Winter in Austin

Today as I sit here writing it is cold, rainy and all around yucky. It is suppose to stay in the 30's for the better part of the week. Typical winter weather, right? Ye, but in Austin, you just never know what you will get. On Saturday it was in the high 60's and clear and sunny all day. We decided to take the boys to Town Lake to play...and so did everyone else in Austin. Guess they all had the same idea about taking advantage of the weather. After searching for 10 minutes for a parking spot, we finally found one. here are some pics of our winter fun! :)

Bunk Beds

We knew the day would come when our boys would share a room. The cost of bunk beds put that off until now, but with a new baby coming, we decided to go ahead and get the beds and move the boys in to a room together over Christmas. It has gone better than expected. Tucker has transitioned almost seemlessly from baby bed to bottom bunk and Griifin loves being on the top bunk! We rearranged and decorated over the holiday and the boys seems to spend more time than ever together playing in their room. Nathan has had to adjust his bedtime routine a little but I think they have it down now. Yesterday Tucker started saying to Griffin, "Let's go to secet hideout". We asked Griffin if they had a secret hideout and he said, "yes, our bunk beds." Tonight when Tucker said it to Griffin again, Griffin said, "OK, but remember I'm the leader." It is so fun to watch them grow up and become friends.

Christmas Post

Here are our pictures from Christmas. I went down early with the boys so we were able to spend more time with the grandparents than we have in the past years. The boys went back and forth between families, having more and more fun everyday. My mom had a cute new mailbox that they would open everyday to find a surprise and fun activities planned for the day. Lily was there most of the time we were there so that was fun for them to get cousin time. One afternoon we went to see the trumpet swans that make their winter home near Heber Springs every year. It was neat, but very cold, so we did not last too long. The boys checked out the Christmas lights with Grandma and Grandpa- there are actually a lot of really good lights in Searcy.

The Christmas celebrations were numerous- we had Christmas with my family and with my extended family, Christmas with the Smiths and, of course, Santa came on Christmas morning. We had to tie our suitcase to the roof of our jeep to get home with all the gifts from family :) We had a great time and even had a surprise visit from Nathan's cousin Meggan and her husband and their boys Ethan and Grant. We were exhausted coming home and glad to be back, but it was a great trip.

Tucker, 2 years old

This is so late that I am ashamed but I do not want to let too much more time go by without documenting this occasion. On December 18, Tucker turned 2. We celebrated with a few friends coming over for dinner (although this was more for us since brisket is not Tucker's favorite meal) and cake and ice cream. Poor guy with a Christmas time birthday- he will probably always feel a little slighted, but hopefully we can make him feel special every year.

It is hard to believe my baby is 2. I guess it is fitting since he will not be the baby much longer. He is growing up so fast. Tucker speaks in complete sentences now and is NOT shy about letting you know what he wants. Although he tries hard to keep up with Griffin and copies his every move, make no mistake he is his OWN person with his own personality. My stubborn second child, Tucker does not give in easy. He knows what he wants and when he wants it. He is funny and independent, yet he is still my snuggler. He knows how to get a laugh, although he is very picky about who he shares this talent with. He is growing out of his "clingy" phase- doing great at school and church. He is still my "little guy" and weighs next to nothing, but it is nice when you have to carry him around.

Our Little Tuck- we love you so much and are excited to watch you grow even more and become a big brother.

Catching up-Decorating the Christmas Tree

Main Street Bethleham

This is our 4th year in a row to viist the Bethlehem village in Burnet and it has become a "must do" at Christmas for us. We love it every year and are amazed at the work that goes into creating this biblical scene. This year we went with several families and were able to get in pretty quickly. No matter how mild the weather in Austin, it always seems to be cold the night we go to Bethlehem, which while a little uncomfortable, fits the mood. Here are a few pictures from the event.