Dance for the Camera

New Year's Eve was quite the night for us...well not really. In fact it was no different from any other ordinary night. Travis was at work and Bergen and I went to bed as regularly scheduled. Lame I know!

But Bergen was in the dancing mood that day. He must have known others were out partying it up and some were probably even dancing :) He was being so cute I wanted to record him, but wondered if getting up to get the camera was even worth it...since I rarely get what I want because he just wants the camera! For whatever reason I asked him if mommy could take his picture. He stops dancing, learns forward, and says, "Chit-chur?" And runs to the drawer with the camera. After getting the camera I was shocked when he ran back to position and resumed dancing. AND then he even performed for me! What a cutie :)

After his performance he wanted to see it. I think he watched 4 or 5 times on the camera screen pointing and laughing. I think he thinks he's cute too.

Christmas 2010

Once again Christmas came to our house a few days early this year since Travis was working. And then the craziest thing ever happened to us. Travis was in Chicago ready to go and got dumped off his trip Christmas Eve! So he miraculously made it home in time for dinner and we got to spend all of Christmas day together as a family...just too bad we had already opened all our presents a few days before :)

Here's our little 3 tree Christmas tree. I always worry that there won't be enough, but by the time I'm done shopping (and pretty much anything Travis and I buy for ourselves in the couple of months leading up to Christmas we just save and say, "here, you can give this to me for Christmas."), and presents have trickled in by mail, I'm always surprised at the big pile of presents. Note to self: don't forget this next year! Course I always say that :)

Us on our early Christmas morning.

Bergen likes to help daddy around the house with the "man" stuff.

And let's face it, I'm doing my best to raise a neat and tiddy child, on some days that goes well and Bergen helps mommy with the "keeping our home nice" stuff :) I love this and so does he. So much so when I can't stand the sound of the running vacuum any longer I actually have to hid it in the pantry.

A fun tent to play in....

...or hide...

...and the tunnel that connects to it for a side door escape route. I was climbing thru when Bergen chased after me and went up and over me on his own. It was pretty funny! This tunnel has already gotten lots of use. Bergen loves to be chased and using the tunnel to chase after him or surprise him on the other end has brought LOTS of giggles and happy screams.

Can a boy ever have too many planes, trains, and automobiles? I was really excited to get him these Chuggington trains! So far it's the only show he really watches more than a few seconds of and in the last couple of weeks he actually asks to watch it. That is he points to the TV or holds the remote, pumps his arm up and down, and says "choo choo."

If a boy can't have too many planes, trains, or automobiles, then he definitely can't have too many dump trucks and lion cars.

So this is a clip of Bergen's style of unwrapping: Get every little piece of paper off before worrying about what the present actually is.

Here it is again. Seriously, why do we wrap their presents still packaged up? We never look cool as we fumble and stumble to get it out! I'm just wondering? :)

I must say I was very impressed with my hubby this year! He did a fantastic job thinking of Bergen and I and actually getting a surprise for each of us on his own. I know he was very excited to give Bergen something that he would like playing with, and it was even more fun because I had no clue what it was. I just meant a lot to me to have him think of us and do something for us all on his own. Thanks hun! (But now you've sent a standard for yourself...hope you're up to again next year! *wink wink*)

What a fun Christmas! Mostly because of Bergen and the excitement I felt as I got things for him, and a secondly mostly because Travis got to be home, and a third mostly because we have awesome friends that brought us goodies and shared time and meals with us that even though we didn't get to be with any of our family this year we were not alone. We miss our family though and wish it were easier to spend time together more often!

Trampoline Time

Lately Bergen has taken extra interest in the trampoline. He loves "jumping" on it! I love that it's been nice enough weather that the boys can go out there and Bergen is plenty occupied during that getting hungry and tired time of the day, and I can make dinner quickly and peacefully. When they play outside I like to leave the door cracked open so I can hear them. I love it when Bergen comes to the door, leans in, and blurts out a paragraph of something, as if to check in with me and tell me what he's doing. Then he runs off to keep playing. It's so cute!

At the beginning of the winter he was not happy to be wearing long sleeves. He would pull at them and fuss, and footed jammies were also a no go! After Aunt Helen figured out he should see how cute he looked in the jammies and showed him in a mirror, he decided they were in fact pretty cool. Now he's fine with the long sleeves and has even taken a liking to hoodies. He frequently brings me one to put on and it HAS to be zipped up! And sometimes the hood has to be on his head too.

"Hey dad, look!"

"You have a zipper too!"

"Hi mom. I'm just having fun with dad."

Love my boys!

2010's Christmas Card & Letter

Just for fun, here is one of many pictures that didn't make the card this year :)

And when we finally had a good one, Bergen was MORE than happy to be done and get to play.

Doesn't he look so big?!

Sugar Cookies

Why have I never done this before? Why do I not have any cookie decoratating supplies? A friend invited us over to decorate cookies. She did all the hard work and had the cookies made ahead of time. I forgot to bring the camera for the actual decorating, but if I had you would be looking at a picture of Bergen with a multi colored frosting face, much like the Thanksgiving pie face :) I must say I was pretty proud of him and his creativity! Can you tell which plate is mine and which is Bergen's? I think of all the kids he stayed at the table the longest and while he did sample plenty of frosting, he worked just as hard at decorating as he did on tasting.

This cookie was 100% Bergen! Frosting sprinkles and all. Not bad huh?

I helped him frost this tree, but the sprinkles were ALL Buggy! (I just realized I've probably never blogged this but I use "Buggy" a lot to reference him, although I don't think I ever actually call him that when I'm talking to him. Hmmm, just a side thought.)

And what's not to love about ALL. THESE. SPRINKLES? I finally started putting these same sprinkles back into an empty sprinkles jar just because he was having so much fun shaking and pouring them.

I'm so glad we got invited to do this! Besides Bergen having a good time, I wasn't expecting it to be so much fun for me. Who knew decorating cookies would be such a creative outlet. I guess I better get a good cookie recipe and buy some sprinkles so we can do it again!

Dear Santa

We decided to spend another fun evening together this year by visiting Santa. Bergen went as far as he could go by 4-wheeler.

Then we hopped on this reindeer and rode him all the way...

...to the North Pole!

At the North Pole Bergen got to pet Santa's reindeer, take a picture with Santa, and even got a candy cane for the trip home.

So I wasn't planning on making any special trips to see Santa this year, but when the North Pole comes to the nearby Bass Pro shop, and has free pictures with Santa and carousel rides, we decided it would be another good way to spend a holiday evening together. I was expecting to have to be in the picture holding Bergen but he did great. He didn't smile and was a little apprehensive, but he didn't cry :) Maybe next year I'll be thinking a little more and dress him in something less surf and more winter. I can't believe ME of all people didn't think of that! On the way home we got hot chocolate (Which by the way wasn't doing so well in a sippy cup. Poor Bergen got more down his chin than he did into his tummy!) and drove around looking at Christmas lights. It was really fun to see Bergen point and oooo at the lights.

Grapevine Train and Lights

Bergen really likes trains. I thought it would be fun to take our Christmas card picture with a train. Timing just wasn't working to our advantage and we finally decided to just go one evening with a stool and our timer. We ran into two problems. First, it was so late by the time we got there we had mere moments before it got too dark for a good picture and second, after seeing it on the camera I didn't like what I was wearing. But Bergen had fun seeing the train so that was worth it!

Since we were in Grapevine we put on our coats and walked up and down Main Street looking at the store lights. This area was a neat little light show with music. I think Bergen was in awe. He just started at it with his mouth wide open :)

He also thought these figures were pretty fun. And the best part about it, the doggie didn't run away and was the perfect size to ride!

So the pictures were a bust but it was really fun to get out and do something fun together to get us in the Christmas spirit.

The Rest of November

Our camera was getting a break the rest of November, because we apparently didn't take many photos. I did however get Bergen helping with the Thanksgiving chocolate cream pie. He's such a good helper in the kitchen, and even better at taste testing! I think this recipe is a winner in his book.

Part of our camera break also included Thanksgiving. Oops! Travis was at work Thanksgiving day but Bergen and I got to have dinner with the Morris Family. They had a brother and sister-in-law that were passing thru on a long layover, and the Banhams (minus their pilot) were also there. They worked so hard on the food and it was all really yummy. Especially since I just showed up to eat! Later that evening we all went to the Nordstroms for a vast variety of pies and games. When the pilots were back home, Gina and I made a second Thanksgiving dinner for our two families. It was all a lot of fun!

Grandma sent Bergen some stickers. Daddy was helping Bergen put them to good use. I thought this was so funny and was trying like crazy to get him to show them to me. He just wanted me...or maybe it was the camera...and was not happy that I kept scooting away from him.

This was the best I could get :)

Time in Virginia

Not sure what I've been doing lately, but it sure isn't blogging. Maybe I've been busy getting ready for Christmas...yes, let's go with that. Now that Christmas has past maybe I can get caught up in time for the new year :)

We went to Virginia the very end of October and got to stay the first half of November. It was so much fun visiting the Olivers! The best part about being there so long was that we got lots of days to go out, to see sights in DC, and to play. We also got days to stay home and just be us. It took some time, but the boys all got to be their true selves. And even though they are still learning to share and take turns ;), I think it's safe to say they really enjoyed being together! Despite living so far away from each other, I hope there are many more get togethers like this in the years to come.

Bergen, Joshua, and Nathan just hanging out.

All of us got to go to the Air and Space Museum. It was really cool to go up in the observation tower and watch the planes coming in to land.

There were LOTS of planes on display. I think Travis wishes he had a collection just like it...only remote control size.

I don't know why but it's just so cool to all take a bath together. I love each one of their expressions.

Oh yeah, this is why I don't do spaghetti...it's just a little bit messy! But he loved it. At least the first time, second time around there was more throwing involved. Good thing Helen has that nice little vacuum!

Helen and I, and the boys took an outing to the Natural History Museum. There was lots of animals to look at, like this huge elephant.

There were lots of skeletons too. With so much to see, they boys needed a little climbing break.

And the BUTTERFLIES! This was the real reason we went. Bergen was pretty interested in the butterflies, but if I remember correctly he was also very interested in the fruit they had out for the butterflies to feed on. Helen even had a butterfly land on her head. He must have been pretty comfy there because he stay for a long time.

With 3 carseats we had to take 2 cars everywhere we went. One day we went to an outdoor mall but we got there in time for Helen to head back after a couple of stores to pick Brant up from work. Bergen and I stayed for a few more stores, which he wasn't too interested in, but he did really like this. What's not to love? It's something to drive!

Another one of our numerous attempts to take a picture of all of them.

Aunt Helen is SO COOL! Brant was on his way out for the weekend and I was bringing Travis back from the airport. Helen volunteered to keep the boys home and get them to bed on time. They got to make popcorn and watch a movie. Doesn't it just look like fun?! She even got them all to bed in record time (that is a whole other story...getting 3 boys to bed all in the same room can take hours, literally!)

The boys were good teachers AND learners.

Bergen: "Look Nathan! If you climb up here you can reach more stuff!"

Nathan: "Thanks for the tip! I think I can use that elsewhere too."

Nathan and Bergen playing with cars.

We also got to go to the Building Museum. We built this arch together. Joshua found the numbers we needed, Travis and I held up the sides as we went, and Helen was the stacker. It took us several tries until we put Bergen and Nathan in the big basket. We weren't trying to trap them, we just weren't ready for their demolition work yet (oh yeah, and we didn't want them to go swimming in the nearby fountain either). After pictures we let them push the arch down. It was a great idea except...yeah, Bergen got knocked over and buried under the rubble. He wasn't too happy about it. Apparently those blocks are kind of heavy.

The Building Museum also had a play area for the kids. Joshua and Nathan dressed up but Bergen wasn't in the mood.

When we would leave the condo, Joshua would run up the path squealing. It didn't take Bergen long to follow suit. We would be locking up the door and the boys would be half way up the hill yelling just as loud as could be. As much as Bergen likes to run, that was a perfect game. Sidewalks were also a fun place to run, but eventually we would have to get him across the parking lot and into the car.

When we were all together again we decided to spend the evening in Old Town Alexandria. We took a scenic route to Old Town. It was so fun to see more residential areas of DC and imagine how cool it would be to live there. And then we considered our budget and our backyard in Texas and decided we'd just keep dreaming for now *sigh*. Once in Old Town, we took pictures on the docks.

Danced in the gazebo. (Helen's air guitar is AWESOME!)

And rode the trolley up and down the street. We ended the evening with pizza and a satisfying feeling of getting out and doing something fun together!

Nathan and Bergen got haircuts together. What do you think, is he bored? Nathan got to feed himself yogurt to keep entertained. I guess I should've found something a little more exciting for Bergen. The haircut a month and a half after this he did get Smarties :)

Helen and I also got to take the boys to the National Zoo.

We really liked seeing all the animals, but I think the boys also really liked seeing those Veggie Straws go into their mouths. We went through a lot of straws! Pretty sure that's what Bergen is shoving in his mouth, and it looks like Nathan's got a cheek full, and Joshua is just trying to get out of there. If only for once they would all look at us and smile :)

Elephants are always a big hit!

These are my little laundry helpers. It's crazy to think Helen and I used to do this. We didn't try it but we probably wouldn't fit now. At least the kids can still have lots of fun together.

One of our last outings was to the Botanical Gardens. They had lots of fun kid activities that day. Bergen just wasn't quite old enough to appreciate them but he definitely enjoyed the strawberry smoothy sample!

There's lots of paths through the gardens, a perfect place for...you guessed it. Running! Bergen ran up ahead of us and I didn't catch him in time to avoid touching a cactus. I had to pull a sticker out of his finger. Bergen also liked pulling the little boats they made, and splashing his hands in the little fountains.

Ten years ago, with a handful of college roommates who are now my lifelong friends, I made my first trip to our Nation's Capital. Since then my sister and her family moved there and I've gotten to go back and visit many times. There's just something special about it. One day while Helen and I were pushing the boys in strollers down the Mall we commented about how neat a place it is. You can't be there and not feel cool! I hope I get to visit many more times with my family and make good memories, have new experiences, and gain greater appreciations.

Thanks for letting us stay so long! Next time you can crash our place for half a month. Although some cows and tumble weed just isn't as exciting as the Nation's Capital :)