Gingerbread House

Today we built a gingerbread house with the boys.  I bought the kit so it would be easy for them to assemble.  Dadda did most of the "foundation" work and the boys decorated with frosting and candy.  I think they asked if they could eat it about 100 times while making the house.  They liked making it, but they LOVED eating it!

 

The finished product! (before they ate it)

 

Feeding Baby Brother

Often, I get asked, "how are the older boys adjusting to the new baby"?  and I can honestly say, they are so good with him.  There is no jealousy from either one (which wasn't the case when Ty came along).  Actually, they are very helpful in taking care of Mark.  Aiden and Ty both love to put his pacifier in when he cries or rock him in his seat.  Aiden keeps Mark happy in the car (since his seat is next to Mark's) and he even likes to help me change his diapers.  And tonight they had the opportunity to feed him and they both jumped at the chance!  I let Aiden do it first, but there was no way Ty was going to be left out.  They were so excited to help. 

I can't explain how sweet it was to watch my "big" boys feed their baby brother (one of the best moments I've had as a mother) 

 

Ralph

Meet Ralph.  He is our elf on the shelf that entered our home right after thanksgiving.  He is watching Aiden and Ty to see if they are good or bad.  He is very mischievous and only moves at night.  When he first arrived he ate some cheerios and spilled them on the floor.  Ty woke up, saw the cheerios and started having breakfast. 

Aiden wakes up every morning looking for him.  He is very intrigued by Ralph and will often just look at him during the day; I can tell he is thinking and trying to figure him out.  When Ty is misbehaving, Aiden will tell him, "Ralph is watching you, you better be good".  Ty isn't quite as interested in our elf, but he takes notice because of Aiden.  

 

Mark- 6 weeks

 

 

Tree

Today, we went to the tree farm to pick out our Christmas tree. It was a beautiful day, perfect for playing outside. The boys treated the tree farm like a maze and they played hide and seek with Dadda. They ran through the rows and whenever I asked which tree they liked, they would point to the one closest to them; they really didn't have an opinion about which tree to get.

At home, they were very helpful in decorating the tree. I was unpacking ornaments and looked up at the tree to find the bottom half full of decorations, many with multiple ornaments on the same branch. I decorated the top half and Aiden put the star on top. Mark slept through it all; I'm sure he will be into everything next year. I tried to take a picture of all the boys, but Mark didn't like the way his brothers were holding him.

 

 

Thanksgiving

A few family pictures on Thanksgiving morning.

 

 

 

We went to Aunt Susan's house in Douglasville for Thanksgiving and had a feast!  We ate a wide variety of good southern food.  Aiden and Ty loved the macaroni and cheese and Mom's chocolate cake (which they watched me make this morning).  They were anxious to feed the fish and so the fish enjoyed a big lunch too.   

This picture was taken after numerous attempts at a good "smiling" picture.  They were so over it!

 

We helped Aunt Susan pick bell peppers from her garden.

After picking the peppers, the boys weighed them on a scale.  This was so exciting for Aiden, and it kept them entertained for a while.

The boys love spending time at Aunt Susan's house.  Mark slept most of the day, but we all had a great time relaxing and spending time with family.

Great Grandma

Grandma came for a visit all the way from Marquette, MI!  She met Mark and played with Aiden and Ty.  She brought toys and treated our family to dinner.  We enjoyed our time with her.  My boys are blessed to be able to spend time and play with their great grandmother.