Jake's Birthday

Poor Jake had somewhat of a lame 2nd birthday.  We definitely tried to make it great, but he was sick.  And instead of us giving him some awesome gift, he gave the rest of us his cold.  Birthday #2 fell on a Sunday, so instead of going to church, we all stayed home feeling pretty miserable. 

His grandparents on both sides spoiled him with gifts, as did Aunt Kim and Uncle Darrell.  Andrew and I bought him a cute barn toy that he really likes, and I think he was fully thrilled with all the presents.  Luckily we had his birthday party the day before- when only he wasn't feeling well.  Poor Jake.

Andrew made Jake an AWESOME birthday cake.  It was cookie monster themed, and the entire thing was homemade.  Even the cake itself- I'm pretty sure I'd only ever had boxed cakes before.  I'm not sure how impressed Jake was, but I thought it was fantastic.  It was a 2 layered yellow cake with a cookie dough layer in between.  And Andrew's cookie monster on top looked great. 

Unfortunately Jake was grumpy enough from a messed up nap time and not feeling well that he didn't take a single bite.  Everyone else ranted and raved about how good it was, though!

His birthday might not have been all that we had dreamed for him, but Jake is so loved, and we're so excited that he's 2!

Christmas 2013

We had an awesome Christmas! I've never felt the Christmas spirit as strong as our family did this year.  The generosity of others was amazing, and I can't wait until Andrew has graduated and has a real income so that we can help other people the way others helped us this year.

2 awesome events.

One of our trips to the Columbus Zoo lights was on a particularly warm night.  McKenna was only a couple months old, so she was eating often.  Because it was warm enough, I sat outside at a picnic table to give her her bottle while Andrew and Jake looked around.  I ended up sitting with a cute little family of 4. They had a boy and a girl with a similar age gap as our two kids, but they were a few years older.  We got to talking, and by the end of the conversation they had offered us their little boys' old toy cars that he didn't use anymore.  Multiple boxes full of cars!  Jake LOVES the cars, and I am amazed at the generosity of complete strangers.  The world might seem hard and cold sometimes, but there really are great people out there! Thanks to that sweet family, we had some fun toys to put under the tree.

Just a few days later, we were packing the kids in the car after church and found a Christmas card with a sweet note and an anonymous Visa gift card that was extremely generous.  I definitely teared up with gratitude.  I saved the card and the gift card wrappings and we'll frame them to put out with our Christmas decorations to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas every year.  

How awesome is that!?  Definitely something you hear about and read online, but both events actually  happened.  To us.  And I'm so grateful.

Christmas day was a lot of fun.  The kids were spoiled by their grandparents and Aunt Kim and Uncle Darrell.  Jake is starting to really understand gifts and unwrapping presents, and he LOVED it.

We spent the night Christmas Eve at my parents house and woke up to Santa's gifts under the tree where I remember my Christmas mornings growing up.  It was a lot of fun- kids definitely add a fun dynamic and a great excitement to the gift aspect of Christmas.

We spent the afternoon and evening at my Aunt Carolyn and Uncle Tom's house eating yummy food and having fun with my mom's side of the family.

I am so grateful to celebrate my Savior Jesus Christ and to focus on Him during the Christmas season.  I definitely love the love that is shown by the whole world more fully during this time of year.  While the presents and cookies and Santa are a lot of fun, the Savior is the true meaning of the season.  I'm thankful for the great gifts that He has given me, especially for the perfect life He led and His example.   His atoning sacrifice that allows each of us to return to live with Him if we will follow that perfect example He set for us is the ultimate gift.

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year!  Jake's Christmas number 2 and McKenna's first.  I am already excited for next years Christmas season!

Cleveland Trips

We spent quite a bit of time in Cleveland during our Christmas break, between a trip to the market, a family trip downtown, and a Cav's game.

Andrew went with my dad, Kim, Kory, and my grandparents to his first NBA game.  I was at home with my mom and the kids and poor Darrell, who was sick. 

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is meeting up with my mom's side of the family to see Santa and shop around downtown Cleveland.

Everyone's favorite part of our downtown trip is Hard Rock Cafe.  Jake and McKenna were a little grumpy by time we made it to lunch, but it was fun and delicious!

Zoo Lights

One of my favorite Christmas traditions that we've started since living in Columbus is visiting the Columbus Zoo for the zoo lights they put on.  The lights are extremely impressive, and I'm pretty sure Andrew and I enjoy them at least as much as the kids.

Poor McKenna was only a couple months old, so we bundled her nice and tight and she slept most of the time.  Jake was in awe.  At first he kept saying "cool, lights!" but the majority of the time we walked around, he was very serious and looked around like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.  

We made a few trips this year, and a couple of the days were pretty warm, and a couple of them were pretty cold.  We had fun whether we we were all bundled up or if we didn't even need a coat.  We love all things Christmas!

Cleveland West Side Market

December 23rd, Andrew and I took a kid-less trip (thanks Mom!) with Kim and Darrell to meet my grandma at the West Side Market in Cleveland.  As kids, we'd meet up with my grandparents there every summer, and it's such a fun atmosphere!

We bought a few little things here and there, but the best part of the day was definitely lunch from my grandma at Steve Gyros, which has been recognized on the travel channel for how good they are. Mmmm!

Our trip to the market was definitely a Christmas highlight!