saying to each other:

Okay Benjamin, you go that way, and I will go this way!

Hahaha, Mama will not know which one to go for first!  

If we time it just right, we can both put a leaf in our mouth at the same time.

Good idea, she'll love it!

Meanwhile, Anna-Kate had made a friend right as we got there.  She had fun running with him in the field beside the playground.  

Glimpse into life with a preschooler, a walker, and a crawler!

Why Daddies are Cooler

This mama will take her role of Nurturer and let Daddy be the cool one

if this scene from today is what makes daddy cool....

Mommy, there is a snake at the door!

Yes, that is a snake!  (insert silent, cry of desperation, "Why is there a snake by my door?!"  ....harmless or not!) Instead I just watched and listened to

Anna-Kate, look

Anna-Kate do you want to pet him?

Well, I don't want to pet him.  Because he is moving.  So, I don't want to pet him.

See his tongue Anna-Kate.  That is how he smells.

Mommy, a snake smells with his tongue, like this.

Do you want to go with me to put him away?  I am going to put him on the wall if that is okay with mommy.

Uuummmm...a wall that is approximately 8 feet from the back door just might not be far enough away...