Feels like Vacation & Cookies!

Everything looks so pretty in the snow!

We have been making cookies, watching movies and enjoying each other's company. I love having Loren home (one of the reason's I have had time to blog so much). Not only does he help out with the kids a ton, but he cracks me up. I love him and am grateful for all he does for our family! Loren, Max and Gracie have been having a lot of fun playing in the snow and sledding. Having kids makes you feel like a kid in the snow.

Being home and not able to go a ton of places kind of makes me feel like we are on vacation. Why, I'm not sure, but feeling like our daily routine of errands and other things can't happen makes it feel like that. We are enjoying being home in our warm house. Every time I go outside in the cold and come back in I am reminded how lucky and blessed we are to have a warm, cozy home. It makes me think of all the people who don't have that and it reminds me how much I need to be thankful for what God has given us.
Making a gingerbread house with Auntie and Uncle

That is Max & Cole in front and Gracie is on the side of the house!

Our new center piece, but it's getting smaller by the day! Yummy!
Sugar cookies in the making

Sugar cookies! How fun.

Construction was done on the house! Lots of work and candy!

I love making traditions with our own family. After we were done with the gingerbread house Loren started on the sugar cookies. Fun times at the Ellingson house. I made my first gingerbread house last year with friends so this year it was fun to see Max so excited to make his first. We were supposed to have a Christmas party at school and make them but school was canceled due to weather, bummer.

I am trying to make our camera work since so many things are happening right now. It's liking taking pictures blindly since I can't see what I am taking, well I can see a corner, but that is it. It is so funny to try and take pictures and have no idea how it is turning out. Luckily I am not wasting film.

Snow = Fun

Getting ready to go out to play! Waiting nicely

Saying Cheese and looking away

Sweet picture...Max loves Gracie

See what I mean about his cute snow gear...so cute.
Gracie looks so beautiful in the snow...I love it.

Gracie waiting for Max

I love Max's face here...so cute.

Fun in the snow! Max and Gracie got to enjoy some fun in the yard and down at the park by our house. Max was cracking me up in his snow gear. He didn't use it last year at all so this was a first. I don't think he liked how it felt...either do I when I get in snow gear, but I told him if you want to go play outside you have to put it on. He did and he had ton of fun. I love his little red cheeks.

*The pictures quality isn't great because I had to use our video camera and Lorens cell phone due to our camera breaking. Went to use it on Sunday for Max's Christmas program at church and the screen is broken...not good and such a bummer for moments like this. Thanks to new technologies we had a couple options.

Some Christmas Cheer with The Ellingson Boys!

Finally made it to see Santa. Here are the results...better than I thought. If you are wondering why I don't post many pictures of the boys together, it's because it is next to imposible to get one with both of them smiling. Max likes to say cheese with his mouth wide open and look the other way if he is smiling. Cole, well he is only 6 months and though he does smile a lot doing it at the same time is near impossible. Hoping that will change as he gets older.

Boy will be boys, won't they!

Cole was smiling but not looking...darn't. Oh and digital are great except when they are blurry during the one pictures that they were both smiling in. Love the digitalis, but can hate them at the same time.

First Food

Cole got a big bit of solid foods a few weeks ago! Yummy, rice cereal! He didn't eat much the first night. We tried pea's earlier this week and pears today. We only did pears today because Cole has croup and the medicine we have to give him is very bitter so the doctor said a sweet food is best with it. I have to say I am a little shocked that he isn't taking to food like his brother who loved it from the first spoon full. Cole isn't sure what to do or doesn't care. We will keep trying. As far as the croup goes it came on strong Tuesday night and we were both up all night...so sad to see your baby sick and not happy. Poor thing, but last night he slept a lot better and has been a bit better today! Thank goodness for medicine and sleep.

Mmmm, the bib is better than the rice cereal! He loves putting things in his mouth, silly boy.

I love my Grandma!

Grandma and I after a yummy lunch!Last week I was so happy to have lunch with my Grandma at my favorite restaurant. It's such a special treat and privilege to be able to spend time together. I love hearing about her childhood and how my Grandpa and her met. She grew up on the East Coast and did some really amazing things. The story's are priceless and I love to reminisce about them all. As I have become a wife and a mother I have come to really value her advice, thoughts and idea's about life and how she did it. I love my grandparents and am so thankful that I get to have time with them and that my kids get to enjoy time with them too.

Thanks you Grandma for a wonderful day!

The Hawx Box

A year ago the discussion started about a short bus for tailgating, of course I just thought it was talk. Little did I know that a year later the Hawx Box would be a part of our family and the love of my husband and my son. Our son loves it and Loren loves to drive it. You can check out more of the story at their website that Loren created. They take it out every Hawks game for tailgating and enjoy a very long day with friends and good food. Too bad the Hawks aren't holding up there end of the bargain by having some more wins. I thought it was cool that someone that tailgates with them ordered these shirts and so of course Max had to have one too. He has the whole outfit with his new hat from Uncle Jason, Aunt Railene, Natty and Chase. If you are at next weeks game feel free to stop by and say hello. Oh and don't be surprised if you see the Hawx Box out and about on non-game days as it is our new way to cruise around town with our friends...yep numerous times we have loaded the kids in their car seats and gone out on the town...its so fun. What is even funnier is the guys that stop to take pictures...proud moment.

30...really...no, no...I am not old enough!

To your surprise I did not wake up feeling the way this picture looks! I feel more like the picture on a crazy day with 2 boys who haven't slept. All I can say is...you never feel your age. As a little girl I remember thinking 30 seemed so old and never felt like I would be 30 anytime soon...well it is here and I am embracing it. Last night I kept thinking how this is my last day in my 20's which is so weird because so much happens in your 20's, well at least it did for me. I lived on my own, met my husband, had 2 kids... and many things in between all of that. I feel like my 30's will be great and I am really excited to be all grown up now...because that's how I have always felt the 30's are...they're for grown ups.

So now that I am officially grown up a few things I hope to do in this new stage of life...learn to eat better, get healthier, be a better wife, better mom, teach our kids about who Jesus Christ is, go on a mission trip, travel to Europe and many other places, continue to be happily married! I would like to work on not being so fast paced and take time to SLOW down and really enjoy life...patience...can you work on that with a 3 year old...well it's worth a try.

Birthdays are a fun time to reflect on the past year and to improve what's ahead and 30 seems to be really doing that for me. I am very happy with where my life has gone, for sure I wish I could travel more, cook better and have a perfectly clean house all the time and lose the baby weight, but as far as life in general goes I am very pleased with where my 20's brought me to and it's only going to get better. The stuff that really matters...family, friends and faith...that is what's important and what means the most to me! God is good and has given me more than I could have imagined and continues to bless me...maybe not according the worlds standards, but to His and with all of that I am pleased and extremely thankful.

The Birthday!

Max waiting for his Birthday Sunday!
The evening celebration at G & G Milam's house On our way to the birthday lunch!

1 table...

and the other!

Max got a hat just like his dads! Aunt She-She and cousin Ben.

Grandpa and Max

Max and Micah

G & G Gordon w/ baby Cole

Cousin Natty helping Max!

Yummy!

Auntie and Uncle

Great G & G!

***

Wow! Max is 3 and I can't believe it. I know all parents say it goes by fast, but until you are a parent you have no idea what that really means. Max is an amazing kid and every day with him is a new adventure. He is full of life and can make me laugh and I love him. He says the funniest things and I am amazed at what he knows. One of my favorite things this year has been watching him become a big brother and how he loves and is so sweet to Cole. What a gift Max is! I pulled out the video camera the other day to see if we had any room on a tape and I was watching Max in the last year and I can't believe how little he was even a year ago! I am so happy we have video of him in the last 3 years so we can see how much he has done over the last few years. Max had a fun birthday. Some friends and family joined us for lunch at Rainforest Cafe and then that evening we went to Lorens mom's house for Thanksgiving dinner and celebrated Max's birthday there too. I can't wait to see what the next year brings. I love seeing Max in school with his friends. He is doing well sitting in circle time and listening to the teacher...I am so glad we did the co-op this year. Some of the things Max loves is fire engines, police cars, ambulances and candy! He loves going places and seeing friends and family. I am shocked at how inquisitive this kid is...I have no idea where he gets that from...OK well maybe I do! But I think it is so funny that you don't teach your kids things, but it is just in there blood...it's really cool, crazy and weird all at the same time. Some time's I feel like I am watching myself...CRAZY!

Max is 3...

Seriously...Can he be any cuter!

Had to post a some new pictures of our little boy! He is 5 months now and gets cuter and cuter! We had a rough time at breakfast today after church so Cole and I had to excuse ourselves so others could have a peaceful breakfast. After he was fed and had a diaper change...he was much happier and that is when I was able to capture a happy moment. I was not driving...if you are wondering why he is in the front seat.